10 miles, only a couple in the rain
Cycle
Sheep
Returning to their shelter for the night.
Toby
Rollover in the stable.
Sunset
Filled the sky from East to West.
Bramley
One of the huge apples, a bumper crop.
William and Toby
Enjoying thistles.
St Pancras Station
The Meeting Place statue, the detail in the frieze is amazing.
Warm Mash
Extra rations for William.
Jago
Nibbling the willow.
Toby
He’s been nose down in the straw feeder.
Bramley’s
A bumper crop, almost ready for picking.
Donkeys
Interested to smell the sheep Clik
Sedum
Attracting the bees and the butterflies.
Black Sheep
Walter, making the most of the hay that’s left.
The Thames
View towards Westminster from below The Eye.
The Mall
Empty after the events of the last few days.
QE II Birthplace
Briton Street, Mayfair
Green Park
Flowers everywhere for The Queen
Piccadilly Circus
Shrouded in black, 19th September 2022
Queen Elizabeth II Funeral
Walked miles trying to see or hear the parade, watched it all in a pub in Bruton Street.
Sunset
Hi
Clik
The sheep were corralled into the Avenue and the hurdles moved to gradually make the space smaller. They’ve all had a pink stripe of Clik to guard against fly strike. A cool start to a sunny day.
Grazing
Under the Union Flag with the sheep windsock at the top of the mast. The grass is looking greener after the rain, and the donkeys are enjoying the morning sunshine. Many of the leaves on the trees are starting to develop their Autumn colours, but the oak blossomed later, so maybe they’ll hang on for longer. A chilly start to a warm, sunny, day with a lovely sunset.
Wasps Nest
Spotted a few wasps flying in and out of the compost heap that’s ready for emptying so hacked at it with a rake. Disturbed the nest and was lucky to get away with one sting. Have since treated the area with ant powder and I think the surviving wasps have left the nest, which is good. A cold morning with rain showers, some sunshine in the afternoon.
Sheep
Pixie reaching for a freshly cut Hazel branch, cut from the Laneside hedge. The donkeys will eat whatever is left tomorrow. Picked cucumbers and tomatoes and stewed the Bramley apple fallers. A cool start to a sunny day.
Apple Twigs
William and Toby enjoying Bramley apple twigs, they snap the twigs in half and then munch the twigs from the end, leaves sometime drop off and are eaten later. A wet day with late sunshine.
Cycle
From Rushmoor to the top of the ridgeway and back in time for lunch. The donkeys and sheep spent all day in the paddocks. A warmer day than expected with light winds.
Digby
King of the Castle for a few minutes, the rain of the last week has drained away and the grass has started to show signs of green growth. Picked tomatoes, cucumbers and apples for the donkeys. A cool, cloudy day with a brisk wind.
Windsock
The six meter high mast now has the Union Flag half way up and the sheep flying from the top. The donkeys had to stay on the hard standing after a night of torrential rain showers, and the paddock has started puddling in places. A sunny end to the day.
Queen Elizabeth II
Died today. I was born in 1952, so she was the only monarch I’ve ever known. A sad day. Long live the King.
Bramley’s
Looks like there’ll be a good crop, made a crumble from the windfalls. No pears this year but plenty of eating apples, Beauty of Bath and D’Arcy Spice. Picked tomatoes and cucumbers. A day of heavy rain and thunderstorms, the donkeys stayed on the hard standing for the first time this summer as the paddock puddled.
Fireworks
The last of this year’s displays from the pier at Bournemouth, a loud and very bright display. The goats grazing on the slopes of the clifftop must have been surprised. A warm, breezy day
Sunset
The sun managed to get through even though it was still raining, have had a deluge which will make the grass grow. The donkeys didn’t mind getting wet but did stand under the willow during a thunderstorm, the sheep all ran into their shelter and stayed there. Picked tomatoes, cucumbers and the last of the plums.
Red Arrows
A stunning display over Bournemouth Bay as part of the air festival. The team is flying with seven Hawks instead of the usual nine, but still look great. The Typhoon was rib-rattling at full power and it was good to see the Battle of Britain group, Lancaster, Spitfire and Hurricane still flying. A breezy sunny cloudy day with the odd shower.
Donkeys
Watching what’s going on in the paddock, they’ll have their fly masks put on before they go out. The straw covering this area has been taken away and the compost underneath is being relocated to the raised beds and the garden as a mulch. Hope it’ll help the runner beans do better next year. A day of heavy rain showers and fresh winds.
Donhead Fete
The dog show had 42 entries and lots of potential winners for the most handsome, the sausage dog won. Successfully bid for a load of cutlery in the silent auction and enjoyed a pint of Gritchie while walking round. The tombola came up trumps as well with two bottles of wine. A sunny, cloudy, showery day with strengthening winds.
Greeting
Jago and Pixie gently head butting each other during their early evening runaround. Their fleeces are growing and the lanolin content is increasing as the nights get cooler, but no rain to speak of so the grass is still crispy and the standing hay in the paddock is gradually being eaten. A warm, sunny day with a fresh wind.
Stourpaine
The last of the summer concerts with Ringwood and Burley Band playing at The White Horse. The Posthorn Gallop was performed from the roof. A sunny day and warm evening with light winds.
Nola
Coming out of the shed sheep shelter to see what’s happening in the Square paddock, a bit of a loner she usually grazes a little way away from the other sheep. Hot enough for them all to seek shade during the day after a chilly start. Watered the hedge and the new plants, picked cucumbers and tomatoes. A warm day with clouds chasing through on the brisk breeze.
Dog Show
There were six entries for the waggiest tail, all the dogs won a prize in the end for looking most like their owner, paw shake, best trick, and musical sit. A warm sunny day spent welly wanging, donkey scratching and sheep racing. Will probably repeat next year.
Mr Mole
He’s been around for a while and appeared on the terrace steps late morning, fortunately Smudge didn’t see him and he ran off into the bushes. I decided to re-home him at the bottom of the meadow strip but he didn’t seem interested in diving into an existing mole hole, they often lead a solitary life, only coming together to breed. The ground was softer there so maybe he’ll build his own network of tunnels and head off in a different direction. A cool start to a warm, sunny, day
Donkey Dental
The donkeys have their teeth checked every year, and any sharp edges are taken off with a small rotating grinder. The donkeys don’t enjoy the experience and are sedated before having their mouth kept open with a metal brace. The grinding doesn’t take long but they mustn’t eat afterwards, their heads gradually lifting up as they become more alert and after a few hours they can start grazing again. A warm sunny day with light winds
Finish Line
Preparing for the sheep race, the course starts at the bottom of Willow paddock and snakes back and forth and finishes at the top, the whole race will probably be over in forty five seconds. The sheep have had a practice so should know what to do for the main event. A sunny cloudy day with light winds.
Rollover
William makes grunting noises while making sure the dust covers the whole of his back, and Pixie, whose watching from the other paddock , must wonder why this daily ritual happens at all! A cloudy day with the occasional rain shower.
Sheep
Grazing in the Square, not eating any green grass as the paddock has turned into a dry hay, the grasses growing shorter than last year, the seed heads still tasty for the sheep. Delivery of straw for the donkeys, and we’re preparing for the country show event scheduled for the weekend, a chance to let the sheep have a run around an unfamiliar course. A sunny cloudy day with welcome rain overnight.
Brownsea Island
Walked to the beach on a lovely warm evening, the view across to the Sandbanks Ferry and Studland was very clear. The campsite was fairly busy with scouts and their friends enjoying the peace of the island, pleased to have a bed to sleep in. Saw deer and red squirrels and heard talk of an adder that had swum across from the mainland. A warm sunny day with light winds.
Hedgerow
The donkeys getting their mouths round the hazel twigs, they pull very hard and strip the leaves or snap the ends off and eat the whole thing. The recent rain has made the tops of the trees look more hydrated but the leaves are turning yellow. Gathered some Bramley fallers and made a crumble, picked tomatoes and cucumbers. A day of sunshine and showers.
Purbeck Folk Festival
Bigger than ever, three stages of live music and some interesting clothing stalls to wander round. Lots of activities to try and demonstrations of weaving and basket making. A late night but worth the drive. A sunny day with a strong wind that lowered the temperature.
Gillingham Show
A cooler day for the animals and spectators, the usual mix of parades and demonstrations, including a number of very handsome sheep, no Ouessants, though. The hunt bloodhounds were in the ring with the beagles which made for an interesting mix and muddle. Music supplied by this fairground organ, the back more interesting to watch than the front. A warm sunny day with a light breeze.
Walter
King of the castle, while all the others, apart from Ivy, are chewing the cud. The sheep have moved into the Square paddock and will stay there for the next few weeks while Fallen Oak recovers, rain showers overnight should help. A fresher feel to the air in the mornings and the nights are beginning to draw in, the bat is out and flying over the pond by 8.30. A sunny day with cloud rolling around over the hills.
Cycle
An interesting circular route from Whitecliff to Wareham for coffee and a sausage roll, returning via Upton House. Crossed the harbour entrance on the ferry at Sandbanks and turned into the forest heading towards Ridge. The sandy stretches were a challenge but there were no significant hills. A warm, sunny day with light winds.
Donkeys
Eating their balancer at the end of the day, they’re more inclined to come back up to their stable now the weather is cooler. Washed their fly masks which were coated in soil from the rollover patch. Will have to fence off the bottom of Laneside as the acorns are beginning to fall. A warm sunny day with the odd shower.
Thunderstorm
Proper rain, at last! Probably had half an inch today in short bursts, so no run-off, all soaked into the ground, hope to get more tonight. The sheep stayed in their shelter and the donkeys rolled over in their dust/soon to be mud patch. A cloudy, showery day with light winds.
Greenhouse
The tomato plants are out of control, it seems to happen every year when the tangle of growth outpaces the regular taming of stems and the cutting out of side shoots. The cucumbers are still doing ok and producing lots of tasty fruit. A warm sunny day with the promise of rain tomorrow.
Baby Rabbit
Moved into the workshop a few days ago and came out during the day but was always there in the morning. Koby, the neighbours cat, was very keen to eat it but I managed to catch it and take it down the lane in a cat carrier. It looked around a few times before hopping off towards Hambledon Hill, hope it manages to survive ok. A slightly cooler day with more cloud and light winds
Beach
A scorcher of a day, the beach at Bournemouth was very busy and the air felt fresher and the sea as cold as ever, but must have warmed a little. All the animals were in there shelters from early morning, only coming out to eat and drink. Watered the greenhouse morning and night, picked tomatoes and cucumbers. The runner beans are nearly over, the lack of rain not suiting them.
Sheep
Eating a branch from the Laneside hedge, the Hazel has developed fruits and they need to be removed before the sheep get hold of them as the husks can be an irritant. The grass looks really dry and there are large cracks developing across the paddock, rain is needed urgently, but the sheep don’t seem to mind, they eat whatever is there and have a daily treat of smallholder mix. A hot sunny day with light winds.
William
The salt lick has fallen apart, it comes with a hole in the middle and hangs from a piece of rope in the corner. The various pieces sit on the floor and are crunched, like biscuits, when the donkeys come up for their balancer. They are staying in the sheep shelter in Laneside most of the day, out of the sun, coming out at around five o’clock to graze. A hot sunny day with light winds.
Straw
The depth of straw had become rather too deep on the area beside their yard so a dozen or so dumpy bags of straw have been donated to a local self-sufficiency site. They will spread it on their vegetable plot and grow succulent vegetables next year. The layer under the straw is full of worms and will go on the garden to help support the plants through this dry period. Another hot day with light winds.
Crisps
A hazel branch that was left for too long before giving to the donkeys, they still like the taste, it’s just unusual for this time of year when the hedgerows are lush. They’ll have the same thing in February when the branch will have been stored for a few months. A very hot day with light winds.
Sheep
Let into the Square Paddock which has been fallow for a few months, and with no rain for weeks the grass has turned to hay. Started bagging the excess on the donkeys straw area, it usually treads down when it’s wet but it’s getting thicker and thicker. Cycle from Pamphill to The Anchor for coffee. A hot, sunny day.
Toby
Looking in good shape and hoping for a treat at the end of the day. The donkeys are reluctant to come back from their paddock, preferring to stay out as long as possible. Picked tomatoes, lettuce and cucumbers. A warm sunny day with light winds.
Birmingham Bull
A magnificent animal, colorful by night and imposing. It needs eight people to operate the controls and can move quite quickly when it wants to, a great addition to the City Centre. A cool end to a warm day.
Edgbaston
Commonwealth Games T20 cricket, the match between England and New Zealand. Fireworks and flames to greet the players, and a lot of music and waving of score cards when someone hit a boundary. Flames shot out of boxes at the edge of the grass and the big screens showed repeats of the action, the stumps lighting up as a player was clean bowled. An exciting end to a sunny warm day.
Hockey
Watched England play Wales at the Commonwealth Games, England won 4 – 0, not a fair reflection of the game but its the goals that count. Lovely view of Birmingham from the hotel and bus stop to the city centre right outside. A warm sunny day, hot in the stands.
Elton
Able to move his head in various directions to get a good view of any treats that may be available, the willow tree branches are just out of their reach so have to be pulled down so they can eat the leaves. A warm sunny day with light winds.
Donkeys
Waiting for their daily portion of balancer, interested in what’s happening in the garden. The clippings from the hedgerow providing their daily treat. A warm sunny day with a strong wind.
Damsons
Picked from the tree in the front garden, never had so many, they tasted very nice warm, with Baileys ice cream. A dumpy bag full of sand was delivered, it’ll fill the holes in the mud control mats, the donkeys were curious and William spent a while looking at it. A warm sunny day with light winds.
Cycle
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.
Pixie
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.
Mama Mia
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
Sharing
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.
Knapweed
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.
Cycle
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.
Sheep
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.
Rollover
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.
Donkeys
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.
Sheep
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.
Dusk
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.
Austin Seven
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.
Sherborne Classic Cars
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.
Jack
Not helping with the puzzle! A very hot day, the chickens are drinking a lot of water.
Grayson Perry
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.
Ruby
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.
Chickens
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.
Sheep
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.
Donkeys
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!
Summer Evening
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.
Peas
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.
Sheep
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.
Hedgerow
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.
Black Sheep
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.
Caterpillar
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.
Willow Paddock
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.
Toby
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.
Sheep
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.
Sea and Sky
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.
Donkeys
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.
Vaccine
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.
Lolly
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.
Beech Branch
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.
Equinox
It’s the end of summer and the start of autumn, the days are noticeably shorter and the mornings and evenings cooler, the harvest moon full and very bright. The last of the fields are being cut for silage and the majority of hay bales are safely stored in their barns. Traditional stubble burning is no longer an option to clear the ground of seeds after the wheat and barley harvest, so weeds will have to be controlled with herbicides. Picked mange tout, runner beans, courgettes and apples. A sunny hot day after a misty dawn.
Willow
The sheep and their arcs have roamed into a different paddock, they started grazing immediately, heads down and munching, they come running when the willow branches are pulled down within their reach. Trimmed the nettles along the fence so that the donkeys can work their way down a new piece of hedgerow, enjoying the blackberries as they progress. Picked mange tout and courgettes. A lovely deep pink sunset at the end of a sunny cloudy day.
East Hill
Hastings Old Town has the largest fishing fleet that is still moved onshore by winches and tractors at high tide. The beach shelf is very deep and winter storms move the shingle bank even further up the beach. The steepest funicular railway in the country is the quickest way to the top of the hill which gives spectacular views of the town and coast, the path through the High Weald winds past obsolete radar stations and coastguard lookouts, sometimes moving inland to avoid unstable ground. A sunny, warm day with light winds.
Net Shops
Hastings old town has 50 Net Shops, black wooden sheds standing in neat rows on the shingle beach. They were built to provide weather-proof stores for the fishing gear that rotted if left wet for a long time. Most stand on a piece of beach that appeared suddenly after the first of the town’s groynes were erected in 1834. The new beach area was small, so each shop could only have about eight or nine feet square to build on, and with limited space the sheds had to grow upwards, some originally stood on posts to let the sea go underneath. A hot sunny day, took a ride on the funicular railway to the top of East Hill.
Hastings
Looking west from the pier, a lazy early evening enjoying a bottle of Sauvignon Blanc. No wind to speak of, warm and tranquil as the tide turned and the last of the paddle boarders came in to shore. House sitters are coping well with the demands of the livestock. A warm, sunny day, fish festival tomorrow.
Norfolk Wherry
“Albion” is one of the last Wherry’s sailing on the Broads, and is available for private hire. Starting from Horning we spent a lovely day motoring to Potter Heighem and through the Bridge, which dates from 1385, on a gentleman’s day launch. Built in 2004 it’s a beautiful boat with a teak deck and a fiberglass, simulated clinker hull, and an inboard 23 hp engine. Stopped for fish and chips at lunchtime and an ice cream as we returned to the mooring. A warm, sunny day with light winds.
Trimmingham Cliffs
Coastal path walk in the sunshine with lunch at the Overstrand cafe. House sitters are looking after William and Toby and the cats, and hopefully the sheep will be looking after themselves. BBQ in the garden followed by a build-your-own Eton mess. Lovely.
Mange Tout
The second sowing of the year has done really well, despite little or no rain, replacing the garlic which was harvested from this row of raised beds by the stable. The strawberries are producing lots of runners and the new plants can replace the mange tout in a few weeks time. Walked the donkeys up and down the avenue before letting them out in the paddock. A cool, then warm, sunny, cloudy day.
Poppy
Watching the fish in the pond, just in case one jumps high enough to escape the netting. Poppy is putting on weight, she weighs six lbs now instead of four, and she’s a lot more lively, venturing down to the stable each day, she’ll eat the donkeys balance mix if she gets the chance. Moved the electric fence to give the donkeys a strip of fresh grass. A sunny cloudy day with light winds, the balloons drifted down the vale early morning.
Mineral Lick
Digby getting his daily dose of minerals, donkeys and sheep both choose when to have a lick, they combine the minerals with a drink from the water trough to give themselves the correct balance. The donkeys have to walk up to their stable to get their lick, and the walk uphill helps to control their weight. The sheep usually find theirs close to the arcs, the block may need to be relocated as they’re starting to look a little tubby. A warm sunny day with light winds, the balloons were out early and drifting across the vale.
Pheasant Fest
At The Baker Arms in Child Okeford, raising money for the Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance which attends over 2000 incidents each year. Fabulous food, including game pie, great beer, good company, and the traditional raffle, helped raise over £1500 to help keep the team flying. In the quiet of the paddock the donkeys enjoyed eating the blackberries in the hedgerow and were reluctant to come back to their stable for the night. A sunny, warm, cloudy day with a bright red sky at sunset.
Meeting
Toby and the lambs made contact through the fence, they like to touch noses at some point during the day, Elton had a tug at Toby’s fringe as sheep like to chew everything, William wandered over to see what was going on but didn’t get as close. Started building a sheep shelter in Willow paddock, time the sheep moved out of Fallen Oak. A sunny cloudy day with the odd shower but not enough rain for the vegetables, so more watering, picked runner beans, mange tout and courgettes.
Courgettes
Three plants growing on top of the compost heap, the poo/grass combination is more than a year old and still generating a bit of heat so they need regular watering. As always the courgettes come all at once or not at all, and the flowers are usually chewed by the snails. Rained this morning, but not enough to water the runner beans or top up the fish pond. William is still eating the blackberries in the hedgerow, no need for the fly masks today as much cooler and fresher. Time to move the sheep into another paddock as Fallen Oak is looking patchy. A cool, mizzly, day.
Beach Donkeys
Rides for anyone under 7 stone, so not me! The saddles have a wodge of padding underneath and the donkeys browse a hay net all day in the shade when they’re not walking along the beach. Cut down the nettles and dock along a strip of laneside paddock near the hedge, the donkeys are eating the ripening blackberries along with the thorny brambles. Watered the vegetables, a warm sunny day with the odd drop of rain, the nights are drawing in and it’s almost dark by 8 o’clock, promise of rain tomorrow.
Lobster and Chips
Lunch at The Crustacean restaurant in Weymouth – a nice day out at the seaside, read a few chapters of my book, and had a swim and an ice cream. The sea was relatively warm and the temperature reached 30* at times, luckily there was a cooling onshore breeze. The donkeys and sheep spent their day in the paddocks and the cats wanted to be fed when they heard the car in the drive. Cut a few apple twigs for William and Toby and the sheep had willow leaves. A lovely warm evening with a super sunset.
Jago
Squeezed in behind Elton, up against the fence, with Ivy keeping an eye on what’s happening behind her, just in case…. Elton’s injection site on his neck has been a bit swollen but it’s calmed down after a few doses of antiseptic purple spray. Jago still hasn’t got the hang of head butting, Walter and the rest of the flock make a few half hearted attempts to get a contest going but soon give up. Watered the hedge and the vegetables, the ground is very dry and the water butts nearly empty. A hazy start to a very hot day with light winds.
Sunset
A very misty start to a humid day, with no wind, the sun took a few hours to break through and then the temperature rose steadily until falling again at sunset. The donkeys came up from the paddock for salt lick and water several times and the sheep lay against the fence, panting in the sun, despite various areas of shade being available. Watered the vegetables and the hedge, picked mange-tout, runner beans, courgettes and most of the tomatoes.
Headrest
Toby walks behind William resting his head until William bucks and kicks and throws him off, a routine that is repeated a few times before the gate is opened and they walk down the avenue to the paddock. They’ve broken their plastic name collars with daily tugging and scraping along the concrete, will have to get something similar for them to play with. Took delivery of 32 mud mats to put in the avenue gateway, the spring has dried up so the ground isn’t as squelchy, it’ll need leveling first, and a couple of boards put in place to hold the mats in place. A cloudy start to a hot day.
Smudge
Enjoying the warm sunshine, stretched out until I disturbed him, the days are cooler in the morning and evening but the sun still feels hot in the light winds. Gathered several bags of nettles to dry ready for the sheep to eat in the winter, by then they’ll be really crisp. Bagged compost to give to friends and topped up a raised bed, watered the vegetables, picked mange-tout, courgettes, runner beans, tomatoes and apples. The Red Arrows flew over the misty vale on their way to the Bournemouth Air Show.
Willow
The tree next to the fallen oak paddock is out of reach for the sheep, so a branch has to be pulled down for them to eat, Elton gained extra height by jumping on top of Bianca and they all had their share before wandering off to graze. The donkeys were pleased to see us back from a few days away, wandering up the avenue to say hello, they recognised the sound of the car so were watching the house from the paddock. A cloudy day with light winds.
Atlow Mill
Converted 17th century Mill on the edge of the Peak District National Park set in rolling countryside. Walked along the drove which started at the mill and heads off towards Hognaston, a different path started at the mill stream, crossed the weir and wound it’s way across lush fields, through muddy gateways and across several brooks before reaching the village. Grabbed a blanket and ate outside in the late evening sunshine with chevrons of ducks flying overhead.
Cycle
Circular route round Carsington Water, Derbyshire. It was the last dam to be built in England and holds back a huge reservoir of water, pumped up there in the winter for use in the summer. The pathways round the lake were hilly in parts with a few sharp gravel turns at the end of downhills. Picnic afterwards before the rain arrived, planned barbecue moved inside but managed cocktails on the terrace. A cool cloudy sunny day with the odd shower.
Donkeys
Enjoying their vitamins at the end of the day. The hedgerow is looking neater in laneside paddock where the donkeys have grazed the Hazel, Beech and Hawthorn, as a result they’re eating less straw in the morning and overnight. The sheep are eating as much as they like and still not making much impact on the grass so there should be lots left for winter. The balloons were up and drifting across the vale in the morning mist, a cool, cloudy day with a lovely sunset.
Oak Fair
A lovely day spent at Stock Gaylard, the ducks and sheep dogs were entertaining. Some stalls were selling fleeces and wool rugs while most sold things made from oak, including planks of various shapes and sizes. The food stalls were kept busy, the minted lamb burger was tasty. Bought a stone to sharpen my chisels. A sunny cloudy day with a cool wind,
Poppy
Looking much better, bright eyed and happy to sit in a warm greenhouse on the stool. She ventured onto the hard standing to have a look around before the donkeys came too close and she went back under the fence. The tomatoes are ripening quickly although the plants are looking a bit ragged. Moved the electric fence further down laneside so that the donkeys can graze more of the hedge. Picked runner beans, tomatoes plums and a few mange-tout. A cloudy sunny day with light winds.
Buckingham Palace Gardens
A nice day spent wandering around the gardens, the Queen’s private apartments overlook the herbaceous border and on towards the lake, which takes up a large part of the gardens open to the public. The bridge leads to an island that is home to five beehives, it’s been left to grow wild and is home to numerous animals and nesting birds. The guides were very helpful and knowledgeable and it’s clear that the gardens are very important to the Royal Family. A cloudy day with a cool breeze.
Pond
Looking good after the addition of liquid barley straw to combat the blanket weed, the water is much clearer so the fish are easier to see and are still very hungry. The water lily has grown and needs a chunk cutting off to give the fish more room to swim around, the cutting will move to another pond so won’t be wasted. Saw the heron fly over so will have to replace the net, the gap in the centre lets the taller plants reach full height so they can flower. A cool cloudy day with light winds.
Ivy and Elton
Always curious, Elton inspected the hedge trimmer and Ivy had a good look at the box of cable ties. Needed to move the stock netting higher on a couple of the gates to stop the bottom squares dragging on the ground. Cut the brambles away from the hedge to stop them rooting in the paddock. Topped up the raised bed from the compost heap and picked runner beans, tomatoes, courgettes and carrots. A cool start to sunny day.
Cycle
Sixteen miles, starting at the walled garden at Moreton, up and down a few hills and along the ridge with far reaching views of the coast on a clear day. Comfortable conditions for cycling – not too hot and a light breeze, the paths often protected by fields of tall sweetcorn, half way round there was a welcome coffee stop at The Red Lion at Winfrith Newburgh. The donkeys and sheep spent the day in the paddocks, the muck/grass cuttings heap is filling up so have started taking out the oldest compost to top up the raised beds. A lovely sunset to end the day.
Resting
Nola and Bianca chewing the cud, they like to lie close to each other and always up against a fence or one of their arcs. The sheep have been moving between Laneside and the Fallen Oak paddock, there’s still lots of grass in both. The sound of haymaking and cutting grass for silage has lessened, most of the harvest is cut and stored ready for winter and the remaining fields have cows grazing. A cool and cloudy day with late sunshine and a glorious sunset.
Ellison’s Orange
There could be a bumper harvest this year, they’re just about ready to pick with the pips almost turning brown, some of the windfalls are a good size and good enough to eat. The Beauty of Bath apples have all been eaten, and the Conference pear and Bramley apple trees are looking a bit sparse, but maybe the foliage is hiding the harvest. The D’Arcy Spice tree is looking better. Pulled rhubarb, picked runner beans, courgettes, tomatoes, sage and rosemary. A warm sunny day with light winds and a lovely red sunset.
Donkeys
Liking their fly fringes, it’s easier to put the fringe on Toby, William is a little ear shy but we get there in the end, he spent the afternoon wearing his as a necklace, it must have been dislodged during a rollover in the avenue. They’ve been grazing the hedgerow in laneside and aren’t eating as much straw overnight; it’s time to gather some stinging nettles for winter fodder, when dry they’ll make crispy winter snacks. A wet start to the day with light winds and warm sunshine later.
Sheep
Running up from the bottom paddock towards the stable, they love new places to graze, and quite happily run back to their arcs later in the day to spend the night. Willow paddock needs a permanent shelter so materials are being gathered, will buy sterling board to line the sides and gravel boards to hold down the tarpaulin roof, it’ll be at the back of the shelter in the small paddock so will provide more shade in there as well. A cool start to a sunny day, warm in the sunshine.
Poppy
Drinking from one of the buckets by the stable, she ventured up to the gate and meowed at Toby, he lowered his head and she watched him for a while and then wandered off, it’s probably the nearest she’s been to the donkeys. Moved the electric fence so William and Toby had more of the hedgerow to graze, had several pairs of hands to help so easier than usual, cut branches from the hedge for the donkeys and sheep. Picked tomatoes, courgettes and runner beans. A warm day when the sun broke through the clouds, rain later.
Gillingham Show
A fine donkey winning best in show, pitted against several well groomed ponies, a Shire cross and a Shetland, it could almost have been William pulling the cart. The Shetland pony races were good to watch, as were the terriers, hounds and ferrets, a grand day out. Back in the paddocks the sheep and donkeys looked after themselves. A cool and cloudy day with light winds.
Barbeque
Blue skies and light winds for a few hours at lunchtime, enough time to look at the view, and food cooked and eaten outdoors just seems to taste better! The sheep were chewing the cud in the adjacent paddock and the donkeys wandered up and down the avenue, curious but slightly nervous of seeing something different. Poppy is eating ok so we may have a week without seeing the vet. Picked tomatoes, courgettes and apple twigs for the donkeys. A sunny cloudy windy day.
Onions
In the raised bed, the soil level has dropped by six inches in just a few months as the compost continues to rot down, the onions have done well to stay well rooted and not go to seed. The tomatoes in the pots outside have been affected by blight and consigned to the compost heap, the plants in the greenhouse are ok so far. Moved the arcs into fallen oak paddock, the sheep followed, they’re always excited to run through a gate onto fresh grass, Willow will be rested for a while. A cool start to a windy and warm day with a pale pink sunset.
Fly Fringe
Both donkeys have to tolerate flies in the summer, they’re particularly attracted to their eyes because of the watery secretions that help keep them clean. Toby is the first to volunteer for a fringe as he likes to have his ears stroked; when he lowers his head and walks around grazing the grasses the tassels will move, and keep the flies away. William spent some time watching Toby flicking his head before agreeing to wear one himself. The sheep spent the day in a couple of groups, Jago sleeping alongside Elton, Winnie and Digby. A warm sunny day with rain overnight.
Jago
Chewing the cud by the fence and ready to rejoin the rest of the flock in willow paddock. Once the gate was opened he needed a bit of encouragement to roam around, and then matriarch Winnie gave him an occasional head butt to remind him of the pecking order. They ended the day grazing together and will hopefully settle down for a quiet night chewing the cud in their arcs. Picked apples, tomatoes, cucumbers, lettuce, runner beans, carrots and courgettes. A cloudy start to a sunny and warm day.
Rain Clouds
Rolling in across the vale, the mixture of sunshine and showers makes the grass grow and saves watering the hedge and the vegetables. Unusual in August, the gateway into the avenue used by the donkeys several times a day has turned into a mud bath, so an area of some 20 square meters will have to be covered in mud mats. The slope doesn’t help so there’s now a plank of wood across the strainers to keep the straw contained and level the ground slightly, the donkeys watched what was going on for a while and then stepped up and down ok. A cool start to a warm showery day.
Donkey Dental
Toby looking a bit dopy, still under sedation after a thorough check of his teeth and some leveling of sharp edges with a grinding tool that sounds worse than it is as it doesn’t hurt the soft tissue. William had the same treatment and needed a little more relaxant to calm him down, both of them were eating normally after an hour or so; must be the week for vets, it’s Poppy’s turn tomorrow for a final checkup after her course of antibiotics. A warm misty day with strong winds and showers.
Vet Visit
A busy day for the sheep, Digby had his horns shortened by an inch or so as the points were starting to get too near his neck, Ivy had a swelling at the sight of a previous injection which needed checking, and a dose of purple spray. Elton needed his annual booster vaccination against pneumonia, and young Jago was castrated. Getting the right sheep in the right pen at the right time was a bit of a challenge, Jago was easiest as he quite likes being picked up. A handful of treats for all of them after the vet had left. A sunny day with light winds.
Cycle
Starting at Langport, 31 miles via South Petherton and Rock, riding across the Somerset Levels. Through a few challenging stretches of muddy floodwater and up and down a few hills, with several refreshment stops along the way for cider, chips, ice cream and scones. We had a short rest while one of our group took a wrong turn and ended up in a drainage ditch more than five feet deep and full of duckweed, the waterproofs didn’t work very well! The weather was variable with sunshine and the occasional heavy blustery shower, just made it back to the car before a torrential downpour.
Milk
Ivy has been separated from her lamb for a few days and looked to have a lot of milk so she was reunited with Digby, he practically upended her in his enthusiasm to suckle but he was happy to return to the adjacent paddock and keep Jago company later in the day. May have to repeat the process later in the week. Picked tomatoes and runner beans. A day of heavy showers and blustery winds.
Smudge
Drinking outside, he likes the rain water in puddles and buckets as well. Poppy is almost back to normal, just very skinny and missing her fur in places where it’s been shaved. The sheep are still separated, they lie next to each other either side of the fence. A sunny cloudy day with winds strong enough to strip the leaves from the runner beans.
Churned Straw
Heavy rain showers are making the straw area very wet and the gateway to the avenue is especially muddy, which is unusual for this time of year. Not helped by the donkeys chasing each other around, kicking and bucking, may have to consider mud mats. Smudge was interested in joining me on the hardstanding, he thought better of it when the donkeys preferred sticking their heads through the rails and looking at him, to eating thistles. A cool day with squally showers.
Sheep
Tucking in to a beech branch, they’ll eat all the leaves and strip some of the bark, the donkeys will finish eating the rest. Lots of grasses growing in the paddocks although the donkeys don’t seem to like the laneside grass very much. Poppy is improving, eating a lot more and interested in what’s going on, her fur is a bit of a mess after several random clippings. A sunny windy day with a few heavy showers.
Matt and Ellie’s Wedding
Lovely day of celebrations.
Fog
A chilly and very foggy start to the day with no view across the vale until mid morning when a balloon was visible in the distance, it didn’t move for ages and then eventually landed pretty much below where it had been hanging about. Poppy’s been to the vet several times this week with some kind of infection, she’s had two blood tests, three doses of antibiotics, an enema, steroids and several anti-nausea injections followed by a dose of liquid paraffin. She’s on the mend, now, which is good news. A sunny end to the day with light winds.
Donkey Welfare Visit
The Donkey Sanctuary keep an eye on the donkeys that have homes with Guardians, and offer support and advice on everything donkey. I think William and Toby are looking a bit tubby, but for the time of year their weight is actually ok, their mouths and feet are in good condition and they’re getting a reasonable amount of exercise. There is room for a circular track in the laneside paddock which would give them more variety, need to mow the grass before that can be put in place. A dewy start to the day with warm sunshine and light winds.
Produce
The courgettes are planted on top of the compost heap and are liking it there, and the Gardeners Delight tomatoes have been fed diluted liquid manure from the wormery to give them a boost. Planted more autumn carrots to replace the seedlings eaten by the snails and moved the cos lettuce to give them more space, they were being overwhelmed by half a dozen Cavalo Nero plants. Had runner beans and fried eggs for tea. A sunny cloudy day with light winds.
Jago
Is now separated from the ewes, he spent the day with the flock and during the end of day play session he mounted Ivy a couple of times, which was a bit of a surprise! It’s likely that Jago was asserting his authority as he’s still too young to be a proper ram, but taking no chances the vet will castrate him next week. It’s tempting to let him be the dad of the year but birthing at Christmas is not a good idea. Picked mange tout and courgettes, a day of torrential short-lived rain showers and hot sunshine.
Grooming
Toby getting his teeth into William’s back, just to show he cares, or maybe to floss his teeth, William is doing the same to him and it’s become a daily occurrence, like rollovers. Jago is settling into the flock, Walter and Digby have spent time with him today, there’s a lot of bleating when they think there are treats available. Picked tomatoes and cucumbers and cut off the numerous runners on the strawberry plants, the ones in pots are rooting. A cool day with heavy showers and a brisk wind.
Walter and Jago
They have been looking at each other through the fence and today ended up in the same paddock with Ivy and Elton. After a bit of chasing around they decided to become friends for a few minutes! Walter returned to the rest of the flock after an hour and Jago settled down a few yards from Ivy to chew the cud. Did try Pixie in with Jago but the noise of her bleating was just too much so she went back in with the rest. Put up an electric fence to give the donkeys more grass, in a week or two they should be able to graze the hedgerow. A cool day with strong winds and heavy showers.
Sunset
Balloons would have drifted across the vale tonight, but the wind rose mid afternoon and the forecast is for even stronger winds overnight. Jago is coming to terms with his new flock, he chews the cud a yard or so away from Ivy and Elton, and although Ivy butts him he’s able to run away and keep a yard or so ahead of her so she soon loses interest. The heavy rain has flattened a lot of the taller grasses in the paddocks. Picked a few mange tout, runner beans and tomatoes. Chilly start to the day, warm in the sun.
Jago
Resting in the crate after his journey from Bodmin, it was a noisy few hours and he drew attention to himself at the coffee stop. Born on April 1st and bottle fed from three weeks old when his mother died, he’s a friendly little ram with broken horns. Light enough to carry into the paddock, the matriarchs in the flock wanted to show him who was boss, decided to separate them and he’ll spend the night with just Pixie and Elton, who are further down the pecking order. Picked tomatoes. A day of heavy showers and a brisk wind, feels colder in the mornings.
Trebarwith Strand
A long wide stretch of sand at low tide, the beach disappears completely at high tide and can trap the unwary the wrong side of the headland. Looking towards Rugged Gull Rock the slate quarries and harbour are long gone, as are the donkeys that turned the pulley wheels to pull stone up from the cliff side, they also walked the zig zag paths down to the beach, carrying tools and supplies. Not easy work but I expect William and Toby would have been up to the job! Walked a section of the south west coast path in warm sunshine, a sometimes cloudy day with no rain.
Thunderstorm
Cloud rolling towards Hambledon Hill, could hear the thunder and see the lightening, but no rain until much later. Moved the sheep and their arcs into Willow paddock and gave the donkeys a larger area to graze for the next few days. Picked runner beans, carrots, lettuce, cucumbers and tomatoes, planted out a few more runner beans to replace those eaten by the snails. Took Poppy to the vet as she’s off her food, blood test results may mean an increase in thyroid medication. A warm, humid day.
Elephant Garlic
Good sized bulbs, and tall stalks with pale purple flowers, possibly harvested them too soon, could have picked off the flowers as soon as they appeared and left them in the ground longer then perhaps the bulbs would have been even bigger, will find out next year! Mange tout are now growing in their place which should produce a good crop before the night time temperature starts to drop. Pulled thistles from the rose bed for the donkeys, they enjoyed spending the afternoon next to the sheep in the laneside paddock. A warm cloudy day with the odd shower and light winds.
Rollover
Moved the hurdles in the paddock to give the donkeys more grass and cut beech and willow branches for them. William walked up the avenue without doing a rollover, Toby didn’t miss his chance, it’s always the same place so there’s a bare patch in the grass. Thunderstorm last night so water butts full, watered the greenhouse, picked tomatoes, cucumbers and a few runner beans. Lunch in the marquee at the Baker Arms, a cloudy day with mist lingering in the vale.
Afternoon Tea
Sunny afternoon spent in the garden eating savouries, scones and cake, liked the arrangement of animals in the kitchen. The hot weather continues with the promise of rain tonight, so no watering! Donkeys and sheep choosing sun and shade in equal quantities. First of the runner beans with a fried egg on top for supper. Modified the netting over the centre of the pond to give the plants more room, hope the heron doesn’t take advantage. A blue sky with fluffy white clouds to end the day, doesn’t look like rain….
Close
William and Bianca communicating through the hurdles that separate their paddocks, they each lower their heads to the ground and William snuffles quietly. Lovely cycle from Child Okeford to Sturminster Newton and Shillingstone, tasty lunch at The Baker Arms. Seventeen miles in 27* is challenging but the route was relatively flat for North Dorset! Arranged sticks around the new pea plants, tied up the wayward runner beans, watered everything, picked tomatoes, cucumbers, lettuce and mange tout. A very hot day, cooler at dusk, promise of thunderstorms tomorrow night.
Smudge
William and Toby taking an interest in Smudge who ventured within a yard or so of their yard. The swallows are still flying in and out of the tack room despite there being a broken egg and a couple of tiny birds on the floor this morning, there must be a bigger fledgling in the nest. Balloons are drifting along the vale morning and evening, taking advantage of the hot weather. Another very hot day with light winds and a pale pink sunset sky.
Produce
Picked thirteen Mini Munch cucumbers from a couple of plants in the greenhouse and pulled a helping of Early Nantes carrots which have successfully escaped the carrot fly in the raised bed. Temperatures are soaring so the donkeys stayed in the shade of the stable before being let out onto the grass, the sheep choose to lie in half sun half shade and quietly pant. Wheelbarrow handles and the tops of the metal gates are too hot to handle, watering everything, the strawberry runners are rooting hopefully!
Runner Beans
The first of the year, the plants don’t look strong enough to hold them but they have survived the snails, must use hedgehog friendly deterrents next year, still have a few plants to put in the ground next to empty canes. Cycle ride in 30* from Moreton to Athelhampton House for coffee, coming back across the heath was the hottest part of the ride and a bit dusty, had to walk the sandiest stretch. Everything in the garden needs watering, the mange tout have sprouted so will soon need sticks. A very hot day with occasional cloud and light winds.
Sheep Shelter
Mark IV, with one more shade-providing sides added, the tarpaulin roof withstood the last rains but developed a droop in places so will need supporting from inside to make sure the water drains away from the centre, it returned to normal after a few hot sunny days. Feeding the fish every couple of hours, they are very hungry, the water lilies are pushing up the heron proof netting, must donate some to another pond. The tractors are up and down the lane late into the night bringing in the hay. A hot, humid day with light winds.
Donkeys
Larking about on the straw before going out in the paddock, Toby has hold of William with his teeth, they spin round in this position for a few seconds before William breaks free and kicks out. Added a few more elements to the sheep shelter to give more shade, the sheep are using it to lie in and chew the cud. A misty cloudy start to a very hot day, watered the raised beds, the level of compost is going down, they’ll need topping up in the winter.
Pixie
Feeling hot although her fleece isn’t that thick, Pixie sits by the fence in the sun and pants, if she moved a few yards she could lie in the shade of the willow tree, but for some reason that doesn’t suit! The wool on her face is really soft and smooth and often has brown patches from sticking her nose in the salt lick tub. Picked a tick off my arm, that’s the third this summer so must be lots of them in the paddocks, one result of letting the grass grow longer. A very hot day with light winds.
Redcurrants
A good crop of glossy red fruit that’ll go in the freezer with the blackcurrants for use later, picked cucumbers and lettuce, the first courgettes have been lost to the snails. The donkeys have moved from the square paddock into the avenue and the buttercups mown off, the sheep will go in there when it’s been fallow for a while. Sprayed the donkeys legs with citronella, the flies are a nuisance when the weather gets warmer. A sunny day with light winds, watered the raised beds and runner beans.
Ivy And Elton
Exploring the small paddock before joining the rest of the flock, Elton is nearly as tall as his grey fleeced Mother. The ash trees are still looking ok, will let standard trees grow out of the hedge, probably field maple and beech, just in case they need replacing. A piece of paneling has come off the side of the shelter, will replace it with another one. Picked blackcurrants, redcurrants and rhubarb. A warm sunny day with light winds.
Puss Moth Caterpillar
Crawling along the fence rail under the willow, it’s a favourite place for them to be, along with poplar trees. When enraged this caterpillar rears up, shows its eyes and red head and shoots formic acid from glands behind its head at any predator. Love it’s stripey legs. It grows to 6cm before building a cacoon in which to overwinter and the moth emerges in May. The paddocks have dried out after the deluge with just a few puddles in the gateways. A cloudy start to a warm sunny day.
Sheep Shelter
Work in progress in laneside paddock, the new Mk IV shelter will be big enough for all eight sheep. They all came over to have a look, Walter was especially inquisitive and walked on the bag containing the tarpaulin for the roof before nibbling the end, he also tasted the pallets; need to order more nails and lining boards to finish the job. Torrential rain overnight, a cool day with light winds.
Bench
A second coat has been applied so the green bench is now back in it’s usual place overlooking the stable yard. The oak tree is getting bushy with fresh growth, although the leaves all have a coating of mildew, need the ivy to spread over the top of the owl box which is still too exposed from the south and must be getting too hot. The swallows are in and out of the tack room all the time having made repairs to last year’s nest. A warm day with cloud and drizzle later.
Sheep
All eight enjoying the fresh beech leaves, the paddock still has lots of grass, and it’s growing quickly in the warm and wet weather. Clouds of Meadow Brown and Skipper butterflies are flying around and a White Admiral appears as the sun warms the grasses. A lot of rain overnight, water butts overflowing so no need to water the hedge. Picked cucumbers and sowed cut and come again lettuce seeds and the last of the mange tout peas. Tomatoes are getting bigger, feeding them twice a week. A cloudy day with light winds.
Formation Caterpillars
Each eating their own section of leaf the rose sawfly slugworms appear between June and October, hopefully the local finches and sparrows will keep them under control. Moved the sheep and their arcs to the fallen oak paddock to let willow lie fallow for a few weeks. Went down the lane to cut some beech branches for them and the donkeys, the hedge has grown really well since being laid a couple of years ago and is now wide, tall and bushy – more than enough year round fodder for the animals. A sunny warm day with light winds.
Sharing
William and Toby love thistles and this monster was growing in the meadow strip, over four feet high and bristling with spiky leaves and flowers the boys watched as it was carried towards the stable. An early evening treat after a day spent grazing the paddock, they like to pull the leaves out of each other’s mouths. Their lips are soft to the touch and the thistle too prickly for me to pick up without thorn proof gloves so it’s hard to understand how they can enjoy eating it, it’s consumed within a couple of minutes. A sunny day with warm sunshine.
Ivy
In the foreground, head down and grazing happily with the rest of the flock, her fleece looks grey compared with the black sheep. The paddock is being divided by their trot tracks which is helping with poo picking, finding smartie size poo in the long grass is tricky. Strawberries are over, picked raspberries, mange tout and cucumbers, tomatoes have reached the top of the greenhouse. A sunny day with a cool wind.
Windy
William and Toby spent some time chasing each other around the straw, bucking and then biting each other, they’re heavy enough to push each other over, they both had a good try. A day of heavy squally showers that blew through quickly on the gale force winds, all the animals took cover from the rain, the donkeys returning to their stable and the sheep to their wooden sheep shelter. Painted a bench in the workshop, the rain hammering on the roof. A calmer end to the day with high cloud and a pale pink sunset.
Garlic
Hanging in the greenhouse drying out, the bulbs were harvested a couple of weeks ago and stored in a cold frame before plaiting and tying with string. The empty bed will be sown with mizuna lettuce and land cress before being planted with new strawberry plants in the autumn. Planted courgette plants on top of the compost heap, hope it’s not too hot for the roots. Assembled a new raised bed, will take a while to fill with donkey poo and compost. A warm sunny day with heavy rain overnight to fill the water butts.
Catmint
Poppy enjoying the scent and taste after standing on the pot and crushing the leaves, fortunately deer don’t like it so if the cats don’t destroy it the plant should survive. Started a new sheep shelter in laneside, the first arrangement of pallets isn’t quite right so will have to modify. The sheep spent all day in the same paddock and settled in the arcs together when it rained. Picked raspberries, strawberries and blackcurrants. A cool day with sunshine and showers.
Meadow
The grasses have reached their full height, a mix of Red Fescue, Timothy, Common Velvet Grass, Yorkshire Fog, Meadow Foxtail and other perennial grasses. The sheep disappear among the swathes of swaying seed heads and eat the grass from the top down so an area this lush will take eight sheep a long time to eat, the living hay will hopefully last through the winter when all new growth has stopped. It’s a haven for butterflies, including Meadow Brown and White Admiral, and various moths and grasshoppers. A cloudy cool sunny day with a few showers.
Toby Yawning
A sleepy start to the day, the donkeys settled down on the straw and dozed off. Scratching and stroking woke them up a little but they weren’t interested in their breakfast. The swallows were in and out of the stable all the time, disturbed by mucking out and replenishing of water. The sheep spent the day together in laneside paddock, separating them for the night was challenging, would be good if they all came when they were called! A sunny day, very hot when the mist cleared. Rhubarb crumble was very nice.
Elton
Walking into one of the arcs, with Winnie on the left and Walter at the back; he managed to stay inside for a minute or so before being butted by Winnie. He tried again later with the same result so gave up and started moving around the paddock grazing before settling down to chew the cud. Ivy and Elton returned to their own paddock for the night with a shelter to themselves. Picked mange tout and strawberries, topped up the compost in the tomato plant pots. A very hot day with light winds and low level mist developing in the vale.
Rhubarb
A good harvest from the crowns planted earlier in the year, will make a lovely crumble. The cos lettuce and mange tout peas are crisp and tasty and the first strawberries and raspberries are sweet, the runner beans are still not looking very healthy although there are some flowers on a few of them. Walter spent some time with Ivy and Elton in their paddock before they all ran to the rest of the flock, separated them again after a couple of hours and some bleating. A hot sunny day with the threat of thunderstorms, light until after ten o’clock, with a pale pink sunset.
Walter
Grazing the meadow grasses in the laneside paddock, the tops of the buttercups were mown off a few weeks ago and don’t seem to be as vigorous as they were. The gate was opened and the new sheep met the established flock but they had to be separated again, Nola and Winnie constantly butted Ivy and tried to do the same to Elton, although he managed to swerve out of the way most of the time, will try again in a few days. A warm dry day with storm clouds over the hills.
Sunflower
One that survived the snails, a bright yellow flower looking up towards the clematis, not sure it’ll get any higher. The donkeys electric fence has nearly reached the bottom of the square paddock, they avoid eating the buttercups and don’t like the birds foot trefoil, either, so it’s good that there are lots of different clovers and grasses. The sheep are still looking at each other through the fence, may try opening the gate tomorrow. A cool day with heavy rain after a sunny start.
Ivy
Ivy likes the pink bucket which contains a handful of sheep mix, Elton is watching from a distance, he likes to sleep on the patch of paddock that is still bare from the last bonfire while his mother grazes the tall grasses nearby. She looks a bit like a smaller version of Winnie because of her big eyes, but with a grey fleece. All the sheep line up along the fence and lie close to each other, it’s nearly time to let them into the same paddock. A warm cloudy day with heavy rain later.
Cycle
From Blandford to Shillingstone and back, along the trailway and past Stourpaine, crossing the junction of the Wessex Ridgeway and St Edwards Way, with a coffee and cake stop at the station below Hambledon Hill. Historically, pilgrim followers of Edward would walk a 30 mile route from Wareham Priory to Shaftesbury Abbey after the body of their boy King was moved there in 979, the ancient route was re-established and signposted for walkers in 2020. A cloudy start to a warm sunny day with light winds and a lovely sunset, the owls noisy late evening.
Smudge
Sitting on a straw bale in the workshop, listening for approaching donkeys, Smudge isn’t confident with them and runs away, which is unusual as he’s fearless with everything else. He won’t go near the sheep and isn’t that interested in the fish, not like Poppy. Cycle ride from Child Okeford to Shillingstone down the trailway, past the Owl Barn to Bere Marsh with coffee at Sturminster Newton. Lunch outside in the sunshine, a warm day with moderate winds.
William
Tucking in to a fresh willow branch cut from the lane, the donkeys eat the twiggy bits first and then move on to stripping the bark. The sheep had a beech branch and in contrast to the donkeys they started with nibbling at the bark and left the foliage and twiggy bits for later, the wethers often getting their horns caught among the leaves. Ivy and Elton are settling in OK, looking at the other sheep through the fence and sniffing each other. A warm sunny day with light winds.
Bridge Sign
On a bridge crossing part of Twyford Brook at The Orchards: Dorset has a number of bridges with signs that offer the same penalty, the local farm workers were mostly unhappy with the money that had to be paid to the local church and the introduction of mechanisation, so vandalism was commonplace until the end of the 17th century. The white lichen thrives in areas of low pollution in rainfall and forms imprecise circles that can bend round edges. A warm sunny day with light winds.
Ivy And Elton
Two ouessants in a crate in the back of the car on their way to their new home from Mill Farm. They settled on the bed of hay and Elton did a bit of wandering around, Ivy was very noisy at the start and end of the journey, poking out her black tongue every time she bleated. Their first few nights will be spent in a paddock next to the other sheep before joining the established flock. The donkeys watched their arrival, listening to the noise when Ivy left the crate first to leave Elton on his own while his collar was removed. A cloudy sunny day with cool winds.
Scarlet Tiger Moths
A pair of moths sitting on the concrete path by the runner beans, they live and breed in gardens, ditches and fields in the south west of England during May and June; have sent the photo to the Dorset moth team for verification and inclusion on their database. Lucky not to tread on them, didn’t disturb them to get a better view of the scarlet underwings where they have different pattern variations, some with yellow patches at the edges. Moved hurdles to allow the donkeys and sheep to use different parts of the same paddock. A very wet day with light winds, lit the woodburner.
First Day Of Summer
Smudge taking an interest in the barbecue, as the charcoal warmed up and the rain started he stayed sitting underneath, warming his back. Turned part of the compost heap, the latest load of grass cuttings are steaming and are now mixed in with a few barrow loads of sheep and donkey poo; another raised bed has arrived and will need filling so will have to brave the nettles and start removing half rotted compost from the other end of the heap. Removed a deer tick from behind my knee. A drizzly end to a cool day with cloudy sunshine.
Driveway
Not pretty to look at but coming along well with bag loads of free rubble, it’s easy to see where the professionally laid driveway ends and the rubble begins. As more rubble is added the vehicles will drive over it and tamp it down, hopefully a load of sand spread on the top and the use of a roller will finish the job next year. The hedges have been cut so the views that disappeared over the summer have been restored. A misty then sunny day with light winds and lots of pheasants grazing in the paddocks, as always they seem to spook the donkeys.
Autumn Equinox
A balloon landed in the vale just before dusk, it had been burning a lot of gas to gain height but landed in a ploughed field a couple of miles away, the mist was already gathering so the view from the basket would have been very mellow. The sun was a vivid red as it set, it made the sky glow a dusky pink. A lovely sunny day, cycled 15 miles and then had a pub lunch, a Hummingbird Hawkmoth bumped into me in their garden, something I’ve never seen before. They like bright sunshine and nectar rich flowers and will often return to feed from flowerbeds at the same time of the day; sadly the moths don’t survive our winter so this one will have migrated from France. The equinox is at 2.30pm, at this time the sun is above the equator and day and night are of equal length.
Toby
The bicycle tyre was a welcome birthday present, he wasn’t sure whether to play with it or not so I picked a few sprigs of mint and put them inside to encourage him. He found them ok, and once eaten he stepped over the tyre and moved on to drinking his water and rolling over in the avenue. Maybe he’ll come back to it, the tyre is hanging on the post with his collar. The sheep have worms, very evident from the poo in the field so a sample has gone to the vet. Pasture management is a challenge, ideally the various paddocks would be left fallow for two years to make sure the worms don’t re-infest livestock. Not an option for us so a worming programme is necessary. A hot sunny day, more watering.
Black Sheep
Arrived at the gate together, Walter, Digby and Winnie, expecting their treat mix, they don’t have it every day but the sound of a gate opening is enough incentive for them to gather round just in case. Cut the hornbeam hedge and gathered together another bonfire pile, cut the hornbeam which is much too dry and already losing its leaves. Watered the hedge, picked runner beans, courgettes, tomatoes and blueberries. Went to turn off the electric fence that’s stopping the donkeys grazing the acorns to find it hadn’t been turned on! Useful to know it serves its purpose whether on or off. A cool start to a sunny day with a fresh warm wind.
Water Melon
This is the first time I’ve grown these in the greenhouse, they can never have enough water to drink and it does look like they’re doing well. Not sure how to tell they’re ready, a smaller fruit did fall off the plant and it was sweet and juicy so maybe all of them are good to eat regardless of size. One of the tomato plants grew out of the side window and now has blight which is spreading to the other plants inside which is a pity as the tomatoes will have to be picked before they’re all ruined. The donkeys are enjoying eating the hedge, it’s reasonably wide so they can’t reach the other side. A cool start to the day, warm and sunny later, picked a courgette that’s more like a marrow.
Birthday Boys
As it’s not known when the donkeys were born their birth date is noted on their passport as 1st January, so the day they arrived here from the Donkey Sanctuary is their birthday, and it’s today! They had a special treat of apple and carrot ice lolly and were given a new toy to play with – a bicycle tyre. It’s hanging on one of the posts next to their plastic red collars; I’ll know in the morning whether they’ve touched it. They don’t play with the car tyre that’s available so I hope this is more successful. A lovely sunny day with warm sunshine and a freshening wind that made the bike ride along Sweet Briar a breeze.
Bonfire
A mound of garden rubbish was burnt in an hour or so leaving nice fluffy ash that can go on the compost heap. The cutting of the hedges that the donkeys haven’t grazed will create another bonfire pile, the ground elder and perennial weeds always go in the bin for the fortnightly collection. A local farmer has supplied a few dry hay bales for the sheep to nibble over the winter when the grass stops growing, if they stay dry the bales will be good to eat for the next five years. A very foggy start to the day, the sun was slow to break through but when it did the temperature rose quickly. Lazy lunch at the Baker Arms in Child Okeford.
Stable Clean
All the straw has been taken out and put in the gateways to help with the mud in the winter, it gets trodden in and disappears over the course of a year so no straw goes on the compost heap. The floor has been washed with a few buckets of disinfectant solution and the top of the kickboards get very dusty so have been cleaned, the cobwebs appear overnight and then gather dust as well. Donkeys are particular about the water they drink so William and Toby often prefer to drink from a bucket outside rather than from the water trough in the stable. A hot day, a few gusts of wind would have helped dry the floor. Picked runner beans and tomatoes.
Cycle Ride
10 miles, mostly up, sometimes down, in glorious sunshine from Milton Abbas to Bingham’s Melcombe and back via Gallows Corner. The yew hedge at Bingham’s was planted by Henry VIII, yew was planted to keep out livestock and supply the wood to make longbows. Gallows Corner is at the junction of six green paths that lead to local droves, barrows and ridgeways and Hilton Church has medieval paintings of the apostles that were rescued from Milton Abbey. The terrain was varied and sometimes technically challenging and needed concentration, a lovely ride. Walked the donkeys up and down the avenue, the sheep stayed in the shade, panting until the day cooled. More watering, no rain in the forecast this week although the dew is much heavier in the mornings.
Apple Harvest
There’s a good crop of Bramleys that will need picking soon, the windfalls are more than sufficient to keep us supplied with flavoursome stewed apple. The eating apple Beauty of Bath was the first to ripen, then there was a smaller crop of Ellison’s Orange. Ribston Pippen is still being picked and Darcy Spice will ripen last and keep longest. The Conference pears can be eaten off the tree or poached and the majority are given away. A lovely sunny and warm day with light winds; picked and watered the runner beans which are producing even more blossom. Picked tomatoes and a small water melon.
Farrier
It’s eight weeks since William and Toby had their feet checked by the farrier; Donkeys should be walking on hard surfaces all the time to wear down the front of their hooves and keep them flat, ours spend a third of their time on straw or grass so a bit of trimming and rasping was required. They each had a ginger biscuit to start off with and the farrier put two more on top of a post for when he’d finished. At some point Toby knocked these off the post so he snaffled both of them while our attention was focused on William – lucky Toby! A warm sunny day, watered the hedge, picked tomatoes, basil, nasturtium leaves, apples and pears. Nearly forgot to mention that it’s National Chocolate Day – hooray!
Silage
The field behind us has been harvested for silage, the yield is down but it couldn’t be left any longer, the combine did the cutting two days ago and yesterday the neat rows were turned and gathered ready for the bailer which finished the job in an hour today. Walked through the sheep paddock several times, managed to give all of them a scratch apart from Winnie who ran off and was bleating for Digby to join her. Considered additional space and waterproofing for the Model 1 sheep shelter as they don’t all fit in the original space. A sunny cloudy day with a chilly wind and another bright red sunset. Picked blueberries and a cucumber.
Seasoned Oak
The oak tree that fell into the paddock had seasoned while still standing so the logs can be burnt this year, moved them all to the side of the garage where they should stay reasonably dry before being stacked outside the boot room just before bringing inside. The larger pieces that won’t fit into the woodburner will be used as tables or supports for bird baths. The silver birch behind the rail is doing ok, it was planted to replace the horse chestnut which has sprouted again so will need to be pruned. Cycled 8 miles on quiet roads near Wimborne, a sunny warm day with a lovely red sunset.
William
Loves grass and likes browsing the hedgerow, this is the willow he’s eating, both donkeys have to stretch to reach it and seem to know when they’ve had enough. Sat outside and had lunch at The Baker Arms in Child Okeford, tasty food as always and excellent service, the cyclists that stopped for refreshments were on their way to Bournemouth from Bath, next stop was Blandford Forum. They were pleased to hear that most of the hills were behind them – well, maybe! Mowed the lawn and topped up the strawberry beds with compost, second coat of paint on the kitchen walls. A warm sunny day with light winds.
Strawberry Beds
Delivered and assembled at the end of July they’re now being filled with donkey poo and then topped up with compost. The plants in the pots are producing lots of new plants so I should be able to fill these beds before the winter. Mowed the meadow strip and moved the new grass to the back of the compost heap so that the middle section can be removed. Started painting the kitchen. Poppy went to see the vet for her regular thyroid test which came back normal so she’ll keep taking the same medication, a new early indictor test for kidney problems gave a result that’s a little high so a urine test will be carried out in a few months time. A warm sunny day with light winds. Picked tomatoes and pulled a few carrots.
Cycle Ride
A lovely 17 miles from The Stocks Inn at Furzehill to Manswood, Horton Tower and up to Chalbury along quiet roads, bridleways and narrow forest tracks. Manswood reputedly has the longest thatched building in Britain comprising eleven estate cottages and an ex-post office although this is disputed because of a similar set of buildings in Suffolk. Cut the long grass alongside the meadowstrip hedging, some of the wild flowers which have now set seed were taller than the plants. The intention is to mulch with donkey manure to give the hedge a feed before winter and that means digging out the compost heap. A warm and sunny start to the day with rain later, picked and ate the runner beans.
Worms
The Can O Worms wormery lives in the shed and produces excellent liquid fertilizer and worm cast compost all year round. The worms like living in eggshells and love eating cardboard and anything sweet, like apples. They don’t like acidic waste like citrus or onions and regulate their numbers according to the amount of food available. What’s left after they’ve finished eating is the plastic from the teabags and the gluesticks from the cardboard boxes. The lambs bounced around the paddock today and Nola joined in, donkeys watched, nodded and went back to eating grass. A mild day with light winds and the odd shower. Picked tomatoes, conference pears and ribston pippin apples. Watered the beans.
Pixie and Toby
Walked over to the dividing fence and stared at each other for a while before Toby put his head down and Pixie poked her head through and licked his nose several times, they both like the contact. There was a squashed frog outside the stable, must have been trodden on by one of the donkeys, hope it’s not a favourite migration route. Tied up the spare stock wire in the lower paddock, will bring it up in the trailer, it’ll be useful somewhere. A lovely warm sunny start to the day with light winds, colder by early evening. Picked tomatoes and a cucumber, voted for the Dorset Remedy Oak to be the Woodland Trust tree of the year.
Fallen Oak
The oak has been removed from the ditch and elements of the trunk arranged as a seating area, that lower corner of the bottom paddock is the warmest and always a place to linger as the hedges offer protection from the strongest winds. Skyward pointing limbs have been shortened and now there is no danger of the remaining pieces rolling over and squashing a sleepy sheep! I’ve started wearing slippers again, the nights are definitely colder although the sun still has warmth. It’s time to fill some buckets with water and leave them in the greenhouse, they’ll warm up nicely during the day and then release their heat slowly overnight which will help maintain an even temperature. Picked a few tomatoes.
Ouessants
Definitely more approachable than when they arrived, the lambs like a good scratch under their chin and even the ewes are touchable near feeding time. Walter and Digby like to run around together in the paddock, Digby bounces around with all four feet of the ground and Pixie joins in with them occasionally. Their paddock adjoins the avenue where the donkeys are free to roam and they interact through the fence. Walter licked William’s nose, he didn’t move away so must have liked it. The runner beans have more blossom, which is great, just have to step inside the tangle of stems to pick them. A warm mizzly start to the day with rain in the afternoon so no watering, no swallows either.
Roses
These may be the last blooms of the summer, I hope they’ll flower again before Christmas after a prune, the petals on the red rose are really thick and the sun dazzles around them. The grass in the paddocks has turned a bright shade of green since the thunderstorms and is growing well, a sprinkling of donkey and sheep poo must have helped; the rain came too late for the fields opposite, there’s not enough grass for the customary second cut as there are large bare patches, so no more hay this year although there may be a cut for silage in November. A low lying mist started the day which cleared quickly in the morning sun, watered the runner beans and the greenhouse before cycling.
Green Logs
A chilly start to the day with the valley bathed in rolling pink mist. Moved the green oak logs to the old stone crate ready for use in a couple of years time, they will be well seasoned by then. The nasturtium on top will give seeds for next year’s plants. Heard the green woodpecker when poo picking in the paddock, he appeared on the lawn early evening to eat the ants but no swallows today, maybe they have moved on. Trimmed the new growth off the rampent pumpkins and cut back some of the larger leaves to encourage ripening of the fruits. The runner beans are not quite as green as last month and the tomatoes are paler as well despite regular feeding, day length is shortening and the nights are cooler, it feels like Autumn is on it’s way.
Cycle Ride
20 miles along Dorset lanes in sunshine and light winds with a stop at Manswood for refreshments and at the waterfall at Witchampton to look at the waterfall – we disturbed a kingfisher further along the river; a lovely flash of blue. From a distance the hay bales in the fields resembled French knots. Didn’t see any swallows today, filled up the bird bath for the wren which was singing loudly in the wisteria. A glorious sunset lasted for over an hour, enough time to turn off the electric fence in the bottom paddock and water the greenhouse and the runner beans.
Shoes
This pair of Ecco shoes were so very comfortable after years of use, they’ve walked many miles and as they looked so tatty have lately been the preferred option when painting, gardening and poo picking. The stitches have disintegrated and the soles have very thin patches – spiky bits of straw find their way in to my socks, so it’s time to recycle them, have saved the laces for tying up plants as the ends won’t fray. The replacement footware is the black Wrangler boots, more appropriate I guess. A surprisingly hot day with light winds, picked Ribston Pippin apples, Conference pears, runner beans, courgettes, runner beans and tomatoes.
Music Festival
At Mill Farm near Sherborne, a relaxing afternoon and evening spent listening to live bands in a lovely setting on the banks of the river Yeo. The raffle was an interesting mix of prizes including a session in their recording studio, a singing lesson and a couple of hours walking with llamas. Winnie and Digby came from Mill Farm so it was good to report on their progress and see the rest of the flock in the distance. Took a couple of loads of garden rubbish to the lower paddock ready for a bonfire, the pile is big enough already and there’s more to add. A calm day compared to the thunderstorms of yesterday, no watering required.
Oak Tree
The large oak tree behind the stable is over a hundred years old so it needed a balancing prune and it’s lower branches lifted. The view is even more spectacular, and the branches will still provide shade in the summer although the pile of woodchip is much smaller than expected so may have to get more delivered for the seating area. The sad news is that a visual survey of the centre of the main trunk revealed significant cavities in each of the three large limbs, the biggest is more than two meters deep and full of loose fibrous material, the other two are smaller but taken together there’s a risk of the tree being felled in a gale either tomorrow or in a few years time, it’s difficult to predict. One option is to have it felled; decided not to do that as it’s such a joy to look at and a significant landmark, I hope it lasts another hundred years!
Thunderstorm
Moved the Ouessants into the square paddock for a change of scenery and greener grass, it was fine until it started raining and then they all ran under the sheep shelter, it’s smaller than the one in their usual paddock so a couple of them moved outside and were dripped on. Before the storm arrived the donkeys moved alongside the shelter and then they all got very wet. Tucked them up for the night during the thunder and lightening downpour and then half an hour later the rain stopped! Picked courgettes, runner beans, blueberries, windfall bramleys and sloes.
Sloes
There are lots in the hedgerows, and the trees that adjoin the paddock are laden, too many are not good for the animals so access has to be restricted, these will go in the freezer for use later. Swallows are still flying in and out of the tack room, no noise from the nest so not sure what’s going on. The bags of donkey poo outside the front gate are still there, the new ‘free’ notice must be attracting attention… ? Widened part of the driveway as it becomes a bit of a mud patch in the winter. Weather much calmer today with light winds and some sunshine, watered the runner and beans and the greenhouse veg.
Storm Francis
Rushed in overnight and stayed all day which meant poo picking and sweeping out in the rain. It was too warm to wear the wet gear so it was back to shorts and a polo shirt. The wind has been at gale force all day, buffeting the hedgerow and trees and the wisteria is bashing against the window and losing the last of its blossom. Sheep don’t mind the wind but it makes the donkeys skittish. The good news is that there’ll be more windfall apples for crumble. Had lunch at a pub which had put it’s marquee out of bounds so had to eat inside, hope it’s calmer tomorrow for the tree works.
Cycle Ride
To Sturminster Newton and back along the trailway, started in a rain shower and ended in sunshine with coffee and a sausage roll at the cafe. Pulled a few more of the Mediterranean Mix carrots from the raised bed, the yellow variety have produced the largest carrots, the small orange dumpy ones need the least preparation for cooking with hardly any gritty creases. Set up the electric fence so that when acorns fall they won’t be within reach of the donkeys; if they eat them the Gallic Acid and Tannic Acid toxins stays in their body and eventually cause liver and kidney failure. The tape ended up in a real tangle so must invest in a winding reel. Over 3000 acorns were removed from under this oak tree last year, it’ll be interesting to see how many fall this year.
Pond
Poppy likes fishing so the net has to be a permanent feature unless there’s time to watch what she’s up to, the fish are always hungry and thrash around when they see you or feel the vibration of your footsteps. The black fish gradually turn orange with age and the older orange fish become paler and their tails seem to lengthen. The water lillies have done well this year and the oxygenating weed is flourishing so there’s lots of shade and places for the fish to hide. The blanket weed is disappearing as the temperature starts to drop but the filter and pump should be cleaned before the water gets too cold. A cloudy sunny day with no rain, picked runner beans, carrots and cucumbers.
Oak Trees
Fixed new boarding to the bottom of the fence below the oak tree behind the stable, thinning the branches this week will provide lots of woodchip for a new shaded seating area and there may be enough for the emerging shrub borders to be mulched. The fallen oak will be removed from the ditch and it’s branches cut off or shortened to make sure it won’t become unstable and roll over at some future date. It’s been a feature of the bottom paddock since last winter and it’s made an interesting feature for the donkeys to walk round and have a scratch, William doesn’t seem very interested in Toby’s subsequent roll-over. The logs will give out lots of heat on the woodburner over the winter. A sunny cloudy day, no rain, strong winds.
Windy Day
The runner beans have nearly fallen over, the supports have been strengthened with more canes and bailer twine – it will have to be a metal frame next year, it’s become difficult to pick the beans in-between the rows because of all the foliage dropping down. The greenhouse has been shut up all day but it’s still warm enough for the autovents to open. There are lots of windfall bramleys to pick up and prepare for the freezer. The donkeys don’t like strong winds so they’ve been unsettled for most of the the day. No rain, this shower passed us by with a colourful rainbow and differing shades of grey on either side.
Bottom Paddock
The donkeys were let into a different paddock today and chased each other round and round the perimeter before settling under the willow tree and feasting on the branches. Looks as if William has lost weight, not sure about Toby. The Texels happily walked down the lane to join the rest of their flock, we’ll have some of them back in December after tupping to keep the grass down. Mended the gate into the meadow strip as it was impossible to open, not sure about any more adjustment if the posts relax any further. Fixed plastic sheeting to the back of the sheep shelter to stop the rain driving inside. A windy and sunny day, no watering.
Crab Spider
The Sweet Peas outside the back door have been flowering for weeks and attracted this bright yellow spider. Crab spiders don’t build webs to trap their prey they just wait for an insect to land and make a grab for it. Some change colour to camouflage themselves but this one wasn’t blending in at all so I guess it will have moved on to a different flower. A stormy day with strong winds and horizontal rain, made it easier to clean the hard standing outside the stable as there was more than enough water available. Good news for the hedges and trees, no watering required.
Ellingham Show
The donkeys didn’t win any prizes in the Virtual Donkey Show but they have been given special rosettes! William and Toby weren’t too disappointed at the result and seem happy enough wearing their new decorations. A lovely walk from Spread Eagle Hill towards Fontmell Magna started in a heavy rain shower and ended in bright sunshine, followed by lunch at Compton Abbas Airfield. Took down the electric fence and moved the Texels for the last time as they leave to join the rest of their flock tomorrow, the Ouessants will miss talking with them. Promise of a day’s rain tomorrow.
Blueberries
Planted six new plants in the freshly weeded border, I hope they do as well as the one in the pot, will need to feed them with an ericaceous mulch, the daisies have been trimmed so there’s enough space for them to stretch. The runner beans are still doing well despite being buffeted by the strong winds, it’s difficult to walk between the rows as the frame has developed a bit of a lean. The all shapes and sizes mediterranean carrots are tasty, they’re being overrun by the courgettes in the adjacent bed but I don’t think it’ll make any difference. The trees in the lane are starting to lose their leaves, the hot weather combined with not enough rain has dried out the tops. A cloudy day with a few showers and late sunshine.
King of the Castle
Pixie is on the top of the woodpile with Walter and Digby waiting for their turn, Digby soon got bored and left to inspect the new addition to the sheep shelter – a side panel to help keep out the rain. Moved the lemon trees to the other end of the terrace out of the wind, the wren has been hopping about in the branches, I hope she’s eating the bugs. The donkeys were let out later in the day and browsed the hedgerow picking out the beech leaves. The day started with rain and light winds and ended with no wind and lifting temperatures, the mist in the valley may develop into fog in the morning. Jupiter, Saturn and The Plough were clearly visible tonight together with a few criss-crossing satellites.
Scratching Post
The donkeys have turned part of their scratching post on it’s side, thinking they’re beavers! A lot of debris so maybe they’re sharpening their hedgerow eating teeth. There’s not a lot of grass in the paddocks; they are returning to their stable for straw mid afternoon and it’s also an opportunity to use the salt lick. Tried to remove a few dock plants from the square paddock, the soil is wet for the first inch but dry beyond that, it’s surprising considering the deluge we had yesterday, we definitely need more rain. A drizzly day with mist in the valley and over the hills but nothing significant in terms of rain, watered the vegetables and picked runner beans and tomatoes. Ate one of the four plums on the tree, delicious.
Texels
The six sheep borrowed to keep the grass cut in the paddocks will be going to rejoin the rest of their flock in a few days, they all need to get to know each other again before meeting the rams in September, and they need to be fattened up a little, the donkeys will miss them. Tupping will carry on for six or eight weeks before the rams are separated from the ewes for the rest of the year. All the sheep have been talking with the flock that’s moved into the cornfield across the lane; the sound of bleating carries a long way. A much cooler day with persistent mist and the threat of rain, not much watering to be done.
Rain
A lot of it, the thunderstorms arrived in the afternoon and filled up the water butts, very noisy on the stable roof and the gutters overflowed so the hardstanding has been swept clean. The sheep all preferred to stay in the dry whenever possible and shook themselves like dogs when they did get wet. The donkeys stayed out until their usual time, not bothered about the rain, although Toby would have stuck his head under a shelter if there had been one available. No watering required except in the greenhouse, hope the deluge has helped the hedge. Picked cucumbers, tomatoes and runner beans.
Hedgerow
Eaten first by the sheep and now by the donkeys, not as neat a finish as a hedge trimmer but much more interesting and satisfying for them. There’s a big difference in the grass, a month ago it was much greener. Found two tiny swallows on the tack room floor, they must have fallen or been pushed out of the nest, hope there’s more in there, the swallows are still flying in and out regularly. A stiflingly hot day with none of the promised thunderstorms, the new hedge is going brown and curling at the edges despite being watered every couple of days and the sheep have stayed in their shelter all day. The Texels are running out of grass so gave them a few apples as a supplement, hoping for rain tomorrow.
Blueberries
Should have taken a photo before I picked today’s crop, this bush will be full of berries for another month at least if kept watered, probably 30 every day so enough for a fresh topping to deserts and breakfast cereal. The runner beans are also cropping well, lots more flowers, need to keep them well watered. Cucumbers and tomatoes are suffering in the greenhouse and need watering several times a day. The donkeys enjoyed an apple lolly, they made short work of the frozen disc. A very hot day with a few drops of rain at dusk.
Cat Mint
Poppy, in common with two thirds of household cats, likes chewing the leaves, it’s both a relaxant and a sedative so she has to sleep it off under a bush. Fortunately, deer don’t like it much and it needs very little water to survive. Photos of the donkeys have been entered in the Ellingham Virtual Donkey Show, there were 13 classes, William and Toby were entered in 3 of them – Portrait, Ears and Boys over 4 years. I’ll be checking ellinghamshow.co.uk for the results and will look forward to next years show when we may enter a couple of the Ouessants. A cloudy start to the day with low cloud and a warm wind, too hot for the sheep who stayed in their shelter. More watering, may get a thunderstorm tomorrow.
Ellisons Orange
I thought there were very few apples left on the tree after the frosts earlier in the year but I picked over fifty apples, crisp and juicy they may or may not develop an aniseed flavour. Topped up the hedgehog water tray, haven’t seen any poo on the grass recently so she may have moved on. The ouessant lambs are becoming more confident, Walter is the first to want a scratch and Pixie is eating out of my hand occasionally, Digby is licking the feed bucket so won’t be far behind. A very hot day, the flies are annoying the donkeys, may have thunderstorms tomorrow, the waterbutts are nearly empty.
Herbaceous Border
Weeded for the first time in over a year, not sure what’s happened to the vibrant colours of last year, could be the deer. The edge looks very neat and the visible ground elder has been removed, it should be weed free for a few weeks before it re-emerges with new robust shoots. Had a squidgy surprise when I put my crocs on today, a slug had crawled in and made its home where my big toe would normally be – not an experience I want to repeat! A misty start to a very hot dry day, watered the hedge and the vegetables, picked cucumber, tomatoes, courgettes and runner beans.
Apple Picking
The Beauty of Bath apples are ripe enough for eating with lovely red and green skin, some were blown off in the strong winds and provide free forage food for the deer; there’s still enough to pick from the tree. The Donkeys and Texels like them, will try slicing them even smaller for the Ouessants, they’ll make a good alternative to the treat mix. I’m pruning the Bramley and giving the long lush leafy growth to the donkeys, there are a few windfalls and it looks like there’ll be a good harvest. A misty drizzly start to the day, the sun came out later and the temperature rose quickly, a very hot end to the day with light winds. Watered.
Ouessants
The ewes are feeding their lambs several times a day, the enthusiastic approach seems a bit harsh and could continue until the lambs are four months old. Pixie is almost the same size as Nola. Digby is the youngest at 8 weeks old and is called to feed by mum Winnie, his horns are fully grown and have lots of ridges. He lies down and sleeps in the paddock quite often and is only just licking the feed bucket, he doesn’t eat the treats like the others. The day started with low cloud and light winds, by the end of the day the wind was gale force and buffeting the runner beans. A pint at the local pub and fish and chips from the van was delicious.
Muck Heap
After filling the raised beds and mulching the borders I needed somewhere to create an ideal place to grow next years courgettes and pumpkins where it won’t matter if they grow in all directions. This structure is the old sheep pen, now lined with dumpy bags and almost full with donkey poo and grass cuttings. It’s getting quite hot in the middle and already rotting down so I have to keep topping it up, fortunately there’s a constant supply of raw material, at least two full wheelbarrows every day. The Magpie moth was resting close to the water butts, they like living in the hedges especially if there are brambles, which there are! A cloudy start to the day, the view soon disappeared in thick fog followed by persistent light rain; good for the garden and the paddocks.
Toby
The early mornings can be chilly so I keep a fleece handy, just a bit of a mistake to hang it on the rail as it’s the right height for Toby to grab it, shake it, drag it and tread on it! He likes to chew on beech and willow sticks and often rubs his collar on the ground, he picks it up and wants William to take hold of the other end and pull, William sometimes co-operates, but not always. I need to find something more durable for him to play with, a bike tyre, maybe? The blackbirds are sitting on the trellis taking the blueberries, I don’t think they did that last year so will have to pick them before they’re completely ripe; picked another bundle of runner beans. A sunny day with cool and strengthening winds which resulted in several Bramley apples landing on the grass. No rain so more watering, the waterbutts could do with a top-up, they’ll be empty in another few days.
Cycle Ride
38km along Dorset lanes and up and down a few hills we crossed Ackling Dyke, the old roman road which stretched 22 miles from Badbury Rings to Old Sarum. The road provided a rapid transit route for the soldiers to cross Cranborne Chase in full view of the local population and when extended it joined the coast at Hamworthy with London. The White Nettle Leaf Mullein grows in the verge alongside the road, a tall perennial herb which has various benefits if correctly administered, it’s also an extreme irritant if the hairy leaves are handled in the wrong way. The day dawned with a thick bank of fog in the valley that gave way to warm winds and sunshine, watered the vegetables.
Sloes and Frogs
Filling the hedgerows, Blackthorn spreads into the paddocks and veg patch and grows very quickly. The fruits look ripe but they become sweeter if picking is left until after the first frost which may be as early as September. Sheep like to eat the seedlings so the spread into the paddocks should be controlled. The little frog was in one of the water buckets, I moved him into the nearby shallow pond margin. The fish in the pond will eat frogspawn so I hope the frog will move to the wildlife pond. Lunch at the pub, a sunny cloudy day with rain later, watered the beans and the raised beds.
Ouessants
The sheep are looking more like a flock, moving around the paddock as one when they’re grazing, Tatty Bianca likes talking with the Texels through the fence with Walter not far behind. Digby and Pixie definitely have round worms, they’re very obvious in their poo so the Vet gave them an injection. It’s likely they’re all going to get worms from grazing the same paddock even though we’re poo picking, so we’ll have to gather a representative sample for testing in a months time. Worming will probably become routine for them without bothering with the test. A warm sunny day with gentle winds, picked courgettes and runner beans.
Vegetables
The yellow Tumbler tomatoes are growing in the same pot as the sunflower and a few red Outdoor Girl have ripened in the border, all different shapes and sizes. The sun and wind has been so hot today that some tomato plants have shriveled in the greenhouse, I hope they recover, will let a sideshoot develop if not. Picked more runner beans, they’ve been thrashed by the high winds so tied a few back to their poles. There’s been a real variety of weather conditions that the plants have to withstand – both varieties of courgettes are doing OK, the drop in the level of compost in the raised bed means they’re protected. A few drops of rain evaporated as soon as they touched the ground so more watering.
Donkey Dental
The donkeys needed their annual check so this is William getting bored waiting for the vet to arrive. His teeth were fine, no filing required and he didn’t need a sedative unlike Toby who needed something to relax him. He was a bit too staggery once the injection took affect so he needed waking up a little to do the examination. Some teeth had a few sharp edges; donkeys chew side to side so can wear down the inner edges and leave a sharp edge on the outside, the electric grinder did the job quickly. Afterwards they both had to wait to have something to eat as Toby wouldn’t have been able to swallow until fully awake – William stood next to him most of the time giving reassurance and they were both grazing happily a couple of hours later. A hot sunny day with bright blue sky, watered the vegetables, picked runner beans and a few tomatoes, must pick the courgettes tomorrow.
Wildlife
This black beetle was swimming in the rainwater bucket, guess it must be a stag? Released onto the damp woody area close by. The tiny newt was in one of the water buckets by the greenhouse, I moved him to the nearby wildlife pond where the water was a bit low so I topped it up with rainwater. Hope they both survive. The Ouessants have moved about a lot today, nose to the ground. Have the vet visiting tomorrow, donkey teeth need to be checked and the lambs need worming, moved hurdles into the small paddock so that the Ouessants can be corralled. A sunny and warm day, watered the vegetables.
Raised Beds
In one of the square beds the pumpkins are starting to overwhelm the french beans; the early purple sprouting plants are doing ok although the butterfly’s are laying a lot of eggs that need removing regularly. The intermediate beds need filling with donkey poo ready for the strawberry plants Which need planting out ready for next year. A pair of wrens were hopping about on the bench by the ceanothis tonight, they amused Poppy for a while, fortunately they’re too quick for her. The ouessants are all grazing in the paddock, they sat together chewing the cud in the shelter, a lot calmer today. A sunny windy day, watered the vegetables.
William and Toby
As soon as it started raining Toby ran down the paddock to the sheep shelter and stuck his head under it, that’s all that’ll fit as it’s too low for him – the donkeys are supposed to walk back up to their stable when they want to stay dry! William joined Toby and reversed up to the shelter – he likes standing in the rain. Enjoyed a rather wet cycle ride with a coffee stop and sausage roll at Marcia’s Farm Shop in Spetisbury. Ouessants are messing about today, the lambs are happy enough together; not sure about the ewes wanting the new lamb around so the two flocks have been separated for the night. Picked runner beans, water butts full, no watering required.
Sharing
All six Ouessants in the shelter together, they like resting against the lining boards, whenever they run around they have their noses to the ground all the way. The fallen oak tree now has the addition of a couple of extra hurdles to prevent sheep climbing on top and jumping into the ditch, it’s quite deep and full of brambles so we’d have trouble getting them out. Cut the nightshade in the hedge, can’t see where the root is so it’ll grow back next year. Will need to move the texels in the next week or so and then the donkeys can graze the hedgerow. Picked French beans and cucumbers, a cloudy day with heavy showers and strong winds.
Two New Ouessants
The two new Ouessants safely in a dog crate in the back of the car – forty minutes of loud bleating all the way home! I made a shelter in willow paddock with hurdles and a fence panel for Winnie and her lamb Digby. They actually joined the existing four in the small paddock quite quickly; thought it best to keep them separated at first, but there were too many heads poking through the stock wire just wiggling around trying to get stuck. When the gate was opened between the paddocks Nola butted Winnie several times and there was a lot of bleating. I made a third shelter next to the existing one in the small paddock so they could decide how close to sleep, it’ll be interesting to see how they get on tomorrow. A cloudy day with much needed heavy rain in the late afternoon, which filled up a few of the water butts and gave the garden a good soak.
Cucumbers
There are a lot on these two plants, they seem to double in size overnight. The first flowers set really well and the cucumbers continue up the plant, which is still growing, there’s more than we can eat so will give some away. The sheep and donkeys are content, the Texels are beginning to eat down the grass in the lower paddock so we may be able to let the donkeys in there next week. The Ouessants are making little impact on Willow paddock, two more may make a difference. A sunny day with lunch at the pub, promise of thunderstorms tomorrow.
Cycle Ride
Starting above Pimperne we admired the view from the top of the longest Long Barrow in Dorset – 107 meters long and 27 meters wide in places. Full of wild flowers including Orchids, Ladies Bedstraw and Yellow Goatsbeard, also known as Johnny-go-to-bed-at-noon because the flowers open at dawn and close by lunchtime; this seed head was the size of a tennis ball. Stopped for coffee and a sausage roll at Rawston Farm where there was a good display of plants, rawstonfarmbutchery.co.uk. A hot day to ride up the hills, great coming down! Watered the vegetables, the compost in the raised beds is disappearing, the level has dropped by a third.
Ellingham Show
As the Show is cancelled the judges are holding a Virtual Donkey Show, 12 classes in all, details on their website https://ellinghamshow.co.uk/whats-on/donkey-show/. We may enter the ‘ears’ and ‘portrait’ classes. It’s always been a great day out at Ellingham, there are lots of animals to see and it’s well worth having the membership. Released a peacock butterfly and a meadow brown from the greenhouse when I was watering, and there was a balloon flying over the valley tonight, first sighting this year. A hot day, rain expected at the weekend.
Woody Nightshade
In the hedge that borders the ditch round the lower paddock, very delicate lilac and yellow flowers with shiny green berries that turn red as they mature. A little poisonous, not as toxic as Deadly, would give a nasty stomach ache though. Cycle ride, 15 miles round Dorset lanes with a coffee stop at Sturminster Newton, lovely sunshine with a gentle breeze. Poo picking when I got back, Walter had creosote on his leg, must be from the fence posts ‘bleeding’ in the hot sun. Will have to make a wrap of some sort, some posts are much worse than others. Very hot at the end of the day.
Common Toad
Lovely speckled tummy with knobby skin, cool to hold on a warm day, they wriggle constantly. This one is big so must be a female, they come out late in the day to feed around the greenhouse. There are lots of damp places to relax in the shade under the hedge and to paddle in the water in the outdoor tomato plant trays. Runner beans and French beans today with roast beef and Yorkshire pudding. Assembled the raised beds for the strawberry’s, they just fit in the space between the tree and the hedge, will put weed proof fabric in the bottom and then grass cuttings and donkey poo. A cool start to the day with a brisk wind, hot sunshine later so watered the vegetables and the greenhouse.
Swallows
A pair are building a nest in the tack room, they tried 3 or 4 different places and have settled on a middle beam at the gable end. The tack room door is closed overnight so they gain access to their nest by flying up into the roof of the stable next door, and squeezing through a small gap, the donkeys wander in and out of their stable all night so the door is never closed. Tolerant of people walking around they fly overhead and only veer away from the entrance if you look at them directly. No mess so far! Must get a wildlife camera. A cloudy start to the day, ended with hot sun.
Carrot Lolly
William and Toby are getting the hang of these now, especially as there’s more carrot and less ice. Toby especially likes to crunch the ice to get to the carrot, William is happy to wait for the ice to melt. The fish in the pond want feeding every time I walk past and there was a very young newt sitting on top of a lily leaf. Picked beans and almost have a ripe tomato, cucumbers doing really well. Tried to sort out the compost heap so that I can plant something on the top, need more raised beds….. A hot day with the promise of rain later, watered everything.
Ouessants
The new sheep are really cute, have had them a week, now, Tatty Bianca bleats loudly every time she hears a gate open or sees me in another paddock. If I talk to them they all come running over to see if there’s any food available. When there’s no food they stick around for a while nibbling at your clothes and prowling around, three of them will eat out of your hand, Pixie is still too timid, so she hoovers up anything spilt on the ground. Walter likes a bit of a scratch. They return to their shelter often and like chewing the cud and resting in the shade of the willow tree. A hot day so watered everything, hope to have more beans ready tomorrow.
Raised Bed
Lower than my other three beds at a foot high these will be filled with donkey poo and then packed with new strawberry plants and relocated rhubarb. Easy self assembly, no fancy packaging, all bought from Solway Recycling who make all their products from waste farm plastic. A fire last month delayed delivery but they’re back in production now, and offer an excellent service. Picked 6 cucumbers today, gave a few away…. no pumpkins yet, sheep and donkeys happy, a cloudy start to the day with hot sun later, watered the vegetables, removed sideshoots from the tomatoes.
Bristly Oxtongue and Wild Marjoram
Oxtongue is considered a bit of a pest by farmers, it’s a traditional herb used to get rid of parasitic worms, it’s growing alongside maturing poppy heads and Wild Marjoram in the rose bed. The donkeys enjoyed grazing the central avenue and eating their ration of thistles, beech twigs and apple branch prunings. Toby briefly escaped from the stable through the workshop and was tempted back by a rattle of special donkey mix. Lovely hilly cycle ride up and along Ballard Down to Old Harry Rocks and on to Studland for coffee, a bit of a cloudy day with some drizzle, views to the Isle of Wight and Swanage still amazing.
Produce!
A decent picking of runner beans and one cucumber today, the cucumber tastes very different home grown and one of my favourite meals is well seasoned runner beans with lots of butter and two soft fried eggs on top, absolutely delicious. The new sheep are settling in and like their daily cereal mix, not eating out of my hand yet is Pixie, I’m sure she will in a week or two. They’ve explored Willow paddock and grazed closer to the donkeys who stared at them through the fence. A really warm day at first following overnight rain, it clouded over later and there was a really cold wind.
Wasps Nest
In the roof void at the highest point in the upstairs hall. There was a brown stain on the ceiling that looked like a water leak, and a pitter patter noise. Turned out to be a bad idea to touch the paper thin ceiling (wasps eat plasterboard) and they quickly emerged through the hole, very angry. The cats made a run for it, unscathed, and a few moments later the hall was full of wasps. Pest control arrived within the hour, dealt with the nest and taped over the hole. A check outside revealed no other activity, but this morning wasps were emerging from around the wisteria, so another nest has been treated today. A hot day that ended with cloud and some light rain, more expected overnight. Watered the vegetables, the runner beans have reached the top of the sticks so rain may not reach all of the roots.
Sunflower
Grown from a seed taken from a ‘help yourself’ pot that was in Ledbury Church. It had been kicking around in my purse for a couple of years before I finally planted the last remaining seed last month. Hope to be able to grow lots more next year – and share the seeds with friends. The Gardeners Delight tomato plants in the greenhouse are sprouting new stems from under the soil as well as further up the plant, and they’ve really thick and strong stems which must be the result of being wind damaged in the spring. Picked the first cucumber and courgettes. Fixed the stock netting to protect the vegetables, sunnier and hotter today than yesterday, no rain, so watered the veg and the hedging.
Ouessant Sheep
New arrivals today, Nola with lamb Pixie, and Bianca with lamb Walter, who has horns! Four shy sheep that travelled 10 miles to get to us in the back of a pickup liked the comfort of their new shelter. They a rare breed originating from the island of Ouessant, off the coast of Brittany, and are the smallest naturally occurring breed of sheep in the world. Full of character and very hardy they’re easier to handle as they grow to a maximum of eighteen inches high. They were greeted by bleating from the sheep in the square paddock and William and Toby were very curious, they both brayed when they saw them being fed their daily treat.
Deer and Donkeys
The deer managed to get through my temporary barricade into the vegetable plot so I must fix stock netting to the rails that separate the flower border from the vegetables or there’ll be nothing left for us to eat. Tasted a Beauty of Bath Apple, the earliest to mature, it’s not ripe yet as the pips are still white and it’s a bit hard to cut. The swallows have been flying into the stable to feed all day and the donkeys finally discovered the hedgerow, I still think they prefer the grass. Toby looks really spotty without his winter coat and William much whiter. A sunny cloudy day, and a bit windy.
Smudge and Poppy
Eyes tight shut, smudge likes sleeping outside on the woodpile. Poppy prefers to be under a hedge and being a long haired cat she has a lot of grooming to do. Finished the sheep shelter today and had to add another rail to the softstanding as William managed to knock off one of the middle rails in an effort to reach through the fence to get to something tasty. Luckily, he didn’t step through onto the paddock driveway and into the little copse. Always need to keep a few spare rails and posts, I think. Collected fish and chips from the travelling van in a heavy and persistent drizzle, no watering required.
Hedgerow
Moved the electric fence just for William and Toby to walk down the strip and browse the hedgerow, it would save cutting branches off for them. I have to say they were not interested at all, walked to within a couple of meters and then turned around to munch on the grass, and no amount of cajoling would get them to approach the hedge. A cycle ride in the sunshine with a brief shower along the way and then coffee and a bacon roll before heading home along the trailway. The donkeys enjoyed the maple and beech branches cut from trees in the lane before their usual vitamin treat. Not enough rain so watered the vegetables.
Sheep Shelter
Model 2 Mk1 work in progress, made from pallets, reclaimed wood, and old fence panels, bought the tarpaulin that’s on the roof and the boards lining the inside. It’ll be ready for the weekend when the new sheep arrive. Two Deer were in the garden this morning, must have found a new route through the hedge, one had antlers a few inches long, they browsed the lavateria flowers, leaves from the plum tree and plants in the border before moving on to the apple trees. The barricade round the runner beans and the vegetables in the raised bed was sufficient, which I’m pleased about. A calm and sunny start to the day with increasing winds and cloud later, there may be rain overnight so will leave watering until the morning.
Dwarf Beans
First pods, Poppy standing guard, picked and eaten within the hour, crisp and delicious, hope there’s more to come, runners maybe next week, although the strong winds of the last few days have broken some of the higher stems. Tomatoes and cucumbers growing fast, and have two water melon plants with tiny fruit that I’ve never grown before. Bike ride to Sturminster Newton for coffee and sausage roll, was mainly ‘wind against’ which is a bit odd for a circular route. A sunny day with no rain so watered the vegetables, found a few thistles in the border so the donkeys had a late tasty treat.
Sheep and William
William and Toby were both up close to the sheep in the shelter in the square paddock, they touch noses and set each other off running when they’re excited. A very windy day, need to put the roof on the new shelter when the wind drops. Mowed the grassy area by the stable, almost looks like a lawn, the lawn by the house has bare patches despite the rain so this ad-hoc grassy area looks much better. The tomatoes in the greenhouse are growing at last, removed the side shoots and gave them a feed. Hope to pick the first cucumber later this week. Late sunshine, still windy, no rain so watered the vegetables.
Fencing
Moved the electric fence from the square paddock into the lower paddock so that the donkeys have access to part of the hedgerow, can’t let them have the whole area as they’d eat too much sugary grass. They’ll have to walk a reasonable distance to get to the hedge which will be good, will turn it on tomorrow. One of the sheep managed to get her head stuck through the stock netting in an attempt to get at greener grass, she wandered off OK after being released. A windy, blustery day with weak sunshine and late rain.
Moths
A pair of Bright-line Bright-eye moths (I think) resting on a rubber mat in a warm and sunny spot close to their feeding ground of nettles under an elm tree. Sheep shelter progressing, ordered lining kick boards and fixed stock wire to a couple of paddock gates. Let the sheep into the lower paddock that was mown last week, they really do believe the grass is greener on the other side of the gate – any gate! The wisteria is flowering for a second time, there’s lots of new foliage to be blown around by the strong cool winds and after a cloudy day there’s evening rain, so no watering.
Greater Musk Mallow and Great Willowherb.
Growing in the hedgerow, the Greater Musk is also known as Hollyhock Mallow, all parts of the plant are edible. Growing in the herbaceous border is Great Willowherb, it has a very hairy stem and the Elephant Hawkmoth likes to eat the leaves. More work on the sheep shelter today, watered the vegetables and thinned out a few of the apples. Trying to remove the docks in the paddock, the roots are very deep so may have to resort to a selective herbicide in the autumn. A mainly sunny day with a few spots of rain.
Sheep Manual
I was given the Haynes manual for one of my cars, which I did look at occasionally, good to see the brand lives on in other ways, lots of pictures, must do some reading. I’m building a Model 2 sheep shelter in the new paddock – it will be an improvement on the first one, William likes drinking from the puddle on the roof. It rained for most of the day, still cool and windy, nice sunset, no watering required. The deer has a companion, they were in the neighbours field most of the afternoon, and the hosta has tall flowers so I think the barricade is still working. The donkeys had a run down the paddock today, not enough to interest the sheep who were bleating in response to calls from a flock further away down the hill.
Cycle Dorset
Lovely ride north of Blandford, up to the long barrow and on to Chettle for coffee and a sausage roll. The wild flowers were in full bloom, including yellow and white Lady’s Bedstraw, used in the past to curdle milk as part of cheese making. A colder, windy day, sunny at times but still chilly, no rain. The last of the muck heap is now around the new hedge and the new heap is warming up with a mixture of grass and donkey poo. William and Toby were in playful mood, collar tugging and running up and down the paddock trying to nip each other, the sheep watched from the other side of the fence and joined in, jumping up and down with excitement.
Sheep
The six borrowed sheep are ewes that didn’t lamb this year, after a few weeks of grazing the paddocks they now come when you call, and creep up behind you when you’re fiddling with the electric fence. They were shorn before they arrived and are growing a new fleece. Weeded a patch of the border and fixed another camera to the stable to view the new paddock. One runner bean that the deer missed is 8 inches long, the second set are an inch or two. A very squally day, heavy rain and strong winds for at times, much cooler.
Proper Rain
The shrubs, flowers and vegetables needed the steady rain overnight, although the wind has been too strong – the wisteria has lost some leaves and the sunflower needs a taller cane! The tomatoes and the cucumbers in the greenhouse are growing at last because of the higher night-time temperatures and the courgettes in the raised bed are four inches long so soon there’ll be a glut to enjoy. The Birds are busy, buzzards call to each other as they sit on the thermals facing the wind and the sparrow hawk is constantly harassed by the crows. The chaffinch outside the back door is taking a chance with the cats….
Eunonymous
Flies and wasps love it, but haven’t seen many bees. No thunderstorms, so more watering, there’s a promise of rain tonight. The new hornbeam hedge has a few bare patches which will be replaced in the Autumn, together with a few of the trees. The sheep are happy moving between paddocks to avoid the donkeys grazing and are putting on weight. A Southern Hawker dragonfly was caught in the pond netting this morning, it flew off ok once released. Dinner tonight was a tasty Ruby Red Devon steak bought from a farm three miles away, more of the same is in the freezer. Still very warm.
Blue Tit Fledgling
Flew into the window, bounced off and sat in the grass a little stunned. Put him in a tree to recover, hope he flew off ok. Over 30* degrees today, started poo-picking early, finished mowing the bottom paddock, sprayed the donkeys legs with Deet, and gave them another carrot lolly. Fixed stock wire to one of the new gates. Vegetables all needed watering, some of the runner beans have reached the top of the sticks, the Veitch’s Climbing are being attacked by slugs, they must like them.
Iced Carrot
William and Toby took a while getting to grips with the carrot ice lolly, Toby stamped on it in the end. A lot of flies about today, sun all day and 30*, I can use a deet spray, not sure anything will work on the donkeys, and the tree I’m sitting under has greenfly… One of the water butts fell over, it got very hot on a sunny wall and the plastic distorted, don’t think it’ll be quite the same again, it watered the grass with 250L of water and some of it made it into the pond. Promise of thunderstorms tomorrow.
Tipper Trailer
Attaches to the back of the ride-on mower, works as a wheelbarrow as well, bought from our local garden machinery franchise who re-attached the chain on my chainsaw free of charge a few months ago. It looks a bit buried on its first outing, it will make moving muck heaps, weeds and fallen branches from the paddocks a lot easier. I cut the dock in the paddock with the hedge trimmer, so that will go in the garden bin, not on the compost heap. Dead headed the Giant Scabious which was glorious a month ago, hoping for a second flush of flowers. A hot day with a gentle breeze, no rain.
Cycle
A leisurely ride through Dorset villages in the sunshine – up and down a few hills and along quiet country lanes, with a couple of refreshment stops. Donkey William has been a little ear shy but today he had his ears rubbed for the first time and actually enjoyed it, they both like to have a warm water drink even when it’s hot and prefer a bucket to the water troughs. One of the sheep we’ve borrowed as grass cutters has a poorly foot, it’s been treated by the farmer so should be running around as usual very soon. A sunny day with moderate winds, no rain.
Common self-heal
Is growing through the grass and borders, the leaves can be eaten in salad and the whole plant used in stews. The Tortoiseshell and Meadow Brown butterflies like it. Picked raspberries and blackcurrants, pleased to say the deer protection is working OK for the runner beans. A family of ducks walked across the lawn this morning, mother and six tiny ducks following on behind, a real surprise and lovely to watch. Luckily the cats were all asleep, Poppy especially would have been after them, she chased a baby squirrel up a tree later and had to be fed to divert her attention. A windy and sometimes overcast day, hot in the sun, cool in the cloud. If the forecast is right we’ll have 30* later this week.
Summer Solstice
Was wet, I think! Bright purple flowers of Clematis Jackmanii should keep going until October. Fencers finished today, they split the lower paddock in two and created a new, smaller paddock behind the stable. Acorns from the oak tree will fall in one of the paddocks in the autumn so the other can be used still until they’re all collected. Thinned the carrots and ate them for lunch. Moved more of the muck heap into the flower beds, cut some branches from the hedgerow for the donkeys. A cool and cloudy day with the occasional shower.
