We’ve suffered from some very unseasonal weather this summer at Rose Cottage. In the orchard a recent storm snapped a young apple tree in half. It was in full leaf and the wind was of sufficient ferocity to bend it almost double and then break its 4in thick trunk off a couple of inches from the ground. The Bloody Ploughman is no more.
The same storm severely damaged a weeping ash in the woodland hens’ enclosure. Emma, my wife, had just collected the eggs from the coop and was heading off to let the ducks out when there was a creaking splintering noise followed by a loud crashing bang and a crescendo of squawking. Half of the 70ft ash had come down, narrowly missing the coop, the hens and the wife, but flattening a great expanse of chicken fencing. It wasn’t a pretty sight, and there were branches and birds everywhere. The hens were understandably upset and made a bid for freedom through the downed fence, seeking more peaceful environs and somewhere sheltered where hopefully giant trees didn’t drop out of the sky and try to flatten them.
We later found most of them taking shelter under the pig trailer in the paddock, with a few under hedgerows and the most intelligent of the lot ensconced in the greenhouse lazily pruning the tomatoes.
Another victim of the ash’s demise was a stoat or weasel that had been living in the drystone wall that divides the pig field from the woodland enclosure. When the tree came down this little critter shot across the lawn in a bid to escape the mayhem in the chicken run only to fall victim to our cat Woodstock’s hunting instinct. The end was quick — a sudden leap, a short scream and then Woody proudly presenting us with his trophy.
Denne historien er fra November 2020-utgaven av Country Smallholding.
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Denne historien er fra November 2020-utgaven av Country Smallholding.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
The Secret World Of The Honey Bee
Who knew that honey bees are the best builders? Nicola Bradbear from Bees for Development reveals how they build their parallel wax combs with extraordinary accuracy
Tip the light fantastic
The latest offering from Ifor Williams Trailers is the Single Axle Tipper, which is simply perfect for small-scale farmers
The legacy of The Good Life
The Good Life captured the public’s imagination when it first aired in 1975. On Country Smallholding’s 45th birthday, Jeremy Hobson looks at this and other programmes with a self-sufficiency slant that have captivated urban and rural dwellers alike over nearly half a century
‘The hens took shelter under the pig trailer in the paddock'
A tree Armageddon frightens poultry diarist Julian Hammer’s flock and leaves him with a mammoth clear-up job
Tools of the trade
In the second part of his mini-series on tools that are useful around the holding, Kevin Alviti takes an in-depth look at the iconic scythe, a thistle paddle and forks that were once virtually indispensable to small-scale farmers
The nightclub bouncer of the sheep world
Adam Henson waxes lyrical about the Texel, which boasts such a stocky body that it resembles a box of muscle on four legs
Buying on a tight budget
As demand for smallholdings increases and prices continue to rise, is there a way to achieve your dream without forking out a fortune? In the first part of a new mini-series, Liz Shankland explores the possibilities
Crazy for crafts
In an ordinary back garden and single paddock near Kidderminster, Kay Dalloway has created both a thriving smallholding and a successful fibre business — all while working full time for the NHS. Helen Babbs drops by to find out about her ventures
Game on
A little preparation in the autumn months will help to make the transition into winter smoother and put your garden and tools on a better footing come the spring, says Stephanie Bateman
1975 And All That
Country Smallholding is 45 this month. To celebrate, Jeremy Hobson takes a look at some of the changes — both good and bad — to small-scale farming over that near half-century