The snow brings with it a welcome and much needed psychological break from the mud, however the chore of carrying buckets of water out to the stables and other animal enclosures is now a real pain (literally, in my arms and back). It is pretty (the snow) and the animals don't seem to mind it, but I am looking forward to the kids going back to school and "business as normal" resuming.
After thinking the Parish Council weren't going to put in an objection, the Parish Council have put in an objection. Quite a long one, with lots of points - none of which seem too significant but still need responding to.
Anyway, we have spent the weekend in a rather long and arduous e-mail exchange with said Parish Council (PC) - it is a war of will, a battle of the written word and implied suggestions. All weekend I was a mad, typing fiend; dashing in from the snow to check my inbox and then, on receiveing a reply from the PC, madly , and hotly, typing back a frenzied response. The date for the Planning Committee meeting has also been put back, we are trying not to read too much into this. Basically I am living on my nerves, and around a bottle of chardonnary a night.
I had been feeling quite smug about my new skills in this game - what with no objection from the PC after my meeting with them, and then managing over new year to poutlice my mare's foot and relieve her lameness I was thinking I was pretty damn clever. This week however, not only has the PC objected, but when the farrier came to shoe Springtime he said there was still some abcess under her shoe and I have been poutlicing it all weekend. Not so clever after all - feeling a little deflated, rather like a balloon watching all the air wush out of it.
I have changed you know. Just tonight I found 2 mice in an empty feed bin (I had left the lid off it and they must have jumped in and then been unable to get out). Now these are very cute little mice, in fact any vegetarians should stop reading now, but do you know what I did?
Before I tell you, bear in mind I have a mouse problem in the garage where all the feed is kept and we have put traps and poison down to little avail. Anyway, I called over the dog (who actually isn't too bad at catching the little mice) and tipped the feed bin over slightly so that he could get in and kill the mice. I even heard myself shout out, excitedly, " go on boy, get em" !!!! I would not have done this a year ago. I would have ran, shrieking from the garage going "babe, babe!, there's mice in the feed bin - get rid of them - but don't kill them!".
Anyway the dog is fairly useless and only managed to get one. He dropped the other one and it ran off.
Still, the thought of spring is cheering me on, we are nearly at the end of Jan and then only Feb to go ........... and after half a bottle of chardonnay this evening I am feeling quite cheerful :-)
The Field - A Beginning
Monday 21 January 2013
Monday 14 January 2013
Christmas Update
Turkey Business
We sold 20 turkeys this year and processed them all here on the "farm". It all went very well and we got great feedback from people who bought one - saying it was delicious, the best turkey they have had etc etc. We had one too and it was very tasty indeed. Russell and I worked really hard to get them dispatched, plucked and dressed - with help from my farrier and Sam and her mum. Russell and I only almost nearly killed each other once, when I threatend to stab him with the knife in the wood shed at about midnight one night, when we were trying to get two birds ready for the next morning, and I didn't really mean it. And actually the worry and fretting has meant I have lost weight - I am calling it the "producing 20 turkeys for Christmas Diet" and I really recommend it.
In a weird way I quite enjoyed the whole thing (after the dispatching part) and we felt really proud when these fabulous 20 birds were in boxes ready to be collected - compassionately farmed, free range, wholesome and good quality produce. We still need to decide whether to definitely do it again next year, but we have kept 3 turks (plus Dudley, of course) so we could try to breed out own poults in the Spring.
Riding School Application
This is progressing - not too many objections (and non from neighbours or the Parish Council) and we are still working hard on this - lobbying, writing notes, dealing with the little issues that crop up. If you want something bad enough, you really fight for it and that is what we are doing at the moment.
Livestock
All animals are fine. Oh, apart from the greedy cockerel who must have stayed out one night and ben eaten because he has gone :-( I am very sad about this, I was quite attached to him and his quircky ways. I must butch up though; its tough out there in the world of mother nature - one false move and you've 'ad it, it seems!
PYO - Early Shoots
I have raspberries, blackberries and strawberry plants in the raised bed in the garden, waiting patiently to be planted out on the field - the beginnings of our PYO business. I am not totally confident that I will get around to planting them out before the dog has them though, the to do list is so long each day that this particular job keeps been ignored. As does ordering the hedging .... we just need a few more hours in each day.
And a bit more money - the animals are eating us out of house and home - bales of hay after bales of hay are being consumed - roll on Spring, the new grass and cheaper feed bills, that's what I say.
We sold 20 turkeys this year and processed them all here on the "farm". It all went very well and we got great feedback from people who bought one - saying it was delicious, the best turkey they have had etc etc. We had one too and it was very tasty indeed. Russell and I worked really hard to get them dispatched, plucked and dressed - with help from my farrier and Sam and her mum. Russell and I only almost nearly killed each other once, when I threatend to stab him with the knife in the wood shed at about midnight one night, when we were trying to get two birds ready for the next morning, and I didn't really mean it. And actually the worry and fretting has meant I have lost weight - I am calling it the "producing 20 turkeys for Christmas Diet" and I really recommend it.
In a weird way I quite enjoyed the whole thing (after the dispatching part) and we felt really proud when these fabulous 20 birds were in boxes ready to be collected - compassionately farmed, free range, wholesome and good quality produce. We still need to decide whether to definitely do it again next year, but we have kept 3 turks (plus Dudley, of course) so we could try to breed out own poults in the Spring.
Riding School Application
This is progressing - not too many objections (and non from neighbours or the Parish Council) and we are still working hard on this - lobbying, writing notes, dealing with the little issues that crop up. If you want something bad enough, you really fight for it and that is what we are doing at the moment.
Livestock
All animals are fine. Oh, apart from the greedy cockerel who must have stayed out one night and ben eaten because he has gone :-( I am very sad about this, I was quite attached to him and his quircky ways. I must butch up though; its tough out there in the world of mother nature - one false move and you've 'ad it, it seems!
PYO - Early Shoots
I have raspberries, blackberries and strawberry plants in the raised bed in the garden, waiting patiently to be planted out on the field - the beginnings of our PYO business. I am not totally confident that I will get around to planting them out before the dog has them though, the to do list is so long each day that this particular job keeps been ignored. As does ordering the hedging .... we just need a few more hours in each day.
And a bit more money - the animals are eating us out of house and home - bales of hay after bales of hay are being consumed - roll on Spring, the new grass and cheaper feed bills, that's what I say.
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