Easter Sunday Walk

Easter Sunday is normally like for many a busy family day for us. This year we had a quiet Sunday lunch just for the two of us thinking of all our family doing a similar thing in their own homes. The weather was beautiful and we even had our meal outside. 

Later in the afternoon we took a quiet walk around the farm. Some of the trees are beginning to green up and some daffodils are hanging on.

A lot of the hens were out making the most of the sunshine.

Most of the sheep are now out in the fields with their lambs, always a lovely sight to see.

Our skies are remarkably clear at the moment. There is less pollution without all of the transport and no vapour trails from aircraft. It is also remarkably quiet. No hum from the airport and no planes arriving or departing.

We have one field which is left undisturbed at this time of year. No grazing until late summer and no fertiliser. This gives wild flowers the chance to flourish. Cowslips are particularly found of this kind of environment.

The quarry still has a lot of primroses out which make a wonderful display.

Then it was back to the farm for a cuppa and a bit of Simnel cake. A smaller version of my normal cake and with a lack of chicks which I hadn't even thought of in my frantic supermarket dashes so Snowdog had to stand in as a lamb!

Tulip Time

I particularly enjoy tulip time. I love daffodils but enjoy the variety of colours and shapes of tulip flowers. We normally buy quite a few new bulbs each year to go in various containers. This is always one of my favourite shows. This old trough is situated in our yard as you drive in.

I love the mix of the tulips and the wallflowers against the contrast of the wall.

Last summer we spent a day at the Dorset Steam Fair. This may seem a bizarre place to buy bulbs but there was a stall there with the most amazing array of different bulbs. We bought quite a few which luckily the lady looked after for us until we were ready to go home. She was based in Wimbourne and I would definitely search her out if I visited the fair again.

We consequently have quite a range.

I am quite a fan of these double ones.

Another great thing about tulips is how they change throughout the day. They open up in the bright sunshine and then close as the light fades.

Tulips don't seem to naturalise as easily as daffodils with the exception of some of the more common varieties. These red ones amongst the daffs come back every year.

Which is your favourite?

Happy Easter

I would like to send you all my best wishes for this Easter weekend. Take comfort in the signs of Spring in nature that there will be an end to this time of great distress.

Take good care of yourselves.

Full on Lambing

I thought I would start with a picture of the fabulous view from one of our fields where the ewes and new lambs are enjoying the grass. I thought I would give you all a chance to soak up a bit of our glorious countryside during these grim times.

Lambing is in full swing. We have had a busy week but are now over half way through. The weather has been kind to us so the mums are outside pretty quickly. They obviously still need to be checked and sometimes need a little attention. This lamb needed an injection and has actually ended up back in the shed now where it can be watched more closely.

There is always time for a little smile at the interesting positions taken for a bit of a snooze.

This ewe has recently delivered but by tomorrow will be moved into a bigger pen ready to go outside.

We are missing all our normal visitors to the lambing shed. Meanwhile Poppy waits patiently for me to finish. I have been asked if she has a license. She is having trouble with the theory test!

Food Production

It is an incredibly busy time on the farm at the moment particularly because everything has coincided. Firstly we have the normal routine job of egg collecting and packing the eggs from 32 thousand hens. Secondly lambing is full on. Thirdly the current Covid 19 crisis has changed people's shopping habits. We sell eggs and potatoes (when in season) from the farm. We have a regular group of customers but this has changed recently. Everyone has been buying more just in case. This meant that the potatoes which we had already nearly sold out of for this winter went very quickly. A lot of people are coming for trays of eggs because they can't get them elsewhere.  We have also had to develop a self service system wherever possible to achieve social distancing. Fourthly the change to dry weather has meant a flurry of field work. 

The potato ground is being prepared. Firstly it has been ploughed. 

Meanwhile Spring barley has been planted and the winter crops have been rolled and also sprayed.

Preparing the potato ground for planting is a lengthy job. Ridges are made, then a bed formed.

The stones are removed with a stone separator.

Hopefully tomorrow planting will start to get ready for a new crop in late summer, all being well.

Lambing Live

How do you feel when you wake in the mornings at the moment? Do you have that sudden realisation of what is happening in the world? I certainly do. It is therefore a welcome distraction to wake to a cheery video from my daughter or a photo on our latest family Whatsap group 'Lambing Live'. Farmer daughter is out already checking the sheep and updating us all on the latest arrivals.

This mum and her double trouble were this morning's treat.

Lambing is different this year. Farmer Daughter is very much on her own for various reasons. Normally her sister and two cousins are on hand. This year the eldest cousin is expecting a baby any day so she is unavailable. The other two girls both work in the NHS. Our other daughter is a physiotherapist in Swansea and cannot come home and their cousin a nurse in Bristol so is also likely to be very busy. The other difference is our normal flow of admiring visitors who also cannot come this year. We will particularly miss my niece and her two little boys who are isolated in Leamington Spa. It is with them in mind that our little 'Lambing Live' group started to keep them involved. It also keeps my mum in touch who is in isolation with my sister.

They can then enjoy gorgeous pictures like this while sat in their sitting room.

They are also able to have quick updates on what's happening such as today's delivery of quads!

Mother and babes are doing well.

A Garden in Early Spring

It now seems an age ago but in reality it was only two and a half weeks ago that we visited this National Trust garden. How life has changed for us all since then.

We had a chilly but dry walk around The Courts Garden at the beginning of March. This garden is situated in the village of Holt near Bradford on Avon in Wiltshire.

This 20th Century garden is quite a mixture. There are formal lawns including topiary such as these yew trees that appear to be almost bowing.

There are water gardens.

There is an arboretum with some early signs of Spring. The paths around this part were passable but quite muddy in places.

Some of the garden was a former mill and the stream and mill races were transformed into canals and ponds.

The sun was shining intermittently on these flowering trees.

We were also caught in several showers of rain.

This Monet type bridge was a great location for a good reflection.

There were an abundance of Spring bulbs and hellebores.

All National Trust properties are now closed until the covid crisis is under control.