Dorset lifestyle
Toby out and about and having a stretch on the straw before the rain arrived, even that area has a few puddles where donkey hooves have sunk into the ground. Cut hazel branches from the lane for the sheep to nibble the twiggy bits and then they’ll be passed on to the donkeys in a couple of days, William and Toby will happily drag the branches around, stripping and eating all the bark. A dry start to a wet, mild, day.
William and Toby competing for, and sharing, the same hazel branch cut from the hedge in the lane, they can reach the branches from their paddock but prefer home delivery! A decent amount of rain overnight has filled up most of the water butts, although the donkeys weren’t too keen on the high winds which left them on high alert first thing in the morning. Picked what may be the last of the runner beans, the plants are developing seeds quickly. A warm sunny, windy day.
Planted in autumn 2019, the Field Maple trees, Hornbeam, Hazel and Beech hedging plants have had to withstand both drought and deluge, so twice weekly watering and having drainage ditches was vital. They’re budding now, so spring should mean a big difference in terms of new growth. A pair of Green Woodpeckers were yaffling their way down between the trees, coming back up and picking around on the lawn for ants, they particularly like licking the grubs out of the nest and have a long tongue that can loop round the back of their necks. A wet start and finish to a mild day.
