Tamworth Escape!

Hello Everyone,

• Happy Valentines for today.
• Hope you enjoyed your pancakes last night.

We have started the list of celebratory days with two in one week! This week has passed really quickly, I do not want the year to go as quick…far too much to do.

The houses, belonging to the chickens, ducks and pigs, have all had a really ‘deep clean’ this week. All the bedding and ‘poo’ goes straight into the compost bins. The bins are steaming! Bob ‘turned’ the muck from one bin to another. He found this quite satisfying, as the muck at the bottom of the bin was black. This is all good organic stuff….stuff which will be going into the soil to grow all our lovely organic veggies.

I am sure you have heard of the ‘Tamworth Two’. Well we have had the ‘Tamworth One’! Three occasions this week we have had the knock on the door from one of our lovely neighbours (who live across fields!) telling us that we have an escapee pig. Bob and I have no idea how one of our sows has been able to leave the pen, which has electric fencing around the area, and go for a wander down the lane??? Or to visit the Green Field and have a little munch on the strawberry plants??? As soon as they see and hear Bob and I she just dashes over for a cuddle and a scratch. I have to say we think she looks quite smug and very pleased with herself having escaped. The blue feeding bucket comes out of the food container and home she trots. Such fun!

Our pigs are all being moved to another area of the land over today and tomorrow…lets see if she has plans ready for another great escape from her new home!

One Greenhouse is full. Yay! It looks fab. But the big news is that not only are the cauliflowers and lettuce seeds growing, the leeks, broccoli and calabrese are also popping through. We also have all the tomatoes, peppers, chillis, herbs and celeriac to work their magic in the next few weeks. I have still hundreds to sow… but it is my favourite chore.

We are at Jesmond Food Market this Saturday and the forecast is a good one – sunny and eight degrees – we may see you on Armstrong Bridge.

Take care,

Ann

PS I am going to name Monday next week as ‘National Muck Spreading Day’.

Guess what we are doing next week??? It’s good stuff and the good stuff does not smell, thank goodness!