Month: May 2021

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Raised Bed

Looking bright green in the morning sunshine, there are a couple of rows of carrots (sown sparingly to avoid thinning), with a stray lettuce, land cress, cos lettuce, radish and more Nantes carrots. With the last few days of warm weather it’s been watered twice a day to stop the veg going to seed. Tied the bean sticks together and linked them to the trellis which is the other side of the path, the first beans are winding up the canes despite the attentions of the slugs and snails. A lovely warm and sunny day with light winds, the cats have been lolling about in the shade.

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Cucumbers

Eight or more little mini munch cucumbers on a plant less than a foot high, liking the corner of the greenhouse they mature at about four inches long, so are prolific and need picking regularly. The tomatoes have their first fruits and the side shoots removed. Still no luck with the French beans, although did find one that had germinated in the ‘discarded compost’ tray, so maybe more will pop up. Wisteria smells fragrant, hoping for a second bloom, the fish thrashed about in the pond and had extra rations. Pint at The Baker Arms, warm sunshine all day and light winds.

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Carrot Lolly

The first time Walter has been offered one and he was not impressed, he looked the other way and then ran off to join the rest of the flock. The donkeys gained from the rejection and crunched their way through the ice to get to the carrots. Mowed the long grass in the bottom paddock, it has too much sugar for the donkeys and the sheep have more than enough to eat. The hedgerow that was laid over a year ago is looking good, full of fresh growth and dense at the bottom. A warm sunny day with light winds.

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Farrier

It’s been ten weeks since the last visit and the donkey’s hooves needed a trim, William’s seedy toe has improved and there’s no sign of laminitis which is good. Toby was finished first and then he stayed close by, resting his head on William’s back, they had a ginger biscuit and thistles afterwards after a quick walk round the yard, the sound of their hooves on the concrete was different, somehow. A warm sunny day with light winds.

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Ouessants

Winnie and Digby sitting in the sun chewing the cud and dozing, their new woolly coats are a week old and they feel like velvet. They have access to two paddocks in the hope they’ll keep the grass short enough for the donkeys to be eat in them afterwards. Mowed laneside, the sheep won’t be able to eat their way through that field as well. The hedges are growing really well, some of the field maple trees are sprouting later than the others. A warmer sunny day with moderate winds, light until nearly ten o’clock.

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Donkeys

Let out into the paddock they grazed right up to the electric fence, nibbling the fresh spring grass, they’re not looking any slimmer so will have to give them a longer, narrower strip to increase the ground they cover walking uphill and downhill. Watered the tomatoes in the greenhouse, the cucumbers are struggling with some slug damage. Eating radish, rocket and nasturtium leaves, most of the runner beans are winding round the canes and the mangetout peas are starting to cling on to the willow whips, hoping some may root. A cool start to a sunnier day with light winds.

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Scalpings

Delivered in a slightly larger tipper truck than expected, the tractor driver did a brilliant job of getting the trailer in the driveway entrance and spreading the load. The donkeys watched from the far side of their straw area and were less worried than when the lawnmower appears beside them, they went into the square paddock after the tractor had turned round, and the sheep took no notice at all. A cool sunny start to a very wet day with strengthening winds, removed the side shoots from the tomatoes.

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Cycle

Farnham to Manswood through Chettle, started in the rain and finished in the rain with a spell of sunshine in-between, the bluebells are still in flower and there are fresh green leaves everywhere on the trees. Lunch at The Museum Inn. Finished leveling the driveway in preparation for the top dressing of scalpings. Too wet for the donkeys to be in the paddock, the straw area is getting boggy and needs raking over, tomatoes are doing ok in the greenhouse, still too cold to plant out the courgette.

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Fleeces

Ready for packing into a box in paper sacks, six fleeces weighing a kilogram each, they are rich in lanolin and already going curly. A very wet day with strong winds, the sheep went into willow for a while before returning to their shelter in the small paddock. The donkeys tried to stay out of the wind by the stable and nibbled on a fresh apple branch. Mended a puncture, lit the woodburner.

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Coby and Digby

Separated by a stock fence, Coby the bengal cat and Digby are still able to touch noses and have a good sniff, after a minute or so Digby went back to grazing the paddock. The sunflowers in the pot by the back door have been chewed off, not sure they’ll regrow, hope the plants in the border do better. Collected a couple of pallets to modify the sheep shelter in the square paddock. A much calmer day with lighter winds and warming sunshine, visited a local Dorset Art Week’s exhibition.

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Willow

William and Toby had to stay out of the paddock because of strong winds and driving rain, they had their usual breakfast of three wedges of straw and then mooched around the stable. The feeder was topped up later in the day with the addition of a tasty willow branch and a handful of goosegrass. The sheep stayed undercover only coming out whenever the rain stopped. Collected my bike after a service, needs to go back in a couple of weeks as it requires a new chain and cassette. Checked the greenhouse after the gale, all ok. A stormy day with gale force winds and cold driving rain.

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Black Sheep

Walter, Winnie and Digby look so different, longer legs and blacker than ever without their fleeces, they’ve been hiding from the wind most of the day, only emerging from the sheep shelter to graze the paddock and then return to comfort to chew the cud. The donkeys have been on high alert, chasing around and hanging on to each other’s necks. All the trees are bending in the wind, losing blossom, leaves and small branches, hardly any racemes left on the wisteria, they’re all over the grass, tied the bean sticks to the trellis. A cloudy mild day with occasional showers and gale force winds.

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Runner Beans

The first two rows are planted out and had to be tied in to the canes to stop them being blown over in the wind. They’ve been left alone by the slugs and snails which is good. Planted out more sunflowers and parsley plants, bought more compost to top up the tomatoes in the greenhouse, still no french beans showing. Ate the first two radishes from the raised bed and a few handfuls of leaves from the rocket and mizuna plants. The Cos lettuce are doing well, land cress is off to a slow start. A sunny cool day with moderate winds.

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Shearing

Nola, in the process of losing her fleece, it was sheared off in one piece and is in very good condition, the lengths of wool have crinkled and when the strands are rolled they are impossible to pull apart, so this will result in a high quality spun product. The three white and three black fleeces will remain separate, wrapped in paper sacks and sent to the Pocket House Studio on the Isle of Lewis for making into a rug, there’s a waiting list so the rug should arrive within the year! The sheep were soon back in their paddock grazing happily and weighing slightly less. A fine start to a cold day with increasing winds and heavy showers. Lit the woodburner.

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Winnie and Digby

Checking out the new accommodation, they’re not used to concrete floors, will have to give them straw and hay for their overnight stay. Wet fleeces are not good for the shearer, worst case electric shock! Managed to get them all inside and the door shut, will leave the stable door open so that William and Toby can keep an eye on them. The Sparrowhawk has been flying round the oak tree on a couple of occasions, and a pair of owls were flying in the field, hope one of them likes the nesting box. A cloudy sunny day with a cool wind and the occasional shower.

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Stormy

Torrential rain off and on all day, poo picked and finished tidying the workshop ready for the shearer. Planted a few runner beans, the sticks stayed up in the wind, the frame may need reinforcement once it’s covered in leaves, will have to check for slugs in the morning. Donkeys stayed by the stable and the sheep ran for their shelter every time it rained. All the water butts are full, topped up the pond. Removed the first side shoots from the tomato plants. A warm muggy end to the day with low cloud covering the hills.

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Mutual Grooming

Toby was being groomed by William while having a groom himself! The boys carried on nibbling each other in their usual right / left stance, William loses his hair in chunks, leaving bare patches. Toby has a much finer coat that always looks the same. Moved the electric fence to give them more grass, they stayed out in the paddock despite torrential downpours that turned the paddock entrance to a soggy puddle. All the trees are looking greener, their leaves filling out. A showery day with light winds.

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Rhododendron Ferrugineum

In full bloom, the alpine rose bright pink flowers and green blemish free foliage are a couple of weeks earlier than last year, it must have liked the frequent frosts and low rainfall. Started to dismantle the sheep shelter in the square paddock, nearly ready to raise the roof and cover with planks and a new tarpaulin. The end of the workshop has been cleared to create enough space for the shearer to handle the sheep, they need to be kept inside the night before to give the fleece time to dry. A cloudy start to a sunny day, lunch at The Baker Arms.

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Sleepy Sheep

Lined up along the fence in the late afternoon sunshine, with Nola at the back, the sheep stayed there for an hour or so before stretching and setting off round the paddock for their daily head butt and pogo session. Most of them are shedding parts of their fleece, the shearer is booked for next week so they’ll have to be kept dry the day before, could be a bit of a challenge, will need to clear space in the workshop unless the weather improves. A wet start to the day with light winds and late sunshine.

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Blue Sky

Sunshine between the showers, the ash trees are just about to show their leaves, no sight or sound of the barn owl at dusk, and no activity around the box in the oak. The grass is growing greener and will soon be full of sugar, so strip grazing the donkeys will continue and the sheep will have to work harder to keep the paddocks trimmed. Topped up the pond, the tadpoles are growing, no sign of legs yet, lily leaves are widening to give the fish some shade. A wet end to the day with lighter winds.

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William

Waiting for his daily mug-full of vitamins, slightly tubby William stood by the straw store for a while, Toby meanwhile helped himself to the fresh straw in the stable, neither of them tempted away by a few apple branches. They both came in from the paddock when there was a downpour late afternoon and never went back out, and all the sheep squeezed into their shelters until the sun came out again. The wisteria is trying to flower, battling against the cold nights and the gale force winds, a cloudy day with heavy rain showers and bright skies at sunset.

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Cycle Ride

From Pimperne to Chettle and back on forest tracks and quiet roads, passing this field of cowslips and acres of bright yellow rapeseed, spotted red kites and buzzards. No rain, but the wind was very strong which made cycling uphill a bit of a challenge. Removed the protective sheets of plastic and dismantled what was left of the wood piled by the oak tree, all cut and stacked ready for the woodburner. The larger pallets will form the basic framework of a new sheep shelter in the square paddock. A sunny end to a blustery day that started with a rain shower and a rainbow.

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Mizzly

A drizzly day with light winds, tidied the greenhouse and tied the tomatoes to their canes, the cucumbers are newly planted and looking ok. Reset the electric fence, the donkeys grazed the paddock in the afternoon. Fixed a few more of the runner bean sticks, the frame needs to be strong so some of the canes extend into the hedge. Topped up the pond with rainwater, the fish are hungry and the tadpoles are growing. A calm end to the day with a pale pink sunset.

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World Donkey Day

William and Toby enjoyed the sun before the stormy weather arrived, no time in the paddock as the electric fence tape is being blown off the poles onto the grass. Results from the poo samples were very good, low counts for roundworm so no treatment required. The poo picking twice a day and letting the sheep graze the paddock before the donkeys is paying dividends, treating the boys for lungworm and tapeworm is an option later in the year. A stormy day with high winds and low cloud, water butts nearly full.

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Composted Hedge

Finished emptying half the compost heap and turned the rest ready for planting the courgettes and pumpkins, over 500 trees and hedging plants have had a mulch in the last couple of months. Mowed the meadow strip and took the top off the buttercups in the bottom paddock, there should be enough space for the grass cuttings to be interspersed with layers of donkey poo, mulch for next year! Cut the last wood in the pile under the oak stump so the blue polythene cover can be removed and the pallets put to a different use. A fine sunny day with light winds.

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Ouessants

The sheep are enjoying their new paddock, they nip the tops off the buttercups and leave the rest of the plant. The donkeys started their day playing tog-of-war with one of the collars, I think Toby won as he was banging it on the ground. A lone deer was in field, have finished the fence and gate around the raised beds and beans so it doesn’t matter if he/she comes in the garden. A damsel fly was circling the pond, not affected by the low temperatures. A sunny cloudy day with light winds.

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Ellison’s Orange

The pink and white clusters of apple blossom survived the gale, last year’s crop was less than fifty apples so hoping this year will be better. Saw the dangly legged Hawthorn Fly for the first time, also named the St Mark’s Fly because it traditionally appears on 25th April, last year it flew on the 29th April and so it’s nearly a week later this year. The courgette seeds have sprouted after three weeks on the windowsill, no sign of the pumpkins, the tomatoes are looking ok in the greenhouse. Groomed the donkeys. A cold start to a day of lighter winds and warming sunshine.

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Donkeys

William and Toby have had their vitamins and are resting, William in the evening sunshine and Toby in the shade of the stable. The high winds of the last day or two mean they’re less relaxed than usual, it’ll take a calm night to relax them. Moved barrowloads of compost from the heap to the new hedgerow which is looking healthy and full of fresh green leaves. The high winds snapped the rhubarb stalks, the leaves too big to withstand the gale. A sunny day with strong winds and rain clouds that passed by over the hills.

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Early Purple Orchid

Cycled from Cranbourne to Garston Wood to walk through the carpets of bluebells, several orchids were in flower alongside yellow archangel, which is related to the mint family so considered a bit of a thug in the plant world, and wild garlic. A buzzard must have been nesting close to the road as it swooped over our heads a couple of times. The route took us alongside the River Crane and a pair of white egrets, a red kite hunted among a field of sheep. A sunny cloudy start to the day with buffeting gale force winds and heavy rain at dusk, the racemes on the wisteria ripped off and accumulated in piles on the ground before they’d even opened.

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Strip Grazing

The sheep have been moved into willow, and the donkeys have moved into the square paddock, they’ll be confined to a small area bordered by an electric fence, and graze the paddock in strips. William loves grass and is looking tubby, must be the result of eating the apple twigs and the hay discarded by the sheep. It’s difficult to maintain the balance between too much grass and an area big enough for them to get enough exercise. A sunny day with a brisk wind, warm when sheltered from the wind; in a calmer moment a partridge walked along the top of the hedge towards the house. Added weights to the tarpaulin on top of the woodpile.

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Apple

The last of the apples went to the sheep, there are patches of long grass in the paddock they’re not keen on eating, mainly in the corners. Another frosty night with early morning fog, hope the apple and plum blossom survived. Planted a few tomatoes in the greenhouse, covered the oak woodpile with tarpaulin which will have to stay there for at least a year, dismantled the sheep hay feeder, there should be enough grass in the paddocks to last until autumn. A breezy day with sunshine and showers.

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May Day

The ancient festival of Spring, first celebrated by the Romans to honour the goddess of flowers – Flora, and more recently, the day village greens were opened after the winter. April nights have been frosty but summer is nearly here. The sheep are visited most days by the Bengal cat which sits on top of their shelter, Winnie is usually the first to make sure there’s nothing to worry about. A foggy start to a sunny, cloudy, chilly day with heavy rain showers.

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Drenched

Big raindrops fell soon after this photo was taken, once the hills on the horizon have disappeared the vale quickly fills with cloud and there’s not much time to get under cover. The garden and hedging needed the rain, the ground had cracked much like it does in late summer. Moved the tomatoes into the greenhouse ready for planting, the mizuna and rocket seedlings transplanted into one of the raised beds. A sunny end to a cool day.