We have just had our first Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) day yesterday and it was fantastic. Almost everyone who is involved in Pork for Christmas came along (as did another family) and we worked on a new pig run. We started with simply a pile of equipment and a patch of ground. In an amazingly short space of time the fence posts were up, fencing attached, pig house in place and filled with straw and electric fencing and posts installed and tested. After a lunch together in the field we then popped the pigs in the dog crate and carried them out into the field. They seemed really happy being outside (having spent a couple of days in the barn). They were happily munching grass in no time and seemed to get the hang of the electric fence after only about one shock each. Our previous pigs have taken much longer. So a brilliant day and a really positive launch to our CSA project.
The chicks are getting bigger and are now integrating in with the rest of the chickens. They have their own houses and food but the runs are now all joined together so during the day all the chickens are together. They have their proper plumage now so I know what breed most of them are. However none of them are big enough yet to lay an egg or go cock a doodle doo. It's a good job to really as none of them are big enough for eating yet either.
We have just separated the lambs from the Ewe's so that they wean. The lambs are now nearly as big as the Ewe's and still having milk so it's about time for that to stop. A few of our CSA members helped us catch and separate the sheep which was a great help. The sheep are now much tamer than they were when they arrive, but still don't like being caught and get really jumpy if they think we are trying to get them. However, luckily for us, they do find it very hard to resist the lure of food. So now we have the lambs in the field closest to us baa-ing (is that a word?) for their Mums so they can have milk. The Ewe's on the other hand seem to be really happy together enjoying a peaceful life. We'll need to think about getting the Tup (Ram) in to see them again before long.
All the hard work on vegetables over the spring is now really paying off. I haven't had a delivery from the Greengrocer for ages. We have courgettes galore (for those of you who grow your own I am sure you are used to the usual glut of Courgettes these over-active plants produce, now imagine two in a polytunnel it's like a courgette plants on steroids, the veg draw of my fridge is full, just of courgettes!). We have loads of beetroot, two bags of harvested potatoes , runner beans, onions, garlic, squashes just coming ripe and sweetcorn. The sweetcorn is amazing. Like peas it's one of those veg where, when eaten within minutes of picking, the flavour and sweetness is stunning. Not going to be so good over winter as all my winter veg was eaten by slugs in the spring. However I have planted some things for the winter in the polytunnel, so we should hopefully be at least kept in salad green over winter and hopefully a little more.
As it moves to autumn I am again forced to think about decorating, much as I would like to spend more time in the poytunnel building much needed beds instead. So the lounge is going to have to be worked on. The carpet will finally go and I'll have to start stripping the wall paper as soon as I start running out of excuses why I'm not doing it.
Just in case we were a bit low on animals we now have a kitten (Imogen got her for Harriett for her birthday). She is very cute and wants to play at night while the kids are asleep and sleep in the day. When I get time in the evening to catch up on a few things (like now) she likes to attack while I am trying to type, write or move in any way really. She is lots of fun, but I am looking forward to her going outside so we can get rid of the cat litter which she seems to like to spread around the kitchen (and which Ted uses as a snack box!). On that delightful note I think I will finish.
