END OF TERM

I know......it's rather a long time since my last blog!   Lots has happened in between!

On the way back from picking up Ella we stopped at Gavin Davidson's near Huntley to re-stock our poultry.  We bought Black Rocks, White Stars, Lavenders and Speckledys - 10 in total.  They are 'point of lay' pullets, and we had two eggs by the time we got home!   They have settled in really well with our other hens, and are now laying about 5 small eggs each day between them.   The weather hasn't helped, being so hot (we love it though!)

The piglets were weaned at 8 weeks, and we sold 6 of them last weekend to a friend and local farmer at Whittington.  They are really happy with them;  hopefully we will get a photo soon.  They all loaded easily,(i grabbed them and passed them over....some of them weigh nearly 20 kgs i reckon!)  and looked fantastic - the students had done a really good job looking after them.

We have kept 2 gilts for breeding,  and 4 boars for meat at Christmas (bacon and ham)

Ella and i found 4 Khaki Campbell ducklings for sale last week, and went to Bisley to buy them, to hopefully boost our duck egg laying potential.

Nationwide Building Society have done a great job putting in a pond in the duck pen, and it gives them more room to splash about.

Nationwide volunteers weeding
the bank

more volunteers digging the pond

We had a great last day; giving the students their certificates and photographs, and a delicious lunch - slow cooked gammon from our Oxford Sandy & Blacks, and lovely salads from our volunteers.

very happy ducks!

We start again on 8 September; meanwhile we are picking madly each week for the Friday market, with volunteer help.  The runner beans have just started, and we had a huge crop of Pink Fur Apple Potatoes too!