Over to the poultry, very important residents of the farm. I'm Les, a Welsummer cockerel hatched and reared in West Wales. I fully intended to spend my days there, it was a beautiful spot - fantastic views, fresh sea air - a little too fresh sometimes maybe - but lovely friendly people. So how come I'm now in sunny Gloucestershire I hear you ask?
Well, a call came from Wick Court, a whole flock of hens newly arrived and needing some guidance and support. Damsels in distress as it were, no gentleman, certainly no Welsh gentleman, would refuse, so I came straight down and I've been here ever since.
The ladies are good as gold, once I'd get them into some kind of routine. Columbian Blacktails they are, little beauties, very quiet and well-mannered. We have a lovely home in the orchard - real trees all around, something I'd only heard about back in Wales. Ever since the summer they've been dropping fruit on us, at first I was very excited and tried it all - trust me they don't taste good. Really dry and sour and they soon make you feel ill. But the children seem to spend a lot of time picking them up - bucketfuls have been collected and taken away so they must be good for something.
So life here is good - it would be perfect if it wasn't for one thing - the neighbours. It's typical isn't it, you travel all this way and end up right next door to the hens from hell. A small flock of Buff Orpingtons with their bird-brained, fluffy-bottomed cockerel. When I first arrived they weren't so bad, kept themselves to themselves. But ever since we had the honour of a visit from HRH the Princess Royal who happened to mention they were her breed of choice and told a few amusing anecdotes about them....well since that day they've been unbearable, if I hear them mention it one more time....
Let's face it we know who the real workers are here, just check those egg charts, it's my girls who are keeping the children in breakfasts while those "Fluff Orpingtons" are just "too posh to push".
We do have some other neighbours, across the way are the Light Sussex, no problems there, polite, friendly and no airs or graces - and I believe they do their share of egg-laying.
Anyway, the sun is still shining, Windy the Fell stallion passes by each morning and evening on his way to and from the field and brings news from the stable yard. He has a few new foals who need keeping in their place but otherwise all good. And there's work hapening in the big barn, ready for the cows to come in for the winter apparently.
And we even get the occasional visit from those piglets who have become very bold in the last week - even setting off to visit the neighbours over at Oldbury. Or perhaps they're just busy trying to sell some pumpkins for Halloween.
Anyway, mustn't get distracted - got to keep those girls busy laying.
Tuesday, 13 October 2009
Tuesday, 6 October 2009
Oakey's news
Well I promised to do this days ago and then the sun was shining and the fields were just so inviting and the sun kept shining, I could smell rabbits and had to go and investigate, and then the sun was still shining so I needed a long lie down...
Anyway, today it is raining, probably just as well as the farm was turning into a dust bowl, so the time has come to update the farm news. Firstly let me introduce myself, Oakey the lurcher. Named after the historic hollow oak tree where I was born (good job my mother didn't choose a pig sty or the muck heap). My job here is to help with the horses, entertain the children and work with my friends the terriers to keep the rabbit population under control.
Last week two more foals were sold. three were supposed to go but one attempted a tricky jump over a gate and injured it's knee, so it will go next month.
Neil, the farrier, has been this week. Here he is shoeing Jack, for such a big horse he's a complete baby about having shoes fitted and then he does his best to pull them straight off.
The garden is still keeping everyone busy and well-fed. Plenty of flowers for the house and loads of pumpkins, these two were destined for the local Harvest Festival.
The turkeys have moved outside and have been enjoying the autumn sunshine. Today the children have been out drawing them and they are being immortalised as mosaics, I suppose as they are short-term residents it will be good to have something to remember them by.
And the orchards are just groaning with fruit. The children have already filled four large 1 ton feed sacks with perry pears and the cider mill is being cleaned ready.
They are also making 3D mosaic cats - CATS - I ask you. Isn't it bad enough that we have the two real ones stalking about the yard scratching us dogs on the nose if we so much as look at them, who needs to be reminded of them?
There is one area where I reign supreme... I am the undisputed sprint champion of Wick Court. Many, many children have challenged me to a race, "easy" they say. I did once enter a real race at Frampton Show but I saw someone I knew half way down and stopped for a chat, by which time the race was over, still my mother always said "good manners cost nothing".
So I take the children to a flat field and off we go, I love to tease them, holding back then shooting past with my sprint finish, as I said, unbeaten to date...
However my racing days are temporarily on hold, it looks like there'll be the patter of tiny paws in about a month, so for now I'm off to find a warm, dry bale in the barn for a rest...
Anyway, today it is raining, probably just as well as the farm was turning into a dust bowl, so the time has come to update the farm news. Firstly let me introduce myself, Oakey the lurcher. Named after the historic hollow oak tree where I was born (good job my mother didn't choose a pig sty or the muck heap). My job here is to help with the horses, entertain the children and work with my friends the terriers to keep the rabbit population under control.
Last week two more foals were sold. three were supposed to go but one attempted a tricky jump over a gate and injured it's knee, so it will go next month.
Neil, the farrier, has been this week. Here he is shoeing Jack, for such a big horse he's a complete baby about having shoes fitted and then he does his best to pull them straight off.
The garden is still keeping everyone busy and well-fed. Plenty of flowers for the house and loads of pumpkins, these two were destined for the local Harvest Festival.
The turkeys have moved outside and have been enjoying the autumn sunshine. Today the children have been out drawing them and they are being immortalised as mosaics, I suppose as they are short-term residents it will be good to have something to remember them by.
And the orchards are just groaning with fruit. The children have already filled four large 1 ton feed sacks with perry pears and the cider mill is being cleaned ready.
They are also making 3D mosaic cats - CATS - I ask you. Isn't it bad enough that we have the two real ones stalking about the yard scratching us dogs on the nose if we so much as look at them, who needs to be reminded of them?
There is one area where I reign supreme... I am the undisputed sprint champion of Wick Court. Many, many children have challenged me to a race, "easy" they say. I did once enter a real race at Frampton Show but I saw someone I knew half way down and stopped for a chat, by which time the race was over, still my mother always said "good manners cost nothing".
So I take the children to a flat field and off we go, I love to tease them, holding back then shooting past with my sprint finish, as I said, unbeaten to date...
However my racing days are temporarily on hold, it looks like there'll be the patter of tiny paws in about a month, so for now I'm off to find a warm, dry bale in the barn for a rest...
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