A break in the clouds

Wet sheep, wet dogs, wet fields...and then, a wonderful break in the weather.  It might only be a short respite, but it's a welcome one.  On the house front, we now have concrete in the bottom of our foundations and Mark the builder has started to brick up.  I expressed a hope that someone would move the big piles of rock that are currently obscuring the view - Ian says I am being impatient, and that instant gratification is not quick enough for me, and I have to sit in a darkened room for the next six months.

Ian M assessing progress.

View of snow-capped Dartmoor from the top of the garden.

Inside the sheds, the cattle steam away in the cold air, and the little calves snuggle together.

"Help, I'm evaporating!"

Wake me when the cake arrives.

Most of the sheep are now inside, having been scanned last week.  The weekend saw a lot of sorting going on - early lambers to go to the other farm, triples and those needing a bit more feed in one shed, doubles in another, singles and very late lambers back into the fields for a while longer, until space becomes available.

Girls in the race.  "I've got three in me!"

"Bye...see you in April."

Rob helped me put up some nest boxes for sparrows, with the intention of enticing a colony to make their home inside the sheds.  A day later, a pair was taking hay and fleece into one of the holes - if you build it, they will come!

The weather moves back in.

I most emphatically did NOT roll in any mud!

News from the mud patch

Wintering farming trundles on, with cold hands and an even colder bum where Sonny sloshes water all over the seat of the bike as he excitedly jumps on and off at every gate, making sure he visits each puddle and rut en route.  Now we are taking hay out to the sheep, there's not a lot of room for him...but where there's a will, there's a way...

Sonny - determined not to be left behind.

Meanwhile all of the cattle are inside, and Ian M scrapes up dung twice a week, then straws up the pens.  The little calves love "Straw Day", and soon settle down for a nice snug nap...

Despite the dreck weather, there has been some progress on the house build - not much, but at least we now have a gate and part of a driveway...

To bide the time, we've been taking tree moots and nice chunks from Ann's garden (as she is moving too), and have started a rock garden - it may be the only patch of cultivation we have for a while in a sea of mud.

It's just a start...watch this space (our very own henge).

Of course we brought Buddha with us...

...but are not adverse to a little paganism from time to time.

Most unimpressed.  "What about our walk, dude?"

This year, hedge planting instead of laying

While normal people toasted their toes by a roaring fire at home, we decided that the best time to set new hedges was while it was heaving down during a gale.  Having bought 300+ plants, we wanted to get them into the banks as soon as possible, and long before any cold snap.  It turned out fine, because after the first 50 or so we lost all feeling in our hands anyway, so it really didn't matter how cold and wet it was.

The new top hedge, to be left to grow into decent-sized trees.

The new field-side hedge.

All species were native, and a good mix of food for birds, food for us, foliage and flowers, including hazel, field maple, bird cherry, wild cherry, cherry plum, damson, rowan, hawthorn, blackthorn, spindle, guelder rose, wild briar, wayfarer, beech, copper beech, elder and more.

But it has not all been work - we found an afternoon to go for a hack across Exmoor...

My new mate Smartie (we eventually came to an understanding of sorts...)

...and, despite the howling winds, a group of hoodies went to the Cornwall coast for the weekend:

Simon, Cathy and I brave the elements.

A big hole!

Look what happens when I go away for a couple of weeks and leave Ian M in charge without supervision...yes, we actually make progress.

 Rob thinks this is where our guest room will be - however, he's probably got one foot in the toilet.

Ain't nothin to do with me, gov...the 'ole was dug already when I got 'ere.

 One day this expanse of mud will be a lush garden...but don't hold your breath.

There's even the beginnings of a driveway.

Ian and Rob set up the stock deterrent.

 And farming goes on as normal, feeding straw (and Rob?) to the hungry cattle.

The Naming of Calves

After a lovely blog from Musings of A Suburban Homeboy on the naming of dogs, in memory of our dear Fred who unexpectedly died on the 18th, something on the naming of calves...

Freddy Dingo - missing you old friend

We have started a new venture - raising calves!  Bought in from the stock market, they are all boys taken from dairy cow mothers to be raised by hand - initially on milk, and then onto calf cake.  It started quietly - Colin the Calf (a Friesian) arrived and took up residence, sucking milk directly out of the bucket in almost a single mega-suck.  The next day, he was joined by two Friesian/Belgian blue crosses - who of course had to have French names - Jean-Marc and Pierre.

The trickle turned into a flow - with three more Friesians (me being a Gleek, they were named Sam, Finn and Puck) and three more crosses, with the Belgian theme leading to Tintin, Snowy and Haddock.  Finally, an assortment - the very English Hereford cross George, a Charolais cross Barney, and a couple of Simental crosses, Wolfgang and Snout (guess which one has the dark face with a very white nose...)

The very handsome Wolfie

Once they get used to using a bottle or the multi-teated hanging feeder, there is no stopping them.  Despite being the smallest, Pierre has worked out that if he puts his head under the neck of the next chap along the line, and pushes up, he can sneak in and steal more tucker - vigilance is required constantly!

Finn, Sam, Haddock, Puck and Snowy make the most of feeding time

Of course, the milk allowance is regulated to avoid adverse back-end issues, but fingers are also very tasty...

I came out clean this morning...

Just up the slope from the sheds, where the thirteen boys are settling in, there is to be a change - we finally have planning permission to build a bungalow by the sheds and a big hole is about to be dug...although we may end up living in the hole itself if we don't manage to sell our house to raise the money for walls, ceilings and a roof!

The scene of future construction...

...it's all about the view!