HOLIDAYS!

During the holidays we still have all the animals to look after and lots of produce to pick and sell in our veg boxes!

sorry about these...can't get them to stand upright!

These are beautiful aubergine plants...sideways!

The shade area we made for Hazel to wallow in without
getting sun burnt!

Hazel resting before farrowing!

Hazel has just farrowed - she had 7 lovely piglets - they have been loving the sunshine, but now it's raining we will make sure the heat lamp is on to keep them warm

We have had two more lots of chicks hatch from our lovely dutch bantams, but sadly both our cockerels died during the last month.

The veg garden is brimming with produce; and we have now managed to keep the slugs at bay with copper tape round plastic bottles for the french beans - we have also been going out at night just before it's dark, rounding up the horrid blighters and putting them in buckets with salt and water.....not very kind, but essential as we have been over run with them!

The tomatoes in the poly tunnel are growing well, as are our cucumbers - we should have a bounty of them for September, when the students come back.


This warm wet weather has been a struggle to keep all the livestock healthy,,,,we have suffered with the poultry having lice and mites; cleaning out their housing religiously two or three times a week
And the sheep - a couple of our lambs have been 'fly struck'.....not a pleasant sight - but we have sprayed them both, and brought one back up to the care farm, where we can keep an eye on her, and give her some tlc!

Gerry and Kate have been running school activities over the past week and have 3 more days left this week - we have lots of school age children attending sessions to learn all about farming, and growing produce.  They have a wonderful time; and for some it's the only chance they have to be in this environment.