What a different 48 hours makes. Yesterday we woke to a little more snow but the effect of the wind raging from the east overnight created exceptionally deep and vast snow drifts. We walked to the end of the drive – and it was a struggle. It really felt like we were living in a Big Brother… Continue reading Our attempts to leave the farm…
…it’s a question I ask myself every time the Labrador finds itself out in the snow – she absolutely loves it. It makes her extremely hectic and happy and she tears round and round, up and down, trying to get the Ridgeback to join in. The Ridgeback is less fussed about the snow but once she… Continue reading Why do dogs like snow so much…
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…
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 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…
In February this year I made my first trip to the abattoir. We delivered two Highland cows in a trip I felt I had to make if I was going to rear cattle. It didn’t sit particularly well with me but some things just have to be done and do you know what, in the end, it… Continue reading Why I couldn’t face the abattoir…
