Fantastic Weather On The Smallholding.

I know it's the so called British obsession to talk about the weather.  But us farmers (smallholders) are dictated to by the weather.  The last weeks been dry and I have been busy tending to the veg plot, digging a drain and ploughing and rotovating (neighbour) a field.  Here's some pics.

Field ploughed and rotovated. Just needs digger man to arrive and clear drains.  Me to stone pick with my bucket.  Then it will get a run of the harrow and the grass and barley seed will be spread.  Hopefully we will get a big crop and we can round bale it.  Leaving us with fat and happy cattle.

Mixed area for different vegetables.  Carpet is doing a great job smothering grass and weeds.  Must trim that box hedge.  

Orla  'early' seed potatoes and Sturon onions waiting to be planted.  I  always grow Orla because they come from Scotland  and that means they aren't prone to Blight like their Irish cousins.  Great taste too!

Potato plot ready for planting.  Compost area in background.  Two raised beds will  sown with carrots or what  ever we think of.  May be even potatoes?

PLOUGHING WITH MY SIXTY FIVE EUROS PLOUGH.

It's been dry and we have finally got round to working the land with 'Anna Ford'  and 'Maggie' our smallholding tractors.   Number one son is teaching number 2 son how to drive 'Anna Ford' .  She's missing her windscreen at the moment.  We are waiting for a tractor mechanic to find us a new one.  I'm in the background ploughing with my Ford 4000 and my 65 Euros plough.  Gosh it's boring ploughing!

Thinking of sowing a ley mix oats, peas and grass seed.    Apparently you sow the seed then you let it grow and harvest the oats and peas and grass into round bales of silage.    Then your left with the grass for permanent pasture.  I wanted to grow Fodder Beet but I have been told I would have to spray off the old grass and it's a nightmare to weed.

Any way we are getting away from monoculture aren't we?  I think that's a posh word for just growing grass.

"Anything To Declare Sir?" ("Have you got any lawnmowers?")

I was telling my Internet friend Cumbrian the other day, that you can't send bacon through the post to the UK.  It reminded me of the time we 'Emigrated' to Ireland in 2001.  Picture the scene dear readers.  A car full of people and a stoned border collie spaced out on 'doggie valium' and a Luton van full of our belongings and a driver and two people pull up at Fishguard docks.  It's three o'clock in the morning (this is starting to sound like a country and western song).  A Welsh customs police officer ('Heddlu) asks us the following:

"Do you have any powdered baby milk or a LAWNMOWER?"

The good and bad people of Britain could sleep easily in their beds.  There was no need for her majesty's police force to search for stowaways, illegal immigrants, caches of illegal drugs or explosives.  Apparently it was because of the Foot and Mouth outbreak in Britain.  The powers that be thought it could be spread to Ireland by drinking powdered baby milk or somebody had been mowing a lawn and a cow may or might have been eating on it.

I of course told the driver:

"We have no lawnmowers officer or powdered baby milk."

"Right off you go and have a pleasant journey. Good night sir."

Goodnight.

Going to spend the weekend digging the veg plot.  Talking to a robin and moaning about my back.  Time to get up or down to the allotment/smallholding me thinks folks?

Shooting Myself In My Smallholding Wellington Boot (Sentient Beings Or Live Exports?)

Quite a serious post today.  Nearly three thousand live beef cattle left Ireland yesterday (Tuesday) for Libya by boat.  It's supposed to be good news for the farming industry.  I am not so sure.  Yes it's good to have a cattle demand because the prices improve for the farmer.  But what about the live animals?  They are confined for their 8 days ship voyage and then handed over to the Libyans.  What kindness will these animals receive at the hands of the Halal butchers?  Will dear cattle mean dear replacements for the farmer/smallholder?  People like myself who buy small cattle and raise them until they are big?

The EU law recognizes that animals are sentient beings:

"They can suffer and feel pain, and they can also enjoy a sense of well being."

The EEC subsidizes the live transport to none EEC countries to the tune of 9 Million.  All because cattle are too expensive to finish in Europe and export in refrigerated containers.

What do you think folks?  I think that farm animals should be killed in local slaughter works not transported miles and shipped to countries that kill animals by slitting their throats instead of stunning them.

I recently sold 2 of my cattle to a local butcher.  He said he will buy all my cattle when they are ready and kill them locally in his slaughter works and sell their meat in his shop.  Fair play to him.

Have a look at: Compassion In World Farming, I think it's time we showed some kindness to our farm animals, not exporting them just to make money.

Do you think the EEC will ever make organic farming the only kind of farming?  I don't.

"Wash Day" For 'Domino' (The life and times of a smallholding cat).

"That's a strange television."

That's Domino our smallholding cat.  He's busy exploring the washing machine and 'Utility' room.  Or the 'Boot' room if you're posh!   He says he doesn't like washing machines and Hoovers.  Can't disagree there.

Time To Do Some Painting On The Smallholding? (May be not!)

Continuing on the Cork Park and Ride tale from yesterday.  When we boarded our car to go back to West Cork.  I noticed 'Woodies' DIY store.  So I asked the one who must be obeyed to just nip round the corner and "we'll get some paint."

"What do you want some paint for?"

"To paint our bedroom.  That's if it's cheap enough."

Sure enough we went down the slip road and ended up on the dual carriage way heading towards Ballincollig and West Cork.  So we took another slip road and ended up in the middle of nowhere.  So I said:

"Forget about it we are going home.  I have had enough."

Last night we was watching some TV programme about Hotel Inspectors on Sky, who tell you to make your hotel/B&B into a boutique and spend a fortune on each room, have plastic surgery and charge a hundred quid a night for a bed, shower and a greasy breakfast in the morning.  The reason why I tell you this is because there was lots of talk about PAINT.

So I says last night.

"Think I'll get some paint tomorrow for our bedroom."

The missus tuts.

"What's up?"

Asks me.

"I know your painting.  It's throw everything on the bed and off you go.  There's no emptying the room or painting behind the wardrobe."

After 18 years marriage I think she's got a point.  I have no patience for painting.  Why can't somebody invent a six foot paint brush that paints your room in ten minutes?  I hate painting!

"The Wheels Of The Bus Go Round and Round.." (But not in the Countryside.)

We went to Cork city on Friday.  The missus had an hospital appointment.  Just 60 miles for a ten minutes conversation.  I of course went with her to give her passenger commentary while she drove the windy roads to Cork.  I noticed a lot of the fields still are full of straw stubble and far too wet to plough.

Any road we got to the Cork 'Park and Ride' after negotiating lots of chicanes and one lane dual carriage way designated roads because of the major new road works in the city.  Don't get me wrong it's great to see infrastructure and the lads and the machinery working.  It's just that the 'powers that be' don't seem to spend a penny on the rural roads.  You can't even walk along the country roads at night because there are no pavements, ridiculous high speed limits on roads built for horses and carts.   Public transport is very rare or even doesn't exist.

Any road (again).  We paid five Euros for a parking ticket and boarded a BUS.  I had to go upstairs (naturally) and enjoy my midlife crisis/second childhood and realise that I was actually on a bus.  Is it really too much to ask for to have some public transport in a rural setting?  My next adventure is to go on a train.  It's been so long and I am starting to get dewy eyed when I see television programmes which feature trains.  Hey perhaps I could get a train to go with my 2 tractor collection?

The bus journey was really enjoyable and it dropped us off in the city centre.  We decided to pass some time 'people watching' and doing some 'retail therapy'.  I waited outside one shop listening to a busker playing a saxophone and an elderly lady came up to me and said:

"Isn't it dreadful having to listen to them playing their organs in the middle of the street?"

I have course nodded in agreement (can't you tell I am half English?) and wondered why is it always me who gets asked their opinion by complete strangers.  Perhaps I look wise, mature or just completely daft?

Do you want a laugh and a joke?  Good.  Go to Youtube.com/Sminky Animation.  There's a self taught genius animator from Cork called Andrew James who's posted his cartoons.  There's lots of swearing and the accent sounds like a certain ex Manchester United midfielder talking.  My favourites are: "I can't do it." Handsome Donkey, "Awful Sad" and "Fat Rabbit".   Enjoy folks.