Dorset lifestyle
A reasonable distance on a very warm day with a stop at Chettle for coffee and a sausage roll. No rain at all this month, the cracks in the garden are getting wider, having to water the hedge every other day and the greenhouse twice a day, runner beans are struggling. Picked tomatoes and cucumbers. A hot sunny day with light winds.
Usually the first to come and see if there are any treats available, the sheep spent most of the day in the shade under the Willow in Fallen Oak. Their fleeces are growing well, although their legs look spindly. A hot day with the promise of rain.
A fun night singing along to ABBA songs at the Pavilion in Bournemouth. The donkeys came up to the stable early and had the run of their straw area for the night. A warm day with light winds
The donkeys managed to knock down a few hurdles and moved into the sheep’s paddock to get at the willow tree. The sheep didn’t mind and the donkeys walked round them. A warm sunny day, no rain.
Growing alongside the hedge in the meadow strip, a colourful display of grasses, wild flowers and nettles, attracting bees (this one is carrying a lot of pollen), butterflies and moths. Could do with more rain to stop them all going to seed. Topped up the hedgehog trough and the bird baths. A sunny day with a cool wind.
Starting at Potterne Park, ride to the Wolverton Tea Rooms for an iced latte with ice cream and half a toasted tea cake shared, a whole one would have been too much. No hills to speak of and although there were a couple of rain showers on the way, we soon dried out in the sun.
In there somewhere, the area around the fallen oak hasn’t been grazed for a few months and is starting to be taken over by the hedgerow, not sure the sheep will make much impact. A warm sunny day, need more rain for the garden and paddocks.
Toby in the stable after it’s had its morning clean, he often goes inside for a rollover before breakfast. Doesn’t graze his legs or his head and has a good shake when he gets up. Picked tomatoes and cucumbers, the Bronze Arrow lettuce seedlings disappeared overnight, suspect slugs or a rabbit! A breezy day with a cool wind and rain overnight.
Are in there somewhere! Rain overnight has half filled a water butt, the plants in the garden will be pleased. A warm cloudy day with strengthening winds.
The trimmings from the beech hedge are feeling crispier, the lack of rain is affecting all the plants, the hedges will drop their leaves early this year. The donkeys still like them. Another hot day with the promise of a thunderstorm.
Not that worried about being in the shade, a cloudy, cool morning meant the grass was wet and the Willow within reach (with a bit of help). The sheep are slowly being moved into Fallen Oak where the grass is longer and still green in places. A warm end to the day with light winds.
The cloud that gave us a few spots of rain as the hot weather gave way to normal temperatures. A thunderstorm rumbled away in the distance but faded away without any rainfall. Filled up a couple of waterbutts so that the pond can be filled up in a couple of days.
A lovely little model, sure to overheat if it gets stuck in the traffic jam to leave the show….. another hot day with lots of sunshine. The animals stayed in the shade for part of the day, eating the remaining green grass under the crispy top.
A Rolls Royce looking fabulous, colourful, and a very different livery to the other models. Our MG had to be in place by nine o’clock and stay until the show finished at four. Lots of classic cars paraded in front of the castle on a day that was very hot. The donkeys and sheep enjoyed the paddock and were happy to stay in the shade.
Not helping with the puzzle! A very hot day, the chickens are drinking a lot of water.
Art Club exhibition at Bristol Museum, lots of different areas to look at, including a large number of glass cases with stuffed animals and birds inside, collected by the Wills tobacco family. A warm sunny day with light winds.
One of Poppy’s kittens, now living with Jack in Buckinghamshire. She behaves just like Poppy and brings in assorted leaves and twigs on her fur, likes to lie on the table in the kitchen and in the shade of the hedge outside. Another very hot day.
Looking after these two for a few days, they’re talkative when their food is topped up and like to eat daisies. A very hot day spent mostly in the shade.
Tucking into a fresh beech branch, they spent most of the day in the shade of the willow. Watered the beans, peas and greenhouse. A calm, quiet end to a hot sunny day.
William and Toby making a meal of a beech branch, the leaves had been eaten by the sheep but they like to crunch the twigs and nibble at the bark. A hot sunny day, watered the beans, peas and the greenhouse., picked a few cucumbers, the strawberries are over and the birds have taken all the raspberries – hope they enjoyed them!
Cycle ride from Pamphill to The Anchor for coffee and then a fried egg sandwich for lunch. Cut beech branches for the sheep and donkeys and moved their fence over to give them fresh grass. A warm end to a sunny day.
Starting to flower in abundance, the pods were starting to get chewy so will leave them to mature. The rhubarb needs pulling, could do with more rain. Painted one side of the stable, the donkeys were shut in the paddock and came up to watch, William always takes time to see if anything is different so will be slow to start eating his mash tonight. A sunny cloudy day with a cool wind.
Moved the row of hurdles to give the sheep a little more fresh grass and the electric fence to give the donkeys access to the field maple. Topped up the pond and watered the peas and runner beans. Cycled 15 miles from Blandford through Spetisbury to Shapwick for coffee in a cool breeze that turned warmer at lunchtime, there was a sheep going for a walk with a dog along the trailway, not seen that before! A sunny end to the day.
Toby eating the tastiest bits he can reach from his side of the fence, it’s mostly brambles reaching into the paddock, but that’s ok. The sheep stripped the leaves from a beech branch and then the donkeys spent a few minutes eating the bark. Filled the bin with docks from the edge of the paddock, hope to have removed them before they’ve seeded everywhere. A warm sunny day with light winds.
Resting in their shelter and chewing the cud before moving into their arcs in the bottom of Willow paddock. Picked strawberries and weeded the last raised bed ready to sow more carrots. Topped up the pond, the fish were hungry, open mouthed at the edge of the clump of weed. A cool, cloudy day with a strong wind and the occasional shower.
