It's all happening at the 'farm'!

Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!

It's been a mixed week tinged with sadness, we lost a Silky bantam chick which drowned in the pigs drinking trough, and the next day Nanny Southwellski found a dripping wet Silky bantam chick shivering next to the ducks sunken bath.

Dr Coco sprang into action and helped me get everything ready to try and save the little wet chick.

What the blazes is that blue thing?

We made a hot water bottle and sat the chick on it after we had dried it with a towel, covered it with an emergency space blanket and another blanket over that.

It was Dr Coco's prescription of a dose of Eeyore that made all the difference and an hour later the chick reluctantly left the warm furry hot water bottle and was returned to the wilds of the garden.

Made us think for a while that we should stop the chicks getting to the water but then again we would have to rethink how we look after all the other animals and without penning everyone up it would be difficult to remove the risks.

Plum picking

As we all know anyway, you remove one danger and it is immediately replaced by two more.

Talking of danger, have you ever tried to pick the top plums from a hedgerow plum tree?

Thought not, it's a risky business I can tell you and even with a ladder it wasn't easy.

My little helper didn't make it anymore successful by taking a bite out of every other plum, declaring it "not ready" and pitching it back into the hedgerow!

Mrs Harrison and Brandy

 But never mind, we didn't pick plums for long.  Mrs Harrison who is 90 came by with her dog Brandy and we just had to stop and say hello.

Mrs Harrison, or Betty as she keeps trying to get us to call her, walks her dog morning and night and is a real character who knows her spades from her spades and doesn't mind telling you so.

I don't think we will ever relent and call her 'Betty', it seems disrespectful somehow so Mrs Harrison it is.

Blackberryless bucket!

It's Friday today and it's been flipping blowing a hooley up here on the hill. We were forced to resort to jumpers. thick socks and wellies when we went out to find some blackberries.

It was a wasted trip as even the biggest bushes nearby didn't have a single berry on them, but that said we did pick some apples and a few green beans on the way through the garden.

On the crop front we had a great harvest of potatoes, beans and courgettes and the greens are at last looking good despite the cabbage white trying to eat them all.

 The grape vines are doing exceptionally well, shame I don't know how to look after them but hey isn't that what google is for?

I trod on a grape once, it gave a little whine!

We'll try again, one plus one is two!  Got it?

The animals continue to be amazing and very productive.  Simone and Aisha are just the best and they stick almost to their own routine.

We literally open the goat run of a morning and Simone takes herself off to the milking shed and settles herself down while we feed Aisha and then return to milk her.

But for me, the best bit is that they are just such gentle animals.

Coco spend hours searching the garden for plantain and dock leaves to give the goats.

BUMP!!!!!!

They are both so good with Coco, but rest assured we haven't lost sight of the fact that they are still animals and could do a lot of harm to a certain small child.

So in a nutshell that about it from the garden today.

I will return.