February 2003

The month of February is probably one of the hardest here on the farm. It is the end of winter, the rain still rains, the mud still muds, the wind blows, the frost comes and goes and the days are still short.

We're ready for a change... and so are the animals!

Having said all that, we do what we can to ensure all are as happy as can be and continue to learn about how things work and how to make things easier next year. It's clear that better drainage would be a big plus and we're hoping for an arrival of a serious amount of road planings in the near future to help at least fill in the holes that the tractor gets stuck in when we pick up silage bales (bit of luck Mark's got really good at driving the tractor now!). We have bigger plans for gulleys and soak aways and perhaps a farmyard pond... but that might have to wait a while.

The geese were not impressed with being herded into the safe paddock which had housed our turkeys. The plan is that it will allow them space to graze and lay eggs and hatch goslings without us needing to shut them up at night to protect them from the fox. Those of you who have been following our monthly missives will perhaps remember that 4 out of the 5 goslings hatches last year, made tasty and easy pickings for the rats because they were unable to escape. Well, we'll see what these feathered ones have in mind this year.

Mark's seat training lessons have been going along quite nicely. He seems to be building a good reputation and doing more teaching with some regular clients now. To this end he's been looking at the possibility of taking on another horse to help with the workload and a Natural Horsemanship magazine and Vowley Farm supporter has offered to lend him Monterrey, a young Tennessee Walking Horse. So this little man arrived one chilly night at the beginning of the month. It was dark and I was concerned about how things might be for him just being turned out into the field with the others, but I have rarely seen such a confident one. After a 5 hour journey in the lorry, he took some sturdy steps off the ramp, sniffed the ground and walked off into the night. A few minutes later there were lots of pairs of eyes in my torchlight... he was being met and checked out by the herd and all was well.

Molly, Monterrey's mum, arrived a short while later, along with lots of gear and several pheasants (hanging ones!). We had a feast or two during her stay!

So, at the time of writing, it seems that spring is just beginning to tickle us here. The sun seems to have a bit more strength, the cows and horses are moulting and. well, we're now putting the chickens to bed at 4:30pm... warmer days are ahead.