In Memory of Sam

Sam

Sam, our almost 14 year old collie, died last Tuesday, 1st June.

We got Sam from a neighbour and he has been the last surviving dog from the litter for a couple of years, two of his siblings went blind but he has always been in the best of health. He’s only ever had three trips to the vet: for the snip, for a suspected concussion when kicked by a bullock, and for an injury to his neck (the bucket of [...]

What Lucy Did Next

Lucy, 2020, age 15

Till the cows come home front coverLike humans I guess, sometimes a cow comes along and you know there will be another cow like her. It’s not just that she’s special in terms of her personality or appearance, it’s the combination of everything that can be good about a cow – production, conformation, temperament, possession of good old common sense.

For us, our 16 [...]

News From The Farm

Farm animals - some of my favourites

Can you believe that it is almost October? I can’t. We had lovely summery weather until a week ago and suddenly, the cold temperatures of winter are here. The bonus, of course, is that I am lighting the fire every evening and enjoying sitting in front of it with a cuppa and either a good book or my crochet. This is the first winter in four years that we haven’t had a building project going on and while we might [...]

Women Farmers Can’t Rest on their Laurels!

Me with the smallest calf of the year (he was 2 weeks old at this stage and I could still carry him under one arm)

There I was, wearing a shapeless milking gown with (I discovered later) a splash of cow muck across my face, not exactly looking my most sophisticated or glamourous when Brian called me to get my thoughts on a decision regarding our ESB connection being converted to 3 Phase. The ESB guy said to me “there’s not many women doing what you do”. I looked at him, totally confused. “Doing what?” He flung his arm back to indicate the milking parlour. [...]