Lovely Hubby hiding behind his favourite 'toy'.Saturday was spent shopping for chicken supplies, at the Farm Supply Shop, mostly chick crumb and pellets for my wonderful 'girls', and then getting stuck into some work on the farm for Lovely Hubby and Eglu washing and getting my stock ready for Sunday morning for me.
Now going to the Farm Supply shop may sound quite boring but with the noticeboard full of wild and wacky things for sale, it's very interesting. I don't know what half of them are but they sound wonderful. There's the bog standard things like hay, straw and 'fields wanted for grazing' etc... but then there's the appeals and it always gets me thinking, should I buy the 'last 6 ducklings looking for a good home' or could I help rescue a donkey and 'let it live it's retirement in peace and tranquillity down on a farm'. LH usually smiles his little smile and leads me away, a sense of proportion is usually resumed as we pay for our chicken feed, necessary nuts and bolts and head on our way into town for 'proper shopping'.
Jason spent most of the weekend getting in the potato crop. A bumper harvest from the last raised bed, almost five and a half stone of red skinned potatoes, all different sizes and absolutely yummy!
Tractor with fence post 'knocker' and the other tractor with hedge trimmer attached.
Largest digger, it hasn't moved for years but proves a handy resting spot for the chainsaw and safety helmet!After shopping it was back to the farm and on with the work. LH was trimming back the wild and woody hedges that surround the orchard with one tractor and putting in more fence posts with the other and then getting the area level for the gate into the next farm field with his 'big digger', this is an important gate as it will be our access for piggy pick ups etc.
Everything stops for a cool down and a nice cup of tea.
I played shop, setting my wares out on the kitchen table in preparation for the Farmers Market on Sunday in the Village Hall. I am trying to get to a stage where I know exactly what to take, but after having shops for the last umpteen years I find the packing up and setting out repetitive and confusing. I used to be able to arrange my shelves and if they didn't look right I had all day to play until they did, now I have to be set out and satisfied within half an hour!!
Help is always at hand when you have chickens.I have come to a decision to only do my 2 most successful Farmers Markets from now on and to drop my Aylesbury one. Aylesbury is a full day market that entails me leaving the farm at 6.30am and not getting home until 5pm, a long time to leave the dogs and chickens cooped up and it's not the most financially rewarding either in terms of pounds per hour.
If I am to simplify our lives, decisions like these need to be taken every now and then. Because I am also dropping the Aylesbury Bric a Brac market we are having a whopping sale of stock at Tetsworth Car Boot sale next Sunday (23rd), if you are in the area drop by and buy!!
It is in a large field just off Junction 8 of the M40 with free parking for cars and all the usual facilities. When the sun shines and the rain stays away it is a great morning out, it kicks off at 8am and usually all cars remain selling until at least 12.30 ish.
Eglu in pieces after its weekly scrub.
Sunday was a lovely, busy day. LH came to help me set up at the Farmers Market and then he went home to continue playing with 'boys toys'. I had a fantastic morning, lots of sales, compliments on the stock and nice talks with the locals and their visitors from far and wide.
Then after a few purchases of my own ... Lemon Drizzle cake and Carrot Cake ... it was time to go home to 'get stuck in'. After just an hour of work some friends from the village called by on a doggie walk, (there's no other reason for people to come this far out usually) so it was 'down tools' so we could have coffee and cake on the patio with the sun shining and lots of interesting chat about when our farmhouse was an old ruin in 1999 and how he helped rebuild it from the ground up.
A new pathway between the house and the orchard and the lovely view.After an afternoons hard labour it was time for the obligatory Sunday bonfire. We sat around it with a can of cider each and the sun setting red on the horizon discussing the successful, but interesting and productive weekend.
A flower amongst the rhubarb.Hope your weekend was as fulfilling.
Sue xx
Golly Sue, I feel exhausted just reading your fabby posts, you get so much done! Your stall looks really nice, I found it impossible at the V&H Fair and realised I should have done a practice run at home. Good luck with the boot fair, fingers crossed for sunshine.
ReplyDeleteHen x
Hi Sue,
ReplyDeleteIt always sounds like you are working so hard!
I have to admit being a little bit envious of your country place, oh how I wish I could grow veggies and do farmers markets and keep chickens!
I appreciate it must be very hard work for you though, and not all sitting in the sunshine eating cake! (although that sounds like a pretty good part to me!)
I must not let me other half read your blog, because he so wants a "farm" instead of spending all day in the office... and seeing those boys toys will make him thoroughly depressed! I keep telling him "one day" and hopefully that will come true :-)
Rose XXX
Had to smile at your description of the weird and wacky things for sale at the farm supply shop. Our local corn mill is just the same.
ReplyDeleteEverything looks very busy at your place, I bet you can't wait til the dust settles