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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

Gallows Corner
Yew Hedge
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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.

Bramley Apple
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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!

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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.

dig
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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

Horton Tower
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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

sdr
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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

Millfarmdorset.com
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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!

Before
After
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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.

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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.

dav
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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.

dav
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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.

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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.

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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.

sdr
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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

August 12th
July 6th
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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.

dav
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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.

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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.

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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.

dav
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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.

Beauty of Bath
Bramley
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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.

Nola and Pixie
Winnie and Digby
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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

Walter at the front, then left to right, Tatty Bianca, Pixie and Nola
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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

dig
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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

Greater Musk Mallow
Great Willowherb
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Ribston Pippin

Grown in 1708 from one of three apple pips sent from Normandy to Ribston Hall, near Knaresborough, the original trunk lived until 1835 and it then sent up a new shoot and survived on the same root until 1928. The apples have a very high Vitamin C content and it’s possible the Cox is a descendant. Ripens early, and most of the apples are hidden by new foliage, last year most of them fell off before I noticed. Listened to a webinar on worm infestations. It’s possible that as William and Toby are well covered their worm burden is low, analysis of a faecal sample will tell us if any treatment is required. A cool, cloudy day with late rain and a red sky sunset.

Ribston Pippin
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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.

dav
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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.

dav
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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.

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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….

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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Ellison’s Orange

One of the 15 Left on the tree, there was a lot of blossom so must have caught the last frost, all the remaining fruits are under the canopy. This variety is mid season and juicier than its ancestor, the Cox. Over 24 hours of rain now, everything in the garden will be happier, not sure about the fencing company who are here to divide the lower paddock, they put their wellies on, unloaded the posts and wire, and left! They’ll be back tomorrow…..

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Farrier

Lovely white hooves after trimming and rasping, the green wellies didn’t get any attention. William’s seedy toe has improved and there’s no sign of laminitis which is good, the hooves will be brown again by tomorrow. Foggy start to the day and very hot first thing, cooler later with a little rain but no thunderstorm, watered the veg. Regular straw delivery arrived, 24 bales stacked at the end of the workshop should last a month. Raspberries and blackcurrants very tasty. Fencer expected tomorrow.

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Water Lilies

Yellow and pink flowering at the same time. These hardy Water Lilies float on the surface of the pond unlike the sub tropical varieties that sit on long stalks above the water. The leaves dislike being splashed, so prefer growing at the other end of the pond to the fountain. The fish are very hungry and want feeding several times a day, the water boatmen that eat the plant debri and algae sit on top and push the food sticks to the nearest leaf edge. It started raining early this morning and should rain all night so no watering. Donkeys are standing outside and quite happy to get wet, the hardstanding is nice and clean having been swept a couple of times, water butts filling up.

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Temporary Solution

I snipped off all the stalks without flowers on the runner beans, 6 or more per cane, this is the temporary deer protection as I like runner beans a lot! Fencer coming this week so I will have stock fencing to put on the trellis, then I’ll need to add a couple of gates. Think I may have found where the deer is coming through the hedge, a couple of pallets and some bailer twine have filled that gap. Time will tell whether this works, good to see that the courgettes are starting to wander in the raised bed. More rain this morning and then the day warmed up with late sunshine. Iceberg lettuces need planting out, hopefully get round to that tomorrow.

sdr
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Hay

Finished mowing the buttercups in the paddock and moved on to the fallow field with the muck heap (which needs to be moved) and cut the very tall grass with the hedge trimmer. Collected the stalks and will dry them for winter forage for the sheep but not the donkeys as it’ll be too high in sugar. Moved the electric fence as the donkeys managed to reach the branches of the new willow tree. Planted out the French beans and fed the tomatoes and cucumbers which still aren’t doing much. Hot and sunny, watered the runner beans, think the barricade has deterred the deer. Thunderstorms tomorrow?

dav
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Donkey Forage

A mixture of hawthorn and beech with a small amount of willow. Foraging animals will self medicate with willow as it’s the equivalent of aspirin. Moved more of the muck heap today and walked the local circuit to go to the postbox and get eggs. The rooks are mobbing the buzzard who just flops around taking no notice. No rain, watered the veg, picked raspberries and blackcurrants. Sowed Mizuna seeds, a good addition to any salad. Moved the parsley and purple sprouting seedlings to the cold frame to protect them from the slugs. Promise of thunder storms tomorrow.

dav
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D’Arcy Spice

This apple is the last to be picked in November, doesn’t mind a bit of frost and stores until February before going a bit wrinkly, it’s best eaten after a month of storage as the skin softens. Originally from Essex, the variety predates 1800 and is grown in windswept situations because the fruit doesn’t fall off in a gale, so is a good choice for this garden. Apparently, apples kept for a year or more taste of spicy mince pie filling, must try it! Looks like there’s a good crop that would benefit from thinning out. More rain showers so no watering, cut a bit more mixed hedging for the donkeys who know exactly what’s coming and get very excited at the prospect of a tasty treat.

dav
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William and Smudge

Smudge likes to sleep on the straw bales in the workshop, stays there all day sometimes. Persistent rain today which was great for the garden, will take a while for all the waterbutts to fill, no watering required! The runner beans which were doing so well have had their flowers bitten off leaving the stalks, suspect it’s the deer so will try and keep it out of the garden, may have to cage the veg growing area if that can’t be achieved. Didn’t happen last year, must be a different deer with a different grazing pattern, likes hosta flowers as well.

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Electric Fence

William and Toby grazing, the fence was necessary to avoid them eating too much sugar rich grass in the square paddock. They had a few small branches of willow, hazel and hawthorn from the bottom hedge and loved eating them. The electric fence was easy to put up and connect once I figured out what all the bits did, deciding where to put it took a while. It’ll be interesting to see how the sheep react, the donkeys stayed away from it, expect they’re all wise to the effects of touching the white tape – some users don’t turn it on! Woodpecker spent ages on the lawn feeding tonight.

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Bees Nest

A white tailed bumblebee about to crawl through the air brick, they usually nest underground and like a southerly aspect, this wall is north facing so I’m not sure why they’ve chosen it. They’re unlikely to be disturbed by anything so there’ll be up to 400 happy workers in the colony supporting the queen. No shortage of pollinators in the garden! The wren is collecting Poppy’s hair from the terrace, must be lining its nest or making a new one somewhere.

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Thistles

Donkeys love thistles, and would eat them all day if they could. Lots growing in the garden so no shortage of supply. The sheep were not impressed by all the noisy chomping so wandered away. Interesting end to the donkey day when they walked through the workshop, past the pile of straw bales and into the long grass. They didn’t go far and were soon coaxed back with more thistles and donkey biscuits. Warm day with more cloud, it may rain tomorrow. Donkey poo bags have gone from outside the front gate so will need to restock.

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Dorset Countryside

As seen from my bicycle, stunning views and quiet lanes on a fifteen mile circuit, it was a nice temperature for cycling with not too many hills and headwinds. No rain at all today, the donkeys have been chasing each other up and down the paddock and were happy to come back up to the stable for their evening feed of vitamins and straw. The sheep are nibbling away, the grass there is still too rich for the donkeys, will have to get to grips with the electric fence so that we can strip graze.

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Sheep

Mark IV sheep shelter has some vinyl attached to increase the amount of shade available, the sheep have the choice of two paddocks and like to come back to the shelter to chew the cud. The trees along the hedge line are very distinctive, will have to grow more in case the ash trees succumb to ash dieback, they seem healthy at the moment. Started laying out the electric fence so that the donkeys can be limited to a strip of the square paddock and not graze the whole area which has too much rich grass. A warm and sunny day with a late shower, still need to water so hopeful for more significant rain later in the week.

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Spurge, Smudge and the Runner Beans

Caper Spurge growing next to the runner beans which have a few first flowers. They won’t be helped by a second cold day with strong winds and rain showers although there was some late evening sunshine. The grass will start growing again if we get sunny days; the hay harvest was early and half the usual yield so the farmers are hoping for a second load later in the year.

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Cycling UK Bike Week

Dorset is great for cycling, lots of local groups and miles of trailways and waymarked routes some of which are part of the National Cycle Network. I cycle all year round and although there are lots of hills to struggle up the going down makes it all worthwhile! There was more rain overnight so the veg are looking good and there’s not much watering required, the straw delivery for the donkeys was just in time and we bought another salt lick to hang in their stable. The tadpoles were crowding round the fish eggs in the pond but they look just the same so hope to have tiddlers soon.

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Donkeys

Toby sitting in the stable, he likes to play with hazel and willow branches, William likes logs and the scratching post, they have a mutual groom every day. 10* colder today with an east wind, cycled 15 miles in the showers. Sowed nasturtium, basil and mizuna lettuce seeds.

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Milkflower Cotoneaster

Almost in full flower, nearly lost this tree in the winter storms, a hastily built support has stabilized the trunk and it went through a leaf losing stage but has perked up now. Will have to see how it does in the next gale, may have to reduce the top growth. Popular with bees and butterflies, birds are not supposed to like the berries but the blackbirds eat them in the winter. Provides the only midday shady area in this part of the garden so I’d like it to keep growing. Rained overnight, first rainfall for weeks, half filled several of the waterbutts, temperature has dropped by several degrees.

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Goldfish

The fish have spawned in the pond with a lot of thrashing about which attracted the cats attention.  The white blobs in the pictures are the eggs which will hatch in a couple of days.  Swallows are flying in and out of the stable catching flies, they must be nesting elsewhere.  The grass in the paddock is going a bit crispy, the donkeys are leaning over the fence to eat the hedgerow, another hot day with the promise of rain soon.

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Bramley Apple

Looking good, this tree must be over thirty years old, it has been pruned every year to keep the apples within reach from a ladder and provided a years supply of cooking apples last year. Stored apples did develop ‘bitter pit’ in January so need to freeze them before Christmas, a lack of calcium is the problem so maybe watering with the left over cement residue will have helped. Managed to catch small four goldfish in the pond, they’ve moved to another pond that needed them, a few tadpoles went along as well. One deer tick removed from my leg tonight, all ok I think, seem to attract them. Another hot day, may get rain in a couple of days.

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Hedgehog

Really pleased to know there are hedgehogs in the garden, not sure why this one was out in daylight. She (?) seemed fit and healthy and proved that by escaping from the cardboard box that was meant to contain her while cat food and water was brought out. She appeared again later and sniffed at the cat food, didn’t eat any and scampered off into the undergrowth. May have young somewhere or was out looking for nesting materials. Probably more than enough slugs, snails and worms around for her to eat. The hay bales in the field were taken away today, a fresh breeze so feeling cooler.

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Scratching Post

The donkeys are losing a lot of hair and like to scratch on the metal gate fixings, this arrangements of logs was knocked over twice before stabilized sufficiently to withstand a donkeys weight. Saw this hornet on the shed roof, probably collecting wood for its nest, fortunately the nest isn’t in the shed.

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Birds Foot Trefoil

In amongst the buttercups in the paddock and not trampled by the sheep, struggling a little because the buttercups are so tall. Hot again today, the hay in the field, which was cut five days ago, has been baled. Watered the veg, trees and hedge, saving the last full waterbutt to top up the pond so it’s tap water from now on until it rains. Saving as much water as possible from the kitchen, helps to water the plants outside the back door.

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Saw Leaved Moon Daisy

Flops about in the wind, guess it wouldn’t if I staked it. Shorter than the Giant Scabious and has more petals than the Ox Eye Daisy, flowers are tightly packed with more foliage to fall over. Seeds everywhere so plants are growing all over the garden. A hot day with a slight breeze, no rain in the forecast so more watering. Did some cosmetic concreting round the edge of the greenhouse slabs. Sheep are doing their best to eat the grass in the lower paddock, donkeys are looking slightly tubbier than when they arrived – fish and chips from the travelling van was good.

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Roses

Flourishing in the manured rose bed, they get the early morning sun. Drinking from the bird bath early this morning was the Green Woodpecker, flies the same route from the oak tree at the bottom of the paddock up to the row of trees that border the lane, he stops to eat the ants in the nest under the birdbath. The Lesser Spotted Woodpecker also drinks here but doesn’t eat the ants before flying away. The Ash trees growing out of the hedgerow are full of ‘keys’, I hope some saplings will grow and flourish elsewhere.

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Produce!

Bite size carrot thinnings with lovely fresh green tops, and a few radishes, there would have been an inch long courgette in the picture as well but I ate it in the garden….! Participated in a Donkey Sanctuary webinar on donkeys today. Learnt some very interesting things; you need a shaping plan if you want to change their behaviour, so that you take only tiny small steps towards the final goal. Another hot day, will have to top up the water in the pond. Gardeners’ Delight tomatoes show signs of recovering in the greenhouse, the Outdoor Girl plants behind the greenhouse have their first flowers.

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Ragged Robin

Self seeded from the border, now growing between the crazy paving stones, love the colour of the flowers. The field at the end of the garden was mown today for hay, looks like a good time to do it as no rain in the forecast. It’ll be cut again later in the year for silage. Thinned the carrots, watered the runner beans and courgettes, more tomato plants potted on in the greenhouse. Donkeys losing a lot of hair, and the sheep are starting to grow their fleeces again. Not sure where the woodpecker is nesting, does a swooping fly past several times day.

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Giant Scabious

The bees love this nectar rich scabious, it does well in the wind swept border even if it’s not staked.  Fog in the valley this morning, turned into a very hot day.  Watered the hedge and all the veg, water butts nearly empty.  House Martins are flying in and around the garden and stable block at low level catching flies, not sure where they are nesting.  The pair of thrushes are back collecting worms, not seen them for a couple of days. Sheep are happy in the lower paddock where there’s lots of shade if they want it, and there’s a rabbit that likes to sleep in the buttercups, only know it’s there when it makes its escape.

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View from the stable at night

An intricate spiders web over the lense blocks the view of the fence and the donkeys standing in the corner, in daylight this camera sees down the paddock; buttercups, fences and trees.   Very windy today, vents on the greenhouse still opened in the sun, able to work in there without feeling too hot.  Tricky for all the plants which have to cope with daytime temperature swings of 10* or more.  Planted out the rest of the climbing beans, some of the runners are halfway up the sticks.  Lawn looking dry, need some rain but there’s none in the forecast.  A couple of branches have snapped off the oak tree, need to be brought up to the house and cut into logs for the woodburner next year.

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Chinese Windmill Palm

Moved from a neighbours garden a year ago, an abundance of bright yellow male flowers, a baby at 3 meters high he could grow to 20 meters, already have one that’s around 10 meters high so there’s some way to go! A windy cooler day, mowed the paddock after poo picking, removing the buttercup stalks left by the sheep, the noise spooked the donkeys a bit, the sheep weren’t disturbed and are finding their way round the lower paddock ok now. Started to arrange the canes for the tomatoes in the greenhouse, my Gardeners Delight tomatoes are taking a while to perk up after suffering a setback a couple of weeks ago. The Outdoor Girl plants are fine, fortunately.

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Water lillies

Already established, these pop up each spring, they live alongside irises , elodea, tadpoles and the ever increasing numbers of fish, which need feeding several times a day. They change from brown to orange as they mature. Opened the gate from the square paddock into the lower paddock to let the sheep wander in for richer grazing, all was well until one of them became detached from the group. The bleating was LOUD, all calm once they were reunited. Sheep are now back in the square paddock overnight, don’t want to be woken up…! The noise made the donkeys a bit agitated, they wanted to see what was going on. Hot day today, veg doing ok, planted spinach, coriander and rocket in the raised bed with the courgette plants which are supposed to trail over the edge of the bed as they grow – I think some training may be required.

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Sheep shelter success

Good news, they like it! Really foggy this morning, turned into a very hot day with light winds so most of the young plants came out of the greenhouse. Poo-picked the paddock and disturbed a partridge having a dust bath in one of the donkey roll-over patches. Planted sunflowers and sweet peas. Eating Mizuna salad leaves, not sure what’s happened to the nasturtiums, they usually self seed everywhere, may have to buy some.

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Cold frame assembled

Poppy and the instructions, looks as if she has some paws missing… Frame parts fitted together well, colour matches the greenhouse, will need to fix it down. Warming up today, less wind, need to keep the bird baths topped up, the blackbird empties one every day with a lot of wing flapping. Planted out the Blue Coco beans and the courgettes. Parsley seedlings repotted, sowed iceberg lettuce and basil seeds. Getting through my seed store! Hedgerows growing really fast, lots of noisy bird activity, the thrush is always on the lawn looking for worms.

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Sheep shelter

Mark II version of the sheep shelter which will provide shade and protection from the rain once it’s finished. Mark I was a tarpaulin that was noisy when it flapped about in the wind and wouldn’t have lasted very long, will be interesting to see if the sheep ever use it! Moved the seedlings out of the greenhouse today and walked the donkeys to the paddock gate before letting them out onto the grass. Hedge watered and growing well, let some of the branches out of the plastic wraps, the leaves tend to go brown if scrunched inside. Looked for fruit on the Ellison’s Orange apple tree, very hard to find, the blossom must have caught the frost.

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Veitch’s Climbing French Bean

Really shiny seeds, pods start off green and then turn purple as they age. Seeds in pods that are older are good in soup. Just appearing in their pots, sown 7th May along with early purple sprouting which germinated more quickly. Fixed the glass in one of the cold frames, sunny, bit of a lazy day….

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Pink Hawthorn

Planted next to the native hawthorn hedge this forms a striking contrast with bright pink double blossoms. Maybe a few taller white hawthorns would look good, the hedge behind is able to provide these if I don’t cut it. Moved muck from the heap, all three raised beds are full, one is growing carrots, the next will have courgettes and lettuce and then the third will have purple sprouting broccoli and pumpkins. Cows have moved into the field at the end of the paddock, more company for the donkeys.

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Sheep’s eye view

Of one of the oak trees, grasses and meadow cress in amongst the buttercups. The sheep are flattening as much of the paddock as they are eating, lovely sunshine, feels like the cold wind is gradually warming up. New hedge looks good today. Eating Mizuna and herb lettuce from the greenhouse. Potted on courgettes which have some flowers already, too cold to be planted outside. One sunflower seed has germinated. Donkeys happy to be out grazing the hedgerow over the fence.

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Tayberry or Loganberry?

Not sure! Red stems, I hope the birds will leave me some of the fruit.

Mowed the copse, potted on courgettes, the raised bed is ready but it’s too cold at night to plant them out. Sheep are happily munching round the buttercups in the square paddock. Donkeys are shedding a lot of hair, confined to the avenue today as the willow paddock was being mown and they mustn’t eat grass cuttings. Gardeners’ delight tomatoes potted on, still looking a bit sad. Sunny day, chilly wind.

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Wisteria Sinensis

Well established, lovely scent but the cold wind is stripping the pendants, flowers can be made into an aromatic wine, don’t think I’ll try it. Nice and warm in the greenhouse and there are lots of hungry fish in the pond, tadpoles growing, don’t think there are as many as last year. Forget-me-nots seeding everywhere and the seeds embed themselves in Poppy’s fur, very difficult to get out. Another two raised beds nearly full of donkey poo, will plant courgettes in one of them. Rose buds bursting, the first flowers of the climbing rose have been nipped off by the deer, those higher up have survived ok.

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Dorset milk

First pint (500ml) of local milk! Delivered for 50p a bottle from the farm a few miles away. On the windowsill potted-on cucumber plants Louise F1 planted 25th April.

Another cold night, tomato plants looking a bit sad. Mowed some of the buttercups in the paddock today, so tall and so many. Planted more runner bean plants and watered the carrots which are looking good – no rain for a few days now. A noisy Partridge wandered through the garden, usually a pair of them so was calling for company, I think.

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Mushroom/Toadstool

Chilly wind today, 6* instead of the very warm 21* yesterday. Greenhouse vents staying closed. Beans starting to wind round the sticks. Biodigester serviced ok. These are growing on the muck heap, look tempting but probably not a good idea to eat them.

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Blue Coco French Beans

Climbing french beans, heritage variety, lilac flowers and violet pods that turn green when cooked. Planted 26th April, 6 inches high now, will be planted out next to the runner beans so if I save any seed it’ll produce a slightly different bean next year.

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Greenhouse

Love my new greenhouse, already filling up with young plants, tomatoes, cucumbers, lettuce, beans and marigolds. Warms up really quickly, hope it stands up to the high winds. Have a couple of cold frames to assemble as well, not had those before. Hot yesterday so maximum ventilation.

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Stumpery

Old dead tree had to be cut down, would be interesting to create a stumpery, although not an ideal position in full sun. Some research and experimentation required, I think, definitely needs to be kept damp.

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Donkeys and crows

Losing a lot of hair, William and Toby are providing a valuable nesting resource for the crows who make off with really large clumps. They seem to favour William’s hair and land on his back to self select if there’s none available on the ground. The crows have reduced in number since January, when they rose together from the sweetcorn field in a huge group of flying feathers, usually around 9.30 in the morning. A crow murmuration….. They’ve moved to their various rookery’s I guess.

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Runner Beans

Stenner runner bean seeds sown on 7th April, planted out today before they started winding up and around each other. Sticks have been up a month or so, secured with lengths of bailer twine to cope with the strong winds. Poppy was briefly interested in the chives! Good that the deer didn’t eat the young plants, hope that’s true of the flowers as well. Not sure about the rabbits. Ordered more raised beds for the strawberry plants, still chilly in the evening so lit the woodburner, hope we don’t get a late frost.

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Hedgerows

Greater Stitchwort at the edge of the paddocks below the hedges.

Growing alongside Red Campion, Bluebells and various ferns and nettles. The Donkeys don’t eat any of them.

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Sheep

Half a dozen freshly shorn sheep have arrived, borrowed to eat most of the grass in the paddock so that the donkeys can be allowed to graze there. Sheep also have a different worm burden to donkeys so cross grazing is no problem.

The donkeys were pleased to see them, not sure they like buttercups, donkeys don’t!

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Dawn Chorus Day

Sunrise and drizzle before 6am, super to see partridges walking in the lane, pheasant in the paddock and goldfinches, blue tits, great tits, robins, a pair of thrushes, blackbirds, pigeons, rooks, buzzards, a pair of wrens, hedge sparrows, magpies, ducks flying over and a few other birds I can’t identify (yet), in the garden. Definitely saw swallows yesterday. Have deer in the garden most days, flowers on the bushes grazed very neatly to reachable height.

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May Day

Three swans flew over this morning in perfect formation, lovely to see. Hawthorn is in full bloom, later than the Blackthorn and frothier!

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    More rain

    Great for the garden. One of my new water butts fell over, undermined by the water from the overflow pipe, it’s standing on blocks now, not just gravel. Will soon fill up again.

    Thunder rain
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    Hawthorn Fly

    Hundreds of black dangly legged flies are drifting over the hedgerows, they’re also called the St Mark’s Fly because they usually appear on April 25th every year. Not bothersome when walking in the paddock but will eat the roots of lettuce plants.

    April hedgerow
    April hedgerow
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    Carrots

    Planted on the 24th March. Doing well in the raised bed which is mostly donkey poo with well rotted compost on top, need to be protected from the deer that visits regularly. Thinnings will be nice in salads in a few weeks.

    Raised bed with carrots

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    April in Dorset

    A lovely month to start a blog! Toadspawn has turned into tadpoles in the pond and the buttercups in the paddock are really tall, almost too tall for the mower.

    Buttercups