One of our members submitted this fantastic article about a typical week they might experience at this time of the year. It sets a wonderful scene of what it is like dealing with the day-to-day tasks on a farm but at the same time, deals with the harsh realities of farm life which they also go through and how it makes them feel… thank you Lindy.
“I returned home from a day’s beating on Tuesday (when the wind was so strong it cracked my flag for me) to find the ash trees in skeletal form, their leaves having been ripped off the twigs during the day, then forming a deep litter on the ground. A lot of the recently-ripened holly berries lay like little scarlet jewels amongst the leaves, and the spiny casings of the sweet chestnuts , crushed beneath car wheels on the lane, made the chestnuts inside a ready-meal for the pheasants.
Tupping Time
Changed the rams’ raddle (poster paint mixed with engine oil) today from yellow to bright green. Most of their ewes have been served in the first fortnight, which means the rams are now bored troublemakers, unless a ewe returns. It could mean a very tight lambing pattern in March.
Bye Bye Ewes
Took the cull ewes to market. Loathe this day more than any other in the year. They were born here and have lived long useful lives, and I hate the thought of them leaving us. There’s a part of me that tries to ignore their fate but despite this being something that is part of farming life, it still upsets me.
The Devil’s Fruit
Do you wonder why it is said that blackberries are the Devil’s fruit after 12th October? Well, as you know the Devil is a fallen angel. He was chucked out of Heaven on St. Michael and All Angels Day, which is September 29th. He fell, cussing and cursing, into a bramble (blackberry) patch. When the Julian calendar changed to the Gregorian calendar, that day became October 12th.
Thank you to Lindy & Robin from Harton Farm for this excellent insight in to their working lives.