Closing Event

We've just wound up a busy week with a few games of tennis and 10-pin bowling, plus a few bouts of boxing in the barn. We ended up with both households having loads of food left, so we had a bit of a family party to use up as much of it as possible, then worked it off with a bit of sport. Who do you think was the Victor Ludorum? Just to prove age and experience count for nothing young Robert put us all in the shade - especially with the bowling (though he even knocked out his Great Uncle Arthur in the boxing ring).

Of course none of this was really real - but nearly real (courtesy of James' Wii)

Coming to the end of a busy week

Almost there -

Organic meeting - went down very well with 15 farmers and vets
Business meeting - much discussion on grass seed mixtures
Pre-school trip - very much enjoyed by ten 4 year olds and two helpers. They all went away with individual photos sitting in a tractor
Computer Dept party - very good night. "Off road" tour of Strickley, then much food and drink outside in the cooling sun.
Pre-school party - postponed (very heavy rain forecast)
Teachers barbecue - still on - maybe in the barn

Have I missed anything out?

Hectic Time Ahead

Well we're back from foreign parts (and the West Coast of Cumbria has some very foreign parts), and there's no time to wind down or ease back gradually into the hurly burly of farmlife. Here's a quick rundown of the timetable over the next few days -

Thursday 3rd July
09:00 - wagon of straw arriving (to be unloaded and stacked in the barn)
09:30 - meat to be collected from local farm shop
10:00 - check the weather forecast - expect the worst
10:00 - barn to be cleaned out and tables, chairs etc set out
11:00 - group of Organic Dairy Farmers arrive for Farm Walk and discussion with our vet
12:00 - check weather forecast - confirm the worst
12:05 - light barbecue in barn
12:30 - serve lunch to as yet unknown number of farmers
13:00 - meeting continues in barn

19:00 - prepare for monthly business/consultation meeting - have all facts and figures at my fingertips
19:15 - sit down to discuss how well/badly we are doing
21:30 - collapse in heap with a revitalising drink

Friday 4th July

Wake up feeling old - it's our youngest son's 30th birthday (Happy Birthday Rob)
09:00 - Old Hutton Pre-school arrive for a morning on a farm
On the hour - check forecast
All day - move barbecue, chairs and tables back onto patio. Prepare for Lakeland's Computer Room Annual Summer Party
19:30 - lounge around in the sun on the patio while idly sipping a cool refreshing drink and cooking and eating a wonderful array of food

Saturday 5th July

More forecast checking

Daytime - James and Michelle's Preschool barbecue
Evening - James and Michelle's school teachers barbecue

Sunday 6th July
Plan meals for the week ahead
Catch up on paperwork

Monday 7th July

Time to relax - back to work!

I Should Have Known Better

As I said last week, Henry and James sneaked off to Dobsons, and the results of their shopping trip arrived yesterday. We are now the proud owners of a brand new -

Helipede Rotary Windrower!

Guess where

Before Henry goes back to work, we're going to have a few days away in the caravan. We could have gone to a posh hotel and been waited on hand and foot, but we couldn't decide where to go (and we would have to get up in time for breakfast), so we're heading off with our holiday home behind us.

But where are we going?

Award yourself 3 virtual points if you can guess from the first clue.

1 - the highest standing Roman wall is very near here

And 2 virtual points if you need another clue.

2 - it is on the estuary of three rivers.

And for only one point

3 - It is the only seaside town in the Lake District National Park

And for no points at all, it has a very small railway.

Stockjudging

Last night the "North West Regional Association of Shorthorn Breeders" (trips of the tongue, doesn't it?), held a stock judging event at Strickley. We try to visit two farms a year, one for stock judging and one for a Herd Visit. They're both a chance to show off your magnificent stock or to be nosey (depending on which side of the host/visitor fence you are). About 30 Shorthorn breeders aged from about 10 to 80+ got the chance to place two classes of Strickley Shorthorns (cows and heifers - six in each) in the right order. But what is the right order? Judging can be subjective but generally judges are looking for the same thing and to create a benchmark for an event like this, we invite a Master Judge. We were very grateful that Wendy Young from the Churchroyd Herd was able to come over to Strickley. She placed the cows in order, and assigned the number of points between each one. Traditionally the cows are numbered A, B, C, X, Y, Z - and the points difference overall must add up to 10. These results are then put on a key sheet, against which the competitors entries are judged. We had picked out 6 cows and 6 heifers and everyone had a good chance to look at them and place them in order. The cards were then collected in and while most farmers looked round the rest of the stock, our secretary Jenny collected together all the cards and worked out the winners and losers, while I went to put the kettle on and carry the supper out onto the kitchen table.

It can be difficult to judge your own stock, as it's possible to know too much about the animal and not judge purely on appearance on the day, but last night James got it right, and his assessment almost matched the judges, scoring a very high mark. Rightly or wrongly his entry was judged to be unfair, and he had to be content with being the Virtual Winner, while the real honours went to Shaun Dixon. James said that either Wendy got it right, or he knew what cows Wendy would like.

The next time the cows are lined up to be judged will be at the Royal Lancashire Show, and hopefully they will shine just as well.

I thought we had got away with it. .

Henry and James have just come back from "popping down to Dobsons". As there was just the two of them and no third generation I reckoned we were safe - no giving in to temptation to buy more Big Boys Toys. But no, they've "almost agreed" on a new Swathe Rake (for putting several mown rows into one before the forage harvester picks the grass up). Apparently we've had ours ages, it could go into a decline at anytime now and this new one is so much bigger and better. I reckon it's a done deal, and they're only pretending to consult me.