From the Farm
Jan 25, 2012
25 January 2012
The manuka is in full flower and the bees are working hard on it.
Bit of a sheep week this 7 days, some good some bad. Have been drafting and carting a few lambs for the Bach restaurant and in turn sorting up more for future months so i can keep them well fed so they are the very best they can be. While the sheep were in the yard i had a flyblown one i had to fix up, something i rarely see on this farm as we have culled for it.
I travelled up to Cambridge to buy 12 gotland pelt lambs, 3 for Robin, 4 for Wally and 5 for us. We are going to keep them with our other Gotlands to graze the cartilage areas as they are good to move, browse and eat weeds and different to look at. Wally still has to get his but Robin came with me. It was a good day and great to be with my old mate and talk about the things we talk about.
The bad thing that has happened, our stud Wiltshire horn ram is gone. We have spent the last two and a half weeks looking for him... but nothing. He had a large trophy set of horns and if he had fallen in a drain or something the skin and horns would stay. I have not been shifting the stud mob of ewes he was with so him missing wasn't noticed for at least 10 days. They were in the well fenced front paddocks and we are definite he has been either shot for his horns or stolen for breeding. Its not so much the fact that he is worth a great deal of money its the fact we have bred him over many many years of culling and selection. This is not selection of one or two its hundreds. Any stud breeder would understand. I do have a few of his sons but its only half him.
Spent half a day with my mother doing shopping and a call at the Doctor. Had fish and chips for lunch. I hate the shopping but the feed was something i don't have often.
Our hay is still standing but there is hay all around us been cut, turned, washed in the rain redried and in today. I am waiting for the weather to settle as our hay is very important to us.
Ruth, Beate, Lois and myself went out to the country music club to see what it was like. Some great old time country BUT we were the youngest there by maybe 10 years. O well it was something different I think i need to make a DVD on these trips.
Beate came home with a brand new waterblaster and paint and now is painting the pig shed each day with Ruth's help. It looks so good i may put the pigs out and rent it HA.
Samuel has come back from the beach and is back at work. Ila and all her friends are camping at the back of the farm. ITS JUST GREAT instead of every radio in every room, workshop, shed tuned into the Edge i can listen to some real music on cds to 90 fm solid gold, instead of that blooming Edge stuff.
The market was fine weather and the general public were out and so were the localvores and ethicatarians (thank goodness) but like all shops the take was down on last year.
Was down the line today looking over a large sheep farm who is looking to change the chemical tread mill they are on. Interesting one of them has got sick and they blame the farm and how its run.
AY So See Ya Sunday.
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