Dorset lifestyle
Brown Tail Moths live in Hawthorn and Blackthorn hedges, this caterpillar has crawled it’s way onto the peas a little early in the season. The hairs are toxic so decided not to touch it without gloves. Moved the hurdles to give the sheep a bit more grass and the donkeys access to the hedgerow. A cool cloudy day with heavy showers.
William and Toby took a while to find the gateway into their new paddock, they’d walked down the Avenue to their roll-over patch and stopped at the closed gate to Laneside, so they had to come back up again to get into Willow. Mowed Laneside to remove the grass stalks and gave them the branch the sheep had finished with as they can’t reach a hedge. Rain overnight will have helped the grass to grow, Laneside will be rested for a couple of months to rejuvenate. A very windy cloudy day.
Delving to the bottom of the feeder for anything tasty, that might be there, before William arrived and joined in, the few carrot peelings on the top had been eaten first. Picked blackcurrants and mange-tout. A cool windy day with sunny spells.
All nine sheep had their heads down nibbling the leaves when a new branch arrived, the Laneside hedgerow has blossomed, and doubled in size since being laid a couple of years ago, so there are lots of branches to cut for the animals to enjoy. A cool, windy day with late warm sunshine.
Looking towards the Purbeck Hills from Bournemouth Beach, a windy day before the promised rain. Picked strawberries, raspberries and a cucumber, cos lettuce looking ok, need transplanting as they’re all in a clump. Runner beans have reached the top of the sticks and need to pull more rhubarb. A cloudy end to a sunny day.
Grazing the paddock and the hedgerow in the sunshine, Toby often has his fly mask hanging round his neck when he comes back up to the stable. A sunny day with the threat of showers.
Time for the sheep to have their annual boosters and a line of pink Clik along their backs to prevent fly strike. They don’t like being confined and start butting each other to get to the corner where they bury their heads in whichever sheep is available. Picked a large bowl of strawberries. A warm sunny day with the threat of thunderstorms.
Carrots sliced and frozen in an inch of water kept the donkeys occupied for a few minutes, Toby stamps on the ice and pulls it backwards to break it into pieces. Moved the hurdles in Willow Ready to confine the sheep tomorrow, it’s time for their annual vaccinations and protection against fly strike. A very hot day with light winds.
A favourite snack for the sheep, when they’ve stripped the leaves and some of the bark the donkeys will finish the rest. A warm sunny day.
The Square paddock has turned into a wildflower meadow which the bees and butterflies love. The electric fencing has been removed so the donkeys have the whole of Laneside, including the shady area under the oak tree. First BBQ of the year on a hot and sunny day.
William and Toby made an unexpected visit to the workshop after the door was left open. They decided the hay was the best thing to eat before leaving. A cool sunny day with the occasional shower and a bright orange sunset.
Grazing a fresh section of paddock before the donkeys can graze there. A warm sunny day.
William and Toby eating their mash with the balancer pellets. A warm sunny day.
Cycled past the birthplace of Sir Walter Raleigh and the start of the Exeter Ship Canal.
Just about made it round.
Four donkeys sharing their paddock with four goats
The sheep have been confined to half of Willow so the donkeys can follow them in a couple of weeks. A warm sunny day with a brisk wind.
A lovely sunny day for a lolly
Beautiful blue male, resting in the sunny hedge Laneside, the paler female was flying about nearby. They like chalky streams so they’re a few miles away from their usual habitat. The bigger Dragon Flys are flying round the pond. A sunny windy day, warm in a sheltered spot.
Standing with his front hooves on the fence rail to eat the Willow, the tree looks to have grown wider in the last year, and reach lower to the ground. Arranged for regular delivery of straw bales to save collecting them, moved a stack of paving so the truck can get into the Square paddock and turn round. Fixed a few hooks in the tack room for the rakes and brooms, makes a big difference to the available floor area. Picked three mini cucumbers. A sunny cloudy day with a chilly wind.
Resting in their stable in the morning sunshine before getting up to start their day. They spread their bedding all round the stable and sometimes bring their collars in to play with overnight. Had to take opportunities to poo pick, torrential rain showers didn’t last long but were potent with longer sunny spells in between. The pond has filled up nicely, need to clean the filter. A quiet end to the day with light winds.
The first to sneak past the hurdles to have a look at the modified shelter in Willow, it has a new roof and a new tarpaulin over the top. The only paddock without a shelter is Fallen Oak and that has the moveable arcs so that should be the end of shelter building for a while. Pixie tried to chew the stepladder a few times which proved not very appetising, so she moved on to the grass round the edge of the fence. A sunny cloudy day with light winds and the threat of rain.
Standing upright in the sunshine, they’ve become slightly bowed after the rain of the last few days but are still looking magnificent. The donkeys have been out in the paddock standing under the oak tree during the heaviest downpours. Toby has been excavating a bigger roll-over patch and came up covered in mud, it took a while for it to dry so that it could be brushed off. A cloudy sunny day with heavy showers.
Scratching his neck on William’s back, William had nudged him out the way to get to a patch of grass just through the gate. They horsed about on the straw for a while before going out in the paddock. Cut a few twigs from the beech hedge for them to eat later. The ground is softer after torrential rain and thunderstorms, a cloudy muggy day.
Celebrating the Jubilee with a set of paints, managed not to smudge this for a couple of hours, and it filled up a few of the wrinkles. Groomed the donkeys and took them for a walk round the fencing in Laneside, they’re starting to make an impression on the hedge, it’s tall and wide after the hedge laying rejuvenated it a couple of years ago. A cloudy sunny day with a chilly wind, torrential rain and bright lightening filled the sky at midnight, no watering required tomorrow, hope the water butts are full.
Walter tucking into a branch cut from the hedgerow, the rest of the flock wandered over to finish eating the leaves and start nibbling the bark, the donkeys will have what’s left in a couple of days. Jubilee cream tea at The Baker Arms, the scones were delicious. Sat outside on the terrace until a thunderstorm passed by and then played Mahjong. A blustery cloudy end to a sunny day.
Two visible on the skyline above the stable, one at Bulbarrow and the other Hod Hill, I could see eight in all and some stayed alight for over an hour. No appreciable rain for a week, so the ground is cracking, watered the raised beds and the runner beans. Trimmed a few beech twigs from the hedge for the donkeys and moved the sheep into Willow paddock. A sunny day with a chilly wind.
The flags are flying for the weekend and the bunting is up on the stable. The Baker Arms has organised afternoon tea for tomorrow afternoon and there’s a garden party on Saturday in the field at the bottom of the hill, haven’t made a crown yet. Will take the corgi that started life as a prop in A Midsummer Night’s Dream and a picnic. A lovely sunny day with a cool breeze.
William and Toby playing around on their straw, Toby tries to get hold of William’s fly mask with his teeth and pull it off, he doesn’t succeed, which is good…. They’re always keen to get out of the gate into the paddock, the buttercups need mowing in Laneside so will need to cordon off an area with the electric fence. Cut a blackthorn branch for the sheep and apple tops for the donkeys. A sunny cloudy day with a cool breeze.
