The Highs and Lows of Farming

Calf in Red

I’m tired. It’s not often that I’m really tired. It has been a busy couple of months: new calf shed being built, 130 calves born, and lots of finishing touches to Till the Cows Come Home which is being published in May. But it’s the relentlessly bad weather and all the extra work that goes with it that has made me tired. We knew the weather wouldn’t be great over Easter but the fact that it is continuing on for [...]

‘Let it snow, let it snow’

A shed of two halves

Storm Emma and the “Beast from the East” met to create some chaos in Ireland this past week. While we got a lot of snow and were snowed in for a few days, we weren’t in the worst affected county. We didn’t have to put in that much preparation as all livestock were housed in any case. We moved any heavily pregnant cows into the maternity shed to reduce the risk of having to move them across an icy yard. We [...]

Additions to the Farm – Lambs and Hens

It is a while since we last had pet sheep. When the children were small, we got a couple of pet lambs and while Henry went to the freezer, Matilda paid a visit to a ram occasionally and had three sets of lambs with us. We then sold her and two of her lambs to a farmer where she went on to have two or three more sets of triplets until she was found lying on her back on day. [...]

Childhood Memories of Rugby & Baking

With Will watching the rugby in the living room and Kate & I baking away in the kitchen, I was reminded of some of my childhood Saturdays as a kid. My dad would be watching the rugby and everytime a try was scored or something exciting happened, he would shout for my mum and she’d have to run in and watch the replay even though she wasn’t overly interested! ?My younger sister would often be helping her bake and I [...]

Stove Versus Open Fire

Which is best – a stove or an open fire?

We have a cold house – although the attic insulation is good, the house has huge windows which are draughty and I suspect the wall insulation could be improved too. I pull the curtains in the winter to keep out the draughts, not for privacy. ?We were determined to do something to add warmth to the kitchen this winter as it’s been on the long finger now for a couple of [...]