“The autumnal feel continues – some leaves are changing and the hedgerows are red and orange with berries. We’ve had a lot of rain – apparently this has been the wettest summer for 100 years. I can well believe it. Even though we are close to the river, our land is quite free draining, but even so the pigpen resembles a battlefield. Given the change in the weather, it’s time to make some chutney! My favourite recipe is Old Dowerhouse, from Delia. Since it uses Victoria plums, cooking apples and green tomatoes, it fits perfectly with our produce. I’ve made about 12lb, which will be enough to last all year. I suspect that I will also be making green tomato chutney some time soon.

I still haven’t managed to get any bedding plants, but I’ll make the effort this week. I love pansies and primula and wallflower. Oh, and grape hyacinths. I did sow some salad leaves, herbs and spring onions, plus some corn salad outside. The salad leaves are in the greenhouse and coming away fine and the basil and coriander are starting to sprout, in pots on the kitchen windowsill. No sign of the parsley yet, though.

The new lambs are doing well. They do keep together, but once they have had their vaccination for Blue Tongue, which will be sometime at the weekend, I think, the ewe lambs will be going in with the ewes, while Bud and Dickie stay in the orchard. We don’t want any accidents!

We moved the ewes over into the field across the road on Friday and this time they have stayed put. I think they were a bit bemused by the space and I don’t think they have been more than half way up it yet.

One of the outputs from sheep is wool. Almost all sheep need to be shorn once a year, usually in early summer. Each ewe yields about 3-4kg of wool; because my ewes are coloured, I would get literally pennies from the Wool Marketing Board. Last year, I had one fleece professionally hand spun, but it cost quite a lot of money. Some folk use the fleece to line hanging baskets or to provide footing in gateways, but that seems like a bit of a waste. So last Christmas, I gave my father-in-law a raw fleece (cheapskate, I hear you say). He has now mastered the basics of spinning and my mother-in-law has dusted off her knitting needles, last seen when my OH was in short trousers. Now we all have “slocks”. I have a pink pair with bows, made from Shetland wool; our daughter also has a pink pair and Dan has a pair made from our own Ryeland wool. “Slocks” are a cross between slippers and socks – hand knitted and felted, they are really comfy and cosy. And because they have no hard sole, you aren’t tempted to wear them outside.

The kittens continue to thrive. They are so funny and their antics keep us much amused. We can tell the difference all the time if they are together and most of the time if only one is around. They don’t seem to mind the rain and are quite happy playing outside even if it is wet. Which, given the summer we’ve had, is just as well.”