24th July 2012

We had a great team of egg picks today...

I did try and teach them how to hold a chicken, but most of them we remarkably uninterested!

What a sourcher of a day! I know where I am going to be this afternoon..

The weeds will have to wait.

22nd July 2012

Fantastic morning, all the hens sat out and enjoyed breakfast in the courtyard.

Johnny came round to help trim the sheeps feet.

Then we wormed them..It was very warm and please I had a extra pair of hands.

21 st July 2012

Gemma's hens all dressed up and hit cardiff with a bang.. It's a jail break!

20 th July 2012

Gemma's hen party arrived. They couldn't of time it better with the weather.

They all eat up in the village hall.

Vicci did loads of salads, home cooked potato chips, burgers and sausages.

Pudding was Cadwalader ice crean chocolate browns with a chocolate sauce.

16th July

The sick lambs are doing much better, now they have been wormed and sheltered from this horrible weather...

I was pleased I managed to roll the fields last night, before the next load of rain..

I have a cunning plan to roll over all the weeds which would weaken them , and then I will mow over them. I am hoping that this may kill a few of them off, so avoiding having to spray the field which we have managed to do for the last 10 years...It was really important that I didn't delay any longer, as the thistles were just about to flower..

We also made a delicious wild berry pie... its was fantastic

15th July 2012

A dry sunny day for a change   and it was St Swithin's Day, that is very good news!

St. Swithun, Bishop of Winchester, was born around the year 800 and died on 2nd of July 862 at Winchester (Hampshire). He was, say the chroniclers, a diligent builder of churches in places where there were none before and a repairer of those that had been destroyed or ruined. St. Swithun was buried, according to his own desire, in the churchyard of the Old Minster (Cathedral) at Winchester, where passers by might tread on his grave and where the rain from the eaves might fall on it. His reputation as a weather saint is said to have arisen from the translation of his body from this lowly grave to its golden shrine within the Cathedral, having been delayed by incessant rain. Hence the weather on the festival of his translation (15th July) indicated, according to the old rhyme, what it would be for the next forty days: St. Swithun's day, if thou dost rain, For forty days it will remain; St. Swithun's day, if thou be fair, For forty days 'twill rain na mair. Whoever told the story about the St. Swithun's day saying was obviously well aware that summer weather patterns establishing by the beginning to the middle of July tend to be persistent throughout the coming few weeks. In fact this is statistically correct 7 out of the last 10 years... Lets hope they are right! Andrew Walker turned up with his son Mathew to pick up 8 chickens as Mr Fox had recently paid his chickens a visit. He didn't expect to have to round up two  ill lambs, worm them and check for fly strike.  Also they had to collect the eggs, fill up the feeder, and put down fresh sawdust in the egg boxes.. thanks chaps!

14th July 2012

Andrew Studley came round with his grandson Henry, he was delivering some more hay. Henry was keen to help out on the farm, especially if he could drive the tractor!