Month: February 2021

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Cycle to Chettle

The endless view from the Long Barrow above Pimperne, part of the Dorset Cursus which once stretched for six miles along Cranborne Chase, three times the length of the Great Cursus at Stonehenge. Saw two Brimstone butterflies making their way along the ivy filled hedgerow where they will have been hibernating over winter, the warm sunshine waking them, they need to survive the still cold nights. Walked the donkeys down to the bottom paddock, the sheep had to take a different route to get to their grazing, proved to be problematic with Nola and Pixie deciding to take an alternative route! A cool misty start to a warm day with light winds and a lovely sunset.

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Misty Morning

A very foggy start to the day, the moon was very bright and the light diffused before the sun rose and the mist cleared in the vale. The sheep were happy to relax on their hillock before gathering at the gate to run down to the bottom paddock. Walked William and Toby down the avenue to graze by the fallen oak, at the end of the day they had a coating of mud and grass from rollovers. Saw the first bumblebee of the year and a bat flew over the pond at dusk, Poppy was interested but much too slow to pose any threat, fed the fish. A sunny warm day with a lovely sunset.

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Plantbritain.co.uk

Countryfile have created an interactive website for recording the planting of trees, shrubs, flowers and vegetables across the UK, data collection will continue for two years and aims to encourage planting for wildlife and to combat climate change. Over 500 shrubs, native hedging and trees have been planted in our two acres so the entry should boost the Dorset total. Groomed the donkeys in the sunshine, hope they can go out on the drying grass soon, the spring has stopped running into the ditch; they watch the sheep grazing and want to join them. A drizzly start to the day with light winds and late warm sunshine. Fish and chips from the van in Child Okeford.

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Owl Barn

Saved by public appeal, a barn that’s next to the trailway running from Sturminster Newton to Blandford, this used to be the railway line, now it’s a cycle route. The barn owl was out and about in the field behind. Found four thistles large enough for the donkeys to eat and the goose grass is growing steadily so should be ready to pull in a couple of weeks. Levelled the mole hills, used the excess soil to fill in the gouges left by the donkeys when they ran round the paddock. Collected a load of rubble for the driveway. A very windy mild day with some sunshine and the occasional shower.

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Donkeys

William and Toby enjoying the sunshine in the fallen oak paddock, they’ve not been able to run around on grass for a couple of weeks so were overjoyed to be out for a few hours. The ground is still very wet but the strong winds have dried the puddles. Their coats are at their longest and William especially is starting to scratch himself on any available post or latch, they’ll soon start to lose their hair in handfuls and the nesting birds will be on the lookout for lining material. A very windy dry day with light cloud and sunny spells, not as warm as yesterday.

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Seeds

Sorted the numerous packets of seeds, these will probably be the first to be sown. Have collected a few mole hills from the bottom paddock and left the soil in pots in the greenhouse to warm up, it’ll be mixed with some compost for the seed trays. Carrots and outdoor lettuce will be sown in the raised beds which need to have their covers removed and be raked several times to give a fine crumbly surface. The trees and hedging on the other side of the lane have been cut in half to reveal the hills to the north-east, should give an earlier view of the sunrise. A wet start with increasing sunshine and light winds, the end of the day was warm.

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Winnie and Nola

The sheep ran down to the bottom paddock for a few hours of grazing fresh grass, remembering the route from yesterday; as the sun set they lined up along the fence ready to run back up to their shelter for their hay. Picked up more leathery oak leaves, in the wetter patches the grass needs to see the sunshine and the leaves gather together in piles to block out the light. The water lilies are unfurling new leaves under the water in the pond, fed the fish a few pellets, no sign of toad spawn. A mild cloudy day with light winds and a brief spell of sunshine.

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Witch Hazel

Growing in a very windy spot and flowering better this year than last the yellow bronze flowers will produce fruiting pods that mature and explode, scattering their seeds, in October or November. Collected oak leaves from the bottom paddock, the sheep followed the wheelbarrow down and enjoyed nibbling fresh grass for an hour or so in strengthening winds. A squall sent them back to their shelter encouraged by a bucket of hay. The donkeys watched from their stable, just too wet for them to be on the grass. A wet day with late sunshine and a bright sunset.

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Bianca

Managed to get a photo during the running and jumping keep fit session, all the sheep join in although Nola is the least energetic, Walter and Digby lead the charge with a pogo and sidekick routine that may or may not involve Pixie, and includes head butting anyone who wants to meet them square on. Disassembled the small area of paddock formed by the electric fencing, the donkeys aren’t interested in going in there and it is very boggy. A lot of rain overnight and a wet start and end to a mild day.

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Sunshine

William and Toby enjoying a handful of hay in warm midday sunshine, I had an ice-cream on the terrace. Collected oak leaves from the bottom paddock, there’s a boggy patch in the centre but the edges are ok, may let the sheep run there in a few days if it drains a little, the spring is running into the ditch and down the lane. Moved some wood from the pile behind the stable, ready for cutting, stacking and burning next year. A mild day with sunny spells and light winds, watched the owl fly across the field at dusk.

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Silver Birch

Planted here to provide shade for the straw area and the small paddock in the summer the first tree didn’t survive so this replacement is a year older and has a much better root system. Doubly protected from the sheep it should straighten up as it grows taller. A poplar was planted in the lower paddock where it should thrive in the puddles. The movers were collected for their annual service, the ride-on was used to control large areas of buttercups in the paddocks so the cutters definitely need sharpening. A very wet, mild, day with some breaks in the cloud, light until after six o’clock.

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Nola

Standing away from the flock some of the time, drinking more than usual and not eating unless fed by hand, Nola was upended and checked over. Nothing unusual, cleaned and trimmed her feet and applied the purple spray. Happy to eat from the bucket afterwards and much livelier this afternoon, so not sure what that was about, just wanted some personal attention, maybe? Added donkey poo to the bank in the meadow strip, would be good to sow flowers along the top once it’s rotted down. Everywhere still very soggy underfoot, heavy rain last night and a cloudy mild day with the occasional sunny spell.

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Farrier

It’s ten weeks since the donkeys had their hooves trimmed, William’s seedy toe is improved in places and looks clean and white when the farrier has finished, Toby has an inward stepping gait so the hooves on his hind legs wear unevenly as steps one hoof in front of the other. After last nights rain the paddocks are full of puddles so no time for running around, the sheep were out of their shelter as usual even though it was a drizzly start to the day. Warm sunshine broke through the cloud so one less fleece required. Lucky to see a barn owl flying over the field at dusk, pancakes for tea.

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Greenhouse

The shelving has been in its box for the last six months so it’s good to get it off the floor and bolted to the frame, it’ll give the greenhouse a bit more stability in the strong winds and there’ll be lots of room to store all those essentials! The last of the trays can be taken out and the glass cleaned ready for this year’s tomatoes and cucumbers, a trowelful of the casts from the wormery will go in the bottom of all the pots. Cold driving ran all day, two wet donkeys mooched about near their stable and the sheep stayed in their shelter, a promise of sunshine tomorrow.

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Blandford Wood

Circular route from Durweston through Bonsley Common and back past the Mill, a few snowdrops along the way, bluebell leaves starting to push through the fallen leaves. Stopped for coffee and cake at the top of Shillingstone Hill. The water was flowing over the weir at the Mill but the pond was covered in a layer of ice, unusual for it to freeze, there was a slow ripple of movement beneath. The donkeys stayed in and around their stable, the sheep out and about as usual. A very cold day, slightly warmer out of the wind, sleet and snow showers in the afternoon.

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Ice

The paddocks are less squelchy underfoot, the wind has dried the ground and the frost hardened the surface so decided to lead the donkeys down to the fallen oak paddock for a run around. The water trough had a 3 inch slab of ice on the top that had to be lifted out – it very heavy and resulted in cold hands! The donkeys started grazing and then had a run around, bucking and chasing each other, falling over and running round again before settling down. The sheep watched and had their own fun and games. A very cold day with strong winds and bright, late, sunshine that developed into a lovely orange sunset.

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Flu Jab

William and Toby had their annual vaccination, they weren’t very enthusiastic about a rather tall vet approaching them but she was very patient; consolation was half an apple each and some hay, the water troughs were frozen and the ice couldn’t be broken so had to be defrosted with hot water. The spring has stopped running into the ditch and the paddocks are very hard underfoot, the grass looks to have wilted which makes poo picking easier. Another cloudy and very cold day with a strong wind and a few snow flurries, the sun shone for half an hour and almost lifted the temperature.

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Pond

Frozen at the end furthest from the waterfall and covered with a fine layer of snow which defrosted in the morning sunshine, no sign of the fish, they’ll be resting on the bottom. Very cold overnight, there was an inch of ice on all the water troughs, the donkeys had their bucket of warm water with their breakfast and a supplement of hay which the sheep had pulled out of their feeder and discarded. Nola in particular likes crunching the ice left on the ground next to the trough. A bright sunny day with a biting wind and a little cloud that disappeared to leave a lovely sunset.

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Icicles

All the water butts have icicles, the ice has forced the stoppers up a little so the water can slowly seep out. The water troughs in the paddock needed de-icing three times during the day and were topped up with hot water at dusk, not sure how long they’ll stay defrosted overnight. Keeping a watering can full of water in the greenhouse for the first water boiling of the day. The donkeys stayed close to their stable, the sheep preferred to stay outside and chew the cud in the frosted grass. Snow in the morning with a raw wind that strengthened in the afternoon.

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Driveway

Making progress from the lane to the paddock gate, it looks completely different to the photo which was taken in early November, the surface is relatively flat and driveable to the corner and doesn’t seem to have suffered a problem with sinking into the saturated ground beneath. Hoping for more bags of rubble to be delivered over the next few weeks. Collected more apple branches and the donkeys had their share, William and Toby jumped and chased around their straw area trying to kick each other, the paddocks are still too wet for them to go out. Snow flurries during the day with a strengthening wind.

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Donkey Cam

Dusk in the stable, William and Toby have had their vitamin mix and are tucking into their straw, the feeder will probably be empty in the morning – anything not to their liking will be nosed out on to the floor to become tomorrow’s bedding. A couple of hours later William was chewing on an apple branch he’d brought into the stable and Toby was at the salt lick in the corner. Finished preparing the ground for the runner beans, will fit in four short rows next to the raised beds. No snow overnight, a cloudy day with a biting wind, needed to wear thermals and two pairs of gloves.

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Ouessants

Chewing the cud in the morning, all the sheep sitting on a south facing slope in the sunshine on a frosty morning. Cut and bagged the chewed and bark-less apple wood for storing and burning in a couple of years time, it’ll mature in the shed. Moved hurdles down to the bottom paddock ready for the sheep moving there in a few weeks time, the acorns are still in the grass. Set up the wildlife camera outside the garage, there’s a birds nest, maybe the wren or a robin, hope to get some pictures. A mild sunny day, warmest of the year so far, forecast is for snow tonight!

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Cycle Ride

Along country lanes and through Child Okeford past drifts of snowdrops in the hedgerows. Stopped for coffee and cake at the Owl Barn and lucky to see the owl flying low over the field and moving from post to post, it must be hungry to be out at midday. Started later than intended to avoid a downpour and finished the ride in bright sunshine, lots of puddles, debris and potholes to avoid. Collected a few more bags of rubble for the driveway, the donkeys sand sheep had apple to eat, the D’Arcy Spice are keeping well. The day ended with another lovely sunset.

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Workshop

Looking better after a tidy up; the number of bales can be kept in single figures as there’s a year-round supplier of wheat straw and hay within five miles, so collecting four or six of what’s needed every couple of weeks shouldn’t be a problem. The hay is really soft and green and the sheep like it a lot, the wheat straw is golden and quiet tough so the donkeys prefer it to barley straw. Fitted bristle to the bottom of the doors to stop the rain driving underneath as the edges of the workshop are a bit damp, the donkeys noticed the new sweeping sounds. Heavy rain to start and end the day with fog and drizzle in between.

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Earthworms

This worm when it stretched out to move along was nearly a foot in length, it was on the edge of the hard standing where the soil is rich with manure and leaf litter, could be a Blackheaded Anecic? The new hay feeder stood up to the wind ok overnight and the sheep were running around enjoying their usual pogo / headbutt routine by the woodpile. Moved a rhubarb crown to a large pot by the greenhouse, it was planted between the hedge and an apple tree so was starved of light and water most of the year, hope it does better in the pot, have a couple more to move. A rainy start to the day with some sunshine and a lovely sunset.

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Hay Feeder

An addition to the original sheep shelter the hay feeders are attached to a hurdle and protected from the rain with perspex sheeting and a sheet of onduline roofing. A little confusing for the sheep who tried to eat the hay from the wrong side of the clear perspex sheet. A quantity of bailer twine was used to make sure the sheets didn’t blow away in the wind. Emptied a couple of layers of worm casts into a compost tray, over the next couple of weeks the worms will congregate in a lump in a corner and be returned to the wormery, the casts will be used in the bottom of the tomato pots. A windy but mizzly drizzly day.

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Candlemas Day

Custom says “A farmer should, on Candlemas Day, have half his corn and half his hay.” There’s six months to go until the next harvest so this day marks the mid point of a farming year. William watched as the sheep moved into the small paddock which will be their home until Spring, he’d love to graze in there as well but the ground would soon become poached. There’s has lots of lush grass so this may result in a few runny poos until digestive systems settle down. Light well past five o’clock, the days are lengthening and the cold is strengthening, a misty start and cloudy end to the day.

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Hay

Straw is too tough for the sheep to eat so they have a big bucket of hay between them twice a day to supplement the grass. More rain overnight so the spring is still running into the ditch and the puddles in the paddock are getting even bigger. Cut up the smaller branches from the oak tree to be stored and burnt as kindling in two years time, the rest went in the bin. The woodpeckers were on the lawn and a pair of pheasants were chasing round the borders. Didn’t spend much time outside, snow flurries most of the day with a cold biting wind.