the daydream fund challenge thread

rhiwfield

Caligula the homicidal scots grey, magpie attacks and fly strike :eek::eek:

Away from all the carnage, we've been decluttering and e-bayed a few items, some of which finished last night. Had one amazing auction where we had 70 watchers, 12 active bidders and 39 bids!

Lots of sowing and potting happening, both for us and also for car boot items. This warm weather has brought out the butterflies, loads of orange tips and a bright yellow brimstone as well. And it looks like we have bumble bees nesting under the fence where the slow worms bask in the morning sun. Lovely

lostinrates

Alfie is strongly of the opinion I should hold a farm sale: partly to get offers on my milking equipment and automatic feeders. Alternative would be taking them to the farm auction salerooms near by, but dismantling would involve a cost. I'd rather they got used (from a green perspective) than scrapped. If we had local people interested I'd swap for services or goods (straw/meat/stock/spraying).

Also got to make a decision about our grass. I'm thinking of offering it to a neighbour in return for services. I know two people who would be interested: one is a bigger farm, one is a smaller one. I feel tempted to try the smaller farm first.

choille

Eye pecking birds - never had it happen, but ravens do that too & we seem to have rather an increase in their numbers here.

The inner croft fields are drying out nicely & the grass is already starting to recover. Things had got poached with the wet, even though I kept moving the troughs it was definately needing rested.
Slightly hazy day today & we have rain forecast. There are so many bees about - I think someone must have hives locally, how nice.

soupdragon10

Sun is shining, back is aching garden is beckoning. Planted more seeds yesterday and will do the same today. Why is April such a mad months for sowing! Seems like everything is needing to go in at once.

Alfie take care of your hip - can you sit and do small jobs? I use a low school chair (bought at a school sale) which I believe was designed for junior pupils so is low enough to reach down to weed but easy to get up from.

I used to have sheep and a sillier animal doesn't exist! I had two jacob ewes that managed to get themselves stuck in a 6x4 henhouse and their horns were entwined around the perches!. It was the gently rocking henhouse that alerted us, and a merry hour spent manoevering then out again. Heaven knows how they got in as the door was firmly bolted - the pop hole was quite large, but not sheep sized :eek:

After a few years of recapturing them from various local fields and other adventures they were sold on to a local jacob breeder as I was then working full time. Fond memories of my two girls though.

choille

Ha ha Soupdargon. Last year two lambs got in my Scot's Greys hen house. I looked in and saw 8 white wooly legs & a fair few disgruntled hens trying to remain calm on their perches. They did used to chase the hens - saw it as sport I'm sure.
had Harold on the phone about other stuff but did ask if I had lambs - last year ended up with a dozen of his orphans - trying to avoid that again or OH will leave!

ukmaggie45

:eek: over the sheep's eyes. Choille, I envy you the ravens. We get them flying high over the caravan going Crark Crark, wheeling sometimes. They nest over in Mynytho, all the houses have wire cowls on their chimneys to stop them nesting on top of them!

Been totally knackered since Sunday when we had a family barbie at the house. I did manage to plant the 5 alpine strawberries we bought last year (!) but didn't get any more gardening done. The apple blossom and crab apple blossom is lovely, the garlic's doing well, the elephant garlic has appeared plus we have some volunteers from where it was planted last year and everything seems to be growing ridiculously fast!


Apple Tree by ukmaggie45, on Flickr


Apple blossom by ukmaggie45, on Flickr

Yesterday was so stiff that I could barely get downstairs to get some lunch. Today have had a hot bath and am still a bit creaky but improved. So OH coming home at lunch time to take me to the house. Doubt I'll do much in the way of gardening, but it'll be nice to sit outside and watch the birds. Perhaps I'll get a few seeds sown.


Crab Apple blossom by ukmaggie45, on Flickr

Ideally should weed the garlic and shallots too!


Garlic shallots and weeds by ukmaggie45, on Flickr

And I think I should do something with the raspberries too, plus redcurrant and we've got new blackcurrant and redcurrant to go in too! Oh, and must order the NemaSlug too... It's neverending isn't it!


Shed and raspberry bushes by ukmaggie45, on Flickr

alfie_1

:rotfl:I'm off to somewhere interesting today.;) Well, hopefully it will be.

hi all, well im just bl**dy nosey and want to know WHAT and WHERE ,davesnave ????:D

weve got 3 sheep now....very fat sheep !! we lost 2 to flysrike last year. vet was called out but we couldnt save no1, no2 was old grandma and we found her dead in the field under her tree, not sure if fly was before or after as they move in so fast. and 20 hrs had passed from last inspection...she was ancient. the other 3 got strike but a friend and i spent hours washing and picking out the maggots...they survived. just had a call from mr sheep shearer, hes coming sunday to give em a short back and sides !:T

had farrier to 4 minis tonite, thier feet are growing like wild fire !! they were all tied up in a que on the gate with a slip knot and "little sh*t" lori went along pulling the ropes undone ....:mad:
he is SOOOO naughty... spent my time running between minis [like keeping plates spinning:rotfl:]

tomorow im putting some plants in for an old lady [85]whos disabled, i go once a fortnight just to see shes alright [she has family but is very proud !!],hoover and dust for her and iv made her courtyard garden nicer so she's something to look at. putting in some dahlias and a couple of roses.
then im driving to gatwick to pick up another older ladies daughter and grandaughter....11pm !!
at the car boot sale i got yacking [who me!!:D] to an old boy who has a shed full of OLD stuff, garden things etc... he said i could go see it if i liked....:j:j:j i suppose i could force myself.....
iv reserved a big old pine apple store cupboard got about 6/8 pull out shelves/drawers, havnt seen it but i WANT it !!... will no doubt come home with a van full and my purse empty !!:rotfl:

ooops! i forgot my dinner was in oven and its a tad "well done":(
my favourite trick is to forget the bath is running, that is until a tsunami comes down the hall !! :rotfl:
better go

alfie_1

lostinrates wrote: »

Alfie is strongly of the opinion I should hold a farm sale: partly to get offers on my milking equipment and automatic feeders. Alternative would be taking them to the farm auction salerooms near by, but dismantling would involve a cost. I'd rather they got used (from a green perspective) than scrapped. If we had local people interested I'd swap for services or goods (straw/meat/stock/spraying).

Also got to make a decision about our grass. I'm thinking of offering it to a neighbour in return for services. I know two people who would be interested: one is a bigger farm, one is a smaller one. I feel tempted to try the smaller farm first.

re grass.... i would be tempted to find out which farm will USE the hay as opposed to selling it and making profit for them not you ??? doing a job exchange for you at a very big difference in value.... or am i being mean !! id rather see it used than profitted on at my expense ! the people that cut our 10 acre field saved themselves a £1000 in hay just for cutting and baling. we got just 2 big rounds !! we are re thinking it this year !!

choille

Lovely photies maggie - wonderful. You put my garden to shame.

My eggs are pipping!

lostinrates

Exciting times Choille!

My chicks are in that teenage time of challenging bed time. Difference is teenagers sleep in and get grumpy, chicks get eaten. It took me a bout half an hour to get the little blighters in tonight.

They are also at that age where I'm always certain I've sexed them incorrectly....though I usually turn out to be right first guess. I haven't looked at feather shape yet, but I have a very upright looking person who I sexed as a girl who might be a boy, and one of my ''boys'' is growing a hat like the girls get.....

time always tells!