....it would appear life down at the smallholding is about to take a turn towards the Peckham. Finally I have secured the services of a Ram (make up your own smut here peeps and tweeps) and Denzil - yes Denzil the Poll Dorset Ram will be over to 'see' Dolly & Dors in November. November ram spring lamb so they say. Now. It was important to find a ram of the same breed so that they lamb easily. Mega important to the 'Double D's' and to me aka Midwife. DH has already suggested rigging up a straw bed and is even prepared to lash out on a spotlight for the barn as apparently I'm going to be sitting, waiting for these sheep to go into labour and be prepared to don my elbow length gloves as required. Clearly this, as we all know is so not going to happen (latex is awful for ones skin for starters) and in fact there's more chance of me falling asleep and missing the whole labour and birth as I flick through Tatler sipping through my homemade Sloe Gin. All in all Denzil was an important find = easy, natural lambing (DD was all natural so I'll be damned if these sheep aren't!)
We have secured 2 weaners to pick up in the next 2 weeks. Despite all recommendations not to name them they are already know as Spot (Gloucestershire Old Spot) and Stripe (Saddleback) Both boys (easier to send to the chop that way!) They'll be with us for around 4-6 months before becoming, hopefully the nicest pork joints in the world! Financially it's viable (although the few hundred in a pig ark and fenced area is a bit of a hit with the first 2) as abattoir costs are reasonable. All being well, there'll be a 6 month turn on weaners with a break even outcome and benefits of own meat to a) know where it's come from and b) sell! We are still eating a neighbours Dexter joints and I swear it could be served at Claridges. Nothing like it!
Plenty of work still to be done to get ready for the new season. Have become quite the forager for free food (yes, yes, it's in the scouse blood and all that - yawn!) Sloe berries are becoming sloe gin, damsons are becoming damson gin (gin is good!) pies, crumbles, chutneys, jams etc are all under way. Soups and other freezables soon to be. Bit more stock and I'd have enough to sell a little. Mind you, have enough apples to cure world hunger. Funny, DD's Harvest Festival at school/church not keen on fresh produce! So in she goes with 2 tins of peaches - there's an irony about that and also a metaphor for our attitudes to dealing with problems like poverty...
Also found a fence man (honestly with more time and experience a 'yellow pages' type invention for smallholders would be such a good business idea. Finding people who you haven't known for generations is nigh on impossible. Find the internet people!!!) so repairs will soon be underway and the felled tree about to be logged (then sold!) Trouble is, our man reckons the tree's hollow. But as it's the age of the 6 others...you can't go hacking 6 Oaks down can you? I mean, even I know that! They're not dead either! Plus they are just across the road from the oldest woods in Sussex - now that would be eco vandalism. Again, the theme of the post recurs - leave it to nature! Nature's best - costs less!
Write again later in the week
Mx
Weather: Summers coming...!! need to dig out those summer clothes pronto and get a winter tan!
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