I've been wondering what to type, what to say and what I think people might be interested in. I mean I love this life but equally I aware that I could also bore people about the daily ongoings if I labour the daily jobs too much. I've also been a bit confused about social media.... with instagram 'stories' being posted which by the way drive me mad when people put lots of text on them. How are you supposed to read all that in seconds? Facebook stories, TikTock videos? What format works for sharing what is a basic lifestyle? What does my audience really want and how can I reach more people? Some people do lots of videos... I know that's just not me.
So I've decided after a due period of thinking to blog every two weeks, to tell you all what's been happening and what is ahead of us. I'll be sticking with Facebook and instagram and updating the website as much as is needed. I hope everyone finds this enjoyable and a content for people that will remain stable and consistent.
Me or Steve are in no way experts at all this, but we've done it, and we work a smallholding day in and out. We've tackled births and deaths, we've tackled the health of the animals, putting prevention methods in first as best as we can. We've got such a wide range of animals and even the cows that my dad owns! We've had letters and cards and feedback from courses over the last few years I haven't got round to sharing yet. And yet with all that success so far we are looking ahead to improve what we have. I may even consider doing a few blogs about garden design, layouts and going back to my original training to help people through the daunting task of laying out a holding or maybe even just a garden design blog one day.
So I have plenty to type up about and I hope plenty that readers will enjoy along the way. I hope that what we have here can actually be visited and experienced. It is important to us that people know that what they see on social media is actually real. I will also be adding lots of photos to the blogs, visually we share lots and Steve is a prolific photograph taker so I hope people will enjoy the visual element to the blog posts.
Back in June this year Steven decided to be part of a 7 week course which now brings a professional teaching and health and safety qualification to his list of skills. Naturally this has lead us on to thinking about adapting and updating the workshops here for people coming next year. We won't be changing much, the animals are all still here and friendly. The content will be the same but it would be a big missed opportunity to have Steven use his new skill to review all the material and look at how we present it. I certainly plan on doing this every 3 years or so as a general update.
I'm being pulled in different directions, mostly its been about making more soap, milking the goats and to be honest and frank it's also about resting. In late June I attended a talk and unfortunately picked up COVID. Annoyingly this has really kicked me in the teeth. It took all of my energy for July and August. Even now I'm still having some days where the fatigue still hits me and its incredibly hard to get some of the basic jobs done. Still there are animals that need mucking out, the sheep still need moving and checking and feeding. It hasn't been an ideal situation.
Goats
Steve and I also planned to extend the main goat barn sideways. It wasn't to accommodate more goats it was to facilitate a different type of bedding system this winter. We've done the 'bedding up' system, mostly due to necessity, and I hated the mucking out afterwards. We've done straw bedding, shavings bedding and a mix as well as the usual hay adding to the mix from the hay feeders inside. This year we've learnt a lot keeping Zoe the horse. She is bedded on deep shavings and daily we would take out the poo and dig out the urine soaked shavings and then re-dress the area. It works so well if done daily and has significantly reduces the weight and amount of dirty bedding needed to be taken and moved. We've decided to do this.... Deep bedding for the goats as well. Either way you look at it your spending money for them to poop on it and I don't think any time of bedding is specifically cheap. So its more about me, and Steve. What is going to work for us and afterwards what is going to rot down nicely for me to use in the garden.
I should say as well I've now got a really lovely Billy goat with horns!!! I honestly am so excited to see him grow up, I'm sure he'll be a instagram star! So after the goat barn is extended ill do a little update regarding the extension of the boys accommodation as well. Of course all out of pallets.
We've also got Nelson who's lost some weight recently so we are currently working through our options for ruling out what the cause is, which for Billy goats can be as simple as not eating due to watching the girls and flirting, a worm burden, parasites which again boys are more prone to because of becoming hormonal at this time of year (its a documented fact in various studies that many males from various species have weaker immune systems because they focus so intently on mating and the testosterone in their systems). So we will keep him warm, hot water with molasses for extra energy and let you all know how he gets on.
Lawns
I've been finally getting into a routine of cutting the grass in the gardens! WOW thats take ages to do, and so much easier when its done each week, my new little lawnmower with grass collecting bag at the back is a wonderful and easy way to keep the job neat and tidy. It also makes it super easy to walk over to the pigs and deposit the lawn cuttings over the fence for them. Do you know that pigs can eat freshly cut grass? You must absolutely not give lawn cuttings to horses, because they need to chew grass to properly cover it in salvia so that when it hits the gut it starts to be digested, lawn cuttings won't be chewed and in clumps in the stomach will start to heat up quite considerably which can kill the horse. I could add them to the compost bin, but I'm already producing enough material for composting as are the animals so the grass might as well go to feeding those pigs.
Seasonal Jobs
So as we enter Autumn it's about those seasonal jobs, finishing cutting the wood and stockpiling it all. Making sure the fires are cleaned and good for use over winter. I'm clearing plants from the borders and vegetable garden getting back to soil and moving mulch from the behind the goat houses, some amazingly rotted down goat poop ready for dressing the beds over winter. I'm having a tidy up cleaning spaces ready for being thrust into action in spring like the greenhouse and potting areas, and frankly after my COVID I must catch up. I'm also planning on which ram goes with which ewes as I think ahead to 2023 already. What breeds are best to go together for fleece production. All of this is working towards a much busier year ahead. Lambing, goat kids, more milking and launching my new little side line Woolly Crafts.
The soap business is still going to be the main focus of what we do here but I'm absolutely in love with the sheep and they've really helped transform the land here and next door where I rent the extra fields. Even the neighbours commented to each other one day whilst undertaking work at how green the fields looked.
It's still a long term project and I'll still have to think about rotational space possibly elsewhere for a few months over winter but either way the sheep have been the absolutely best thing I ever brought here. So over the coming winter months I'll be weaving more rugs together and listing them for sale as well as setting up for a local stall nearby on the 7th December which of course for those local to us I'll let you all know where nearer the time.
Oh AND!!
We had a lamb delivered, one ewe got all hormonal during lambing and a sneaky meet up with the ram resulted in Dewi arriving on a wet Wales Sunday morning. So having a lamb shout and run about at this time of year is a wonderful treat.
Plus the feral cat called Zak has moved in, I don't blame him, he has yet to enjoy the pleasures of a real fire to get warm by.
So stay in touch, the blog will be updated every second Sunday. Seems to be the most sensible way to do it that way you all have a chance to grab a brew and catch up with us here.
Emma
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