Dorset lifestyle
Dismantled In Laneside paddock, the donkeys have access to the grass up to the line of hurdles that protect them from the oak leaves and acorns. The posts and tape are now in the workshop for the winter, Digby and Elton had a nibble of the posts and the donkeys enjoyed the fresh grass. Collected four straw bales. A cloudy warm day with light winds and the occasional shower.
A busy day mowing the lower paddock, moving the electric fence and rotating the animals around, the rain wasn’t too bad in the morning, but it turned into a downpour later in the afternoon so the stable yard had a good wash and sweep. The donkeys waited (almost) patiently in the avenue until their new paddock was ready and then they ran and bucked with excitement. The paddock they left had been cut in half because of the acorns from the tree collecting in the grass, they’re poisonous to most animals but pigs can eat them with no ill effect – don’t have any pigs! The day ended with stormy skies and then a bright moon.
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.
