Used Omlet outdoor rabbit run Width 2.2m Height 2.05m Length 3.1m vgc.

[Lesley]

Clare - "Ooops, word censored!"ody gets out of here without courgettes!!

 

It looks as if the pigs have no grass but that is just the corner where they are fed - the rest of the paddock still has plenty of grass.... and a big wallow......

[chickencam]

Happy pigs

 

I am glad that the lambs did well in the end after all your TLC, it will be hard to let them go, but they have had a good life, and you can eat them with a clear conscience.

 

"Ooops, word censored!"ody gets away from here without, courgettes, beans, and eggs

[Aunty e]

Looks fab Lesley! "Ooops, word censored!"ody leaves our house without eggs and plums (and kittens). I must must must plant some veg next year, what is the point in buying a house with a huge garden and not growing veg!

[Lewis]

Looks great Lesley

I like the black snouty pig too

 

Must be hard to take them off, but all part of the good life I 'spose.

[The Dogmother]

Loo-is is thinking of porky snorkers!

[Lewis]

Loo-is is thinking of porky snorkers!

 

Half a veggie - only eat chicken

[The Dogmother]

I forgot!

[Valkyrie]

Ooh nice crop there Lesley. Still waiting for beans . . . and pretty much everything else

[Helly Welly]

Have you tried selling at the gate Lesley, or do you not get many passing your way?

[The Dogmother]

Have you tried selling at the gate Lesley, or do you not get many passing your way?

 

That'll make Lesley laugh - they're right on a busy main road and those who do stop aren't exactly 'those they would like to attract'

[Lesley]

Too true! - we have a bend in the drive so we can't see the road and anyone stopping can't see the house - we have a lot of bikers who think the gateway to the field next door makes a good loo - Jazz barks at them and scares them out of their wits!

 

We grow for ourselves and store as much as we can - the rest we only sell to people we know, we pre-sell pigs and lamb before we buy weaners.

 

We separated the lambs from the ewes this morning ready to load up this evening - there's always one! One went the other way and disappeared to the top of the land - it took us all day to move him and the ewes through four paddocks, shedding a couple of ewes at each gate as they divided and wouldn't go through. We had sheep everywhere by lunchtime , all making a racket

 

Eventually, we moved the last lamb into the small paddock where the trailer was and they're all in the trailer and tagged, ready to go It's going to be so hard tomorrow morning

[Valkyrie]

There there, Lesley, there there. Chin up. At least you don't do the deed yourselves.

 

And then - roast - yummmmmmm.

[The Dogmother]

You should have given us a shout if you needed a hand.

[Daphne]

Hope today is going/went OK with the lambs - I'm way too soft (and lazy) and this is why I read about your expoits 10 pages at a time and don't do it myself. Fascinating as always, Lesley - I particularly enjoyed seeing the photos so I can imagine where all the action takes place, and reading about everything you've had to do. The amount of work you've all done is staggering and I'm incredibly impressed

[Lesley]

Thank you

We know we are very fortunate to be where we are and hope we can continue to stay here

 

We've had a bit of a day already! - and it's not even 10am I think the DEFRA vet got out of bed the wrong side this morning We'd marked two of the lambs as I want their skins back, he quibbled about that.....then said they weren't all marked.....we told him we only wanted 2 of them back. Then he quibbled about us going back later for the pluck (hearts, liver etc.) I handed over all the paperwork and that was fine but.......DEFRA now have new forms which don't include our flock number and individual sheep numbers as they used to. So DEFRA vet had a clipboard......with a form on it...... for car reg. our Vet details and Flock number The lambs had already gone through so I had no idea of our flock number......the next trailer was in the yard and Carl was waiting out on the small lane. If more than 2 trailers turn up there will be gridlock out on a busy main road through a tiny village Luckily, we had spare tags in the car and Carl had to run over with one......while I was eyeing up a very large cow who didn't want to go through and was looking towards where I was standing, hoping to escape

 

The DEFRA vet won't release the skins unless I have a copy of the tannery's DEFRA Licence - there is no licence I've spoken to the tannery who will be processing them after I've cured them and she agrees that I have all the paperwork required (and two containers labelled as "Category 3 Animal By-products - not for human consumption" ) which should be all I need to go back and collect them this afternoon...........hopefully, he will have gone home by then or I'm going to have a big argument on my hands

 

Fingers crossed........

[Valkyrie]

Cor blimey! I hope it's getting better your end now. Have a tea or coffee before you need to find your boxing gloves. Um, this is not going to put me off having my own holding!

 

 

[ubereglu]

That sounds rather eventful then Lesley! Hopefully you'll get your own way about the sheep-defra truly is a swear word isn't it!

[Daphne]

 

I do hope you manage to get it sorted whilst keeping your cool. I have no patience with situations like that. What are you going to do with the skins? I had to visit a tannery once for work. There was a massive tank full of blue dye and you went up a metal stairway to look down into this vast bath of blue with no safety rail. Fall in and you'd drown. I also lived for a bit near a tannery town and you knew what colours they were using that week by the colour of the river......

 

Lets hope this afternoon is more straightforward!

[chickencam]

Good luck for this afternoon.

[The Dogmother]

Good luck for later Lesley - what are some people like?

[Lewis]

Hope he's gone home when you go back!

I understand why it all needs to be done but its such a pain!

 

If I ever end up working for DEFRA I'll try + be nice

[Valkyrie]

Good, you can come and see my alpacas and chickens any time. And then I'll let you take some fruit and veg home with you.

[Lesley]

He wouldn't be able to see alpaca and chickens!! - didn't you know that the left hand isn't allowed to know wha tthe right hand is doing let alone speak to it! I kid you not - all the departments are separate and don't know anything about the others. A lady turned up to check on the pigs once and I made the mistake of trying to ask a question about hens We've had letters from DEFRA complete with a reference but when we've phoned them quoting the reference not only can they not find out what they wanted to know and was in the letter but we don't even exist on their records The people who lived here four years ago are still on their records though

 

Liz - DEFRA and vegetables are swear words of the week Lewis - if you end up working for DEFRA then I shall excommunicate you

 

I have got my lambskins - I think he took one look at my face and decided it wasn't worth it I had lots of paperwork tucked under my arm, told him we complied with all of it and that the lady who owns the tannery does not have a licence, she said he'd have to phone DEFRA Worcester to check - he muttered that she did and he supposed he'd have to phone and find it himself!! - I just looked at him. He took my form and signed it and that was it.

 

They are now salted and the curing starts. Daphne - we send our cured skins off to Organic Sheepskins http://www.organicsheepskins.com/

 

We've done three so far and they come back all soft and fluffy and washable!

[Daphne]

Although I can't follow much of the detail about sheepy fleece behaviour on that website it has to be a good thing that fewer chemicals are used both for the workers in the tannery, the surrounding environment and of course, us the consumer. Maybe I should have said my experiences were not in the UK!

 

You'll have to show us pictures of the finished articles - it must be so satisfying to see the results of your hard work and be able to use the whole circle of life, death and by-products

[Valkyrie]

Oh I'm glad he backed down. What will you be using the fleecies for?

 

In Lewis's case he can come and either check out alpacas or chickens and have a cuddle with whatever he's not allowed to be an official on. If you do the chickens you can cuddle the alpacas. Haven't even got there yet. Still doing the reading up on them - bovine TB appears to be a problem with the poor things now.

 

How crazy is it when they have no communication between each other regarding the D word. No wonder it's in such a state.