During the winter we had decided to hold a Sheep Management Day at the farm concentrating on the basics of sheep keeping. Although uncertain of the possible take up we were overwhelmed with the response. These took place on May 25th and June 22nd MORE

Lambing went very well with fewer than usual dramas and an excellent crop of lambs. Mostly singles but two sets of twins. Pretty much average for us, although many Portland flocks only have single lambs.

Usually we split the flock up and use two or usually three rams with different ewes. This year because we felt we had a really exceptional ram in 'Bramble Benjamin' we only used him. As the summer progressed we felt the gamble had paid off because the lambs were of a really good quality. More on lambing this year

Brian had laid some of the hedges during the winter. These grew rapidly and soon recovered from looking rather bare. Clearing away the mass of overgrown vegetation and dead elms during the hedge laying process brought an explosion of growth from all sorts of wild flowers previously hidden in the undergrowth.

From early in the year and through the spring and summer, various members of the flock went off to new homes and a few ended up in various freezers. So far this year Bramble Portlands have travelled to new flocks in Devon, Gloucestershire, Warwickshire, Dorset and of course Somerset. Others are sold and waiting to go to new homes in other counties. It is always sad to see stock go off, particularly if they have been with us for a while but it is nice to think of the flock being so widespread.

Some of the animals sold have already been successful in the show ring in the hands of their new owners.

The whole flock was Scrapie tested by DEFRA in late April. This was something we had not looked forward to but went very well in the end and we had exceptionally good results. More on Scrapie testing

In early July we had a new pond excavated in a marshy corner of a field near the house. This was something we had been meaning to do for some time but never seemed to get round to. Martin Anderson a local builder and someone who has been very helpful, came over one evening after a busy day and spent some hours skillfully digging out the clay. Because it is a clay base we are not lining the pond. We tapped into a natural spring which filled it within two days and so far it has remained full. Even in a few short weeks it has attracted a huge number of insects, particularly Dragonflies and Butterflies. In early August the first frog was seen jumping into the pond, hopefully the first of many. More on ponds at the farm

Hay making is always a nerve racking time. This year we were determined to leave it as late as possible because doing so encourages the various plants in the meadow to seed and increase the diversity for the next season. We put two fields down to hay totaling about eight and a half acres. The sheep grazed them until late March after this the grass was then left to grow on. We never use fertilizer since this decreases the number of plant species. Heavily fertilized grass will grow very rapidly but will crowd out all other species. Wild flowers prefer poorer soil.

This year the rabbits have become a problem. Cute they may be, but not when they make serious inroads into the grass. In the smaller of the two fields about half the grass was eventually eaten by Bugs Bunny and friends. Matters were not helped by the fact that our Springer Spaniel, Woody, is frightened of rabbits and was of no use at all!!

Despite the best efforts of the rabbits the grass grew really well due to a steady amount of rain. The number of wildflowers and grass types increased from last year and the butterflies were spectacular. Clouds of them flying up when we walked through the grass. It was such a pleasure just to stand in the meadow and watch them.

In the last week of July we decided we could wait no longer and at what was supposed to be a fine week the hay was cut. For the next five days we watched the sky anxiously but luckily no rain fell and after some hot dry days the hay was baled and safely put into the barn. Eight hundred and fifty bales in total. The best yield we have ever had despite the best efforts of the rabbits.

As we don't have the necessary equipment the hay making is done by our very good neighbours who then have a proportion as payment. It suits us very well as we don't need such quantities and they use it for their sheep flock.

In mid August we started pollarding Willow trees (or Withies as they are known as in Somerset).  The river which runs through Beer Mill Farm is lined with Willows as are most of the Somerset rivers.  Unlike most trees they require regular pollarding which consists of cutting back all the branches down to a main trunk six feet or so off the ground.  This looks pretty dramatic but if it is not done every few years the weight of the branches splits the trunk open and the tree dies.  For centuries the wood from the regular pollarding was used for all manner of things but now many trees are left unpollarded and often die.

Willow can be a very dangerous tree to cut.  It cracks without warning when being sawn and Brian did not feel up to the task so we got in the experts.  Tree surgery is an expensive business, rightly so in view of the skill needed.  We started with seven trees and to keep down the bill, the deal was that they would fell the trees and we would clear up the timber.

A huge amount of material was produced.  Much of it was sawn up for the wood stove and various friends in the village had loads of timber as well. An important use was making piles of logs in various areas. These are being left to rot down and hopefully provide a home for all sorts of wildlife.  Much of the timber fell into the river which meant getting out the waders and hauling the branches out with our faithful old Fordson Dexta tractor.  Brian attached the towing chains and Hilary drove the tractor. As finances allow we will pollard more of the trees.

Bought 12 years ago for not a lot of money the Fordson has been an amazing workhorse. It never misses a beat unless Brian forgets to top up the diesel fuel. At forty years old, the three cylinder Perkins diesel engine rattles a bit and various parts including the dynamo have stopped working, while other parts operate tied together with baler twine. However it drives the pasture topper all summer and hauls enormous loads around the farm without complaint. Every Christmas the oil and filter are changed and grease is liberally applied in the right places, ready for another year. No fancy bits and pieces, no plastic parts to break or fall off, it is a classic example of how machinery should be. Tough, cheap to operate and easy to repair.

Also this month (August), more flock members went off to new homes. A very promising ram lamb and companion made the long journey to Cambridge and another ram lamb one of a small group born in February, went up to Nuneaton.  We will keep in touch and look forward to seeing pictures of them as they grow up.

We still have animals that are sand which will leave in the next few weeks but already we have less sheep than we have had for some years.  No particular reason, it has just worked out like that.  We could actually use a lot more mouths as the grass is well ahead of us but come the winter it will be less work.

Early September and we have returned from a lovely holiday in a remote cottage on the South West coast of Scotland. We left the house and flock in the safe hands of Anthea our regular house sitter who handed everything back safe and sound.

With the summer drawing to a close September is the time we start to plan for next year. The ram(s) go in with the ewes in late October and the shepherd's year starts again. All the stock is looked at and decisions made about which ewes will lamb next year and how this year's crop of lambs is shaping up. We also decide how we will graze the pasture over the winter.

How was the rest of the summer?

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