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<< March 2022 April 2022 May 2022 >>

1st: Cats 2nd: Rhea 3rd: The Land 4th: Rugs and Fibre 5th: Cats 6th: Rugs and Fibre 7th: Wildlife 8th: The Land 9th: Poultry 10th: Rugs and Fibre
11th: Cats 12th: Rhea 13th: The Land 14th: Rhea 15th: Sheep 16th: Goats 17th: Dogs/Cats 18th: Cats 19th: Cats 20th: The Land
21st: Cats 22nd: Goats 24th: Goats 25th: The Land 26th: Cats 27th: The Garden 28th: Dogs 30th: Poultry
1st: Sharing!
Chili has decided she would like to claim part of the peg loom rug on Jack's desk. This is usually pretty much Salt's domain, and we are pleasantly surprised she is happy to share!! May not last of course!!! This rug was made in November 2020 - it's lasting well - wool is one hec of a material!!
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2nd: Imminent dad
We set our first rhea eggs just under a week ago and are keeping all crossed for good fertility, hatching and survival rates. OUr first two years' breeding have been full of heartbreak but we are going to do all we can to make year three much, much better!!!!
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3rd: Topping
One of Jack's favourite activities on the smallholding is topping: it's a chance to drive the quad - always enjoyable - and gives instant gratification. Will be keep on top of it all this year??? Time will tell!
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4th: Fibre evening
We love our fibre evenings. David is weaving Devon Closewool for rugs for Alex and Lauren Brazier, who run Harwood Farm and The Salcombe Meat Company - the wool arrived in fabulous rovings which David is lightly spinning on our e-spinner before weaving on the floor loom. Meanwhile Jack is finally finishing off the 6-ewe peg loom rug, before starting on one using the Closewool. Exciting, if not a little scary!!
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5th: Intruders
Yes, this is Otter's cage, and no neither of these are Otter!!!
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6th: Finished at last
This has been many, many, many months in the making. Jack has had a birthday in-between and we have raised a litter of ten pups. But, the weaving is now finished and 'just' the knotting to go. Jack is just a teeny, weeny bit chuffed. Our six ewes are all in this rug. Over the years they have given us over 60 lambs. This is their legacy...
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7th: Proud and bright!
Our pond is in serious need of some autumn dredging (still didn't get around to it last year), but my goodness, the marsh marigolds get better and better each season. And they are attracting our resident bees more and more too, which is even better!! They brighten up even the dullest day!!
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8th: Muck
The joy of finding so many worms in home-grown compost, never diminishes - we hope this black beauty will do these sweet peas proud!!
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9th: Can we go outside yet
No!!! It is very hard seeing the birds confined still, sadly, avian flu outbreaks continue and the end is very much NOT in sight!!!
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10th: Latest rugs
These are David's latest three alpacas rugs, now for sale on our website and on Etsy!! We really think they do our animals proud!!!
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11th: I laid that!!
Mustard was fairly sure this wasn't there when she fell asleep in her basket.. looks impressive though she thinks, so she is happy to take credit!!
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12th: Showing off
Egg laying is going well with the rhea, we get one or two most days. We now have two sets in the incubator and the fertility on the first was 75%, 6 out of 8 eggs! This is way better than last year!! Both our grey males are content to sit and nest most days (and don't we feel mean when we take the eggs away), leaving our white boy to happily flirt with the girls!! An he does it rather well don't you think??
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13th: Willow
Is this the year when our willow hedge finally gets its act together - it's looking good so far!!
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14th: Meet, Greet and Eat
With the sheep and alpacas in Goat Field with the goats, we now have a fab set up where Jack feeds them all in the Viewing Area at supper time whilst David goes to Oak Field to herd/shepherd the young rhea back up into Goat. We do this so the rhea then spend the nights outside but protected (hopefully) by the alpacas incase Mr or Mrs Fox comes calling. During the day, we then allow them back into Oak Field with the adults - and the feed. So far, it is all working out well, although we do worry about wobbly rhea having to walk around so much. S/he can move when she wants to but does so with a very wobbly gate. Having her in a smaller space away from her pals though is not an option - she would get far too stressed. We have in mind that she could come back up to the Viewing area when we have a few chicks again... we'll have to see how hatching goes on that score though.
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15th: Chips!!
The utterly delightful Chips, who behaves more like a goat or dog every day: chewing zips, butting our legs for attention (very softly mind) and responding to her name. Just adore her!!
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16th: A rare smile
Barrington's brother Bruno is ALWAYS smiling - seeing a happy face on Barrington himself is a rare event though, so we capture it where we can!!
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17th: Best buddies?
Otter is very happy to share her cage, Pickle on the other hand considers possession to be nine tenths of the law and would rather he had it to himself.. the small matter of it being Otter's cage in the first place is totally immaterial!!
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18th: Hideous news
On Saturday, two vehicles stopped outside the house because they saw a cat lying in the road. The cat in question turned out to be Pepper, who had been hit by a car and left! She was bleeding heavily from her mouth and in enormous shock and pain. We have no idea how long she had been like this but there is no doubt that if these wonderful people hadn't stopped and knocked on our door, Pepper would have died. She spent Saturday, Sunday and this morning under emergency veterinary care having been diagnosed with a broken jaw and a head injury. We were able to bring her home this afternoon once the vets felt satisfied there is no permanent brain damage but tomorrow she needs to go back to have jaw x-rayed and then probably wired. It was so good to get her home, albeit, sleepy and fragile. Despite how awful this has been, Pepper has infact been very lucky, and we are assured by the vets and friends that a wired jaw will heal and Pepper should, all being well, go on to to live a perfectly normal life.
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19th: Home for good
Pepper's jaw is now wired and she is back home - extraordinary really! If she were a human, discharge may be a little less quick!!!
She is sleepy and sore but now begins her road to recovery. The hardest part is going to be having to keep her inside for the next 6-8 weeks but without being able to explain why. The wire sticks out at the bottom of her jaw and the risk of it catching are high!!
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20th: Grass
This is our grassiest field but sadly not grassy enough - it's a slow old spring - as per last year- and the sheep and alpacas are still eating hay and hard feed! We need warmer nights really for growth to really get going..... 32 four-leggeds on 10 acres isn't overstocked really but it is when there isn't enough grass for five-plus months of the year!!
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21st: It wasn't me
She is pretending to be completely bemused but we are not fooled.... Salt has a little bit of a track record (dogs were happy though).
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22nd: Sore eye
Poor Chestnut has had a very sore eye for the last few days - it has looked like a bit of conjunctivitis - and so on the advice of the vet we have been treating it as such. Chestnut now hates us, as so would anyone when they have had their sore eye filled with cream and their bum and neck injected!! This evening, we feel she may be turning a corner though with the meds finally doing their job!!! We hope a few extra rations may help her forget!!
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24th: Unimpressed sheep
This year we are planning to run the goats with the sheep and alpacas and so when we rotate round the fields, they all go as one big group, rather than the goats always staying in Goat or Fruit field. The field shelters in each field are fine as spring/summer accommodation for the goats, even when it rains and it means they get to browse on all the hedgerows round the land (good for them and the hedges themselves). One 'little' issue of how we feed them and NOT the sheep/alpacas at breakfast time, was solved using five hurdles!! The goats learn very quickly to come in when called and as they eat, we check the water and muck out - all of us finishing around the same time. Fabulous solution!!
Not that the sheep saw it that way!!!
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25th: Sunsets
Never fail to impress!!
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26th: A little bit of freedom
Pepper is recovering well and somewhat tentatively, we decided to allow her outside for a bit - we accompanied her to see where she wanted to go and happily, she headed for the barn where she spent much of the rest of the day on top of the straw bales watching the world go by!! Beautiful girl - and to think we may have lost her!!
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27th: Colours
Stunning colours in the garden just now!!
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28th: Otter
As photos go, this one is pretty special!!!
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30th: Two more days!
Two more days and we will no longer we chopping up loads of veg for our poor 'lockdown' birds - on Monday they are legally allowed out!!! Cannot come soon enough!!
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