H&C

"It seems ages since I’ve written my blog – and that’s because it is! We’ve been on holiday and have tried to take advantage of the few good days we’ve had to get on with various jobs. The pigs have now gone – that’s always a bit of a watershed. The final trip was without incident; the carcases are now with the butcher and we’ll get our pork, bacon and sausages back next week. We’re really looking forward to it! I’m also looking forward to finding out how big and how fatty the pigs were. We had a lot of rain before they went and one pen is like the Somme. I’ve cleaned out the ark – you wouldn’t believe how much dried mud there was inside. I’ve also dressed the pens with calcified seaweed. Although the pigs add manure, it doesn’t contain a balance of nutrients for plant growth, so we’re trying calcified seaweed this year. It looked like sand. With the prospect of a few mild days, I’ve sown grazing rye, hoping that it will get away before the weather breaks. The Light Sussex have moved somewhat reluctantly into the big henhouse. Turns out one is a cockerel, which is a bit of a shame. They’re very tame – I can pick them up no problem. They are very tall and leggy compared to our other Light Sussex, who are chunkier, reminiscent of Lady Cluck, in Disney’s “Robin Hood”. Ruby, the “pet” hen, has been poorly but seems to be recovering after a few days TLC in the broody coop. Once again, I’ve cleaned it out and put it away for winter. Li’l Bud is now running with his ewes, with Dickie baa-ing encouragement from the sidelines. My chum’s tup is called Rambo and he’s been a bit quicker off the mark than Bud. I received a text saying “Rambo one, Bud nil”. I hope he works it out real soon! While we were on holiday, someone took our two black kittens away and left us two black cats – or so it seemed. They have grown but, after a visit to the vet on Thursday, they are both a little bit lighter. Neither seems affected by their experience. I was encouraged to find a dead rabbit on the doorstep – I’m so glad they couldn’t get it through the cat flap! It was quite a big rabbit, so I hope the kittens will be very busy come spring time."

“Well, the broody decided motherhood wasn’t for her and flew the coop; literally. So I’m back to cleaning it out for the winter and getting it on bricks on hard standing to protect the wood. We’ve moved the young Light Sussex into an ark, and the bachelor pad is also cleaned out for winter. All the laying hens are in the one house now and the Light Sussex will go in there in about six weeks, so they can keep each other warm. It also allows me to rest the other houses over winter, liberally sprinkled with louse and red mite powder. The vegetable garden is almost finished now. I picked the last of the runner beans, but they’re a bit coarse so the pigs and sheep can have them. I’ve been pickling beetroot as well. I’m pleased with them this year; we’ve had a good crop and even though some are very big, they aren’t at all woody. We’ve managed to eat a few sweetcorn cobs, which have been tasty but disappointing in terms of yield. Some vegetables will stay in the ground – parsnips, leeks, Savoy cabbage and sprouts. The cabbages look really good, touchwood. Li’l’ Bud and Dickie are going off to Fife this week. We thought Lucy was dead one morning; Dan went to feed the ewes and she was flat out. As he approached her she struggled up but seemed really disoriented and staggery. However, within a few minutes, she was fine and had her head in the trough, so we can only assume that she was deeply asleep. The kittens made their first kill this week – an earthworm. Maybe they didn’t kill it, but they left it in the hall for Dan to step on in bare feet, so it was definitely dead thereafter. They’ve grown a lot, or so Dan’s parents tell us. They haven’t seen them for two weeks, so notice the difference. The pigs go on 20th October, so I’ve cut their feed down a bit to reduce the fat on them. I would expect to be able to feel the spine if I press fairly firmly on the back; if I can’t, they are probably a bit fat. Of course, I don’t want them too thin either, since it’s the fat that gives the meat its great flavour. The seed catalogues have started arriving, so that’s my bedtime reading at the moment. There are just so many varieties, each better than the last – and I’m an advertiser’s dream. Every year I say that I’m going to simplify what we grow, then the catalogues come in and I’m seduced by the claims for this variety or the next. However, at the moment, my resolve is holding firm. We’ve grown Desiree for a number of years, but it’s badly affected by scab. It doesn’t affect the cooking and eating qualities, but scabby potatoes don’t store well. For next year, I’ll be looking for a scab resistant variety, probably Druid. We grew some this year, and it’s a nice flavour too. This has put me in the mood – off for a quick browse now!”