Midsummer mudness

Here on the farm we're approaching Midsummer - up to our ears in mud, cold, wet and with only dim and distant memories of any sighting of the sun.  Personally I blame the sheep (mind you it's always easy to blame them), we had one day of warm weather and they all started complaining about the heat.  The shearer was called and spent the afternoon giving a short back and sides to 61 ewes and the ram, and I think that was the last warm day we had... 




It's always a noisy affair as the lambs try to recognise their mothers without their winter coats, but they seem to have worked it our now and all is peaceful out in the sheep field.






The same week was also one of national celebrations - the Queen's Jubilee apparently.  As Wick Court has strong links with the first Queen Elizabeth it seemed only fitting to celebrate with the second.  Several old bed sheets were cut into triangles and printed red, white and blue to make yards and yards of patriotic bunting then strung around the courtyard for a special "street" party where the queen herself popped in to help serve tea...... 




And down in the orchard there is another queen -  a hive of honeybees has been re-located  to Wick Court and when the sun does appear the flowers and trees are literally buzzing with them.  There are regular visits from beekeepers looking more like spacemen in their strange protective suits. 




The horses keep a wary eye on the hives from a safe distance.  Word is that there are good honey stores and the Queen seems to be keeping her colony well-focussed.  As well as the honey of course the bees should help with all the fruit and vegetable production as they go about their vital task of pollinating in the orchards and kitchen gardens.





I have heard that the male bees - the drones - have only one job in life - to mate with the queen. I was interested to find out more about their lifestyle as it sounded as if we have a lot in common.  However I discovered that drones which mate successfully automatically die and any others are evicted from the hive at the end of each summer, maybe not so like that of a boar after all.....

Dudley

A Pig in a Poke

New Year, New Blog and lots of News! Dudley here, Duroc boar, gentleman pig, mating partner for six sows and father of many. It's a responsible and busy job, but all in all not a bad one.






Well it was pigs that hit the headlines this week...it all started when the builders stripped the tiles off the barn roof to mend the timbers.








Unfortunately we had a rainstorm overnight and water got into the barn and tripped off the electrics which would have been fine but it meant the electric fence went off. Those of us fast asleep in our sheds and pig sties knew no different but out in the pig paddock Valentine noticed the fence was no longer clicking and decided to walk over it and go for a stroll....unfortunately she strolled down the bank and ended up in the moat! She was so far in behind a wall of brambles it took the farmers quite a while to find her once she had missed her breakfast.



When she was found she was up to her shoulders in mud and completely stuck. It took a lot of pushing and pulling and wallowing around in mud and icy water to get some feed sacks under her rather large belly (she is in pig) and then she was hoisted out, not very elegantly, with the tractor.





However once back on dry land, washed off with warm water and a few hundred thorns removed, she went straight to bed and seems to have had no ill effects from her adventure, she's one tough lady that one.


















I have to say I'm glad to back in my own shed - I moved out for a while over Christmas - because in the corner where I was quartered there are the noisiest pigs I have ever met. Nora and Dora, daughters of Doris and BJ, the boar before me. Every time anyone walks anywhere near their pen they start screaming, whether it's feeding time or not.




Next door they now have my last 7 boar piglets and they've now started to join in too - trying to do anything in that part of the yard is like being tortured. Nora and Dora are next on the mating list - I'm dreading it, do you think they make ear defenders for pigs?








Things are a bit quieter in the back yard, the first group of ewes have come in and there are two who have given birth, one set of triplets and one very big singleton who needed a helping hand to make it into the world. All are now doing well.








There are plenty of otherewes waiting in the maternity wing so I think it'll be a lot noisier around that side of the farm before long.








Back in the front yard I have some new neighbours - and they are delightfully quiet, well-mannered and no trouble at all. Two Gloucester cows, distantly related to those historically linked with the farm, have moved in. One, Adel, is in calf but Amberley is barren so just here for the company. Apparently the plan is to build up a small breeding herd, back in their rightful home. They are very lovely animals, mahogany brown with the white stripe and of course they still have their beautiful horns - good job they are so nice natured.



After a few frosty mornings, today we woke up to snow. The children have been kept very busy feeding and making sure everything has access to water. The sheep and chickens were very ready for their breakfasts when they woke up to find everything frozen in the fields.

















And the strangest new creature has appeared in the vegetable garden - it's green and long and breathes steam out of one end , I've heard the children calling it "the dragon". This creature is fed after every meal served in the house, any scraps, peelings or uneaten food is fed to the monster and then the children line up and spin the handle. Apparently this magical beast is turning waste food into compost for the garden. Whatever next....spinning straw into gold?

Stay warm
Dudley

And finally - Cuckoo hatches

Poor Cuckoo, over two weeks late, but fially just before 11pm she had her first foal, Orion, a beautiful colt foal with white socks. She takes him out to the field every morning and keeps a very close eye on him all day, then back to the stable overnight. He is proving to be a very keen feeder and is already showing signs of filling out. And today he is enjoying some lovely spring sunshine as he is starting to explore his field. And down on the river bank Brandy, the little Welsh pony had a filly foal, named Amaretto. Another very cute addition to the farm. M

The Pigs Have it!

Well, as predicted, Doris has put those sheep in their place - 10 beautiful piglets born overnight. And just take a look - they have spots!!! After two years of plain white pigs finally a litter that look like little dalmatian pups. Seven girls and three boys, quite a handful, but of course Doris has been there manyn times before and is a very relaxed mother. And Cuckoo, the overdue mare...? No news there, she's still as round as a barrel and clearly very uncomfortable. there's a rota of people in every night to keep an eye on her, but nothing yet - we'll keep you posted.... Dudxx

Springtime?

Regular followers must have thought we'd gone into hibernation - to be honest with those temperatures we were considering emigration. But the seasons turn and things change....

Firstly let me introduce myself, Dudley the new Duroc boar. "Cuddly Dudley" as the children call me (I prefer Dud the Stud). I have been drafted in to help with a serious lack of boar on the farm, someone to keep the sows in order and to ensure a regular supply of piglets. Well, I'm the pig for the job....

I've met Doris, the Old Spot, she's already in pig to a predecessor and I've now met Valentine and hopefully she will produce my first litter in June.




Then there's Mary and Virginia, they live just across the way so we're on nodding terms already, hopefully we'll be formally introduced before too long.








Next door on the one side there are 5 Aberdeen Angus calves, all heifers and pretty quiet on the whole. The children have been feeding them milk and they do like to bang their drinker very loudly on the gate at some ungodly hour every morning but apart from that I can't complain.





On the other side there are a pair of turkeys, Very and Lucky as they're called. Apparently they are the only survivors post-Christmas, but I'm hearing the word "Easter" being mentioned around them so I don't think they'll be a permanent fixture. To be honest they do make the most annoying noise and not just a food time. Every time anyone walks past they're off, day or night.




And as the weather started to warm up the annual cutting of the willow bed took place. The children came past with armfuls of different coloured willow sticks.

















And under the watchful eye of Norah the basketmaker, these bundles of sticks were transformed into beautiful baskets.







And of course springtime means sheeptime, all anyone can talk about are sheep and lambs. First to lamb was one of the new Cotswolds, a lovely pair of twins, already with lovely woolly coats.

















Then after a week all the others started and it was like a competition - who could produce the most lambs. Three sets of quads came in quick succession, and apparently it's rare to get one set.





Then after some sets of twins and triplets, news reached us of a set of quintuplets - 5 lambs from one ewe. I bet she was glad to give birth to them, the children had been calling her "Flying Saucer" as she was wider than she was long towards the end. Sadly one lamb didn't make it and two seemed to be struggling so they have been put in the special care unit - a box with a heat lamp!! Some warmth and regular bottles of milk and both are thriving.
It's funny isn't it, we pigs regularly produce litters of 10 or more and no-one makes a fuss - it seems there's one rule for one.....







And another expectant mother is also looking very uncomfortable - Cuckoo the mare was due to foal at the end of last week but still no sign. I've seen her walking past on her way to the field and she looks huge, let's hope she isn't having quads!!








So life as the new boar is looking pretty good, I have a splendid sty with ensuite facilities, plenty of straw for the cold nights and a lovely south-facing yard for sun bathing. The children are very good and meals are regular and delicious. And as my yard backs onto the bootwash I get to hear about everything that's been happening on the farm at regular intervals through the day, it's like news bulletins on the hour every hour.




And all around us are signs of spring - lambs in the orchard









catkins









vegetables sprouting in the polytunnel and -












best of all - blossom in the orchard - who could ask for more?
Dudx

All change

Well first of all let me introduce myself, Mary they call me, I live with Virginia and as we have been here for almost 6 months we have been handed the enormous responsibility of this blog...... We're saddleback gilts and I'm pretty sure we were called something else at our last farm, but I can't remember what now. Anyway, our names are usually accompanied by a rattling bucket and under those circumstances we'll answer to anything.

It's always hard being the new pigs on the block, everyone seems very friendly but it takes a while to work out who's who, who doesn't get on with who and who are the real decision makers. But we're getting the feel of the place now. We've met the sows, two lovely Old Spots both of whom have had several litters of piglets. Unfortunately the farm is "between boars" at the moment so we'll just have to wait a while before we can start producing.

Valentine and Doris have spent a lot of time explaining that they are "orchard" pigs and their natural habitat is under fruit trees clearing up windfalls. However we noticed that they weren't allowed anywhere near an orchard this autumn, the children harvested the fruit and in fact they held a whole day celebrating the various apples and pears found here.












Other new arrivals are two Cotswold ewes who are grazing happily in full view of their native Cotswold Hills. They have the most ridiculous haircuts I've ever seen, how they find their way about behind those fringes I don't know, mind you I guess you don't have to look too carefully to find the next blade of grass.




For the last few months we lived across the moat from a flock of turkeys, they were living in the shed and they made the wierdest noise, until someone let them out I thought we had a shed full of puppies in there. Every morning and evening the children walked the turkeys out to graze then back to bed. It's lucky the children are so patient, those birds are so slow and not one of them can walk in a straight line. Anyway it's all gone very quiet now, just before Christmas the numbers seemed to go right down and now it's just a pair who stroll in and out.

We were just starting to feel really at home and fit in with all the routines when suddenly it all changed. We'd always lived in nice, warm pens and then suddenly we were posted out to the riverside paddock. It was lovely in the autumn sunshine, fantastic views and a really good spot to listen out for the approach of those magic buckets. And then the big freeze happened......the ground went rock hard overnight, all our water supplies froze solid and you could see your breath hanging in the air. Fortunately our shed had been well strawed out and by keeping together we could get warm, but out and about in the field trying to keep the circulation going in your trotters was almost impossible.

One morning the children read minus 10 degrees off the thermometer and bless them, they did look cold. But boy did they work, the only way to cope was to keep moving and move they did. Buckets and buckets of water were ferried to every corner of the farm. fresh warm straw beds were distributed and everyone was fed and watered on time. The cattle finally came into the barn for the winter and I have to say they looked very relieved to be inside and with a plentiful supply of hay.

The sheep are still out but they do have their woollen coats to help them cope. Even they had to have hay taken out each morning when they woke up to find their breakfast deep frozen.






However, despite the difficulties, we have woken up to some stunningly beautiful sights as each day a new layer of frost settled on the old ones. A very seasonal, winter wonderland......





And now it's all change again, the thaw has brought mud - plenty of mud. The birds have decided it's spring and have started thinking about nesting, finally the grass has started to grow again and there's plentiful water in every drinker - in fact in every hole and rut in the field. And I think you can even notice the days getting longer. Me and Virginia were getting quite excited by it all until someone reminded us that we haven't even had Wassail yet and there's plenty of winter still to come. Best way to wait for spring - a hearty breakfast then snooze under a warm layer of straw......

Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness....

Yes, it's been a while, I've had so many enquiries - have I been away, travelling the World, seeing the sights, sunning myself on foreign shores? Well no, more of a "staycation" this year. Me, Valentine and Doris have whiled away the summer months in our lovely moatside paddock with glorious river views. Don't think we've been idle though, no, we've cleared back all the vegetation, created a couple of beautiful muddy wallows, done some fairly impressive excavation in the shed, and caught up on a bit of sleep while the place was so quiet.


Then before you know it, the children were back, lots of noise and activity and although our sleep is more disturbed we do get our meals on the dot. And somehow while we've been resting the summer has slipped away and those chilly, misty autumn mornings are back.













And all around the farm the signs of a bumper harvest are in evidence - the orchards are groaning with apples, pears and blackberries. The children have been busy harvesting then spend the afternoon with Mandy turning the fruit into delicious crumbles for tea.




























And it's everyone's favourite season in the vegetable garden, last week's school harvested and enjoyed eating more than 15 different vegetables over the week. The freezers are full to the brim and there is a shed-full of onions waiting to be used.





























At the end of the garden the children are also enjoying a lovely new shelter built for us by our friends from the local Severn Vale Rotary Club. They harvested the willow and built the structure around our "stone circle" (not quite prehistoric but very atmospheric). Then an expert from a local firm helped with a beautiful canvas roof and the result is a magical space providing shelter from rainstorms and shade on those hot summer days - (remember those days...?)






The shelter was officially opened and toasted by the Rotary Club and the visiting school - it's amazing how many people you can actually fit inside!














And at this time of year the local villages hold their annual produce shows and this year Saul held their first ever. With lots of classes for fruit, veg and flowers there was much gardening-as-a-competitve-sport over the summer. Cakes and biscuits were baked, photos taken, massive marrows were lovingly tended and overfed. There was a whole section of children's classes so the children of Friar's Primary spent the week leading up to their Wick Court visit painting and collaging some entries. Their creations were hung all around the tea tent and several won prizes.



The only area of the farm where the harvest wasn't quite so good was in the hay meadows. A very dry early season meant there wasn't so much grass and this year we harvested much less from the fields. However there is plenty for us animals here and some to sell, so not a disaster.


While we pigs have been relaxing in the meadow there have been a few new arrivals - the last foal of the season arrived safely and is very happy out in the field next to ours. It's always good to live close to the horses, not only do they get to mingle with all the animals, they even get to go off the farm. I'm not saying they're gossips but if you want to know anything it's always best to try the stableyard first.





That's how we heard there were new pigs on the block - black and white pigs in fact. Apparently they're Saddlebacks and they're very demure and ladylike. None of the rowdy squealing and jumping up that my offspring are so famous for - pigs with table manners, who'd have thought it? The first school named them Mary and Virginia after their past and present Headteachers, it'll be very interesting to see what their piglets will look like.



I guess now the nights are closing in and the temperatures are dropping it'll be time for us to move back to our winter quarters. Valentine and Doris should both be back in pig and they'll need to move into suitable accommodation. Apparently my name is almost at the top of the transfer list, so who knows where I'll be spending the winter.... my time at Wick Court has been very special and of course I shall hand the blog over to someone else - our own correspondent.....


Borisx