Tag: driveway

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Scalpings

Delivered in a slightly larger tipper truck than expected, the tractor driver did a brilliant job of getting the trailer in the driveway entrance and spreading the load. The donkeys watched from the far side of their straw area and were less worried than when the lawnmower appears beside them, they went into the square paddock after the tractor had turned round, and the sheep took no notice at all. A cool sunny start to a very wet day with strengthening winds, removed the side shoots from the tomatoes.

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Mackerel

Named after the sky, her tummy has the same markings, likes to hunt mice and roams around and about the paddocks and the edge of the compost heap. A few bags of rubble dropped off on the driveway, it’s been widened a little and will now be edged with lumps of oak and surplus fencing posts. Donkeys and sheep spent the day in the paddocks; collected four bales of straw, the grass should be sufficient for the sheep if the weather stays warm so didn’t get any hay. The Robin is still sitting on the nest, no eggs yet. Blackthorn blossom nearly out. A cloudy warm day with light winds.

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Driveway

Delivery of three tipper truck loads of mixed rubble should take the driveway to the paddock gate, not sure it’ll reach the straw. The area already leveled stood up to the weight of the truck very well, only the last yard suffered and sank a little, so more reinforcement required. William was spooked by the first batch arriving and was calmer for the other two loads, Toby just watched from a safe distance. The surface to the paddock gate needs to be finished by the end of the month so that the tree surgeon can drive round to the oak tree. A warmer day with moderate winds and no rain despite dark clouds arriving late afternoon.

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William and Toby

Enjoying the sunshine in the fallen oak paddock, the fog soon moved in and there was low cloud and the threat of thunderstorms for the rest of the day. Raked the raised bed ready for sowing carrots, not quite warm enough for the seeds as the nights are still cold. Sifted the worm casts to remove the worms as they won’t survive the summer in the tomato pots. Collected rubble and shingle for the driveway, have reached the bottom corner, just need to make it to the paddock gate. A day of light winds, the sun tried to break through the cloud at sunset.

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Driveway

Making progress from the lane to the paddock gate, it looks completely different to the photo which was taken in early November, the surface is relatively flat and driveable to the corner and doesn’t seem to have suffered a problem with sinking into the saturated ground beneath. Hoping for more bags of rubble to be delivered over the next few weeks. Collected more apple branches and the donkeys had their share, William and Toby jumped and chased around their straw area trying to kick each other, the paddocks are still too wet for them to go out. Snow flurries during the day with a strengthening wind.

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Fresh Apple

The donkeys and sheep all love chewing apple branches and nibbling at the bark, so collected another load from a village a few miles away, the donkeys were the first to sample this variety and gave it the thumbs-up. Not sure the roof lining in the car will ever be the same, and there’s some of the remnants of straw bales collected earlier in the week. Emptied the last of the bags of rubble onto the expanding driveway and levelled a couple more yards, I thought the recent heavy rains would make it less firm to drive on, but it’s ok. Heavy rain overnight, the puddles in the paddock are getting bigger, a bright and breezy day with some sunshine.

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Tatty Bianca

Tatty was limping a little, looked like her front left hoof was painful so she was lifted off the ground and sat on her rump while her hooves were inspected. Apart from being a bit muddy they were all looked fine with no stones so a dose of the purple spray was administered to each hoof and she was soon enjoying the grass with the rest of the flock. Paddocks too wet for the donkeys so they stayed on the straw and hard standing, emptied a few more bags of rubble onto the driveway which held their attention for a few minutes. A cold cloudy day.

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Driveway

Making progress towards the paddock gate, three more loads of rubble collected today and last week’s contributions leveled and driven on with no problems. William and Toby are eating more of their old straw, ferreting underneath the new barley straw which is on the top. A very cold cycle ride in mist with ice drops falling from the trees, difficult to keep hands and feet warm. A very welcome coffee stop half way round meant I could warm my gloves on a radiator. Sunshine for half an hour before dusk.

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Delivery

A very welcome surprise parcel today, came in a huge box with lots of packaging, looking forward to an evening of pure indulgence. Took down the bean sticks and rescued some of the seed pods that had been missed, the roots don’t look big enough to have provided the above ground structure with sufficient energy to produce masses of beans. The hedge can be cut and then donkey poo will be added and the ground covered until spring, ready for next years plants. Would be good to change the positioning. Collected more rubble for the driveway which progressed another meter. A slightly milder cloudy day with rain overnight.

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Driveway

Not pretty to look at but coming along well with bag loads of free rubble, it’s easy to see where the professionally laid driveway ends and the rubble begins. As more rubble is added the vehicles will drive over it and tamp it down, hopefully a load of sand spread on the top and the use of a roller will finish the job next year. The hedges have been cut so the views that disappeared over the summer have been restored. A misty then sunny day with light winds and lots of pheasants grazing in the paddocks, as always they seem to spook the donkeys.

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Verbena Bonsaris

Still flowering in the border, towering over nasturtiums and crocosmia. Moved the animal arcs next to the old sheep shelter as they’re not as popular as hoped, the sheep prefer their old resting place even though they’re getting wet, hopefully they’ll have adopted them by tomorrow. The donkeys slipped and slid down to the lower paddock and didn’t stay there long, A very wet and windy start to the day, cycled to The Anchor and back from Pamphill for coffee without getting wet. Levelled more of the hardcore for the paddock driveway and stewed Bramleys on top of the woodburner.

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Sheep Shelter

A temporary shelter In the bottom paddock, not really a Mk III, just enough to keep the rain off until the new arcs are available, hopefully next week; they’re made to order by Solway so take a few weeks to arrive. Collected more rubble for the paddock entrance, need someone to drive on the bumpy surface to see if they get stuck, may try the ride on mower when the box is full of grass. Getting through a few logs every day in the woodburner so cut some pallet wood to get them burning well at the start. The rose bed has been weeded, must give them a scattering of manure before the frosts. A windy showery day with a glowing sunset.

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Driveway

The paddock entrance has been a bit of a problem with several vehicles getting stuck in the mud when it rains, so in the winter bales of straw etc are often left at the front of the house and manhandled to the workshop for storage. A quantity of rubble should help to form a base that’ll be worked into the ground by the next set of tyres, fortunately there’s lots available locally. Rained all day, good for the garden, made a few additions to the temporary sheep shelter to afford more protection from the weather, the donkeys are very wet but still stand outside. Wore gloves most of today as the temperature dropped, hope the weather improves tomorrow for a cycle ride.