Update - we have made it to the end of the month!

Contrary to what I was told this morning - the cows have been out enjoying the sun and the grass in Strickley Hill and Wellbank.

Not quite made it to November . . .

. . . but the milk cows are not going out today. The sun is (currently) shining so they're probably getting themselves ready for the trek down the track to the grass, but we're allocating it to other stock.

So, there's more feeding and mucking out - but no 40 minutes of fetching them in from our farthest fields.

Roll on Spring!

P.S - it's only 55 days till Christmas!

A belated "Thank you"

I'm sorry I never posted this at the weekend - but Thank You Very Much to our buyers at the Beeston Sale. I hope they do well for you - and remember we usually have stock for sale - so get in touch!

Strickley Organic Dairy Shorthorns for sale tomorrow

Tomorrow is the Annual Autumn Show and Sale of The Dairy Shorthorn Society. This year it has moved from Chelford to Beeston Castle Auction. We are taking two newly calved heifers and two second calvers. All have been pre-movement TB tested (and we are in a 4 year parish).

You can see all the details in the catalogue - click here - we are Lots 4, 5, 15 and 17.

James is taking them down this evening and will be with them to answer any questions. He has been taking photos in the parlour this morning - see his Twitter account - this link should take you there. Or just go to Twitter and search for @JRfromStrickley.

And while James is spending the evening with our four lovely ladies, Henry and I will be at Kendal Brewery Arts Centre for a Faustus gig . Surprisingly there are still tickets available - so if you're not having an early night before heading of to the sale, get into town!

Recipe for today. . .

. . . when today is wet and windy and no one goes outside unless they have to (e.g. farmers and cows).

Meatloaf

all measurements and timings are very approximate -

Chop finely (by hand or Magimix)

      300 gm streaky bacon
      1 onion
      2 old carrots almost best their best
      thick slice of home made seedy bread

Tip into large mixing bowl and add

      1 kg mince
      500 gm good sausage meat
      several sploshes of Worcestershire Sauce
      some dried herbs - whatever you like
      stock cube
      1 egg (doesn't matter if you forget and find it on the table later in the morning)

Get one hand in among it and mix well, squidging through you fingers.

Plonk into two loaf tins (or one loaf tin and one large deep pie plate).
Squash down.
Cover with foil.

Cook in the top oven of the Aga for about an hour, then in the bottom oven for about another hour.

Have one hot for dinner - with mashed potato and a good savoury brown sauce (recipe on application), with leftovers in sandwiches for supper.
Freeze the other for another rainy day.

Ready for the oven

   

A Wet and Windy Night

The wind blew strongly overnight and the rain started in earnest about 4.30 am. And by now (7.45 am) there's already been more rain today than in the whole of September. But at least the milking cows were warm and dry as we laid them in for the first time last night. I'm sure they appreciated it. They'll be going out during the day for a while yet, but this marks the start of the farm's winter. There will gradually be more mucking out and feeding inside and less checking stock out in the fields, as different groups come inside.

Last night was also the start of Winter in the Strickley kitchen - we lit the big wood burner. It was maybe a bit too hot so we moved farther and farther away from it, but I think it started a trend and we'll be lighting it again later today.

And finally,

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

to 

ISABELLA BEATRICE ROBINSON

8 today!