When I walked the dogs at about 10pm last night, the skies looked clear and there seemed to be only a few dark clouds on the horizon. I half anticipated that we may escape any snow overnight. I was wrong. We woke up to a winter wonderland with snow laying anywhere between seven and nine inches… Continue reading A deep snow day…
We had flurries of snow yesterday, but this morning we woke up to around three inches of the white stuff courtesy of the Beast from the East. The farm was covered in a glorious blanket of snow. It clung delicately to branches and had been whipped into peaks on the ground by a gentle wind. It… Continue reading Snow day on the farm…
During the course of last year our main pond was dug out. The reason was simple – to clear the reeds that had taken over in a scene reminiscent of Day of the Triffids. I’d tried to clear it myself – with the help of a kayak and a pair of secateurs – but failed… Continue reading Ten new beasts arrive on the farm…
A week ago I had to say goodbye to one of our cows. It’s part of life on a farm I know, but it’s always difficult. This goodbye was made all the more harrowing because the reason for Primrose’s departure was so frustrating. We bought her from market two years ago with a view to her being… Continue reading Saying goodbye…
I’ve decided to start charting the months this year to really think about what makes each passing one unique. Now, January is not necessarily everyone’s favourite month. Post Christmas it’s often given flack for being gloomy, wet and never-ending! But for me, I’ve stated to love the good bits and the optimism it offers. January brings:… Continue reading January…
As I went to bed last night I wondered to myself how we had managed to escape the bad weather effecting much of the country. There were horror stories of people stuck in their card overnight in snowdrifts with more impending snow storms due in the north. For some reason I was totally unaware that… Continue reading What a wind…
It’s that time of the year again, when my hunt begins to find a south Norfolk stockist of Seville oranges to make the glorious preserve that is marmalade. Last week I succeeded thanks to a wonderful, traditional greengrocer in Beccles. Normally when January rolls round I automatically think of marmalade making, but this year I… Continue reading Gorgeous golden goodness…
This week I found myself surrounded by chilli plants and wanting to do something with them. Like a concerned mum, I had brought them inside from the greenhouse over winter so the frosts didn’t ruin the fruit. But in the house they seem to be lurking round every corner. I use a lot of hot chillis when cooking but… Continue reading Making ristras…
As 2017 comes to an end, we’ve received a mixture of good and bad news on the farm. The uplifting news is that our delightful Hereford cow Fuchsia is pregnant again. Earlier this year she gave birth to her first calf, Freida. We currently have a bull visiting the farm (as he regularly does over… Continue reading As 2017 comes to an end, there’s good news & bad news…
Over the past few days we have gone through the testing process for bovine tuberculosis in our cattle. We live in a part of Britain that is considered low risk for TB so we are tested every four years, other higher risk areas have to go through it once a year. It’s a routine test… Continue reading The dreaded TB test…
