Silage is made and another busy week!

Here we are at the end of another very busy week.  These farm walks and talks I run as a sideline to the farm, are just crazy.  The demand is so high and this week alone I've done two farm walks and two farm talks to U3As and a trip to Somerset and back!

Monday afternoon, blessed with sunshine, I hosted 9 visitors from the Vale of Belvoir U3A Natural History group for two hours finishing with a good cuppa and a nice freshly baked cake. 

Tues morning I whizzed up to Mansfield U3A with 120 in the audience, I entertained for well over an hour, answering all their questions.  I'm sure they'll want to visit the farm later this year too.

Tues evening, I drove Harry to Somerset, back to school for one night as his final GCSE exam was on Wed afternoon.  At his Prize Giving Assembly, Harry won an award for Best English student!  Took this picture as the cup doens't actually leave the school!   #veryproudmum .  Meanwhile I visited Clarks Shopping Village in Street, and did have a relaxing time doing some retail therapy - not something I usual enjoy but as the sun shone, and the seagulls flew overhead, it felt like a mini holiday!  I found all sorts of bargins which is always a bonus.

Drove back home on Wed afternoon with Harry after a tearful farewell from the teachers and matrons at Brymore School.  I can't believe I've no children at school now.  Where has all the time gone? 

Ed Foy, a good friend of Harry's, came back with us to do some "work experience" on our farm.  The two of them get on really well and he's a proper Somerset lad, with his accent and work ethic.  He's really keen to milk cows, something alien to young lads in this part of the world!

Thursday morning, another U3A group this time in Carlton & Gedling in Nottingham.  Another 130 people all eager to ask questions and learn about my life on the farm.  I love the interaction of a larger group and making them laugh!

Then Friday morning I hosted a school visit from Leicester High School.  22 young ladies from Year 7 visited the farm on a damp morning.  Many of the girls were taken by my puppy, Beattie but some from an Indian background very cautious of her.  Interesting?

We have christened our new silage clamp this week.  The contractors arrived to  make our clamp silage on Monday afternoon.  First the mower man arrives to mow the first two fields of grass, then its left to wilt for 24 hours.  Then one tractor rows the mown grass into a row for the forage harvester and four tractors with silage trailers to start picking up.  The weather was perfect, sunny, dry and slightly windy.  It's crucial to make silage when the sun shines as all the sugars in the leaf are at there highest and that's what makes silage palatable to the cows in the winter.  Much happier and much better crop than the wet soggy stuff with made last year.   So all 140 acres of grass in one clamp we estimate to hold 1500 tonnes worth £40/tonne, making it a valuable and important crop for the cows milk yields this winter!

Now its the weekend, so staying at home for a couple of days is bliss to me.  It's really strange to share a meal with Mark and the children once in a while, as all our lives are so hectic and busy.

Fun time in Kintyre!

Our trip to the Ayrshire Breeders Cattle Society conference (aka our holiday this year) was a huge success.  We both thoroughly enjoyed ourselves and met some very nice people with a shared passion for Ayrshire cattle!  For those who have experienced Young Farmers weekend in Blackpool in their early youth, this Conference was exactly the same but for "older" married young farmers.  The biggest problem for Mark was how to get his wellingtons to Scotland?  As we flew in a plane, we had only booked in one suitcase and I wasn't having Marks wellingtons in as well.  So Mark came up with the answer.  He wore them on the plane all the way there and all the way home again! Problem solved.   Having been asked many times on the final day, will we attend another conference?  The answer was most certainly "yes" and already looking forward to a trip to Falmouth next May.

All went well at home, so no disasters on the farm whilst we were away.  A couple of new calves arrived and their mothers looked after them in the "maternity" paddock until we got back.

Now June has arrived I'm really busy with my Farm Walks.  Over the past year when I give my talks, I invite groups to visit the farm for a tour.  This is the time of year to do them, when the cows are grazing the fields and all the yards are cleaned out and tidy.  As well as adult groups, I also get a lot of school groups.  Unfortunately the weather turned very showery for Martinshaw Primary School's visit the last Friday in May.  As they were all about 5 years old, it was difficult to entertain them for two hours indoors, as it wasn't fit to run about in the fields.  It's amazing how the cubicle shed (bedroom for cows in the winter months) can double up as a make-shift play ground complete with climbing frames!  It was slightly worrying when one lad (who had his arm in plaster and a sling) tried to climb the cubicles, so I was relieved when the male teacher suggested it was not such a good idea in his condition!

We made it through another busy weekend at the beginning of June which began with a knees up at  the Cottesmore Hunt Farmers Ball on Friday night using the Members Marquee at Rutland Agricultural Show which is held on the following Sunday.  I volunteered to do the floral table decorations (as in my past life I did floristry for 16 years - albeit using silk flowers) and we used exotic Orchids in single stem vases.  We had a "ball" (forgive the pun) dancing til the early hours (thank God we booked the relief milkman for Sat mornings' milking).  It was slightly different this year as Charlotte (now 18) has come of age to attend too.  She looked stunning with her fake tan and mini skirted dress!  Many friends of mine commented on her and boy, did that make us feel proud and old!  Then to finish the weekend, we went to the Farmers Party, held in the same marquee on Monday evening for supper.  It's hosted by the Hunt and its intention is to thank all the landowners and farmers for allowing the hunt over their land.  This also is where we sold the orchids!  All in all, it was a hectic but very sociable weekend.

Harry is currently doing his GCSEs at school in Somerset. He finishes on 19th June for good.  End of an era as I'll have no children at school any more.  Harry will go to agricultural college in Sept at Reaseheath in Cheshire.  Charlotte is finishing off her apprenticeship in August then plans to travel to Australia for six months or so.  With her horse Jester, we're spending most weekends eventing at various events locally and Jester is learning fast and getting fitter by the day.  Charlotte is so keen and rides/trains every night to get him fit.  I'm enjoying our  mother/daughter time together and will keep Jester for the winter as a "carrot" to entice Charlotte back home again after her travels!!

Today we had 10 students from Longslade Community College in Birstall, Leicester come for a Farm Walk.  During the walk, Mark wanted us to move 6 x 6 month old calves from a paddock back into the farm buildings (as we're silaging shortly and they're in the way of the contractors).  What a laugh!!  I tried to give clear instructions to the novice farmers, all but 2 calves went in the right direction, one even jumping a huge hedge!  But the two that escaped us just ran straight through our electric fencing! It was very traumatic for the calves and for the students.  We decided to leave them to cool down and try again later (when the students have gone home).  All in a days work. Ahhhh just another 9 walks and talks to go til the end of June!  Busy, busy!