farming where I mostly know what I’m doing. Hannah and I have been busy attending to the new hedges we planted in March last year. Predictably during the dry summer, and despite watering them, we’ve incurred some losses which need replacing. Those that have flourished we’ve pruned to encourage bushy growth and freed from unwanted weeds. We’re hoping to establish more hedges and restore others by coppicing and gapping up. We’ve ordered stouter tree planting spades for the job. We’re grateful to Christine Meadows from The High Weald for her help and guidance through the process of the Landscape Enhancement Initiative to which we’re signed up. Lockdown put an end to beating duties, so our spaniels are helping with tree maintenance but get indescribably dirty. Kizzy, our not so useful kelpie/ collie, is exceedingly pleased with herself. Along with catching vermin and keeping an eye on the farmyard, it turns out she is really rather good at holding up the cattle in the back of the shed. This enables ‘the master’ to access the shed, fill the hay feeder and blow in fresh bedding without cattle escaping. Bless her, she’s always been frightened of sheep; who’d have thought she’d be so brave with cattle? It’s only taken her 10 years to find her vocation. I’m told it’s blue Monday and today Anna is rock’n and writing with grandma while her parents make cheese. The only thing blue around here is Pevensey Blue. Anna agrees with me it must mean it’s a good day to eat cheese... PS. On these dark evenings, English Pastoral, by James Rebanks is a good read. On iPlayer we’ve been binge watching – This Farming Life is totally recommended.
> Reading the paper with a little help from my friends
> Anna obviously finds helping Grandma boring/sleep inducing
> Inquisitive sheep checking on the progress of hedge maintenance
> Pruning and weeding
> Pruning
> Kizzy is so pleased with herself TO ADVERTISE CALL 01303 233883
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