Tuesday 22 January 2013

News August 2011 to August 2012



This is the second collection of news from our website.  It covers the period from August 2011 to August 2012


Hannah - our latest Farmer for the Day
When we launched our package for "Farmer for the Day" we thought its main appeal would be to adults - particularly those who had in mind a change of direction - perhaps an escape to the country. But since it was launched we have also had a number of children who have taken up the opportunity.  This was unexpected but has been hugely enjoyable.  They are enthusiastic, eager to try different things, hard working and a pleasure to be around. Hannah, who spent a day in July with us, was given the opportunity of being a farmer for the day as a present from her mum and dad.  She has been a keen pig fan for many years and has been sponsporing Pigwig for a number of years.  She worked hard all day, not just with the pigs, but all the animals and ended up with helping Neil put our latest ducklings into their new home.  Aug 2012
Winnie, Tigger & Roo
Remember Hope?  She is a little wild duck that was hand reared by Andrew & Natalie and then released onto the lake in June.  We see her every day.  She seems to be having fun - although somewhere along the way she has decided she is a goose and spends all day hanging out with the grey-lag geese on the lake.
Last weekend Andrew & Natalie brought Hope's sibblings to start their life in the wild.  Having been brought up in a human environment they found the lake a little scary to begin with.  But eventually were persuaded to wander off and play on the water.  We have seen them since their release but I am not sure they have met up with Hope yet.
Getting ready for their lake launch

Last of the Summer kids?
Today Bryony, a pygmy goat, produced a beautiful little nanny kid. We video'd it -as the only way the goats get privacy is to give birth in the middle of the night, silently.  Once we have edited out the shakey bits it will go on the website.
It was amazing to watch.  Within 2 minutes of being born, she was up on her feet trying to feed. Astonishing - when you compare it to how long it takes humans to develop that amount of control of their limbs.
Bryony may be the last of the goats to kid this year - although there is one goat that still looks enormously pregnant. Timing-wise she has another 2 weeks in which she could give birth. But Farmer Neil thinks she has just put on weight and is not convinced she is pregnant at all.  20/7/12

Here Comes Summer
OK - the British summer is not really developing in a way any of us would have planned.  The memory of the occasional warm day bobs around on a sea of unseasonal rain.  There is nothing any of us can do to change it.  But often, as I sit at my computer, I can see the best way of dealing with it.  Young children rarely let bad weather ruin their enjoyment.  And sometimes I think they seem more at home, running down the drive, splashing in the puddles than keeping their sun hats on and being lathered in sun cream.
So the way forward for the summer is clear: Wear waterproof footwear, carry an umbrella and you just might get away with catching the sun rather than the showers.
Make sure you put the 29th July in your diary for the Farm & Food day.  Chef's demos will be under cover -just in case it rains and whatever the weather, there will be plenty to see and do.
Karl - the Knighted*

Last week Farmer Neil headed to Ditchingham, Norfolk and brought back Karl.  Karl (originally from Catfield) is a rather magnificent White Park bull who is now spending a few months with our girls.  We have never owned our own bull of any breed, so pregnancy is usually achieved by artificial insemination.  Things changed this year.  First we had Daniel, a rather gorgeous Highland bull.  I never saw him in action, but I did see him walking on the shoreline of the lake with Bridie.  They looked pretty happy.
Of course, at this stage the White Park cows could only look on.  But Daniel was returned to his owner in May and now Karl is here.  This means it is now the White Parks who can have lakeside walks with their beau while the Highlands look on.  17/7/12
* Legend has it that it was a succulent piece of White Park meat that was knighted by James I - and thus SirLoin was born.
The Naked Sheep .... there were lots of them
Our annual shearing festival was better than ever this year.  Although we can pat ourselves on the back for some of its success - the real star was the weather.  After a week of grim weather which saw most of the Jubilee festivities water logged, the cancellation of the Suffolk show and a cold, wet half term, Sunday 10th of June was, in comparison, a scorcher.  Despite the forecast for a decidely damp weekend, it didn't work out that way. The day before was dry and windy - which greatly pleased Farmer Neil as all the soggy fleeces dried off nicely.  Then, on Sunday, I got up at 6am to find the sun was already shining and it didn't stop til after 7pm.
So with that back drop, we were off to a good start.  This year we had even more spinners, weavers, knitters and felters than usual (and a big thanks to all the Guilds that kindly volunteered to show their skills and help others develop theirs).  We also had independent spinners, origami & paper mache specialists, bear builders, face painters and many other activities and crafts that made the day both interesting, educational and fun. And to top it all - the Baylham BBQ and Hell Hound, our local micro brewery, both proved very succesful additions.  21/6/12
  
     




Time for some kidding around 
Our opening hours are the same all year - 11 til 5.  And our pattern of visitors is pretty predictable - most in the morning as we open, followed by another surge just after lunch and then a few stragglers as we head towards 3:30/4 o'clock in the afternoon.  It was very strange, therefore, to see two lots of people arrive at 4:30 yesterday.  They were both season ticket holders and just fancied a quick blast of the late spring sunshine at the end of the day.  But they were in luck and in for a rare treat. Just after 4:30 Bracken, the pygmy goat, decided enough was enough, staggering around with her huge belly, and gave birth to the most gorgeous little kid.  A problem free birth, a small select audience..... everyone was happy.
With more goats left to kid, who knows when the next one will be born and who will be luck enough to see it?! 17/5/12


Polly's big adventure
Yesterday there were sufficient rain-free hours to move Polly and her eight piglets to their new home - a pig paddock on the field.  The piglets were too big to fit in a wheel barrow (our usual form of piglet transport) so they had to make the trek on trotters.  They loved it!  Unfortunately there was an unscheduled stop when Polly spied a puddle (well - she has been indoors a long time and doesn't know April was the wettest month on record) and being a pig, that meant having a wallow.

  

  
But suprisingly it wasn't a very deep puddle, so she on
ly managed to get half her body submerged.  So the piglets ended up in their new home with a two-tone mum.  9/5/12

Baylham Baths
Like most parts of Suffolk we are enjoying the seasonal spring weather.  Day after day of April showers have led to some drainage issues and the expression "Nice weather for ducks" has never had more resonance. At this stage it would be nice to show you a photo of our ducks, frolicking on the expanded waterways.  Unfortunately they are nowhere to be seen - possibly, as the nursery rhyme goes, they are "over the hill and far away".  But I can hear them quacking every now and again.  Most of them are still returning to their home at night.  During the day they are having too much fun to stick around their usual haunts.  The lake and river have now merged with the fields and it can't be long before we see some of the recently re-stocked fish from the lake swimming past the sheep.  Farmer Neil is over-joyed because the lake is now re-filled and as there is still adequate pasture for the animals (in the short term) he is still feeling that flooding is a good thing.  Obviously this will change if the flooding gets much worse or the level of liver-fluke or any other water-borne diseases increase.  He has yet to get his bottle-fed lambs into a field which doesn't require donning a pair of waders before heading out. But I think that will be his priority today - although I think he rather likes putting on the chest high rubber boots and trudging out, like his namesake, taking one small step for mankind.*


Being a farmer, or rather living with farmers, can be quite bleak.  They are always grumbling about things - too much rain, too little rain, too much sun, hard frosts and so on.  There never seems to be a weather pattern where they openly rejoice in what they see around them - well, not in public.  But on Monday, with the temperature heading towards 18'C, sitting having a very pleasant lunch with a glass of wine, Farmer Neil grabbed my phone and headed off to capture the things that made him happy.  In the last of the photos, it was spotting one of his honey bees in the apple blossom that made him happy - but unfortunately it is too small to see. 4/5/12


* He has just reminded me - he sprung a leak in his waders yesterday, which means they are worse than useless - capturing the water and trapping it inside!
The Shame
It is with deep regret that we have to announce the caddish behaviour of one of our goats.  Given that we only have one male goat (Peter), there is no hiding the identity of the culprit.  The first inkling of his misdemeanors came from someone who had bought three Pygmy kids earlier this year.  She called to say that she thought the girls might be pregnant.  Not possible, we said.  The only male goat they could have "spent time" with was Peter - and he is a Golden Guernsey with very bad arthritis in one of his front legs.  Pygmy kids are, as their name suggests, very small and Peter is, well, very tall.  We thought the logistics of this union made it unlikely.  But, earlier this week, the new owner sent me the photographic proof.  Not much doubt that the pretty little black and white goat could only have given birth to the ginger kid as a result of Peter's actions. (well - he can't take all the blame..... he has always remained in his paddock, it is the girls who used to jump fences and go to places they weren't meant to..... like my vegetable patch).


Well, our shame is now greatly increased as it is clear that Peter has shown more than the normal parental interest in Grace - his own daughter.  She too is pregnant and it will only be a matter of time before there is yet another Peter look-alike on the farm. At this stage it looks like Gigi, her half-sister, was too interested in human company to have been lured into Peter's lair - but only time will tell. 3/5/12
Fancy Dress Competition
One of the events that took place over the Easter weekend was a fancy dress competition.  There was free entry to the farm for any child who arrived in farm related fancy dress and a competition ran over the weekend for the best costume. We took photos and details of all the children that took part.  There were fairies and princesses as well as animals and farmers.
So first, a big thank you to all the children who came in fancy dress - those who made their own costumes and those who clearly enjoyed taking part. Once the weekend was over we reviewed all the photos and talked through each of the entries.  We then decided on the winner or, should I say, the winners.  Ella Pegg and Bethany Williams came top of our list. They came dressed as farmers - matching farm-hand overalls and different accessories - a straw hat, bunny ears, a basket of chicks.  They looked charming and brought a smile to those who saw them. They clearly enjoyed their trip to the farm and kept in part throughout the day - except for having their faces painted - not sure that is something a real farmer would do!.
Their prize, a free season ticket for them and their parents, will be ready for collection shortly.

End of Speggtacular
Just finished the final clearing up from the four day Easter Speggtacular. All in all a lot of fun - although rain on the last day kept a number of people away.  Everyone I spoke to seemed to have had a good time - cuddling lambs, completing the egg hunt or trying our BBQ.
For me - the hightlights of the weekend were:
- Polly having her piglets on Friday night - they are absolutely gorgeous and already seem twice the size
- The woman who lost her keys down the toilet (I know it is not really funny - but it is one of those things that I immediately thought - that could so easily have been me)
- The rescue hen from last week who turned up in a little striped t-shirt, looking so confident and happy
-  All the children who turned up in fancy dress costumes and enjoyed playing the farmer, the lamb, the donkey or whatever for the day.
Lamb cuddling continues until the 15th April.  9/4/12

Oh Happy Hens
On Sunday we had our first British Hen Welfare Trust event.  This organisation is a national one and has a branch based in Suffolk.  Its aim is to rescue battery hens, once they have finished their battery life, and by rehousing them with individuals, ensure they have a more normal, hen-like existence for the remainder of their lives.
On Sunday they collected 260 hens from Coventry.  Then over the course of a few hours, with military precision, people arrived and collected their pre-ordered hens.  The hens looked pretty shell-shocked when they arrived and I guess it will be a few weeks before they feel completely at home in their new surroundings.  It was great to be able to assist them in such a worthwhile objective.
If you are interested in offering a home to some ex-battery hens, follow the link www.bhwt.org.uk

2/4/12
We say Hello and They say Goodbye
There have been lots of comings and goings on the farm over the last few weeks.
Let's start with the goodbyes
Bill and Ben are a pair of gorgeous Golden Guernsey castrated male goats.  We bred them on the farm and hoped someone would want them when they were kids.  But, cute as they were, no one did.  So they stayed.  They kept Peter (our GG billy) company in the summer, but were just as happy living alone when he left in the winter to live with Ginger (our GG nanny).  In fact they might have been slightly happier when Peter moved out because he is incredibly smelly and has a huge pair of horns - so not the easiest housemate.  Anyway, this arrangement has now ended because we had a call a few weeks back from someone who had bought a pair of goats from us a few years ago (like B&B, Geraldine and Ginger's kids).  One of them had died unexpectedly and the remaining goat was very lonely.  They asked if we had a companion goat they could buy.  We said we hadn't and that any kids we had this spring would not be ready to leave until August.  But then, thinking about their plight some more, we asked if they would be interested in taking Bill and Ben.  They were and so, a couple of weeks ago they took B&B, on a trial basis, to see if their goat would cheer up with some company.  It all worked out very well. The goats all got on together and although we were sad to see them go, we had never intended to keep a pair of castrates - it had just worked out that way.
Billy Bob II

Boris the Bountiful

                                                   
The next goodbyes were for two visiting studs.  The mating season is over - at least for the pygmy goats and the Middle White and Berkshire pigs.  Towards the end of last year we borrowed a handsome, hairy billy goat (we called him Billy Bob II because he is a billy and we borrowed him from a man called Bob).  We left him alone with 6 pygmy nanny goats and he was an instant hit.  They seemed to like him, vie for his attention and we now think all six are pregnant (with their kids due in May).
Boris the Bountiful is also handsome (but in a very different way) and again he arrived with no name.  So, we called him Boris (well he looked a little like an old Soviet leader).  Then we discovered he had made Polly (our Middle White), Patience and Poppy (our Berkshire pigs) pregnant so we decided to call him Boris the Bountiful.  His job done, he has now gone back to his owner.  But he was such a friendly pig, we may try to borrow him again next year.  All three pigs should farrow in early to mid April.
So those are the goodbyes and although they are always sad, we may well see each of them again.  Now for the big hello to all our new lambs.  They started being born on the morning of the 23rd and have been arriving at the rate of 2 or so a day - all different breeds, shapes and sizes.  Very sweet but already very naughty. Lamb holding starts on the 31st March - so that will quieten them down a bit. 30/3/12
Mother's Day
A catering disaster!  Although a number of mums took up our offer of free entry to the farm today, very few season ticket/sponsors did.  The deal for them was a free cake of their choice.  Just in case this was hugely popular I baked a large number of cakes- cream cakes, chocolate cakes, gluten free, dairy free.  Just about every type I could think of.  Unfortunately only two people took up the offer.  So now I have brought all these cakes from the shop into the house to finish them off and Neil's getting fat.  How could you - you know he can't resist temptation?!  18/3/12
Exodus
I blogged it, I webbed it, don't think I tweeted it and I am not sure it made it to Facebook - but at last it is dry enough for the ewes and February lambs to go out to the field.




Where's my mummy?    - there are 15 ewes on this track, but I can only see 4.  The rest are far away - their lambs abandoned (for the moment) while they get stuck into finding the the best, juiciest grass.  8/3/12
First Lambing Over
Later this week the early lambs will get their first taste of the real world - rather than the rather comfortable, confined world of the lambing tunnel.  They and their mothers will be heading for the fields - as soon as the rain stops - and the next batch of ewes will be rounded up.  In fact, inbetween, the tunnel has to be completely cleared, cleaned and disinfected.  The next lot of ewes will then be brought in, checked over and then given three weeks to acclimatize before their lambs start to arrive. See blog for further details. 4/3/12
Always makes me feel sad
Last night one of our ewes had triplets.  Triplets are a mixed blessing.  As sheep only have two quarters (teats) they are not good at coping with triplets or quads so whenever they have a multiple birth you end up feeling mixed emotions - pleased they are so productive and the lambs are so sweet but recognition that this is going to mean extra work 3 or 4 times a day bottle feeding the weakest of the bunch.
Anyway last night's ewe is a Norfolk Horn sheep and they are my favourite (well- apart from Ouessants - and you can't help falling for those because they are so small, cuddly and are prepared to do the most undignified things to get a piece of bread).  I love Norfolk lambs because their legs always seem too long and they are hugely inquisitive.  In the evening, when everyone else has gone home or is watching TV, I like to sit on a bale of hay in the lambing tunnel and wait.  It is always the Norfolks who come up first - sticking their nose into my pocket, in my face or trying to climb up my back.  And then, because they have frightened themselves by their own audacity, they gambol away on these long, fragile looking legs - running, leaping and kicking in mid air.
So I found it particularly sad that it was a Norfolk lamb that died.  From the moment she was born the middle triplet just didn't seem right.  She didn't react in a normal way or start doing the things that lambs normally do.  In fact, she never made it to her feet - just lay on her side pawing the air.  We checked her (and tubed her - which is a way of making sure she got all the nutrients she needed from her mother's first milk) and could find nothing physically wrong but clearly their was something, presumably internally, wrong with her.  By lunch time she died. Her mum had two other lambs to take care of and therefore seems not to have noticed the loss.
But I know she has gone and I hate it when we lose a lamb.  It seems such a waste. 22/2/12
It's as if I planned it
For the last 3 years we have had a regular visitor from the States.  Her name is Gale.  She comes at different times of the year and rents the annex to the farm house.  On her first visit she fell in love with (everything and) Minette - a pretty Ouessant ewe.  Gale now sponsors Minette and during the year we keep her posted on what she is up to (flirting with the rams, escaping, eating too much bread - that sort of thing).  As we were getting closer to lambing time Gale asked if the annex was free because she wanted to come and see some lambing and help out. I explained lambing took place in February and Easter and Minette's lamb was not due til Easter.  But the way things turned out Gale decided to come for the February lambing and arrived on Saturday.  For a few weeks before she kept emailing me to make sure that all the ewes had not had their lambs.  And I agreed to do what I could to ensure she was not only here when some of the lambs were born, but was actually in the tunnel, in a front row seat.  Of course, this kind of promise is reckless.  Everyone knows it is impossible to get animals to do what you want them to do, even when it is in their control.  But agreeing to make sure Gale was there for lambing was just taking this one step beyond that.
It is difficult to know who was more delighted when, last night at 10:30 (5 hours after Gale arrived), one of the ewes started to lamb.  We called Gale.  She was the mid-wife's attendant til just short of midnight.  Two ewe lambs were born.  She saw it all, helped as necessary and, I believe, went to bed very very happy.  Of course I stage managed the whole event - how could anyone suggest otherwise? 19/2/12
Every now and again
Sometimes, as I welcome people to the farm and tell them what they are likely to see, a parent will say - oh no, I have forgotten the camera.  It happens less and less - as more people have phones with cameras but it does still happen.  In fact it happened yesterday.  Two little girls came in, excited at the prospect of holding a lamb, but no camera to record the moment.  I offered to help.  Lovely to see them enjoying themselves.
Erin & Lauren.jpg
Feeling like a Fraud
It feels a little strange to be closed today.  But it is a Monday - and before we had our brochures printed, our signs made up etc we all agreed that our strategy for the year would be to close one day a week and that Monday was the best day for this.  So there we are.  Of course, what we didn't know when we made that decision was that we wouldn't be open for business on our opening day (Saturday - see below).  So here we are, we have been open one day and we get the next day off.
Normally at this stage I would be baking scones, kneeding dough, icing a cake and generally running around in circles.  So actually, sitting here typing and watching my bird feeder - aflutter with so many different types of birds - I could get used to this "one day on, one day off" work schedule. 13/2/12
Business as usual
After yesterday's disappointment - happy to say we are now back in business.  The team spent all yesterday with hairdryers, hot water bottles, heaters and anything else we could lay our hands on to thaw the pipes around the shop.  But it was only just after 4pm when we finally had water flowing. It was not surprising it took so much effort - once frozen the weather was against us.  By midday it was still registering -3C outside the shop.
So once clear, we wrapped all the pipework in duvets, blankets and anything else we could lay our hands on (the pipes in the tunnel have got last year's fleeces from the shearing day stacked up against them).  And this morning there was only one place where the pipe had frozen.  This was easily cleared and we are now ready and waiting.
Kate and our team of volunteers yesterday were great - they battled through the icy weather to feed the pigs, keep the animal waters free of ice and still managed to clean the pig, chicken and goat houses.  What a team!.
So wherever you are - if you feel like checking up on your favourite animals, cuddling a lamb or just dropping in for a cream tea - we look forward to seeing you soon. 12/2/12
Disaster
11th February.  Everything ready to go - cakes all baked, lambs in the tunnel but no water.  Legally we can't open if there is nowhere to wash your hands (and no toilets).  So we will have to stay closed til we have it fixed.  So Disappointed! 11/2/12
In the Bleak Mid Winter
Talking to my friends in various parts of Europe and even other parts of the UK, I realise we have been let off very lightly with the snow.  We had about 15cms on Saturday night and nothing since. The temperatures are still low, so very little of it has melted and, on the whole, it looks very beautiful.  It is also luminiscent - so when I go to check on the ewes at 3am or even 6am there is no need for a torch, because the snow reflects back even the small amount of light in the night sky.
But in the lambing tunnel is a different matter.  It is dark and I never know whether to turn on the overhead lights so I can get a good look at the ewes or to shine a torch on them.  The dliemma is whether to risk blinding the odd one that gets in the way of the beam from the torch or wake up the whole lot by turning on the fluorescent tubes. In the end I normally bounce the torch light off the roof and try to see everything I need to by reflected torch light. It is only if anything looks suspicious that means I have to then make the decision on overhead lighting.
So what is suspicious in the field of furtive lambing?
Well - like most creatures (humans included) sheep usually stop eating when they are giving birth.  So often, one of the first signs of lambing is that a ewe that is no longer cudding (chewing the cud - ie the food that they have swallowed and regurgitated for a second chewing (I know - it sounds gross, but they all do it)).  They might also start making a nest.  Not the kind you would find in a tree but an area of straw that they have pawed into shape. And then there is an expresssion they pull - often accompanied by grinding their teeth - that lets you know they are are in labour.  So these are the things that could be happening at the front end - you then have to look at the rear. Usually, there will be a trail of mucuous and this might hang around for a few hours before anything else happens. But sometimes the first thing you will see is a lambs leg sticking out.  At this stage the light goes on.
Whatever the signs (unless the lamb is literally falling out) - the next thing I have to do is get the ewe into her own pen.  This is important because if she needs help and you climb into the pen to help all her mates get stressed and start to run around, causing a careless stampede (imagine someone having a baby in the middle of London train station, in rush hour and you can imagine the difficulties).  This makes it a very unsafe area to deliver a new born lamb.  We once did find a lamb that had obviously been trodden on.
Once penned the ewe has the best chance of delivering the lamb, in her own time, in safety.  If everything goes well, labour is not normally long and the ewe will push out one or two lambs in quick succession (but sometimes 3 or 4). We stick around and make sure this is what happens and that each of the lambs start to breathe as soon as they are out.  Often this means cleaning them up, rubbing them and making sure they can get air in their lungs. If they are OK, they have their navel sprayed with an antisceptic, to make sure they don't get an infection and are given back to the ewe. Their mum needs to be checked to make sure she has milk in both quarters and that the lamb feeds as soon as possible. The lamb gains its immunity from the antibodies in the ewes first milk, the colostrum.  Then you can leave them together to bond.  The poor lamb also has to get over the shock of being born into a snow filled world, in the middle of the night.
After a quick check to make sure none of the other mums have started lambing, I can then turn off the light, tramp through the snow back to the house and head back to bed.
The End of an Era
When I first came to the farm eight years ago or so, I was a townie - I lived in London and my experience of farms and farming was limited.  But from my first visit to the farm I was captivated - this clearly wasn't a farm like any other.
On arriving, I went past a paddock of "old gentleman" (rams who had finished their working life and were now serving out their retirement- munching grass, doing a little head-butting). I then met Mouse, a brain damaged Herdwick sheep, who hated being locked in a field and was allowed to wander around wherever she fancied.  And then there was Small, the Kune Kune pig who had been born with a cleft palette.  Unable to eat normally, she had to be hand fed twice a day, with warm bottled milk, handfuls of pig pellets and slices of banana.  She was called Small because to begin with she was - she couldn't eat like her brothers and sisters and therefore didn't grow quickly.  But by the time I met her she wasn't small at all- she was the same size as her sister, Portia.  Year in year out - being hand fed had served her well and she had defied all the veterinary advice suggesting she wouldn't reach maturity.
I came to stay at the farm quite often and it wasn't long before I was allowed to feed her.  This was like an initiation.  Small was a slobbery pig because of her cleft palette and no one told me that after she had her bottle of milk she liked to wipe her mouth on the back of your trouser leg.  She got me the first time, but after that I was wise to the manoeuver and would make sure I always kept in front.
I now live here and over the years most of the old gentlemen have passed away, Mouse went missing four years ago but there was still Small.  And then, last night, Small passed away.  She had gone off her food the day before and we thought she might have a respiratory problem.  This had happened in the past, when she guzzled her milk too quickly or breathed in some straw dust. But following a course of antibiotics she would be OK.  But this time it didn't work. Yesterday she had a little milk, a couple slices of banana and went back to bed.  When we went to check on her at 9pm she had died.
It felt like the end of an era - like Small was the last "character", the last quirky animal that made the farm unique.  But then I remembered Gigi, the Golden Guernsey goat who thinks she is human, Squeak - the pig who needs to run around in circles before she will eat and Bridie, the Highland cow, who will gallop across the field and stick out the longest tongue, just to get a few grass nuts. So someone coming to the farm for the first time would make their own list of special animals, their own reasons why the farm remains unique.  21/12/11


An Unusual Phone Call
Yesterday we took a call from someone with a strange request - they were trying to locate someone they had never met and hoped that we might know them.
This was their story.  They had found a digital camera in Tonbridge Wells, Kent.  It had no contact details and so they had looked at the photos to see if there were any clues as to its owner.  None of the photos gave any clues - except these photos of our farm.  They expanded the details of the sponsporship notice, found our name, found us on the web and gave us a call.  They were hoping the family might be the sponsors of Bracken (the goat on the notice). Unfortunately we didn't recognise the family.  If the camera details have been set properly they took the photo in April 2008.  So - if this is you or you know who it is, get in contact with us and we can get you in contact with the people who have your camera. 4/11/11
IMG_1270.jpg
The Big Event!
This morning we had a fantastic surprise - Imogen our White Park cow gave birth to a beautiful calf! A surprise? - well yes.....  We had organised artificial insemination for Imogen back in January but if it had worked, she should have had a calf last week.  So when she didn't - we assumed it hadn't worked.  Yes - she looked a little fatter, yes she seemed a little bad tempered but that didn't mean she was pregnant.  So this morning, when Kate went out to feed the pigs, she couldn't believe her eyes - Imogen seemed to be pushing and bellowing like a cow in labour.
Neil went to check and sure enough a calf was on the way.  The pair of them escorted Imogen from the field to the shelter (well, the weather forecast suggests rain this afternoon and we wouldn't want the calf to get wet!). Within an hour of arriving in her new pen she gave birth to Quad.  Isn't he beautiful?   28/10/11 

Why Quad? - well - his name has to begin with Q - according to our naming policy -and he is her fourth calf.
Don't forget your camera
Yesterday I was wandering through the orchard on my way to pick some apples.  It was such a beautiful day. The sun was shining, the ducklings were splashing around in their paddling pool and the baby goats were chasing each other around as well jumping on and off the rabbit hutches.

I saw one little girl completely surrounded by baby goats.  They were trying their best to get to her bag of food, nibble her jacket and play with her hair. She was loving it.  Her mum and dad were nearby and she called to them to take a photo.  Her dad told her he had left it at home, on the charger. I saw her little face fall.  So I suggested that I took a photo and put it on our website.
So here it is Isla!

Bad Goats and Exploring Piglets


Gigi has disgraced herself.  After being a pain all day - eating all my potted plants, leading Grace into the shop time and time again, by early afternoon she hit a new low.  I made the mistake of leaving my front door open, only to return and find she had urinated all over my leather sofa.  Not only that, but as she had jumped off she had left piles of droppings scattered across the floor. She is lucky she started the day as my favourite goat - otherwise I might have been tempted to start looking up recipes for goat curry!

And it has been all change on the piglet front.  We have two groups of kune kune piglets around at the moment. The oldest ones have become so round - having spent days grazing windfalls in the orchard, stealing the duck food and generally scrounging anything they could find, that the time had come to put them in a paddock and take control of what they ate.  So they are now in a pen and the youngest group are now out and about, wandering through the orchard and looking for people to tickle their bellies.
Mrs P
On Friday we faced up to the realisation that Mrs Pugwash - our Large Black Pig - was not going to get better.  She had been going down hill for a few months but the day before had seemed to have hit a new low.
It will come as no surprise to learn that normally pigs gobble down their food in no time at all - and it as well not to try to come between a pig and its dinner!  So when a pig ceases to be at the fence calling for its breakfast you know something is wrong.  Mrs P (as everyone came to call Mrs Pugwash) had always had a good appetite - she was a large pig and keeping that body on the move meant she needed plenty of food.  But for a while she had slowed down.  She would eat her food but slowly and was more interested in the treat at the end of the meal (a cake or an apple) than the pig pellets.
On Thursday she didn't seem interested in either pellets or treats.  We called the vet and after an examination, he told us she had an inoperable tumor in her stomach.  Consequently she would find eating progressively difficult or impossible.  It was therefore a kindness to put her to sleep. It was with a huge amount of sadness we agreed.
She had been with us for 12 years and was part of the family.  13/8/11

Moving livestock
I am not sure which was funnier - watching Neil (the livestock man) try to move the ducklings to their paddock for the first time, or trying to move the piglets.  Both piglets and ducklings had been in stables for a while.  The ducklings had never seen a paddock before, the piglets had been carried from their paddock to the stable in a wheelbarrow.
Neil had been so confident the procedure would be easy to execute he suggested I watched him and took a few photos.  I realised pretty quickly photos would not be possible.  Neither ducklings nor piglets moved in an orderly way.  I stood along the path they should have travelled on, only to see them running in the opposite direction. Then, in the case of the piglets, they all went racing back the other way.  The ducklings, on the other hand, were not used to walking any distance and just sat down.  Those behind them didn't notice, so just walked over them.  It was very funny to watch - but just about impossible to capture on film.  Shame! 12/8/11
A room with a view
I live on the farm and have a flat on the ground floor.  For Christmas last year I asked everyone to get me bits and pieces for a bird feeding station, which I now have set up outside my sitting room window (I can see it now - two goldfinches, a robin and 3 tits). Outside my bedroom I have a new addition - a bathing and drinking station.  The drinking bowl has been there for many months - but the "duck pond" is a recent addition and it is proving to be a great draw.  It was installed for a pair of ducks who, it seems, have fallen in love and want to be apart from the rest of the group swimming on the river.  Most of the time they are prepared to sit, side by side by the water bowl.  But when the weather warmed up a bit, they kept trying to climb in.  Time and time again, they would upset the bowl,leaving themselves no water to drink or preen themselves with.  So after a few weeks, when it was clear this was THEIR spot, we decided to give them a more permanent solution.  Someone had given us an old child's sand pit a number of years ago.  So we pulled this out of the store room, dusted it down and filled it with water.  The ducks now spend the day in and out of their small duck pond.  But just now I heard a duck/pig commotion.  I went to the door and saw the ducks standing, open-beaked by the side of the pool, while a piglet had a good soak!  I will try to get a picture if it happens again - but he was just too fast for me last time, by the time I grabbed my camera he was out. 9/8/11
A load of Bull
In 2006 one of our White Park cows, Imogen, gave birth to a black bull.  Both parents were white White Parks but, as can sometimes happen, a double dose of a recessive gene lead to a black calf. We named him Lucifer. Unfortunately the market for a male calf of any colour is very limited. With a calf that had none of the characteristics listed for a White Park we thought he would, when he reached the right age, have to be sold for meat.  But within a couple of days of being born, we heard that someone was thinking of keeping a herd of black White Parks.  We contacted them and, after some negotiation we agreed to a sale.  He therefore avoided castration and, at 8 months went to his new home.
Lucifer 2006, a few days old


Last month we held the annual Norfolk Horn Breeders Group meeting.  One of the people to attend was the stockman for the herd of black White Parks, where they also have a flock of Norfolk Horn sheep.  He handed us a photo of the most amazing looking bull .... the kind of bull who seems to know he is not just handsome, but a little scary as well. And guess what?  It turned out to be Lucifer - though you would never guess from comparing the photo above with the one below!   9/8/11
Lucifer the Magnificent 2011
A Mate for our Kid
Gigi's aunt, Ginger, kidded this morning.  She had a little girl -they both seem happy and healthy.  Ginger must have been a bit snappy yesterday as she got ready to have her baby, because Gigi didn't seem to spend any time with her.  She was out and about the whole time.  She spent sometime in front of the shop - but when I wouldn't let her in, she sat by the car outside the shop, waiting for me to relent and give her a cuddle.
Later on, when she worked out I was a bit hard hearted, she came in through the back door.
It soon became a game - sneaking in and then being carried out. There was no shortage of volunteers to carry her out and give her a bit of a cuddle on the way.  But visitors beware - she seems to have developed a taste for hair (I thought it was just mine, which looks a bit like straw - but she doesn't seem to mind the colour!) 22/7/11

Photo Karen Steel
Geraldine's orphan kid is now known as Gigi and she is turning out to be a real wanderer.  She is so small she has no problem fitting through the bars of her pen and so, when she sees someone who looks interesting, she squeezes out and follows them around the farm.  On Sunday someone told us she had followed them around for a while and then, when they sat down in the orchard for a rest, she climbed onto their lap and went to sleep! 13/7/11

Sunday 20 January 2013

News August 2012 to December 2012

New Policy
For a couple of years I have been putting a "blog" on our website - under the title of News.  I have been reasonably diligent in making sure the News section is up to date - whilst, I regret to say, sadly neglecting this blog.
I have now decided to rename the News section on the website and transfer it into this blog at the end of each month. And, as a one off, I have moved the entire contents of the existing News section over.  20/1/13
Farmer Christmas


Our first weekend with Farmer Christmas was a great success.  The weather was a bit grim on Saturday, which put some people off, but Sunday was a beautiful bright sunny day.  Not that the sunshine makes its way into Farmer Christmas' grotto - as he prefers fairy lights.
Everyone enjoyed themselves - there were lots of "good" girls and boys who were happy to tell Farmer Christmas about their wish list. He was pleased to note that the little black book that he always carries, to make a note of boys and girls who have been naughty, remained empty.
For most of the year Farmer Christmas looks after animals and generally helps out with all the preparation that is needed to make sure Christmas is always special.  But at this time of year - when Santa is working so hard - Farmer Christmas is always happy to help his cousin, listening to children's wish lists and passing them on to Santa for the big day.  2/12/12

Elaine Buffery
Those of you who have been coming to the farm for a number of years will doubtless have met Elaine Buffery.  Up until last year she was a regular help in the shop and kitchen but also could be seen, dressed up in her bee keeping outfit, helping Neil with his bee hives.  As a keen spinner and knitter she would often help out on our shearing weekends and, as she usually had some knitting on the go, I would often find her in the shop giving ad hoc lessons to customers who would pick her brains to sort out a knitting problem.  And then, on her days off, you might have seen her with her grandchildren or turning up with a box of ripe bananas which she had persuaded her local greengrocer would be better off given to our pigs, than turning black in his store room.

It was with great sadness that we took a call from her daughter on Friday, to say her mum had died that morning. Elaine had been diagnosed with cancer last year and it had rapidly spread.  She knew her time was limited but treated the disease with her typical humour and fortitude.
Elaine was a lovely, friendly, kind and generous woman. I can't remember a day when she wasn't busy making chutney or jam, perfecting her bees wax candles or mead or making cakes for the local village sale.  She was a powerhouse of energy and was always thinking of ways of helping us and so many others.  She was one of a kind and will be sorely missed by us all. 9/11/12
Cooking up a Storm

During the half term we ran a series of cookery classes for children (aged 4 upwards).  The event was different each day - from cake making to bread making, but the format was similar.  Each day the children would scrub up, prepare the food and then leave it in the shop while they joined Richard - the owner - on a tour of the farm.  While they were away the kitchen elves would make sure the food proved, cooked or cooled - depending what had been made and that is was ready for the next stage when the children finished their tour. It was no surprise to me that the cup cakes looked great - children seem to know what they like when it comes to cakes and being so close to Halloween there were lots of spiders webs and ghouls on the cakes.  But the real star of the week was the bread making.  Fourteen children turned out some of the most professional looking loaves I have seen in a long while. The smell in the shop was fantastic and very few loaves made it home without being nibbled on the way.  But that is the sign of a good loaf - I always think. 3/11/12

Annie Toy

We received sad news yesterday.  One of our sponsors and volunteers - Annie Toy has died. She was a lovely woman with a great sense of fun.  She had been fighting cancer for a number of years but last year, when she had a period of remission, she worked as a volunteer on the farm. She had visited the farm a number of times before she enquired about the sponsorship scheme.  She started by sponsoring Bridie, one of the Highland cows, but went on to sponsor the Greyface Dartmoor sheep.  She was from New Zealand and perhaps that was why she had an affinity with sheep.  So much so, she wanted to be buried in a woollen coffin and buried with a picture of her favourite sheep - one of our Dartmoors.

Asa  - Farmer for the Day

Imagine this .... you are just about to hit your 18th birthday.  The night before is Saturday night and you decide to go out and party.  Your friends make sure you have a good time and the next morning you're lying in bed, not quite sure how you got home or where you were before you got home.  There is a knock on the door. It's early... too early. It's your mum. "Guess what we've got you for your birthday .... We've arranged with Baylham Farm for you to be a farmer for the day! Get up and grab your wellies!"
And so it was that Asa arrived, slightly bleary eyed, at Baylham on Sunday.  He seemed to be taking it in good part - no sign of a hangover (oh - to be young!) and after a hearty breakfast he got stuck into a typical farmer's day. 

His verdict? - A big surprise and very enjoyable. His mum groaned as she heard he had milked goats, fed and washed pigs and sorted out lambs for sale. Oh no - she said - he is going to want to take them all home as pets. Well, it is his birthday! 30/9/12

Rabbie and Rory
The calves are now out in the paddock and are clearly having fun.  Farmer Neil phoned me from the field and asked me to bring the camera.  He had just spotted the pair enjoying the last of the afternoon's sun, under the willow trees.  Their mums were at the other end of the field, more interested in Neil topping up their feed ring than their off-spring.  So I headed off, down the field with the ipad under my arm.  Unfortuntely a bird heard me just as I got into position and took flight.  This scared the two little steers who suddenly realised their mums were a long way off. They both jumped up and ran off down the field.   Shame! 29/9/12


Fiona's latest - and the need for a major re-think
When Fiona eventually gave birth to her latest calf it was a boy.  Having just named Morag's calf, we needed inspiration so headed to the internet to ask for suggestions for names.  We also decided to research Scottish names beginning with R.  During our research we discovered that Rory (or Ruairidh - as it should be written) means red king.  This was a bit embarrasing - because we had enthusiastically called Morag's blonde calf - Rory.  So after a quick re-think - we decided to call Fiona's lovely red calf - Ruairidh and rename Morag's Rabbie.

Morag gets there First

Both Morag and Fiona have been expecting calves and we all thought Fiona would get there first.  But yesterday Morag gave birth to Rory - a handsome Highland calf.  He seems to be a blonde - which is a first for us.  And now, as I write, Fiona is following suit.  So far there are a pair of hooves showing. 2/9/12
Points mean Prizes
After an administrative hiccup (we mislaid the paperwork!) - we have finally contacted all the people who won prizes at our Farm and Food Fair.  There were prizes for the longest distance people could wang a welly, fly a paper plane and throw & catch a fresh egg.
The prize for guessing where Karl the bull would produce his next cowpat (do bulls produce cowpats or bullpats?) was left unclaimed as he did not do the business all day.  So we were unable to split the money raised with the punter who had bought the square of the field where the pat landed, nobody won and we decided the proceeds should go to a charity - in this case St Elizabeth's Hospice.  It was a shame not to have an outright winner but I hope everyone who took part is happy with the outcome
Dreadlocks
Farmer Neil has brought some of the cows in from the field.  They hate it.  In the summer they like to graze outside, eating the grass and anything more interesting they can find.  The only positive thing to be said for being under cover is that they are at the back of the shop and therefore all the visitors see them first, while they still have a bulging bag of grass nuts.  So that way they get more of a fair share of the grass nuts than they do when they are out on the field.  By the time most visitors find them on the field, most of the nuts have been eaten by the goats.
So - why are the cows under cover?
Well, Fiona the Highland cow, is pregnant and is about to give birth.  We calculate this should take place sometime the week beginning the 13th August.
Philomena is in because she really needs a good groom.  Her tats are so long, she looks like she has dreadlocks.

And Phoboe, the White Park, is in for a general health check and groom  She is nearly two years old and Farmer Neil wants to check that she is fully developed and able to have a calf of her own.
Hens Away!
Today the British Hen Welfare Trust arrived from Nottingham with 400 hens to be re-homed.  There was quite a kerfuffle as the hens were downloaded from the trailer into the bull pen to await their new owners. This would be the first time they were in daylight, with space to move where they wanted and straw to peck around in.  Clearly some didn't know what to do with these new surroundings and one or two just stood in their water trough just playing with the water around their feet. These hens have been reared in a battery-type environment (and although 400 hens seemed a huge number to me, they left behind a million more) and are now heading off to new homes in gardens, smallholdings and farms to start a new lease of life.  Good luck to them.  If you want a hen from the next rescue batch - contact the British Hen Welfare Trust http://www.bhwt.org.uk  5/8/12
Farmer for the Day
This year we have had a number of people taking up the possiblity of being a Farmer for the Day.  When we decided to offer this opportunity we thought the majority of takers would be people thinking about setting up a small holding or taking on some livestock.  But this year there have been a surprising number of youngsters wanting to have a go.  In the main the day has been given as a birthday or Christmas present - sometimes one they have chosen for themselves, sometimes a surprise.
Hannah - our latest Farmer for the Day
We have enjoyed spending the day with all of them very much.  They are enthusiastic, eager to try different things, hard working and a pleasure to be around. Hannah, who spent a day in July with us, ended her day helping Neil put our latest ducklings into their new home
Winnie, Tigger & Roo
Remember Hope?  She is a little wild duck that was hand reared by Andrew & Natalie and then released onto the lake in June.  We see her every day.  She seems to be having fun - although somewhere along the way she has decided she is a goose and spends all day hanging out with the grey-lag geese on the lake.
Last weekend Andrew & Natalie brought Hope's sibblings to start their life in the wild.  Having been brought up in a human environment they found the lake a little scary to begin with.  But eventually were persuaded to wander off and play on the water.  We have seen them since their release but I am not sure they have met up with Hope yet.
Last of the Summer kids?
Today Bryony, a pygmy goat, produced a beautiful little nanny kid. We video'd it -as the only way the goats get privacy is to give birth in the middle of the night, silently.  Once we have edited out the shakey bits it will go on the website.
It was amazing to watch.  Within 2 minutes of being born, she was up on her feet trying to feed. Astonishing - when you compare it to how long it takes humans to develop that amount of control of their limbs.
Bryony may be the last of the goats to kid this year - although there is one goat that still looks enormously pregnant. Timing-wise she has another 2 weeks in which she could give birth. But Farmer Neil thinks she has just put on weight and is not convinced she is pregnant at all.  20/7/12
Here Comes Summer
OK - the British summer is not really developing in a way any of us would have planned.  The memory of the occasional warm day bobs around on a sea of unseasonal rain.  There is nothing any of us can do to change it.  But often, as I sit at my computer, I can see the best way of dealing with it.  Young children rarely let bad weather ruin their enjoyment.  And sometimes I think they seem more at home, running down the drive, splashing in the puddles than keeping their sun hats on and being lathered in sun cream.
So the way forward for the summer is clear : Wear waterproof footwear, carry an umbrella and you just might get away with catching the sun rather than the showers.
Make sure you put the 29th July in your diary for the Farm & Food day.  Chef's demos will be under cover -just in case it rains and whatever the weather, there will be plenty to see and do.
Karl - the Knighted*
Last week Farmer Neil headed to Ditchingham, Norfolk and brought back Karl.  Karl (originally from Catfield)is a rather magnificent White Park bull who is now spending a few months with our girls.  We have never owned our own bull of any breed, so pregnancy is usually achieved by artificial insemination.  Things changed this year.  First we had Daniel, a rather gorgeous Highland bull.  I never saw him in action, but I did see him walking on the shoreline of the lake with Bridie.  They looked pretty happy.
Of course, at this stage the White Park cows could only look on.  But Daniel was returned to his owner in May and now Karl is here.  This means it is now the White Parks who can have lakeside walks with their beau while the Highlands look on.  17/7/12
* Legend has it that it was a succulent piece of White Park meat that was knighted by James I - and thus SirLoin was born.
The Naked Sheep .... there were lots of them
Our annual shearing festival was better than ever this year.  Although we can pat ourselves on the back for some of its success - the real star was the weather.  After a week of grim weather which saw most of the Jubilee festivities water logged, the cancellation of the Suffolk show and a cold, wet half term, Sunday 10th of June was, in comparison, a scorcher.  Despite the forecast for a decidely damp weekend, it didn't work out that way. The day before was dry and windy - which greatly pleased Farmer Neil as all the soggy fleeces dried off nicely.  Then, on Sunday, I got up at 6am to find the sun was already shining and it didn't stop til after 7pm.
So with that back drop, we were off to a good start.  This year we had even more spinners, weavers, knitters and felters than usual (and a big thanks to all the Guilds that kindly volunteered to show their skills and help others develop theirs).  We also had independent spinners, origami & paper mache specialists, bear builders, face painters and many other activities and crafts that made the day both interesting, educational and fun. And to top it all - the Baylham BBQ and Hell Hound, our local micro brewery, both proved very succesful additions.  21/06/12

Saturday 23 June 2012

Time Flies

I hadn't realised how long it was since I had added to my blog until I sat down and struggled to remember the password.  Once in, I then looked and could see my last blog sitting there, dated March 2012.  So - there is a lot to catch up on.  Lambing, piglet-ing, kidding and hatching ducks (I thought duckling-ing was pushing it too far) and that is just the births.  There have also been deaths - but not very many but, not surprisingly, no marriages.  But all of this has been covered in the News section of the website.
The main problem this year seems to have been space.  In the past, every year we have bred Kune Kune piglets and every year there has been a waiting list.  But last year was a disaster - nobody wanted to buy them.  Given that we always sell them as pets - partly because they are such characters and partly because they are so slow growing it is not commercially viable to feed them until they are big enough to eat, because it takes too long.  I am sure it is a sign of the economic times we live in that people are cutting back on the non-essentials and pets certainly fit into that category.  And so we find ourselves with rather a lot of young pigs needing space.  This would be a little challenging in a normal year but this is not a normal year.  This is the year Farmer Neil decided to re-form all the pig pens - mainly because the fencing was in such bad shape.  So the area that previously would have housed eight pig arcs and paddocks is now one big mass - no fences, no arcs just cordoned off from the public.  It is also the year that started with the driest winter on record and seems to be moving into the wettest summer.  So for months Neil was not able to get the old posts out of the ground or the new fencing posts in.  Although things have moved on a little since then - it has not been in a good way.  We are now struggling to keep the grass down in the areas where visitors can walk because on the days when it is not raining, the grass is often still too soggy to mow and strimming when mowing becomes impossible.  Tied up with vegetation control, Neil has had no time to get on with re-fencing.
So with lots of piglets and no paddocks Neil had to start getting creative.  First he moved a number of the piglets into goat paddocks - which was an inspired decision.  The pigs had so much to eat (as goats are, despite their reputation, picky eaters) and a wilderness to explore.  The goats, on the other hand, were re-shuffled and met up with goats they hadn't seen for years (as they lived on a different part of the farm) or, in the case of Peter the Golden Guernsey, learnt how to live with sheep.  Which also worked well - perhaps the fact that they are French sheep helped - as he was half-way there.
But there were still a number of piglets that needed housing.  So Neil came up with the not so inspired idea of putting them on the lawn.  At times the lawn has housed a small group of sheep, a convalescent ram or a single goat awaiting collection.  But none of these occupants could have prepared us for the devastating effect that 7 piglets, who have not yet settled down into their "grazing pig" trait, could create.     
I am not going to pretend the lawn was ever suitable for bowls but it was fairly smooth - just the odd mole hill.  Now it is like a war zone.  The area under the trampoline is particularly bad.  It is like the whole lot has just been rotavated.  And of course,  after rotavating you would expect to roll the ground and then lay it with turf. But something tells me that that isn't going to happen for a while.  Perhaps after the fencing has been finished!

Sunday 4 March 2012

Fingers crossed

It is raining and has been for much of the day.  I know we need it but I can't help thinking - why Sunday?  Why does it have to rain at the weekend when it could rain during the week and most people would be at work and hardly notice.
When it is so damp outside the temptation is to stay indoors.  But I was getting a bit stir crazy so I have just spent the last half an hour in the lambing tunnel, sitting amongst the lambs (it is one of the perks of the job). They are getting very naughty now.  As they get bigger, they get more confident and with confidence comes the desire to push the boundaries.  So whereas I used to be able to sit in the middle of the pen and only a few brave lambs would venture over to sniff me, chew my sleeve or try to nuzzle into my pocket - now they all try it.  And their antics begin almost as soon as I sit down.  Some lambs start to climb up my back, some to chew my hair (well, it does look a bit straw-like), while others jump across me, as if I am just a continuation of the straw bale.
So far these lambs have spent their whole life in the lambing tunnel - they don't know about the world outside, the cold winds, the rain and the grass.  But by the end of the week they will be out on the field, in a very different world. And for a few days they will be shell-shocked.  When we open the tunnel gates their mothers, who have been locked up for the last 6 weeks will make a dash for it.  Given the opportunity they will run as fast as they can.  Despite their colossal size and their huge udders, they will sprint along the track, towards the field.  Some will stop at the first sign of succulent-looking grass, others will just keep their eye on the horizon.  None of them will even think of their lambs until they reach the end of the track and the closed gate.  Meanwhile the lambs will remain, now traumatized, in the tunnel.  The stampede over, the door to the big wide world open, the lambs will be in a state of shock.  Their world has suddenly been turned upside down, their confidence vanished they try to hide in corners or stand their ground, bleating for their mum.  Then, little by little, one or two will go through the gate, a couple more will follow and before long a group of them will be on the track, trying out the grass and weeds.
Meanwhile, having munched their way through some of the tenderest shoots they could find and realizing they can't get to the field as the gate is closed, their mums will suddenly remember their babies. They will start bleating and retracing their steps, and before long, the whole lot will be bleating and looking around for their off-spring.  Then one will lead the stampede back down the track towards the tunnel and before long, mothers and lambs will meet, pair up and let themselves be led to the field.
It follows the same pattern each year but I never tire of watching it.  But as I sat in the tunnel this afternoon I found myself looking at these healthy young lambs and thinking how lucky we had been to have been spared the Schmallenberg virus, the latest disease to hit sheep and other farming livestock.  I crossed my fingers and hoped that the ewes that will be coming into the tunnel at the end of the week, ready for Easter lambing, will be as lucky.

Monday 13 February 2012

Warming Up

David Millward's photo - thanks David
Warming up
In the weeks leading up to closing for the winter many of our visitors wish us well for our holiday.  Leaving the shop they will say something like "Enjoy your break - you deserve it" or "Bet you are looking forward to putting your feet up for a while".  Usually we smile and agree - but just sometimes we find ourselves saying - We are closing to the public, not having a holiday!.  But when we say that, it is usually because the weight of the workload ahead of us is praying on our minds.  Because closing to the public is just that .  Everything else on the farm carries on, all the animals still need to be fed, cleaned and cared for and all the jobs that we can't do when the public are there each day, can now be started.
We start the 3 month "downtime" with a plan.  This could be called the Preposterous Plan.  It lists everything we want to do but it takes no account of the fact that:
there are only 3 of us to implement it;
only 3 months to complete it;
downtime is the start of winter and the weather will make many jobs impossible.
Oh, and then there is Christmas right in the middle - with a magic combination of all the family descending on the farm to be fed and watered and all the farm helpers staying at home with their faimilies.
Sometimes, if the weather has been kind, one month into the plan will still make everything seem possible.  We will have made good progress with preparing the ground for new fencing, laying down a new foot path, demolishing an old field shelter but then the snows will arrive or one of us will get (and pass on) a virus. Something always happens to throw the plans off course.
So, like most people, we end up working really long hours for the few weeks just before we open.  By this stage we are working hard not because we are trying to finish off the list but because we are trying to get the farm in an orderly way, from the havoc created by starting item 1 or 2 in the list (items 3 to 20 never got a look-in).
And so it was this year.  
Close to the top of the list was to re-work the shop toilets and replace the pig fencing.
The toilet facilities have been unsatisfactory for a while - as there were three urinals and one toilet for the men and only one toilet for women/disabled and nappy changers to share.
So we arranged to have all the area re-designed and agreed with the plumber and builder that they would be out by the end of January.  Unfortunately - like most building works - this over ran and although most of the job was completed and cleared away by the 4th February, the final touches were finished on the 10th - less than 24 hours before we were due to open.
With most of the builder's rubble out of the way on the 4th, I started cleaning the shop, painting the toilets and shop and getting the shelves cleaned and the stock put out.  Brick and plaster dust are always a nightmare to clean up and the shop took much longer than I had hoped.
A large part of Friday was spent baking, with the remainder being finished on Saturday morning.  But by  Saturday morning it was clear that the drop in temperature overnight had led to all the water systems in the shop to freeze over. I finished the remainder work in the house, while everyone else tried to get the pipes defrosted.
In the end, it took all day to get the water moving.  Without any water for people to wash their hands we were unable to open  to the public. It was so disappointing and strangely ironic.  To have put so much effort in to getting the toilets finished - it was then not possible to use them because the water was frozen.

As for the pig fencing, I can still see the stack of fencing posts in the disabled parking bay.  They were delivered just before the temperatures dropped and the snows arrived.  We could no longer see where the posts were due to go, let alone make holes in the frozen soil.
So all in all, an inauspicious start to the year..... Things can only get better.  

Friday 3 February 2012

3rd February - we must be nearly there - surely?!

It is the same every year.  We close at the end of October and it seems like we have all the time in the world to put in hand the maintenance jobs that aren't possible when the farm is open to the public.  November slips by, some progress is made and we all feel quietly confident that everything is possible.  Then December whizzes by- a blur of cooking, eating, shopping and entertaining. On to the New Year.
January arrives, slaps us round the face and demands to know how it is possible to finish all the jobs we have started before we open our doors mid February.
By early February and the birth of the first lamb, the full horror of the situation is all too apparent.  We have a week left and about 1000 hours of work to complete.  Yet again, we have taken on way too many jobs, assumed there would be no hitches and forgot to factor in that we are only a small team.
By the time we open, on the 11th February, some things will have to be sorted.  The lambing pens are ready and our first twins are happily leaping around the pen. There will be more.
The posts for the new pig pens are still in the disabled parking lot.  Yesterday's efforts to start driving them into the soil failed as the ground is now frozen rock solid.
As I write, the builders who have been changing the toilet arrangements in the shop (who promised me they would be finished by last Friday) are still very much here.  My efforts to clean and prepare the kitchen yesterday were thwarted by the fact that the plumber still hasn't finished the pipe work and therefore there is no water.
On the positive side, once we start lambing we have to check on the lambs round the clock. As I got up this morning to do the 3am check, I began thinking that it would be a good idea not to go back to bed, but to head to the shop and start painting. But the thought of my nice warm bed was too great.  I went back to bed and worried instead.  At this rate, this time next week, we won't even be going to bed.