October 2009
Yesterday was spent with Bill our friendly digger driver and we have moved our stockpile of excess rubble from the back yard and I think it will end up as a new topping for part of the back drive. The ploughing match was very well attended and the view from the farm was superb making it an excellent location. The weather apart for some drizzle stayed more or less dry this brings me to last months rainfall which was only 24mm. Besides moving rubble we have also moved some soil to the back edge so I think in the spring we will be able to plant some more hedge. Also Bill has dug a 7ft deep hole in the garage as Simon wants an inspection pit for cars and tractors. The tractor is hooked up to the spreader and tomorrow’s aim is to empty the summer’s muck collection on to the Drive field ready to plough and sow winter Barley. We have virtually finished the footbridge and after muckspreading the next job is some repairs and winter preparations for the cubicle shed. The drive field has been spread with muck and Andy ploughed it today so I should get it sown by the end of the week. The summerhouse should also be finished soon and we have taken the ford 6600 back for Tom to fill in a drain at Norcroft while we were there we put the Forager undercover for the winter. Next move cubical preparation as the cows will soon be in for the winter. The barley has been sown on the 22nd and given the current warm weather should soon germinate scaring off the crows and pigeons should be the job for the next few weeks. We have finished fitting the new woodburning stove in the dining room and it has had a run up to temperature to “prove” it and all worked well. As the temperature is currently reaching 16c during the daytime however I can’t see it being run much at present. The cubical shed is nearly finished apart from moving out some of the summer stored things so next move will be fencing to prevent any escaping cow/heifers when they are grazing on the long field and rancho on to the barley field. The footbridge is now finished although I visited another farm project on Tuesday and saw a walkway that had been constructed in a once overgrown gully with a brook in the bottom and this made our efforts look positivly feeble !! Back to the farming and muckspreading has been slow due to a blocked hydraulic filter but I should get done tomorrow. Graham the joiner and Mick are currently putting up the base for a summerhouse in the garden ( Sarah and Simon’s idea) and Paul our decorator friend is painting the dining room after we fitted the new woodburning stove More soon PHIL.