Rain stopped play

Sheep

The sheep might be regretting the loss of their fleece as it has been cold and damp. However, they don't seem to be distressed and have spent their day in the big field eating and ruminating.

Poultry

Eggs Today :6

The hens have looked bedraggled all day. The girl with the prolapse seems better with no scouring and a less of a prolapse.

Bees

A quiet day for the bees, we will need to check sooner (if this rain persists) if they need further feeding.

Weather

A pleasant start to the day, warm and dry with a light breeze and cloudy skies. Unfortunately this was a false start and by mid-morning the skies were grey and there was constant drizzle. This grey, wet theme continued for the rest of the day

This was perhaps the wrong setting to receive the letter saying our Solar Panels were now set up to receive the Feed-In-Tariff. When opening the letter we were generating only 368 watts under the weak and insipid sky. (However, since they have been installed we have generated a total of  1134kWh in about three months)

There was a temporary break in the rain, not exactly stopped but no longer annoying, when we were able to get the birch tree further logged. It has contributed well to the winter's fuel

Vegetables

The cold drink make from sticky willy tasted exactly as one might have imagined water infused with weed extract might taste. It tasted slightly of pea (The legume, that is).
It is no surprise there is no large scale commercial enterprise using this recipe.

Hedgerows

The main flowers in the hedgerows just now are wild honeysuckle, foxgloves and dog roses of various colours.

25th June 2012

Weather

This has been a very pleasant day. Mostly sunny with reasonable cloud and a gentle breeze. It never rained and was warm throughout.

Vegetables

The biggest problem we have had with weeds has been Galium Aparine or sticky willy. The onion and garlic beds were awash with it. This grows so well it covers the other plants blocking their light and throttling their growth. However, I have discovered that it may have uses. In addition to being able to be made into tea or coffee (as can anything; as long as you don't want a pleasant refreshing beverage) it is also edible - not in the raw state as the hairs, or velcro, are mechanically unpleasant in the mouth. The leaves, not the stalks, are cooked like spinach. We will try this tomorrow.

It can also be used to make a soft drink which is meant to be good for the skin. I have started an infusion and will report how it works (If I haven't got a job as a model with my beautiful skin).

The first earlies are ready and we have taken enough potatoes for tonight's tea. The peas and beans have come on well and will be ready to pick soon.

It seems that the strawberries were ready in our absence, our grandson informs us that they were nice.

Poultry

All the hens remain well barring the one with a prolapse. This seems less prominent and the others have not paid her any attention. We tried reducing it again and they have already been wormed with Flubivet.




8 eggs today, all quite large.




Ducklings will probably be ready this week.

Sheep

All seem well and continue to look better in their short coats. It is harder to tell the ram from the ewes at a distance, anything over 15 yards and we find that moving testicles are hard to discern.

Bees

The bees had wolfed down their syrup. The litre of syrup they had last week was completely gone. I have given them a layer of supers and will check them again at the weekend to see how they are getting on.

Visitors

There were no new birds to report this week, the same old tits, woodpeckers, heron and siskins. Wood wasps are around and quite large and vicious looking, however, what appears as a sting is the ovipositor and these are in fact harmless horntails.