sheep sheared, before and after

breakfast barbecue

Yesterday, we got up and hit the beach nice and early. There were very few people about, which, in my opinion, makes beaches so much nicer.
We lit the bucket barbecue, and whist that was heating up, had a little wander, collected a few bits of driftwood and shells, then cooked breakfast, barbecued sausage and bacon, and fried eggs, then washed down with freshly brewed coffee, also made on the bucket. (don’t home grown eggs look so lovely and orange!)

Blissful.
By the time people were arriving with their tents and beach paraphernalia, we had been there a couple of hours, and were ready to move on.
And we still had most of the day left at home.

sowing, planting and harvesting w/e 11/5

sowing:

courgette – in pots in propagator

runner beans – in modules in greenhouse

climbing French beans, Mantra – in modules in greenhouse

purple climbing French beans, cosse violette, in modules in greenhouse

squash, crown prince – in propagator in greenhouse

squash, sweet lightening – in propagator in greenhouse

pricking out:

kale

planting:

welsh onions

peas, early onward, 2nd succession, from trays into veg patch

harvesting:

leeks

shetland ewes

We have been going to auctions a lot lately.  Although we really have too many sheep at the moment – a situation made easier by our mutton wether spending the winter away keeping a ram company, we have been thinking of buying more sheep, with an eye on the future.

Our reasoning is this, we like mutton, and we like the idea of mutton too, a ewe or wether can be grass fed and have a few years of life, before making their way into the freezer. Sheep prices are fairly high at the moment, so buying lambs, or hoggs and growing them on is a good investment.  In addition, we like the idea of moving towards even softer wool, and smaller sheep, as the business of turning our mammoth sheep is back breaking. We have ummed and arred over what to get. We went to the livestock auction at Exeter a few times and tried to grasp the prices, what lots they were sold in etc, and got the hang of having a good feel and a look at their mouths.

And this weekend we went to a small holders auction, always a good way to look at more traditional breeds, and besides we need to keep our ear to the ground regarding prices. We knew there were going to be some Shetlands, and they are smaller and have good wool, so we thought it would be a good fact finding exercise. And we took the trailer.

Can you see where this is going…

but it is better to be prepared, imagine if we saw something that was just right but we were not prepared…. So a good look at the sheep, a nice chat with the man with the pigs, a word in the ear with the auctioneer over how the sheep were being sold, a lot of hands on feeling and looking in mouths (of sheep that is.. not the pig man or the auctioneer…) . And we came to the conclusion that, although we really liked the Sheltands as a breed, there was nothing right for us this time… we didn’t want a ram lamb, those others were too small etc… so the only pen of interest were the older ewes and we are not there to buy older animals. We said we would bail and be glad of what we had learned so far.

Then I made the next mistake.  I said ‘what if they are really cheap? Wouldn’t you kick yourself if they went really cheap?’

you can see where this is going..

So… we stood aside and conferred and came up with a ceiling that we felt was far too cheap and said we would bid up to that.  So we stayed and waited, and listened with interest as we moved as a crowd from pen to pen.  Then it was the ewes we were interested in.  I waited trying and failing to look poker faced, whilst the auctioneer brought the starting price down and down. Someone else started, and I waited, then made my bid. Back and forth it went, I have yet to master the subtle half wink, or twitch that the farmers at the big livestock market did, but my bidding still worked. and then finally with a slap of his notebook , the ewes were ours. Half the cheap price we set.

And then we said   ‘what have we done?’

But actually, once we had them home, a final inspection, a dose against worms a foot inspection and trim and himself was actually able to carry each one into their quarantine pen, and they had settled in, we like them. We liked them a lot.

I do wonder if they might be goats in disguise.. as they seem more interested in browsing than grazing.  Shetlands are supposed to do this. Then again this

might be to do with their age and teeth.  We shall see.  but yes.. we like them.

They don’t seem too flighty, are already thinking we are not all bad. This is not a bad or uneconomic way to find out how we get on with the breed. Given they are knocking on, I don’t know how long we shall keep them, but so far we like the breed.

We have two grey katmogets and a black one, and have given them the names Duchess, Dorian, and Doris.

sowing, planting and harvesting w/e 4/5

sowing:

patty pan squash, custard white – in pots in propagator

courgette – in pots in propagator

sweetcorn, minipop – in modules in greenhouse

sweetcorn, wagtail – in modules in greenhouse

runner beans – in modules in greenhouse

pricking out:

tomatoes, gardeners delight – how late is that? oops

PSB, rudolph – into modules

planting:

mange tout

harvesting:

leeks

rhubarb

first hatch

We had figured on our first hatch of the year being muscovy ducks. But the due date came and went.  It is a bit tricky to decide when they start sitting, as they seem to sit some of the time for a while before getting on with it properly. But we are a week over now.. and doubtful of a happy outcome now.  The problem is poor Chloe chose a really difficult time for her brood – she was laying the first of the eggs in the heat wave, and since then we have had all weathers thrown at us – and if the due date was right and it was last week, that was when the Westcountry had floods, the rain was a downpour, and maybe too much wet and cold got into the nest?  We did some egg post mortems – two were bad, and one had a fully formed duckling.  So.. we might have commited duckicide.. or it might have been doomed by the weather.  We are giving her a few more days.

In happier news, the first chick hatch of the year is here. After waiting and waiting for a broody, I finally gave in and set some eggs in the incubator, all from my blue marans crowd.

And just in the nick of time Ginger-Whitey became broody – I was dubious about trying to foster onto her as she had only been sitting tight four days when we slipped 15 chicks under her, but we used her as a broody last year, so I knew she was fairly reliable and  as soon as the first had rummaged under for the warmth, she was clucking at it and giving us a hard time for touching her chicks!. She has been out in today’s sunshine with them today, and they are adorable as always.

sowing, planting and harvesting w/e 27/4

sowing:

lettuce – in pots in greenhouse

kale – in pot in greenhouse

red onion – in pot in greenhouse

welsh onions – in pot in greenhouse

pricking out:

tomatoes, red cherry

planting:

broad beans

harvesting:

leeks