Dorset lifestyle
The flowers blossoming alongside the fruit that’s on the stems from last year, the capsules explode eight months after flowering and throw their seeds more than thirty feet away so hope to get more plants popping up in the border. The sheep spent the day in Fallen Oak and the donkeys in Willow. A day of marked temperature difference with a cold wind, it was about five degrees warmer in a sheltered spot in the sun.
A lovely day for the sheep to be out and about, they moved down to Laneside so that the donkeys could run around in Willow. The Ash trees are budding and so are the Willow rods, a few have been planted in this hedgerow to fill in the gaps between the trees already there. Sorted the tools and moved them from the greenhouse to the shed. A cold, sunny, day with a brisk wind.
Sitting on their straw in the sunshine, William and Toby were relaxed and chilled, moreso than during the last few days of wind and hail showers. Groomed them and then they went out into Willow paddock for the afternoon, Toby ran around and William ate the first clump of grass he came across. The sheep spent the day in Laneside. A lovely sunny day with blue skies, light winds, and fluffy white clouds.
The energy in the falling water was enough to drive the machines in the woollen mills in 1850, now it’s a local tourist attraction in Ottery St Mary. The buildings are now residential and the industry long gone. Walked to the top of the headland at Burton Bradstock and had lunch in The Hive. A day of hail showers and occasional sunshine with a cold wind.
The main barn at the sanctuary, home to thirty donkeys and a few doves, none of the donkeys are out in the paddocks and as there are no sheep grazing there the grass looks green and lush. Had a ride on the open-top Seaton Tramway through the wetlands nature reserve, lots of oyster catchers, waders and herons to see, luckily it didn’t rain but the ind was a bit cold. A cloudy day with the occasional sunny spell.
Swathes of yellow on the cliff tops above Sidmouth, the walk to the beach was winding and steep, worth it for the views of the dark red cliffs. The storms have thrown large pebbles up onto the promenade, covering the railings in some places. An early dinner at The Greyhound in Fenny Bridges was tasty, didn’t get round to a game of mahjong. A sunny, windy, day with occasional heavy showers.
Leading the flock out of Laneside, through Fallen Oak and into Willow. The grass is thinning out and needs some sunshine to start growing, collected a bale of hay for the sheep, and three bales of straw for the donkeys. Too windy for cycling so had to settle for a pub lunch instead. A cool, cloudy, windy day with the sun trying to break through occasionally.
William and Toby like to compete for apple twigs, these were cut a couple of months ago and are still a tasty bark-stripping treat, they sheltered in their stable most of the day, which is unusual, the wind getting stronger as the day wore on. The sheep roamed around the paddock grazing as usual, ending up in two clumps in the shelter of the hedge. A cloudy day with rain showers and strong winds.
Sand piled on the promenade after the storm, and a foaming sea that’ll take a few days to calm down, the winds are still strong and the showers race through. The donkeys were on high alert, churning the straw as they moved around, the sheep were much calmer, grazing the paddock and sheltering in the Lea of the hedge. A showery, blustery day with spells.
Everything that wasn’t tied down was on the move, the winds were strong enough to blow a couple of the sheep arcs over to rest against the fence and the poo picking had to wait until late afternoon when the wind had started to drop. The donkeys were spooked and the sheep stayed in a sheltered corner of the field, a couple of them had small branches stuck to their backs, pleased to escape with no real damage to the trees in the hedgerow. There was a brief orange sunset before a squall moved in and the wind picked up again, all quiet by midnight.
Flowering by the side gate, must be sheltered there as none of the other clumps have sprouted yet. Checked the fencing and found a gap by the ditch where the spring comes out, must remedy that before the sheep find it, something must be coming and going through the hole. Collected four bales of straw from the farm. A sunny day, promise of storm force winds later so checked everything was battened down.
Leading the rest of the flock from the Square through Laneside and Willow into the Small Paddock for the night. Cut branches from the hedge for them to eat tomorrow. The paddocks are still very wet so the donkeys didn’t go out. A cloudy day with more heavy rain later and strong, gusty winds
William and Toby had to stay out of the paddock after more heavy rain overnight, if they’d been allowed through the gate they’d have chased around and churned the ground into muddy patches. They spent some time dozing, grooming each other, and nibbling their logs. After a brief spell of sunshine the rain set in for the rest of the day with strong, gusty winds.
Flowering in the front rose bed, the snowdrops are still out but there’s no sign of the daffodils. Moved the sheep from the Square where the spring is making the ground very wet, they’re back in the Small Paddock which is much dryer. A cloudy, wet day with strong winds.
Verwood loop through Ibsley to Hockey’s Farm Shop for coffee and a bacon sandwich, mostly on gravel tracks the muddy sections were fun, had to clean my bike before the mud set in the tyres. Sawed wood and stacked it under cover. A cloudy morning with torrential rain in the afternoon and evening.
Galloping round the paddock with their halters on, they bucked and ran off during a walk down Willow, took a chance on getting them to the bottom rail on a cold and windy day and it didn’t work out as planned! They ran around, Toby braying, until they were breathless, walked them back up to the stable once they’d calmed down and then let them go back out, for another run around. Sorted wood ready for sawing. A windy, cold, cloudy, day.
A cold, frosty, start to a sunny day, the donkeys had to wait a while to go out into the paddock as frosted grass has high levels of fructans, a soluble carbohydrate that can trigger laminitis, a painful inflammation of the hoof. Had a couple of tyres replaced on the car so with the addition of paving slabs these will make a play area for the sheep in the small paddock. A bright cold end to the day with a lovely sunset.
Moved into the Square for a few weeks to let the other paddocks rest, there’s more grass and they’ll probably have access to the Avenue during the day, Jago and Elton investigated the hay in the rack before it was put up in the shelter. Laid a few more mud mats and a load of compost. Started filling the gaps in the front hedge with the nibbled donkey sticks, it’ll take a while to make a difference and stop passing dogs from running in to the garden. A cloudy start to a cold, sunny day.
Donkeys and sheep meeting in the same paddock, the sheep were curious, especially Walter, and the donkeys happy to be in close contact. The sheep wandered through into their own paddock after a few minutes. Laid a few more mud mats and sorted a woodpile, coming to the end of this year’s logs, will have to cut more in the summer. A cloudy, cold, day with light winds.
Rhododendron ferrugineum is supposed to flower in the summer but has had at least one flower blossoming throughout the autumn and winter and now is in full bloom. The leaves have a rusty coloured coating on the underside which is why it was named ferrugineum. Groomed the donkeys and booked the farrier for next week. Laid a few more mud mats and moved compost. A cloudy, sunny, cool day with light winds.
William and Toby playing around on the straw before going out into the paddock, they hold on to each other with their teeth, favourite areas for hanging on are legs and neck, ducking under each other to gain an advantage, no harm comes to them and they’re eventually distracted and go back to eating their straw. The sheep spent the day in the Square. A cloudy day with light winds.
Cranborne to the Sticky Bun Tea Rooms at Wolverton for coffee and a toasted tea cake, back via Damerham along country roads and forest tracks. A faster pace than usual in a strengthening wind, a cloudy day with some sunshine, we made it back before the rain started.
Trying out the high point in the Square, the sheep have gone off eating their hay since grazing a paddock with more grass, and aren’t interested in the silver birch branches, will have to cut them some hazel from the lane. The donkeys wandered about all day in Willow. Snowdrops and Primroses are in flower and the Magnolia is getting ready to burst into life. A day of sunshine and showers with light winds.
A day of cold winds and heavy showers, the sheep didn’t go in the re-purposed shed when it rained, preferring to stay at the top of the paddock. Walked the donkeys from their stable into Willow and through the slalom poles into Fallen Oak, Toby was excited to go further afield, he bucked and ran a few yards before stopping to eat the grass. Led them back up to their stable for carrot treats before letting them out into the paddock again. A quiet end to a blustery day with a very colourful sunset.
The grass in the other paddocks needed a rest so the sheep spent the day in the Square, which hasn’t been grazed for a few months, fenced off the Hazel and Willow so they didn’t get eaten. The sheep all had a good run around on the return journey back to the Small Paddock for the night. There’s enough grass in Willow for the donkeys so they spent the day grazing the hedgerow. Laid a few more mud mats. A sunny, cloudy, cool day with light winds.
Toby moving in to steal the dry nettles that William got to first, he can move quickly when he wants to – not that William made much effort to move away. They like to share treats, eating side by side most of the time. Lunch at The Dancing Man micro brewery on the waterfront at Southampton, a couple of cruise ships were dockside. The new flood light proved invaluable when feeding the sheep in the dark. A sunny day with light winds, warm in sheltered spots.
Still looking cute and smaller than the rest, even Elton who was born around the same time is much bigger, or maybe it’s just the fleece? Will find out in the summer. Sawed wood, moved compost and found a few more carrots in the raised bed. Wound up the tape for the electric fence and left some of the poles to create a slalom walk for the donkeys ready for the next time they’re groomed. A cold, cloudy day with strengthening winds.
A little bigger than the average, one that escaped the harvest last year, it’ll keep the donkeys happy for a week or two. The garlic in the raised bed is looking ok but the strawberry beds need tidying up, brown leaves and more runners are spreading everywhere, a job for a sunny day. Moved a load of compost. A cloudy, col, sunny day with light winds.
