Good afternoon,
The farm has had an inch of rain this week and the grass & barley look all the more cheery for it. We’re only a couple of weeks away from our first autumn calves, which is an unwelcome descriptor at this point in the year, but it works well to get everyone calved in the fields whilst it is still warm and dry. We have Rosie’s sheep in the orchard, making a good job of the grass and looking lush (pic below), just ahead of their annual shear.
Andrew is planning to experiment with inoculating the soil in our new fields. They have not had any grazing animals on them for decades, which means no dung, no flies and thus, very few birds. He’s sourcing a brew with 54,000 species of microbacteria & fungi, and planning to blend it with our farmyard manure before spreading on the land. It’s an expensive experiment, but we hope it will accelerate the return of life to the soil, in addition to cattle grazing later in the year. We will keep you posted on the progress.
When not tending to her sheep or doing freelance design work, Rosie helps us out in the yard and will be looking after the shop on Saturday, so pop by for something tasty between 11am - 4pm.
I’m now in south Spain and my trip has included a lot of driving time with only Frank the dog for company, who is good for sharing the snacks but has not got very much to say. It has given me lots of time to listen to podcasts & albums, so here are a couple that I’ve really enjoyed.
And a snap of a rather dashing horse we spotted in France.
The Food Programme - Wassail! Wassail! A celebration of cider, orchards and song. Slightly untimely but it has got me excited to plan a Silly Moo Wassail in the new year.
Reasons to be Cheerful - Back to nature: how can farming be sustainable? Ed & Geoff talk to farmers and experts about the future of food & farming.
Wiser Than Me - Julia Louis-Dreyfus talks with food writer, magazine editor & author Ruth Reichl about growing older.
I’ve read a few books, but most enjoyed Laurie Lee’s As I Walked Out One Midsummer Morning - a poetically written memoir of his journey through Spain in the 30’s, & the perfect book to read whilst here.
After watching Searching for Sugar Man, Rodriguez has soundtracked the road trip so far & I’m enjoying both albums, especially Cold Fact.