House work

No - not that kind, work on the house. Even though we have lived here for many years now, there is still much to do. When we bought the house it was very run down. It had been empty for over a year and needed attention inside and out.

Being married to a self employed builder is a mixed blessing; yes we don't have to employ/pay anyone and the standard of work is excellent but at the same time if work is busy our house gets left, if work is quiet there is no money coming in to pay for materials.

The last couple of days work has been quiet so my husband, eldest son and husband's cousin (the complete workforce) have been working on the extension to the front of the house.

It's not so much the house being done that I am excited about but as soon as this stage has been completed I can have my front garden 'back'. For several years now it has resembled a builder's yard, with the concrete mixer, bags of sand, gravel, concrete blocks etc.

Soon (ish) it will have a pond, bog garden, fruit bushes and maybe even grass.( Well I will need somewhere to put the broody coop, separate from the main run)

Photo1: Front garden looking down towards path

Photo2: Front garden looking up from path

Intruders !

This morning when we went to do our usual early morning check on the livestock the gate from the paddock to the fowl's run was open and the stable door shut. I accused my husband of not taken enough care, as he was the last to check on the animals yesterday evening. However we soon discovered that the door from the fowl's run to the work's yard was also unlatched. That certainly wasn't my husband's doing or indeed his Uncle's, who is the only other person to have access. This means that someone has been wandering around. The property borders the churchyard on one side and a public footpath on the other. If it was just youngster fair enough (well.. sort of) anyone else is of more concern because in addition to my livestock, my husband runs his business from the property. It is reasonably secure as all doors to the sheds and main gate are padlocked.

The livestock came to no harm but the thoughtlessness annoyed me. I had closed the fowl's run off since January so that it had three months in which to rest and the grass to grow before I put Annie on it for lambing - that has now been spoilt. It also means the sheep are unsettled because they know there is fresh grass the other side of the gate. They get their fresh drinking water from the stable, they do have access to other water but the stable water is the only one not muddied by the geese.

Not knowing if they will return is unsettling. There is usually some one around the yard most of the day and we are checking on Annie in the evenings. We will just have to check again later in the evenings. We will also leave the geese out. At this time of the year the ganders aren't too fond of strangers, especially Henry the old gander. He is more than capable of seeing off any intruder and the noise created will hopefully alert my husband's Uncle.

Grey Days

After a few lovely spring like days we are now having a run of dull grey days, I don't like them. They make me feel flat and unmotivated. I am sure the animals feel the same, they are all just mooching around - not sad, not happy, just being.

All three Sussex are now laying, not daily - but laying. I am not expecting a lot from them as they are quite elderly. I am rather hoping they will go broody as Sussex make good mothers and they will be more useful as brooders than occasional layers.

The seeds that I planted are just 'sitting there sulking'. I was told if I planted them too soon they would just sit and sulk until the time was right, maybe I should have listened to the more experienced.

Tonight we are going to give a goose egg a try. No one in the family is that keen, although they love the hens eggs. Previous years I have either given the goose eggs away or incubated them but as we are short of the hens it seems daft not to give the goose a go. I thought maybe if I scrambled it .... .To go with the egg we have 'home grown' sausages and bacon.

Photo: Goose egg and Light Sussex eggs



Goose Egg - a double yolker

Spring flowers

Despite today being rather gloomy and overcast the spring flowers are beginning to flower in abundance. It has been an exceptional year for snowdrops and they are still covering the banks and hedgerows but have now been joined by vinca, daffodils, violets, celandines and primroses. In the garden the crocuses are showing colour, forget me nots are just opening up, the Christmas roses are flowering and many of the shrubs are beginning to break bud.

Last night my husband came home with a bunch of daffodils for me....nothing romantic, it's just we tend to keep the daffodils that flower high up on the foot path hedge picked otherwise walkers tend to break down the bank climbing up to reach them.

There is an old wives tale / superstition that you should never have daffodils in the home when geese are sitting but as ours aren't even into the swing of laying yet I thought it could do no harm and they do brighten up the kitchen.

The two new hens seem happy enough. At present they are in the broody coop in the hen run. I don't like seeing them closed in but they do have room to scratch around, eat grass etc. I will keep them in for at least a week, as when I first get new stock I always treat with Flubenvet for worms and dust with Barrier red mite powder. It also gives everyone time to get used to each other. After the week's treatment is up I'll decide if to let them run together or if to keep the smaller ones seperate and feed them growers pellets rather than have access to the hens layers pellets.... we'll see how it goes.

Week end catch up

A rather mixed up sort of weekend this week. I think a few things were achieved despite my panic that there was so much to do before other things could be done and we never seem to complete anything.....but the trench has been dug to carry the water and electric to the sheds, well partly anyway. So far it has been dug along the neighbouring hedge, next weekend it needs to be dug down through the bank and across the gravel to the house ( see what I mean ), The veg patch has been raked over again and is beginning to look promising - nearly ready for the broad beans, which as yet haven't germinated, it has only been 8 days since sowing. The sweet peas took me by surprise and germinated after only 5 days despite the packet saying 7 - 21. I hadn't looked at them since sowing so they are somewhat straggly but should be OK , I have more to sow if I need to. I am thinking I may start a few tomatoes ....now sown half the packet of Thompson & Morgan - Ildi


The livestock are all well ...touch wood. On Sunday I had two eggs from the hens, so they seem to be coming back into lay. They are rather put out at the moment and are letting me and the neighbours know that in no uncertain terms are they happy with the new impostors - two rather lovely cream legbar pullets I bought yesterday. My family laughed at me as the idea was to buy some laying hens to help boost the egg supply. It will be at least eight weeks if not more before these come into lay ...oh well.



Cream Legbar pullets approx 12 weeks.


































The geese ....well where do I start. Rex, one of last years goslings is now officially Rexy as she (we think it's her, yes it is ) has laid two soft shelled eggs and has attempted to build a nest, she is also plucking her breast feathers out. However she remains friendly with the sheep, following them everywhere while the other gosling, Bronte ( almost certainly a gander ) has teamed up with the already established pair in the paddock to form a rather odd trio. As for the Orchard geese well they just carry on as they wish to, choosing to lay their eggs anywhere other than the shelters I have provided for them.


The sheep seem happy.

Geese

Decision time: I have only half heartily tried to sell my geese and as time goes on I'm not sure which to sell. I keep finding reasons why they can't go. First one of the Orchard geese was laying soft shelled eggs...well you can't sell a goose like that can you ? That is now sorted, I think it was just the young one getting into the swing of egg laying. Then the Paddock goose was lame ( just for a day ) .... well you can't sell a lame goose can you, now she is fine. The two young ganders have lost a few tail feathers....well you can't sell them not looking their best can you, people will think you don't take good care of them...they will grow back just the result of a few squabbles. No more excuses.....but they are no trouble and don't eat that much grass !!

Oh another reason... we now think the young gander in the centre of the photo maybe a goose. I think we will have to wait to see if she lays before we make any rash decisions on getting rid of any!!


Top photo: The Orchard Geese.Foreground the older goose, center gander, background May 08 hatched goose. ( The photo makes them look somewhat squat)

Second photo: The Paddock geese. Foreground the two May 08 hatched ganders.Background original pair, left gander, right goose.

Chicken watching

Back to beautiful weather again, a frosty start and then sunshine, although the mist has just begun to roll in along the valley. I 'm not very motivated on dull, drizzly days like we have had this week.

Not that I have achieved much today, I have 'wasted' the day chicken watching ! All four hens are now looking as if though they should be in lay having really coloured up over the past few days. All three Sussex have been in and out of the house this week but haven't laid. Today I am not sure what they have been up to, one would go in then another, then the first would come out and the third go in. At one stage all three were in together for quite sometime, leaving the poor Black rock wondering where everyone had gone.Eventually just Peggy was in the house and after an age she came out having finally laid a rather small ,OK medium size, tinted egg. ( It's just I am used to large goose eggs ) As soon as she came out Splash went in and was in there for equally as long as Peggy. After she had been out for awhile I confidently went to collect the second egg....nothing.Oh well maybe tomorrow.

A Nothing Day

Today's been a nothing much doing day. It has been drizzling , or as a child I minded used to say 'dripping' all day, so nothing other than the usual daily jobs got done.

My Aunt who is 81 years old called in to drop off some plants for me this morning. In less than 2 weeks time she is off to New Zealand for 3 months to visit her sister.She is quite amazing, lives by herself, tends her garden which puts mine to shame and until a few months ago cooked lunches weekly for the 'old people' in the village and made regular visits to her elderly Aunts !!

Her sister in New Zealand is equally remarkable, running a small holding by herself at the age of 73. My daughter describes her as in her 70s, looks 50 and behaves like she is 30 !!

Mind you my mother is just the same.....how come then I feel so achy and old !!

Roll Call

The Geriatric Gang now have individual names - for identification purposes only, nothing profound. Photographing them proved to be difficult as they kept coming too close to the camera, hoping for food.




Splash - ( so called because she has black specks on her back as if though she has been splashed with black paint )




Peggy - she's is the sweetest of them all, she walks with an unusual gait as she is unable to curl her toes.

Mona - she is the nosiest of all, always complaining about something.

Blackie - for obvious reasons.

Dawn Chorus

I woke earlier than usual this morning, so made myself a cup of coffee and sat in the sitting room with the windows open watching the light creep in and listening to the dawn chorus. First was the blackbird sitting in next door's flowering currant and the robin just outside the window in the old holly tree, with the occasional, less than tuneful, shout from the cock pheasant in the bottom field by the stream.Followed shortly by the song thrush, a couple of gardens away and the wood pigeons in the trees opposite. Somewhere close by the dunnock and wren. Before long my head was bursting with the sound of bird song and I struggled to identify the smaller birds individually. By now it was 6.30 and almost full light, the occasional car was passing disturbing the peace, my husband was awake and moving around and the radio alarm in my son's room went off. It was time to start the day.

Bees

My eldest son is going to start keeping bees. Probably not the best time to start, bee keeping is going through a hard time just now with many keepers having complete hives inexplicably die, but it is something he has wanted to do for several years. After much research, reading and talking with established keepers we, sorry he !, ( it's just I'm quite excited but must remember it's not my project.) is going to start this year.

Today all the equipment arrived. It is recommended that you always have a spare empty hive and he plans to build the second himself, so bought the hive flat packed, with the thought that if he puts one together he would understand better how to build one.

The hives are going to be placed in a fenced off corner of the paddock, next weekend's work.

All we, sorry he, needs now are the bees.

Typical

Another lovely day, all in all a good weekend, not too busy but jobs done. Typically after adding another nesting shelter to the Orchard geese yesterday, they have decided to build their own, outside in the most awkward and scruffiest part of the orchard.

Leaving the Paddock geese out last night was a mistake. This morning the poor goose was lame. It might be a coincidence, they do seem to have the odd day when they limp a bit but this appears to be more serious. I have a feeling she may have been caught in the cross fire during a take over bid between the older gander and one of the young pretenders. She spent most of the day sitting ( never a good sign ) and when we went to shut them in she was already in her house. We will wait and see what the next few days bring.

The hens spent the day pacing the wire ever hopeful for any offerings thrown their way, as my husband finished the last bit of digging...hurray!! Still much work to do before planting; raking, levelling, composting etc. but the hard work has been done.

I divided and transplanted some snowdrops, they prefer to be moved 'in the green' , did some weeding and sowed the sweet peas.

Tabatha one of our cats has been under my feet the whole day. For the past week she has been on antibiotics and to encourage her to eat them I have been adding the tablets to a small amount of tuna, twice a day. Now that she has finished them she is back to the usual cat food and is not at all impressed.

Sowing Diary

At last I can start my seed diary...I couldn't wait any longer !! It is a very tentative start ( I have too many people telling me it's too early) .

So far all I have planted are ( Marshalls )Broad Bean - Jubilee Hysor 3110. I planted 36 seeds, half the packet, in seed trays of John Innes soil based seed compost. The other half of the packet we will plant direct into the ground in a few weeks time and compare the two. I have placed the trays in the greenhouse as they shouldn't need any warmth to germinate.

I have also put 2 types of sweet pea seeds soaking in warm water and will sow them tomorrow. I am trying hanging basket sweet peas for the first time this year -( Thompson & Morgan ) Sugar 'n' Spice and then the more traditional climber - Antique Fantasy mixed . I will sow three seeds to each 3in pot and keep them in the dining room as they need a higher temperature to germinate. Again I will keep back half the packet of each type of seed in case any fail.

Other than that we have done the usual weekend sort out of livestock. We have put an extra shelter in with the orchard geese for nesting in and have decided to take a chance on leaving the geese out over night as we are totally confused as to who has paired up with who. This morning I found two soft shelled goose eggs laid out in the open which has also confused me ...so far from the orchard geese I have had 5 soft shelled eggs and 2 'normal' eggs. I had assumed the soft shelled were from last year's gosling and the other two from the older goose, now I don't know! If both are laying soft shelled eggs that's not good. They have oyster shell and grit readily available and are fed a good proprietary goose feed. They also both seem perfectly well. I did read that they need Vit.D to convert calcium in the body and cod liver oil was recommended.If they don't improve I will give it a go.

We have also raked over the freshly dug part of the garden which was pleasingly and surprisingly drier than we expected, now hopefully tomorrow we will be able to dig the remainder.

My husband is continuing to fit out the interior of the shed.

All in all not a bad day, quite easy going but a few things achieved.

Patience

I am itching to get started on sowing seeds, but I think it is still a little too early. The ground won't be ready for quite awhile and the metcheck forecast is for yet another snowy spell the week after next.

I haven't really got anywhere in this house for rows of seed trays. In our previous two houses we had wide windowsills and front porches.We did have a rather dilapidated lean-to sun room type of thing when we first moved here which was ideal for seed trays and tomatoes, but for safety reasons it was demolished and as yet hasn't been replaced.

I have read and re-read the backs of the seed packets, hoping maybe I had misread the sowing time or recommended temperatures, but no. I guess I will just have to be patient....I could try just a few maybe, just to see !!

At last

At last the mornings appear to be getting lighter. The evenings have been notably lighter for a good few weeks now, in fact since I first began this blog back in January the hens have extended their bedtime by a good hour. However the mornings have remained dark, admittedly the appalling weather hasn't helped but this morning it was light by 6.30 am. It was a lovely morning very frosty again ( but no frozen taps), the moon was low and huge and the colours of the sky on the horizon were fantastic, I just wished I had remembered my camera.Unfortunately the rest of the day didn't live up to it's promising start, grey, cold and dull.

Kiwi, the borrowed lamb, is settling in well. She is gradually leaving Annie's side to venture a little on her own. Now whether this is increased confidence or the fact that she has received a few head butts from Annie I don't know. She is quite a spirited little thing and stands her ground when approached by the geese and also manages to get her fair share of the food when Annie is fed.

Both of the orchard geese are now laying and I don't think it will be long before the paddock goose starts, her keel is so close to the ground now it is almost touching. Also when she is let out first thing she heads straight for the hedge bank to find shell and grit, even though I do provide her with both. It is something she has done every season and a definite sign of her coming into lay. Maybe this year she'll 'do it by the book' and lay on Valentines Day.

( Maybe the mornings aren't that light yet !! Annie with Kiwi 13.02.09 )

A Promise of things to come

Yet another lovely day, a frosty start and then sunshine.

I have been playing with my camera ( but have been struggling to get the photos where I would like them on this page.) as the idea of this blog was to keep a record of the progress, successes and failures of the coming year with the garden and livestock. Although so far most of my postings seem to center on the weather.











The only vegetables we have started to get ready for the new veg. patch are the first and second early potatoes. Swift and Charlotte. We have been chitting them on the attic window sill and the Swift are showing some nice sturdy shoots, the Charlotte are a little more sporadic.

It is clear from the photo that we still have much work and preparation to do to the veg. patch before it will be ready for planting. At Christmas we were able to make a good start but since then the weather has held us back.This is one of the reasons why I haven't yet sown any seeds.

What a difference a day makes !

The title says it all really, after last night's flooding today has been lovely, just what the hens ordered - blue sky and sunshine and just a little breeze with a slight nip in the air. I now have happy hens.

There have been a few showers this afternoon and the ground is still very soggy but filling the greenhouse with newly sown seeds now seems a possibility and I am eager to get started.
The first and so far only plant to occupy the newly erected greenhouse is a cranberry plant waiting for the ground to dry and the weather to improve.The cranberry plant is part of my husband's rather ambitious plan to provide as much homegrown produce as possible for Christmas.


( One lonely cranberry plant... soon I'll be wishing I had more space.)

Winter Storm

On the Country File weather forecast yesterday we were told to expect a winter storm, torrential rain and gales. Most of yesterday, all night and through out today it has rain but not been too windy, I thought we had been lucky and escaped the worst of it but no it is still to come ! In the last 24 hours we have had 46.1 mm of rain. That doesn't sound much, but with the ground already waterlogged there is nowhere for the water to go, also we are expecting high tides. Much of the lower part of the town is already flooded as are many of the side roads and fields. A couple of hedgerow banks have collapsed and roads are impassable.

The sheep are more than content to stay in the stable and munch on hay, as long as it doesn't get too windy the geese are also fine, but the poor old hens are really suffering this winter. They hated the cold frozen ground, they dislike all this rain and wind. I have tried to make it as comfortable as I can for them, they have places to shelter from the rain, food available all day and a separate coop full of straw where they spend most of the day huddled together but all they really want is a calm, sunny day.

I think we are all wishing for that now.

Annie's companions

Annie has been a lot calmer than I expected after being left on her own after Whitestripe's death. On the first day we moved her into the paddock with the geese. She immediately paired up with one of the goslings from last year who has been left, slightly, on the sidelines by the other three geese. It was quite strange but rather sweet to see. They grazed together side by side and lay together to rest. ( I tried to get a photo but typically my camera batteries ran flat.)

Yesterday we introduced her to Kiwi ( as in the All Blacks ) a ewe lamb from last year.We have nicknamed Kiwi Shadow, as right from the start she followed Annie around, not leaving her side once, much to Annie's annoyance.The expression on her face seems to be one of 'just give me some space ! '

Kiwi, all being well, will remain with Annie until Annie gives birth. She will then return to her flock, hopefully tamer. It always helps to have a couple of friendly sheep in a flock as it makes any interaction with them so much easier.

It's not the same without Whitestripe, but I do feel all will turn out well.

Enough's enough !

I have had enough now. Today has been miserable, I know we have been lucky and not had the disruption and inconvenience that many have suffered, but I am fed up with it being so wet, slushy underfoot, with the wind being so cold and everything being frozen. The poor animals are sulking, there is far too much mud, indoors and outdoors, my husband is restricted in his work, we need sun !!

Still all this is nothing compared to those who have been without electricity, those who have been unable to get out and those stuck in their cars overnight at Haldon Hill. One poor lady was stranded in her car with her two young children, both who were unwell. Another gave birth to twins whilst stranded !!!

What's a bit of mud, after all ?

First goose egg

This morning as I let the 'orchard' geese out I noticed an egg on the floor of the house. I am almost certain it is from last year's gosling, as it was soft shelled (despite oyster shell and grit being readily available) and there was no attempt of a nest being built. She is a good 2 or 3 weeks ahead of the older two's usual date for laying. Hopefully she will get the 'hang of it' and build herself a nice comfy nest to lay in.She was suppose to be going to a new home - maybe tempted to keep her now.

Annie was a lot more settled this morning than I had expected her to be. She had obviously spent some of the night in the stable.The weather last night was dreadful and she had eaten a fair amount of hay.This morning I started her step feed, which she readily accepted, but then she never was one to turn down food!

I have moved her into the paddock with the geese and have moved the orchard geese into the fowl run for a few days to tidy and clean up the grass. The fowl run will then be left empty until the end of March, by which time some grass should have grown, in readiness for Annie to lamb.

On Saturday we will collect a ewe lamb from last year to keep her company until her own are born and then if we are lucky she will produce a ewe lamb of her own which we will keep on.




Rosie : One of Annie's twins from 2008

Livestock - Deadstock

'Where there is livestock, there is deadstock' so the saying goes and it is true but non the less sad.

Today I had my sheep shot.We had done all we could for her and last night she took a turn for the worst.

She had been staying at a friend's smallholding to run with her ram and unfortunately picked up liver fluke.We hoped we had treated it in time and moved her back onto my land which is free draining, gave her extra food, multi vits. took blood test and gave her plenty of tlc. but she was struggling and it wasn't fair.

It's strange we rear animals for meat and when their time comes we know we have cared for them, given them a good life and that's fine but when an animal goes before it's time and when it's death could have been avoided it's difficult.

I was very impressed with the knacker man's approach to my sheep, he was calm and gentle with her, talking quietly to her the whole time.

We asked him to examine her and unfortunately her liver had been badly damaged, sadly she was also carrying twin ewe lambs.

Now our focus must be on the remaining sheep...Annie. She needs company as soon as possible. So we will get her another sheep at the weekend, sooner if she is looking at all stressed.

She is a picture of health, hopefully she will remain so and produce healthy twins in eight weeks time.
















Photos:
Whitestripe and her twin rams lambs April 2008


Below:
Whitestripe when she came to us Easter 2006

Snow and livestock

This morning we had the covering of snow that we were expecting. I had woken at three concerned for our very poorly old cat that I can't help worrying about and heard the icy snow against the windows. When I looked outside the ground was already blanketed in snow. For a moment I felt the excitement I did as a child....then I worried about the sheep, the frozen water supply and hoping the said cat didn't decide to venture outside.

Just before seven we headed out to see to the sheep and geese, they are kept about two miles from home.The road from home to the main road was unsalted and slippery to say the least.When we got to the village we were unable to get the car up the lane so had to leave it in the car park and walk the short distance.

The water buckets and ponds were absolutely solid - again, but we made sure all had water, unfortunately there was no way the geese were going to be able to have their ponds defrosted and refilled.

Whitestripe did make an effort to eat some oats though which was really good (and she had more this evening).

When I got home I let the chickens out.The first came barging out as usual, the second made a cartoon stop half way down the ramp on seeing 'the white stuff ' but fell off and decided as she was out she may as well stay, the other two took one look at the snow and made a joint decision to stay in the house until the grass was green again!

It has snowed on and off all day and I think we are in for more of the same over the next couple of days...how I long for a day when the outside taps are no longer frozen and the alternative isn't rain.

No snow - no water

As expected...(in fairness) also as forecast we missed the snow, but woke instead to yet another bitterly cold morning with all the taps, water buckets and ponds frozen - even the tap and auto drinker in the stable. We finally managed to break the ice and refill some of the buckets, so all the livestock had at least some water.This procedure was repeated at lunch time and again just now, another check will be made later.

Despite the cold it has been quite sunny.The dog managed to find a small patch of warmth from the sun shining through the sitting room window to sleep in, only to be rudely woken by the cat swiping his nose and stealing his place in the sun.

The hens are happier now the wind has dropped, but it has been four days since they have laid. I really must start looking around for some POL.

I am still not happy with one of my sheep, she is thin and not interested in concentrates and just not herself. She is eating plenty of hay, what grass there is and plants from the hedgerow, she is also drinking well but she's not right. I have spoken to my vet friend again, we are going to give her a long term (5 day) antibiotic injection and muti vit.jab x 2 and try her on oats. Later we will try her again with another fluke jab.....so much for as natural rearing as possible!
If she is in lamb they are due in just over 8 weeks, I am really hoping she's not. The other is a picture of health, big, strong, greedy, feisty, everything you would look for in a sheep.Hopefully she will have big healthy twins, give birth by herself and be a brilliant mum, as last year.

Just need to get Whitestripe ( she was named by a five year old boy ) back to her usual self.

Biting winds ...snow forecast

Today has been bitter, the wind biting right through you.Wind is the worst weather for the livestock, they can cope with most weather conditions but seem to hate the wind, especially the geese.

The poor hens were being constantly battered and blown across the field until they admitted defeat and huddled together in the small ark I use for broodies.The sheep spent most of the day in the stable eating hay rather than venture outside for what meagre grass we have. Only my husband braved the cold and spent the afternoon installing his weather station onto the new shed. So now not only do I feel the cold, I know I'm cold because the little gadget in the kitchen tells me the up to date wind chill factor, along with the minimum temperature, the maximum, the wind speed and the amount of rain etc.etc. I'm not sure if it can measure the depth of snow we are forecast to have. Mind you living close to the coast we are more likely to have rain than snow..a shame really as the child in me still likes snow.

Week-end jobs

Yesterday we cut the last of the hedges, the one that borders the public footpath to the woods. It's good to know it's done for another year.The path, which is used regularly by dog walkers, is quite muddy.....now mud I don't mind, but dog mess I do!!

The hedge bank is showing the first signs of spring, snowdrops and violets are out and the daffodils are in bud. It's a shame the weather doesn't feel as spring like.

I also dug up the thistles in the paddock, any holes I filled with soil from the molehills, so two jobs tackled in one, well for the time being at least. It won't be long before both the thistles and moles are back.