Today we go to visit some old friends
grown slightly bigger
and at the same time bring home the bacon
this evening, some of it, sizzling in the pan
Pethan eraill yn y tyddyn heddiw:
and the message from the sheep is cryptic today
Today we increase our freezer capacity and take measurements
to see what might fit
Brutus is oblivious but Lottie and Bina are concerned for him
As previously mentioned, rain is not on the current agenda here. So today it did not rain. It was just that the mist and fog
saturated the air to the extent that water just had to drip out – beautifying things all around
The sheep don’t notice sogginess
and go about their business
Again, as the sun slips down it finds a crack between the cloud and the earth to spotlight the hillside opposite
and allow the midges to come out to play
Currently the weather is mainly like this
Which is great because it is mild – day and night – mainly calm and…DRY.
There are a few moments when the light shines in as the sun lifts its lazy late October rise before it disappears above the cosy clouds. It blasts through from the East
and casts a roving spotlight to the West, picking out selected highlights
We continue our home brewing experiments
and having visited the neighbour’s field to gather the fallen crab apples from among the sheep droppings
are gratified to find that Andy Hamilton says
Meanwhile, we think the sheep on the opposite hillside might be trying to communicate with us in code
Pethan eraill yn y tyddyn heddiw:
Some of today’s red and gold
After earlier breaching our boundary to allow easy pig movements today machinery
and men
arrive to complete the enclosure
inside we add more water boatmen enriched water
harvested from the hilltop lake
and brought back down the hill
A pleasure to have visitors to help with that and to enjoy hands-on pigs
Pethan eraill yn y tyddyn heddiw:
How fortunate we are in this land to be 55 degrees away from the equator. That gives us the angled light of autumn that takes us from a dawn where the valley is obscured by clouds
through the illumination of the red oak
and the haloing of ducks
even fallen sycamore leaves are enhanced
Today they rattled down through the still air with alarming fatalism
to the last western glow
We are told to harvest remaining tomatoes and “cut our losses”
but it is easier said than done
We have a brief trauma when we hear ear-splitting howls from down below. We find Dinah, inexplicably, with her jaw caught in the stock fencing. We cut the fence. She seems grateful, and not to much the worse for wear
She follows us around and then feasts on new cut grass.
Here is the fence after we have cut out the wire and shielded it with a hurdle
Dinah is proving a resilient sow.
Week 1: Seperated from litter, taken to new home, exposed to Bert, trapped in a fence – and still appears relaxed and friendly.
Pethan eraill yn y tyddyn heddiw:
Four days ago Bert received a new neighbour. All in one day Dinah had been separated from the last of her litter, transported the length of Wales, and installed in a new home during the hours of darkness.
This morning the sun shone down and Bert alternated between trying to chew through the fence and lying down with a come hither posture
Dinah was quite keen too so we decided to give them some time together. We were fully occupied supervising the encounter so were not able to record it during the first bout.
After that Bert needed a quick face-pack before trying to encourage Dinah to engage in round 2
She felt she had had enough so went back for a quiet graze and a comforting tickle
Bert needed a little lie down
and a review of his vital parts
Pethan eraill yn y tyddyn heddiw:
One exciting part of this time of year is seeing the preparations that are taking place for Spring. Trees show the buds for next year’s leaves even while shedding those from this summer. Birds, having had their late summer rest, are establishing territories and, as in the case of these wagtails, forging matrimonial agreements
One suspects the Guineas don’t have the same foresight. Today they move into their winter quarters – a room with a view
Pethan eraill yn y tyddyn heddiw:
Last night, under cover of darkness, the five pullets we raised from our own eggs were moved into the main hen house. In the morning they formed a caucus in the corner
while Floppy looked on
The Guineas will be shortly moving out of their summer quarters (known as the lawn mover)
and, like the neighbour’s cattle, will be moving Indoors for the duration.
This drake had to move indoors briefly today for a leg ring change and afterwards had to violently wash off the human contact
Dinah is not yet too sure about where she has moved into but deigns to enjoy some fresh cut grass
while Bert looks on
We hope some small things are starting to move into the slowly filling pond
Pethan eraill yn y tyddyn heddiw:
Yesterday we went way down South to the remarkable home of the Gwyndy Herd. Through the fading light we travelled back North, through rainbow arches as the rain lashed behind us.
This morning we awoke to our own rainbows
and a new inhabitant
Gwyndy Dinah 3 – a mature experienced round the block sow – litters, had them; shows, been to them; and a match for Bert, who is ready and waiting
Gribin Isaf 