Harvest Time

I always did understand the importance of harvest time, of course, and why it is celebrated religiously around the world, in each country at around the time of the main harvest for the crop that is grown there.  Traditionally in Britain, poeple took along harvest baskets to the church service, with produce from their own gardens and allotments, to be distributed amongst the local poor.  This year, I have really taken pleasure in the harvest festival (not least because of our village celebrations that are great fun) but also because I can see the wheat has been harvested from our fields, the apples from our first little apple tree (thank you John and Ann) have been picked (we have 3!) and the garage is full of sweet and new smelling hay for the ponies and sheep for the winter.  It is a nice feeling. Below is my favourite harvest hymn "Lord of the Harvest":


Lord of the harvest
Lord of the field,
Give thanks now to God in nature revealed.

Give thanks for the sun, the wind and the rain
And thanks for the crops that feed us again,
The corn safely cut is gathered inside
We thank you , oh Lord, that you can provide.

The trees ripe with fruit stand proud in the sun,
We gather them now that summer is gone.
For yours is the wonder, yours is the power,
Yours is the glory of fruit and of flower.

So in all our plenty, help us to see,
The needs all round whatever they be.
With food for the body, strength for the soul,
It's healing and caring, making them whole.

News from the farm this week:

The turkey with the poorly leg, remember him?, is better. The turkeys are starting to be quite difficult at bed time.  There is one, the largest, who seems to be the ring leader and encourages the other 6 or 7 wayward turkeys to fly up on to the turkey house roof every night instead of going into the turkey house, like the good turkeys do.  These naughty turkeys are, for some reason, extremely difficult to get down from the roof and into bed.  Russell has been doing this task for the past few evenings, it is just at the wrong time of day - he has finally got home from work and just wants to have his tea and instead he has to put on his wellies and a head torch and chase the turkeys around the field for 20 minutes.  Last night it reached a climax and in pursuit of the most wayward turkey Russell actually pushed himself through the electric fence to catch it - both the turkey and Russell got severely zapped.  I think he could have wrung their necks then and there.

Tonight, I went out with Claudia and between us we managed to get them all in.  The turkeys are less afraid of me, when they see Russell they go a but mental.  As if he's going to kill them or something ....................................  You see, maybe they are not as daft as we think! In  fact, generally they are very curious and inquisitive - a sign of intelligence surely?

We have lost a quail and I think it is the boy.  We have lots of little brown field mice in the garden and they have ben digging little holes all around the quail enclosure so they can get in and eat the corn. Russell has now put chicken wire along the ground so it is mouse and rat proof, but before he had chance to do this the boy quail must have got out through one of the holes cos I found him, headless (yuck) in the garden yesterday.  All stiff and headless, poor thing.

But we have a broody quail, sitting on some eggs, and a broody Light Sussex, also sitting on eggs.  We'll have to wait and see if anything hatches.

There is NO NEWS and there are NO DEVELOPMENTS with the planning for the stables, The env consultant has been away on holiday again.  ARGGGHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!

All fine here on the homestead though, the animals are settling into their winter routine (ponies are now in their stables in the night and out in the field in the day) and the sheep are being fed daily.

Happy Harvest time everyone.


xx