July 25th

Most Hay in our area of Somerset is cut about mid June, but because we are trying to manage our grazing in an environmentaly sound way we decided to wait until July 15th which is the recommended date for maximum spread of grass and flower seed.  Also it give the butterflies and insects much more of a chance.  Really hot dry weather until about the 13th and then suddenly we ran into a spell of changeable weather.  Not much rain but not dry enough to cut the hay.  

The grass stood well and did not get knocked over and the extra time meant that the butterflies in particular were absolutely spectacular.

July 31st 2003

We took some of our sheep to the New Forest and Hampshire County Show. Click here for a report

August 1st.

An event we had waited years for! A Barn Owl has begun hunting across our uncut hay field. It has begun turning up early morning and late evening.  The first time one has been seen in the village for many years.  What a spectacular sight and really close to the house.  We stood outside and watched while it quartered the field between the house and the river.

Barn Owls are becoming very rare indeed as they can only survive in certain habitats.  they feed mostly on a type of vole that lives in long grass.  Normal pasture will not do.  What a bonus for leaving the hay fields uncut.

 August 15th

We had the hay fields cut at long last. The latest we have ever done so but well worth it.  The variety of wildlife and butterflies we have seen by leaving it later has been such a bonus.  After much heart searching we left about half an acre uncut in the river field hoping that the it would be sufficient to keep the Barn Owl.  That is the most difficult thing in Conservation type farming.  There are always hard choices to be made.  Doing one thing benefits one thing and is bad for something else.  We need the hay and the grazing afterwards and also if the grass is not cut, the wild flower population diminishes the next season and many other things suffer as well.

The hay was cut on Saturday 9th and thanks to some very hot weather it was made successfully on the following Tuesday.  Usually it takes about 6 days to dry out but this year the weather is quite different.  In total we made just over 800 bales off 10 acres.  Usually we get about 100 bales an acre but leaving it longer in the summer meant the grass had lost some bulk.  It was a deliberate decision we made to assist the wildlife and we new the yield would be down but it was worth it. It is really good hay so we are pleased with the result.

August 20th

The weather has been amazingly hot and dry for the last few weeks for the first time since we have been here our river has dried up leaving just few deep pools for the fish to survive in.  It has been so hot we have been bringing the sheep in during the day and turning them out at night which has worked well.

August 22nd

Every year we sell some sheep if we have sufficient animals of the quality we can be satisfied with that are surplus to requirements.  We delivered the first of several rams we have sold this year up to a very large (by Portland standards) Portland flock on the Devon Coast at Barnstable. The owner had previously bought a ram from someone sight unseen (never a good idea) and was very disappointed, so he came to us.  Bramble Otto is a big 2 year old ram.  Very impressive looking with lots of frame.  As this flock will be used to produce meat carcases he should do the job really well.  When we left him in his new field standing four square and eyeing his companion a castrated commercial ram we felt quite proud of him.  We couldn't keep him as we had too many rams but he has gone to a very good home.

Two more rams will go to homes in Devon in a few weeks.

 August 28th

Still very hot and above all, dry. The grass has not grown at all since the hay was cut.  Not really a problem as we have more than enough hay and will feed that if necessary.  Off to a cottage in the Loire Valley in France tomorrow and a long anticipated holiday leaving our house sitter Anthea, in charge.

September 17th all well with the flock on our return but still no rain!  

September 22nd two more of the rams went off to new homes this week.  Always sad to see stock go particularly when they have been with you since they were born but they looked good and should produce some excellent stock.  All Portlands are nice sheep but there is a particular pleasure in producing good quality rams and knowing that they will pass on the Bramble flock genes.

October 7th

Still virtually no rain!  Without a doubt this is the driest season we have seen in over twenty years of stock keeping.  All the fields are still brown.  We still rotate the stock round the paddocks but they are all fed now.  The important thing is to make sure they do not drop away in condition.  For us, the cost is an irritation and something that just has to be done, but for those trying to make a profit it is starting to bite really hard.  The conditions seem relatively localised as some parts of the country have had quite bit of rain.  The problem is that with the drop in temperature and the shortening daylight hours, the grass will not grow much even if it does rain now.

 October 22nd

Four of this year's ewe lambs and one shearling ewe from last year went off to a new home in Cambridgeshire today.  They were a very nice little bunch of sheep who trotted into their trailer with no problem at all and apparently when they reached their destination they came straight out and started eating the hay provided as though nothing untoward had happened at all. Their new owners already had three Portland ewes and a ram and ram lamb and we look forward to hearing how the flock progresses.

October 27th

On a whim we decided to dig another pond.  We looked at the area around a pond we had dug along our entrance track earlier in the year and saw that there was an opportunity to dig another pond above it, fed by the same spring and then connect the two together so that the spring would feed one and the excess would go into the lower pond. Because the ground was so dry there would be minimal disturbance to the surrounding area and most importantly the clay would drop out of the digger bucket easily.  If you have ever dug into clay you will know that this is very important and can halve the time taken.  Otherwise you constantly have to stop and clear the bucket of sticky clay.

Brian and a friend from the village had an absolutely splendid day playing with a hired excavator. Even better than a train set!

October 30th

Some of the hedges had their annual trim today.  Although we have only twenty five acres in total, we have probably about two miles of hedges.  They represent a huge asset which we manage carefully to maximise their benefit to wildlife.  We are laying some of them by hand on a rolling program and a third of the remainder is cut every three years.  This means that there are always hedges in various stages of growth.

 November 6th

Off to France again.  This time to Brittany.  

November 18th

Wonderful holiday in France.  Very relaxing, took the Pickup with bicycles in the back.  If you want to stay in a lovely situation owned by a very nice English couple look up www.kermavio.com  

November 22nd

Last weekend all the ewes came in and were foot trimmed and tidied up generally ready for the winter.  

This is the last entry for Summer 2003.  A very unusual season.  By far the driest we have known and still springs and streams that are usually in full flow remain dry. At least we have not had to mow the lawns since August which is a bonus.

A new Page - Winter 2003 will start soon.

Click here for the story of last summer (2002)