Down on the veg plot

Well my first crop of spuds are ready and also the raspberries and strawberries. I ate the strawberries before the photo!!

I must have a word with myself. I started off very good all rows labelled and everything on the veg plot and now its just got things where ever there is space. I say things as I cant remember what they are!! Oophs I will soon find out when they grow.

tough life in a field for animals

Well what can I say found the Chicken egg stealer - Magpies!! Found one nicking eggs from the duck house!!

Lambs - I have lost a lamb. The suspect is Mr Fox. Lamb just vanished in the night no signs of anything. Sorry Nicholas but it was whitety. I am missing whitety he was such a character!!

Barn Owl - has been using my field to hunt in great to watch must get the camera sorted. Lost battery charger for camera not good as limited to small camera at moment.

The there is the slugs - been collecting them in a bucket and giving them chickens. When you throw slugs into chicken coup its like british bulldog (remember that as kids!) chicken steals the slug for itself and runs as fast as it can!! if its fast it gets to eat the slug if its slow another chicken will steal it. Very entertaining!!

So tough life being an animal in a field

photos of the smallholding

First harvest of the year

Spinach and Broad Beans - I see a broad bean and spinach risotto coming on ............................

Water. Water Water

All this lovely weather down on the smallholding is brill. Buckets and buckets of water required for pigs, ducks, chickens, sheep and the plants. Not complaining weather god up there as i am happy to water. I wont mention i need more water too - in the form of swimming in the sea!!

I need to take my camera out me thinks to update you on the animals! They are all doing well.

The wildlife is spectacular - The barn owl passes every day now what a lovely sight. Dont know if i mentioned the fox in my last blog!!

Markets - well you may have noticed on my web page my new edition of the four fruits marmalade went down very well today I sold the whole batch. After people tasted it they jsut wanted it. I am still on cloud nine as to the response i got from the public re the taste.

Busy making another batch as I type!!

duck duvet

What a busy time, selling, growing and animal rearing.

Sheep well they are every sheep for themselves - They broke my chair i use to sit in whilst they feed. They are all greedy and getting big and watching feet and bums. feet fro strip and bums for fly strike! They are stupid as at first kept getting tangled in chickens electric fence!!

Chickens - Whilst I was sitting feeding the lambs a juvenile fox entered the field and was making his way to the chicken enclosure. saw me and ran off. Not good news. cute fox but if there is a juvenile there is a family. extra chicken/duck patrol has been called for.

Ducks - had a duckling got stuck in the fence and a chicken pecked it. I rescued it and put it with the baby chicks. I just wish i had my camera that day as when I came to do a check the chicks where all in a line under the ducks feathers. They had sacked the broader!!

The pigs are now used to coming for food and seem to be getting on well.

Bees are doing bee things and creating honey nicely. cant wait to taste the honey

Gardening well crops are in need a bit of weeding - crop growing seems to get bottom priority which is a shame. I have pods on my broad beans though so they are coming on. I cant believe that I missed the elder flowering in my front garden!! I was looking forward to making elder flower wine!!

Family visit

I have just really enjoyed having Nephews, Brother, Nephews Cousin and Dave Step dad. What will; I do without the Nephews who did a fantastic job of feeding the animals whilst I watched. I Laughed a lot watching.

There was no sheep worrying from young people, more like young people worrying from sheep!!

Piglets started to come alive and chickens and ducks - a disappointment for nephews egg collecting.

Feeding Family we did very well pigs in various forms from the small holding and fresh mackerel we caught from the sea - we ate very healthy and certainly knew where most of food came from.

You might see more white face sheep photos as he became Nicholas, my nephews friend and will have to keep Nicholas updated!

Wrestling Sheep

Well today the large male sheep needed some antibiotic spray between his toes. Um Now thats an interesting concept how to catch a sheep and then spray in between his toes. Caught him and flipped him over so could handle him ended in lying in sheep poo and him on top of me nice and comfy.  His toes are now sprayed blue and my fingers are Sprayed blue but Job done!! That should sort him out!

The new piglets!! So well behaved.

The attempt to swim in the sea today - walking in the sea a big wave got me and knocked me over the places pebbles get!! lovely to be in the sea though wasnt too cold either so think plenty more dips to come. 

The lambs

Edibles

Tomatoes fruit on the tomato plants, spinach, leaves, pods on the broad beans, Flowers on the potatoes, peas coming on and carrots getting bigger. I shouldn't starve.

The second lot of pigs are on there way this week so should have a fully working and looking smallholding.

Got some strimming done still got to rescue my fruit from the grass and get the rest of the seeds planted out. So thursday I will be in my vegetable plot!!