Woods in Spring, Preparations for Summer Work

A walk in the woods is always uplifting but at the present time spring is making it even better. The trees are bursting their leaves forth, the bluebells are justing coming into flower and the birds are singing their hearts out. Our woods were stripped out during the war and so everything we see now is re-growth over the past seventy years, a mixture of oak, sycamore, hornbeam and ash mainly. In addition to these the Farmer has planted many douglas fir, larch and scot pine taking the long view of timber for future generations. As with so many things in farming the long view is the only one that ensures continuity on family farms.

This is the time of year when the farm is preparing for the busy-ness of the approaching silage season. Tractors are being checked over and the silage machinery is being brought out of winter hibernation to be serviced and put into good order ready for the long hours in the fields. Rolls of netting and bale wrap are being delivered and stacked up ready for the baler. Although we have suddenly had very cold weather including snow, sleet & hail in the last 24 hrs and the grass growth will be slow the start of the silage season will be on us before we know it at the beginning of May.

It is lovely to see the cows out in the fields and of course the sheep after lambing. There are only three ewes left to lamb after what has been a very good lambing season. The weather has been ideal for lambs out at foot with their dams as we have had no rain for about three weeks, the fground is very dry. We do need some rain to encourage the grass to grow as well as the sunshine.