Complying with the Compliance Officer

Well I spoke to the Compliance Officer at the Council today and I think everything is going to be alright.  I explained what the turkey shelters are being used for and that we have 28 acres etc etc and he told me that he thought it sounded fine but that he would have to come and look at the site, to follow process properly.  He is coming in a couple of weeks when he gets back from holiday.

I also managed to do half an assignment today, the meat chickens have started laying eggs, I've booked onto a training day for my Riding Instructor qualification and I've had two offers of help over the summer holidays with the animals, offers I will snap up.  Snap snap.

Russell is away with work so only "business as usual" is happening out on the field ie feeding, watering, mucking out all animals and riding of the ponies.  The weather is amazing and the kids are happy just running around playing on the field and in the sun.

They are muddy, tanned and tired. Just like me.

xx

Sunshine in the sky, but not sunshine everywhere today ........

Not going so well today. 

We've had a letter from the Council saying someone has complained about the turkey shelters on the field.  The letter says that the land must be used for agricultural purposes only, and that even if it is being used for agricultural purposes, land of less than 12 acres still requires planning permission for erection of buildings.  I'll call the enforcement officer tomorrow and explain that the structure isn't a building, it has no base or foundation and is being used to house Christmas turkeys - a bonafide agricultural business.  Plus, the site is 28 acres, comfortably larger than the 12 acres needed to erect agricultural buildings sans permission, so with any luck it will all be OK. 

I am concerned that someone is obviously upset / angered buy what we are doing - enough to complain to the council.

Also, I spoke to the environment agency today regarding the stables.  The recent issue being that the strip of land alongside the brook is an area of flood risk  zone 2 and 3 and so the env agency don't want us to build in this area. The guy said on the phone "we take the safety of horses as seriously as the safety of people when building in a flood risk zone".  Hmm. The thingy majigy here is, as I said to the env agency chap, the council want us to build the stables as close to the hedge line (and so the brook, which runs behind the hedge line) as possible so as to "minimise intrusion on the countryside".  So there you are, stuck between a bit of a rock and a bit of a hard place. 

My planning consultant is back from her jolly hollybobs today- think I'll call her tomorrow and see what she says.

I did it, I did it

I've only just gone a bloody well done it. 

Pluck and dress a chicken ready for eating that is. 

On Friday, Fred came round and killed 3 of the cockerels, I will keep 1 to breed from.  That was horrible, Russell and I were quite shocked with how horrible it was in fact, to see the beautiful, big birds hanging in the garage wasn't nice and we found it profoundly upsetting.  The images of them stayed with me all Friday night and into Saturday.  On Saturday night, at Russell's sister's wedding, we were telling people we may not do poultry after all and may even stop eating it. 

However today, with a terrible hangover, I took the birds round to Sam's mum Christine who showed me how to pluck them and dress them.  Plucking is fine but dressing (taking out the innards) is the most disgusting thing I have ever done, it is not pleasant at all.  The smell, the sight, the texture - so very disgustingly puke inducing. Still, I did and and I have a bird in the oven as I type.  Not  that there was much meat on them, so we'll see how they taste. I can't quite believe I did it.

I took the ponies along to be used for the Riding for the Disabled annual picnic.  The girls came too as it was a day neither of them went to pre school.  The lorry isn't mine, its Pep Brookbanks, and it is very nice indeed.  I would love one of these  ..... I think they are horrendously expensive though so maybe I will have to work my way up to a lorry and start with a second hand trailer off e bay. The ponies were well behaved.

Elsewhere on the "farm" the dog has been castrated and then ill with a virus.  A week, a course of antibiotics (tablets and injection) and several trips to the vets later he is back to his normal self and is better.  Poor thing, he has not had a good week. 

When I take him places, people seem to like him and make a fuss of him but people do keep asking me if he is a rescue dog.  "No, he isn't" I reply, and then the person who asked always seem to look a bit embarrassed. Anyway, I knew he was feeling better when he chewed holes in Quito's fly mask.  He is a very melodramatic dog, I don't think he is particularly brave or has a very high pain threshold.  He looked like he was on his way out one day, but actually I think he just had a bad doggy cold.

Oh, how could I have left this piece of news until last? You'll never Adam and Eve it but the turkeys are finally on the field.  In a cage, as you can see in the pix to protect them until they are a bit bigger. but they are free ranging! They love it outside, the feel of the wind in their feathers and the sun on their backs.  Although lately they have had to feel quite a lot of rain on their backs too of course.  This also gave us a sleepless night or two as we lay in bed worrying in case a fox gets in to eat our little turkeys.  Russell has spent hours putting 3 layers of mesh around the cage and some barbed wire.

A historical moment :-)

xx

xx

Weekend away

We went to Centre Parks for the weekend and I'm not sure I liked being away from the "farm" very much.  We had a great time, as one always does at centre park,s and the kids loved it but I am very pleased to be home.  I didn't sleep very well on the first night away, worrying about the wretched turkeys and then moped about a bit on Saturday morning missing the dog! Still, at least I knew all the animals were in the capable hands of the lovely Paula (ponies, dog and turkeys) and my fabulous neighbour Martha (both sets of chickens). I am pleased that we have cancelled our week long summer holiday for August, we won't need to go away again now until next year when hopefully we will be more set up and feel able to leave things more easily.

Anyway we are back now and the turkeys are enormous.  We are currently having a housing crisis, they are far far far too big for the run we have for them in the garage and so out of desperation I have let them loose in the garage.  They are making such a mess in there it is unbelievable. Russell is as I type trying to get the outdoor run finished for them so they can go out on the field.  Mind you, we are concerned about the wet weather and so it is probably a good thing that they are still indoors.

I had my first go at instructing today at RDA.  I was pretty nervous but prepared a little 30 min lesson (walking 10m circles, halting and trotting) and it all seemed to go ok.  I lost control of everyone a bit at one point, and Jaki had plenty of feedback for me at the end but overall I think it was a fair first attempt and I LOVED it! Its always quite nice being bossy and in charge :)