tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-84673672798921653752024-02-08T03:43:28.142+01:00Samm and AndyLiving the good life in more than one waySamm and Andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09945124939493199537noreply@blogger.comBlogger127125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8467367279892165375.post-24500276390513200562022-09-25T18:17:00.000+02:002022-09-25T18:17:01.247+02:00Hobbs - RIP<p> With a sad heart, I have to report that Hobbs, our oldest cat passed away on the same day as the queen.She was very frail and it seems she passed in her sleep. </p><p>Hobbs wasn't one of our original 5 cats but she just appeared on the farm when we started to feed the other cats. She was the only cat which let us stroke her and she became a family friend. She also seemed to have a lot of babies</p><p>About 6 years ago, she disappeared. We thought she was gone but 3 weeks later, she limped in with no tail and massive scars/cuts and blood everywhere. She was very hungry but somehow she came through it and has had even more babies!</p><p>She was looks slow, frail and old and it seems it was her time </p><p>We will miss you!</p><p><br /></p>Samm and Andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09945124939493199537noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8467367279892165375.post-49598153590356133262020-04-09T20:39:00.000+02:002020-04-09T20:51:14.982+02:00RestartingLife is interesting and comes in waves.<br />
For many years, the farm hasn't been our priority.<br />
Recently, however, we have rediscovered it.<br />
Chickens have returned,<br />
eggs are appearing,<br />
seeds have been planted,<br />
new dogs have been chewing everything,<br />
cats have been stealing food,<br />
building have been removed, repaired and replaced...<br />
There is still life in the old bonesSamm and Andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09945124939493199537noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8467367279892165375.post-22588983315956180832018-04-02T21:59:00.002+02:002018-04-02T21:59:54.591+02:00Piggies<div style="text-align: justify;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiM1PNn0tegqxxXVIey18xqL7B-jp5wTWfdQvEnN25VOcmh5bdXwb1yZLo7sE_HyOL9oXQW5_NIlZ4wjrkW5r85QJsEpl8IewlvWmrIJ3E7Rab8hG-7xxxIKP1qJUB1olxBxSFQCoNcDWp/s1600/p1070144.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiM1PNn0tegqxxXVIey18xqL7B-jp5wTWfdQvEnN25VOcmh5bdXwb1yZLo7sE_HyOL9oXQW5_NIlZ4wjrkW5r85QJsEpl8IewlvWmrIJ3E7Rab8hG-7xxxIKP1qJUB1olxBxSFQCoNcDWp/s200/p1070144.jpg" width="200" /></a>Pigs are great animals, they eat virtually anything, dig up the ground, produce great manure and are really fun animals. The only problem with pigs is the feed. Normal domestic pigs eat loads and without harvesting grain, pigs are prohibitively expensive. </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The solution to all the problems is a mini pig! These pot belly pigs grow only to 50 kgs and they don't need lots of food whilst providing all the benefits of pigs. Zolibacsi also has a continuous source of reject vegetables which will keep these pig ticking. </div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBo3vTirTrgYMfXKDp74SX9Jgx_tQR8fDFd_I59081qCPzmLjZpDX8lkcJeHK7q1lCJDAOLF4XTzSKlmCzj1f_i7zY4j_TiW4b-Xt5MgBL_GuxV2SOggyvx_XVAivKeUi8me-Y6Cocq0dX/s1600/p1070145.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBo3vTirTrgYMfXKDp74SX9Jgx_tQR8fDFd_I59081qCPzmLjZpDX8lkcJeHK7q1lCJDAOLF4XTzSKlmCzj1f_i7zY4j_TiW4b-Xt5MgBL_GuxV2SOggyvx_XVAivKeUi8me-Y6Cocq0dX/s200/p1070145.jpg" width="200" /></a><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZSFt3g4dxXTxX-0DHOMhZRr8S0mgXzz9NSdXdUCePnNEH2B1EZYO5wsaTckl-gcr1AfdpAYH30FkrhE8olhBDE7221ZLmerYxYZ4le_OuAgM96-GlP2XuS5twcNIuCjsFqGVqgOJzP9tU/s1600/p1070143.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZSFt3g4dxXTxX-0DHOMhZRr8S0mgXzz9NSdXdUCePnNEH2B1EZYO5wsaTckl-gcr1AfdpAYH30FkrhE8olhBDE7221ZLmerYxYZ4le_OuAgM96-GlP2XuS5twcNIuCjsFqGVqgOJzP9tU/s200/p1070143.jpg" width="200" /></a><br />
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10791882430445376130noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8467367279892165375.post-8576075773940967132017-10-09T20:01:00.002+02:002017-10-09T20:01:21.558+02:00No More naked Soil!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHpDm88ZWyO75s3oPPLNCVnujm96m5_tCdxcN85ULQ8VYy96Ux2p4-O8XaSawVedbuZZmuQ5D-7OVeMOTEsNeqEGLMyiL4x9q-QFIXBTvnoaAcS17mgpi63Hb146l9KKUGI7m_ZMa1_s2i/s1600/coverage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; display: inline !important; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHpDm88ZWyO75s3oPPLNCVnujm96m5_tCdxcN85ULQ8VYy96Ux2p4-O8XaSawVedbuZZmuQ5D-7OVeMOTEsNeqEGLMyiL4x9q-QFIXBTvnoaAcS17mgpi63Hb146l9KKUGI7m_ZMa1_s2i/s320/coverage.jpg" width="320" /></a>I've finally returned to health and one of the first things I've been up to is reclaiming our inner garden.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSi10FgljM8-hpm4zCp5P9u5LoSOlTxaleO9gabHAV1txMFJobCAVLApIzvdS0ddZMhjjlDJ-BM3uFR5a74GQTTEzEeUhl5WTSNd0wSx5aogY8VlTC0a8XH0t34nwlEdVbz94D7GxsSfQx/s1600/coverage2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSi10FgljM8-hpm4zCp5P9u5LoSOlTxaleO9gabHAV1txMFJobCAVLApIzvdS0ddZMhjjlDJ-BM3uFR5a74GQTTEzEeUhl5WTSNd0wSx5aogY8VlTC0a8XH0t34nwlEdVbz94D7GxsSfQx/s320/coverage2.jpg" width="320" /></a>This has usually been a dumping ground for rubbish and a place of growth of weeds. However, inspired by our Swedish friends, I've reclaimed the ground for an inner kitchen garden/flower bed. First, a lot of the travelling weeds/trees/plants and a dodgy fence had to be removed to leave naked soil. </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The idea is to cover bare soil with a biodegrade material of various sizes which then holds in the moisture, and makes weeding easy. The ideal material is wood chip but I had a couple of bales of old rotting hay in the back field. This complemented with some well-trodden, weed and pooed straw/hay from the sheep will make a excellent first attempt. The plan is to let the ground recover and start planting in the spring. The covering is about 30 cm deep all over.</div>
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Also, there is a less spotted relativistic cat approaching the speed of light in the second photo! </div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10791882430445376130noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8467367279892165375.post-50445784631181317392016-10-28T15:00:00.003+02:002016-10-28T15:00:37.490+02:00Mower news and other farm updatesThe sit-down mower's drive belt to the blade has melted and snapped. The replacement would be about 14,000 HUF so we've decided not to replace the mower as the bio-mowers (sheep) are doing an excellent job, most look rather pregant and are quite controllable with electric fencing<br />
The sit-down mower will be used as farm tractor and can be used a lawn sweeper (picks up cut grass, small twigs, leaves and sheep poo), a grass dethatcher and trailer which is highly useful. The remaining areas can be treated with the exceptionally noisy scissor mower, now fixed after snapping the drive belt! this time just a 3000 HUF replacement.<br />
Other rivotting news includes the replacement of the pressure switch on our home well water system. This switch was over 40 years old and the contacts have worn away, mainly from frying mice which borrowed into the connection. Our electrician friend, Csaba, found a replacement and installed it (a non-trival situation considering the wiring) and now our house has 3.5 bar water pressure :) I'm looking forward to saying goodbye to the days of showering under a drip.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10791882430445376130noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8467367279892165375.post-17491083494859155402016-10-01T13:46:00.002+02:002016-10-01T13:50:11.077+02:00Autumn update <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXaZOp0hNLjGtXJYkYumAntLnUQI9Q-RknN3cdnz62Hj0nn8CZdD2lfIvuanek9yWH5UyMk-vkUvcWxyXIJ0qG7sgGaCwc4X9YbaZJoQYjCRiG3OQraXKhhs3UeRB0ASajDJ1dRi9IHfKm/s1600/img_3752.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div>
<span style="text-align: justify;">Its been a while since the last post and here are the latest update which kinda build on eachother</span><br />
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</div>
<ol><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3qKSPFdwQprpihtnVAcGhWhb3xfvxQfyg7WpFYwJAOd_llxSy5Km7NEi0DGbSYIU1pVizu_Ty0Yk0EFpIYL852fLKNbBcleWT469ryAeZKK90tz-NV2Er54HzZfox_OvcuF2mOoooBB43/s1600/img_3763.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3qKSPFdwQprpihtnVAcGhWhb3xfvxQfyg7WpFYwJAOd_llxSy5Km7NEi0DGbSYIU1pVizu_Ty0Yk0EFpIYL852fLKNbBcleWT469ryAeZKK90tz-NV2Er54HzZfox_OvcuF2mOoooBB43/s200/img_3763.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG9vLn53L4gQZc8Yf1KQ9IUE-3igQhRXp6Xr7ASfo-zBVsQrjBLxs9BeL2g36KqgLlHhFHHHHqlEVgUTtseAk3Jltnmt8b79cV_wOKDfNc2b96aB4pvGdqBIM8CgF042ynj-fEUEkljLeS/s1600/img_3757.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG9vLn53L4gQZc8Yf1KQ9IUE-3igQhRXp6Xr7ASfo-zBVsQrjBLxs9BeL2g36KqgLlHhFHHHHqlEVgUTtseAk3Jltnmt8b79cV_wOKDfNc2b96aB4pvGdqBIM8CgF042ynj-fEUEkljLeS/s200/img_3757.jpg" width="200" /></a>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXaZOp0hNLjGtXJYkYumAntLnUQI9Q-RknN3cdnz62Hj0nn8CZdD2lfIvuanek9yWH5UyMk-vkUvcWxyXIJ0qG7sgGaCwc4X9YbaZJoQYjCRiG3OQraXKhhs3UeRB0ASajDJ1dRi9IHfKm/s1600/img_3752.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXaZOp0hNLjGtXJYkYumAntLnUQI9Q-RknN3cdnz62Hj0nn8CZdD2lfIvuanek9yWH5UyMk-vkUvcWxyXIJ0qG7sgGaCwc4X9YbaZJoQYjCRiG3OQraXKhhs3UeRB0ASajDJ1dRi9IHfKm/s200/img_3752.jpg" width="200" /></a>
<li><span style="text-align: start;">Andy is finally on his feet and slowly limping around the farm.</span></li>
<li><span style="text-align: start;">The sheep count is up at 20 - We've about 8 black racka now - This is the last year of Heepy being our active ram - Next year we will swap him out to make sure that there is no inbreeding.</span></li>
<li><span style="text-align: start;">Most of the original trees on the farm are dead or on the way out - We've hired a tree surgeon who has felled and sorted the trees. We should get some planks of various lengths and lots and lots of firewood from these trees.</span></li>
<li><span style="text-align: start;">We need to plant lots of trees so that we can have firewood and new fruit trees. The last batch of young trees have been successfully killed off by the flock of sheep who preferred tree bark to hay. The problem is that the areas that are suitable for planting are very exposed.</span></li>
<li><span style="text-align: start;">The lovely Graham and Sue came out to help us with the sheep management. With their excellent help, we've managed to partition the orchard and former vegetable patch from the sheep. We've reused old fencing and gates, reinforced with pig-wiring around the orchard (pictured) and then laid an electric fence with two spring gates to seal off the former veg patch. Digging out the old posts were challenging even in the sandy soil as at the base of the 2m post was a wooden cross prevent us from pulling them out of the ground.</span></li>
</ol>
The next steps are waiting and testing the sheep-proofness of the fence and then planting fruit and wood-burning trees,Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10791882430445376130noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8467367279892165375.post-70078127214381757542016-08-04T11:00:00.000+02:002016-08-04T11:00:17.820+02:00RagWeed<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCcpdXMXxveBF6GymoUuVcduxDuhoHwQlIg-FvEbNeWo26fXZrBG-Z2iBcLO454SbWXXTUXsUC-Y4NJqwv_Fi5gr2KpCxq6Fbe5Lb7FlYhF9HHSfuCLjodxRsAXJdHw-bTl7gkotZinIlL/s1600/IMG_3696.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCcpdXMXxveBF6GymoUuVcduxDuhoHwQlIg-FvEbNeWo26fXZrBG-Z2iBcLO454SbWXXTUXsUC-Y4NJqwv_Fi5gr2KpCxq6Fbe5Lb7FlYhF9HHSfuCLjodxRsAXJdHw-bTl7gkotZinIlL/s400/IMG_3696.JPG" width="400" /></a>Ragweed is the bane of our farm. It grows in every nock and crany; it grows fast and strong and when flowers, causes hayfever for virtually everyone around. This summer, we've had rain, sun, heat and the farm has turned into a ragweed jungle. We can also get fined by the local government for excess ragweed.</div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyn4_gUGlU5EJJDht1GrmsJDdMedZE7r50UCz5gcsEsjXQUV0qw6yhe6sxNMJQCpgRMw3Fplk0gt8LbIkWnVuDsoZMWJqB19JbdPRMAdDcEEukLsPoL9-ynBtkE2hou7uK8eIB3LTB5fHO/s1600/left_leg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: justify;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyn4_gUGlU5EJJDht1GrmsJDdMedZE7r50UCz5gcsEsjXQUV0qw6yhe6sxNMJQCpgRMw3Fplk0gt8LbIkWnVuDsoZMWJqB19JbdPRMAdDcEEukLsPoL9-ynBtkE2hou7uK8eIB3LTB5fHO/s200/left_leg.jpg" width="140" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Left Achilles, 2016</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPi3MtrgHaiyGbZmOyAX_VJLNRAjWPPhv_hUHVlNn3eq81SZkkOZSyDSVwDKjnBD2hnfGaXk_wSg9Sjdhj1UQLNfmC3UAgIP7xJEGWcpvDajM8ZVmKfcH2cK_KgtCHu6UHe7WENB0uW5z-/s1600/right_leg.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPi3MtrgHaiyGbZmOyAX_VJLNRAjWPPhv_hUHVlNn3eq81SZkkOZSyDSVwDKjnBD2hnfGaXk_wSg9Sjdhj1UQLNfmC3UAgIP7xJEGWcpvDajM8ZVmKfcH2cK_KgtCHu6UHe7WENB0uW5z-/s200/right_leg.JPG" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Right Achilles, 2015</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Usually, every summer at the crack of dawn, I get up and strim down the jungle and try to pull up the weeds. However, the last two years, I've been unable to walk over the summer, let alone use light machinary due to 100% snapping my right (2015) and left (2016) achilles tendons. </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
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<span style="text-align: justify;">The discovery of 2016 is that sheep don't just eat ragweed, they love it and go mental for it. Our flock of 13 sheep are in heaven munching away on the former vile</span><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
weed, which is full of vitamins and protein. My days of strimming and sneezing are over :)<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10791882430445376130noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8467367279892165375.post-84356623595331481712016-03-03T14:56:00.000+01:002016-03-03T14:58:58.780+01:00Lambs<div style="text-align: justify;">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaqVtNMtl4k9B4ux4wnNqlzrsywCfgn7mq107ho0kjgJ6Uina8KVZRv_J62tv_WD7WrbVBeRYFWX9cTilxN3xI4fBwldADRgaYt6mcxULNGKIdquAN3GRYqr0tShEphLukHwT28nMLuqiq/s1600/proudmama.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaqVtNMtl4k9B4ux4wnNqlzrsywCfgn7mq107ho0kjgJ6Uina8KVZRv_J62tv_WD7WrbVBeRYFWX9cTilxN3xI4fBwldADRgaYt6mcxULNGKIdquAN3GRYqr0tShEphLukHwT28nMLuqiq/s200/proudmama.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Proud Mama</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1cpVdwu2FvMgOYxG1CmlNJNgbJUILQVRj0rACe39NFJ_BedOw2_GKchkcofdv0vXl8kIeQBgpi9ZCFnCQxh5YOb4W_87IXDIbwOdWcYSVVAHQzhGFVYmVBdwIfpjUa5STKl8y68veo68r/s1600/lambs.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1cpVdwu2FvMgOYxG1CmlNJNgbJUILQVRj0rACe39NFJ_BedOw2_GKchkcofdv0vXl8kIeQBgpi9ZCFnCQxh5YOb4W_87IXDIbwOdWcYSVVAHQzhGFVYmVBdwIfpjUa5STKl8y68veo68r/s200/lambs.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The two older lambs</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHM8vWzSKCMWr283l8fxA8Wiu7bYW4h06Atmld_qRYrXubmuvotzVraGZhA1-ObHGFIstvwMSqK0K71Fw__iAkrajIV00bfaiGWdK97e7ZIe_0OIfT_XJeXVwScoWZLtubUsGrOLSUK0KD/s1600/Heepy.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHM8vWzSKCMWr283l8fxA8Wiu7bYW4h06Atmld_qRYrXubmuvotzVraGZhA1-ObHGFIstvwMSqK0K71Fw__iAkrajIV00bfaiGWdK97e7ZIe_0OIfT_XJeXVwScoWZLtubUsGrOLSUK0KD/s200/Heepy.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Heepy the Stud</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGnG4Z_upbZzsVzVPoKx1na1AIXOAGcJ_6mdlp4FKE1svqkh2ITDJBbul8csvcwTvffbc3GKl74mO9UUu-r0vXYDhvr0ylgotmCEumhH3RBFVoSqfOxRGVG3XuifOqnNGGN16EpwLLM96U/s1600/lamb1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGnG4Z_upbZzsVzVPoKx1na1AIXOAGcJ_6mdlp4FKE1svqkh2ITDJBbul8csvcwTvffbc3GKl74mO9UUu-r0vXYDhvr0ylgotmCEumhH3RBFVoSqfOxRGVG3XuifOqnNGGN16EpwLLM96U/s200/lamb1.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Latest Lamb</td></tr>
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Sorry for the lack of blog activity, We've been distracted with other things. Anyway, This year we've had a good run with lambs with all our girls getting pregnant. Unfortunately the Racka lamb didn't make it but we've three strong lambs from Heepy, our Ram.<br />
The last lamb, born on the 2nd March, didn't want to feed so Zolibacsi and HuszkaMama helped it find the udders and now it is drinking like a sailor</div>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10791882430445376130noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8467367279892165375.post-21587201542182861812016-01-05T16:23:00.002+01:002016-01-05T16:23:43.312+01:00CheesemobileIn all the craziness of last year, we forgot to mention that we bought a new car.<br />
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Here is the new cheesemobile in all its glory. It is a 20 year Suzuki 1.6L petrol 4x4 which comes highly recommended by the local vet and mechanics. </div>
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It is just perfect for the farm - The high off-road action means that when there is 150kg+ of animal feed in the boot, we are not fearful of our dirt road removing the exhaust system. The Suzuki can drive in 2w and 4w high and low which means the smallish (compared to 2.5 tdl pickup trucks) engine is quite efficient whilst still having lots of power. It doesn't really like driving over 100 KMH but cruise nicely at 90. The high roof means you can fill the car with stuff and there is a towbar too. Five people can also comfortably fit in. There are lots of these cars around so finding parts/spare bits shouldn't be too expensive or difficult</div>
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Most importantly it is green</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcgXy3DVcZ3QUUGJdI5Jf_SrnyJ5Jfx8q2XkFTWrVQGXjt9cr57KJ4Omldk9da89vHbg6Co226wEBO03yd_FZa2FxcsFtNOHGQYjGgbitRZHwuaVboMFgtu3i4w3TbH1o35NiGdXXTaaNr/s1600/car.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcgXy3DVcZ3QUUGJdI5Jf_SrnyJ5Jfx8q2XkFTWrVQGXjt9cr57KJ4Omldk9da89vHbg6Co226wEBO03yd_FZa2FxcsFtNOHGQYjGgbitRZHwuaVboMFgtu3i4w3TbH1o35NiGdXXTaaNr/s320/car.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10791882430445376130noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8467367279892165375.post-91555428175771818682015-10-15T13:24:00.000+02:002015-10-15T13:25:48.809+02:00Baby Chickens and Ducks<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPSRGFd2R2NvOUTDsbzRuezUBa7LG3zkCK8-sJeiXpPcRpeMnYQ63GUqxSVV6M9Rbn7n0I-dm6Tdp_e59pBs6Zoays2datLrmcEc6wG1c2PGcYEP8WSsuUlsfyhIcMuOzPrCO8t-Lv9n2b/s1600/IMG_3057.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPSRGFd2R2NvOUTDsbzRuezUBa7LG3zkCK8-sJeiXpPcRpeMnYQ63GUqxSVV6M9Rbn7n0I-dm6Tdp_e59pBs6Zoays2datLrmcEc6wG1c2PGcYEP8WSsuUlsfyhIcMuOzPrCO8t-Lv9n2b/s200/IMG_3057.JPG" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6msNgXj36SmRV18KRQeEa0PNpdMBIv8cr0LyqHI7ODbpUYv5RczwEGh2lSMCGCc1tyf8sgByRr-vxgSeWY3vh8xVH6_QJY3kR6aRtdTYL8bS6H12FRLLpgytYwFNGyWfvM8hObsNYxv7F/s1600/IMG_3019.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6msNgXj36SmRV18KRQeEa0PNpdMBIv8cr0LyqHI7ODbpUYv5RczwEGh2lSMCGCc1tyf8sgByRr-vxgSeWY3vh8xVH6_QJY3kR6aRtdTYL8bS6H12FRLLpgytYwFNGyWfvM8hObsNYxv7F/s200/IMG_3019.JPG" width="200" /></a>We've not planned it but we've had a brown Japanese duck and a naked neck chicken sit and successfully hatch out eggs. We've got 9 baby ducks (5 yellow, 4 brown) and about 9 naked neck chickens and two Brahma chickens. We've left the poultry to do their own things, just making sure they are dry and fed with ground corn and water.<br />
Cue the cute photos<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihPmF4J_-lVY_NHAhMxcMQF0a_mgCuS-uDyNxlbCGBRi1KoXuoBeaEtKVmflrbADEqTeeOM32kRbJHZ6lslBGpdbd8cSKafaJkQzjrp3TMU9hGkCJqx36Urx4Aw8TUfhm3Jcs5p7v0b6b7/s1600/IMG_3028.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihPmF4J_-lVY_NHAhMxcMQF0a_mgCuS-uDyNxlbCGBRi1KoXuoBeaEtKVmflrbADEqTeeOM32kRbJHZ6lslBGpdbd8cSKafaJkQzjrp3TMU9hGkCJqx36Urx4Aw8TUfhm3Jcs5p7v0b6b7/s200/IMG_3028.JPG" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpaxb9EzcadjL3EJsdX7JG4ta85afcJ9T2pvje6GxYqYi2fLY24DKh17wA-ou_ghSi-p1tCEYEZKpTDiy0TioxjkuUPziZe85sHKRBZML9cZxUPaHufPWNLAUSIpYQxT5i_EfzJgUMmZJp/s1600/IMG_3002.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpaxb9EzcadjL3EJsdX7JG4ta85afcJ9T2pvje6GxYqYi2fLY24DKh17wA-ou_ghSi-p1tCEYEZKpTDiy0TioxjkuUPziZe85sHKRBZML9cZxUPaHufPWNLAUSIpYQxT5i_EfzJgUMmZJp/s200/IMG_3002.JPG" width="200" /></a><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/L5DxD8ZNLt4" width="560"></iframe>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10791882430445376130noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8467367279892165375.post-54865253682254869432015-09-17T14:13:00.000+02:002015-09-17T14:13:40.019+02:00176 days laterToday, I've managed to do my first piece of real farm work this year. It has been 176 days since I completely snapped my Achilles tendon in my right leg and it still isn't 100%<br />
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Today, I ventured into the garden with the Stihl strimmer and spent three hours hacking down Weeds, fast-shooting Weedy trees(grow fast but don't give out much heat when burnt) and long grass.<br />
It looks like next year we will have to get a piggy or two to go through the orchard and dig up all the roots of these pesky plants and eat all the grass. This requires careful planning and some new fences or some of our beloved departed pets may make a return from the grave<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10791882430445376130noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8467367279892165375.post-75961777406127987492015-07-03T22:28:00.000+02:002015-07-03T22:28:03.006+02:00End of an Era<div style="text-align: justify;">
Today marks the end of another era on the farm. We've butchered the three goats and have temporarily suspended raising rabbits.</div>
The Goats were proving more hassle than worth. They were destroying fences and vegetation whilst not producing much milk and the offspring were dying too young and weak. They were burning money whilst not providing anything. The butcher came and we now have a freezer full of goat meat all expertly chopped for £20.<br />
We've been slimming down our rabbit collection since Andy broke his Achilles and today we swapped out our remain 3 rabbits for a new set in September. It gives a us time to repair the hutches; makes our animal sitters lives a little easier and reduces our grain purchasing as the remain animals can live off the grass and things growing on the farm<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10791882430445376130noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8467367279892165375.post-38237431533950186312015-05-29T16:48:00.002+02:002015-05-29T16:48:51.086+02:00Goodbye to the Goats<div style="text-align: justify;">
Like the English buses, there have been no posts for a while and up come two! Life has been rather crazy and Andy has only just started to be able to walk after rupturing his Achilles tendon.</div>
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The season of change is blowing through the farm, we are currently having the house renovated and it's been time we've reassessed how the farm is working and doing.</div>
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The poultry has been an amazing success this year - All traditional breeds of Chickens, Ducks and turkeys have laid and hatched babies. Some have been more successful than others at keeping their offspring alive but it has been a joy to see them grow. In the dodgy picture below, there are a couple of the 14 baby turkeys.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvcy1YjXcW3ZoI24OqJTZZq556OXEAiuQs_4mMKPyWqWx7IfmdcOLrVZ2U-3yMenkMZ37IoF30as8Xw_60kcdauB8lxCQsNBxbeVl3E5DX-g9nStMT6oyUrqZCzzD3g2tVmvL8XX-w5laO/s1600/IMG_2768.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvcy1YjXcW3ZoI24OqJTZZq556OXEAiuQs_4mMKPyWqWx7IfmdcOLrVZ2U-3yMenkMZ37IoF30as8Xw_60kcdauB8lxCQsNBxbeVl3E5DX-g9nStMT6oyUrqZCzzD3g2tVmvL8XX-w5laO/s320/IMG_2768.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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The problem has been the rabbits and the goats. Andy's increased working hours have put pressure on the number of animals that need direct feeding. The sheep and poultry, to a large extent, look after themselves and only need the occasional bucket of grain. We've already purged the rabbits down to 4 bunnies and we've made the tough choice to butcher the goats. The goats have not been the healthiest animals, due to genetic problems, the off-spring haven't lived and they require feeding or being tethered in a safe place. The mounting vet's bill aren't off-set by the amount of milk produced. Also, the rabbits are more maintainable especially if we need some guest feeders. A rabbit is quite easy and quick to dispatch, process and eat .</div>
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We are currently trying to fatten the two non-milking goats and when the other dries up, we butcher her too. It is a bit sad but this is farm life, you have to make hard but right choices.</div>
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It might not be the end of Goats on our farm, we know two other farms so we could repopulate but until our livestyles change, we will be a sheep and poultry farm.</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10791882430445376130noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8467367279892165375.post-81170330585805208392015-05-26T21:03:00.001+02:002015-05-26T21:34:37.833+02:00Rats<p dir="ltr">Whilst topping up our animal feeds, we found this monster dead rat. Though it is scary that there are monstrous rats on the farm. It seems that one of the cats(probably Hobbes or the ghost of Jess) took it out. Another reason Why we'll always have farm cats</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjipv1mmDTgJqqIbS69CLh1CmW8myEnzDnUGRN4BG6ikK4mF52nlbaG8bVHb7aekgOPZQG0v3ZFecYZTzi6k8xX0umhue3tLVm8teCY4yXeZO6muhcd0AUnliGpoB_bxWDHo-H7mtCsTvtK/s1600/IMG_20150526_184653.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjipv1mmDTgJqqIbS69CLh1CmW8myEnzDnUGRN4BG6ikK4mF52nlbaG8bVHb7aekgOPZQG0v3ZFecYZTzi6k8xX0umhue3tLVm8teCY4yXeZO6muhcd0AUnliGpoB_bxWDHo-H7mtCsTvtK/s640/IMG_20150526_184653.jpg"> </a> </div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10791882430445376130noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8467367279892165375.post-80669805417353359532015-03-08T12:28:00.002+01:002015-03-08T12:28:19.926+01:00Baby TurkeysGood News - After a winter of death (see the last four posts), We have life!!!! We discovered 3 baby turkeys have hatched :) They are being very cute and hopefully their mummy will be ultra-protect and they will survive!<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10791882430445376130noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8467367279892165375.post-38643841322801097362015-02-19T09:50:00.001+01:002015-02-19T09:50:17.569+01:00CrunchyCrunchy passed away in the night from liver failure.<br />
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She was a lovely,friendly dog who always loved to hug (aka lean on you) and was always hungry and never looking where she was running .<br />
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She never had it easy, she had a dodgy womb which was removed, eyelid trouble and many other scrapes and issues.<br />
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In her time, she killed a sheep, a snake and numerous chickens and cats but in the end death got her.<br />
Another reason why this world needs to be renewed and restored.<br />
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Goodbye old friend<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10791882430445376130noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8467367279892165375.post-44058434999294171022015-02-18T10:50:00.000+01:002015-02-18T10:50:01.126+01:00Weathering the Storm?So far this year, we have sick rabbits, goats,dogs and cats and it isn't march yet! I've had to bury more dead animals then I can remember, the Vet is a frequent visitor and it become draining.<br />
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Are we weathering the storm or trying to hard to make something happen? I just don't knowAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10791882430445376130noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8467367279892165375.post-70687215530343765032015-01-08T11:25:00.002+01:002015-01-08T11:25:45.627+01:00Mr BrownWith a sad heart, I am sad to say Mr Brown passed away. He survived 3 years, myxomatosis, the clap and produced loads of children. He was always polite, gentle and friendly and had the nicest fur in the world - He will be missedAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10791882430445376130noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8467367279892165375.post-10991650644259718842015-01-05T14:17:00.000+01:002015-01-05T14:26:38.573+01:00WetheredWe came home from a long day out from playing guitar at two church services and preaching to find that Wethered goat was lying on the floor and bleating sadly. We tried to revive him but by the time the Vet had come, his nervous system had collapsed and he was slowly dying. We made the sad decision to have him put down and he just fade away without a struggle.<br />
It isn't a pleasant start to the year but we are grateful that the ground wasn't frozen and we could dig a big hole in the moonlight relatively easily.<br />
Looking back, he wasn't putting weight on and wanting to eat grain - there could be many factors which could have hindered his growth but this is one of those sad things which sometimes happen on a farm.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10791882430445376130noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8467367279892165375.post-69484860689473286702014-12-08T12:41:00.001+01:002014-12-08T12:41:03.828+01:00Latest influx of Birds<div style="text-align: justify;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk-T8I23oKIan24SCinxtFlDClSho4bWiX4SStUZ_tbiAxwyoYkp4mTvtOPu-Ih5-BkZnM8QSVZakpvBz7BWhFpzd1Lr2ew5Fw07lsc4jbh8uPTGO_DVqdh2UrCC07w7eZp1Fq3-lxiggj/s1600/img_2580.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: justify;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk-T8I23oKIan24SCinxtFlDClSho4bWiX4SStUZ_tbiAxwyoYkp4mTvtOPu-Ih5-BkZnM8QSVZakpvBz7BWhFpzd1Lr2ew5Fw07lsc4jbh8uPTGO_DVqdh2UrCC07w7eZp1Fq3-lxiggj/s1600/img_2580.jpg" height="320" width="213" /></a><br />
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Over the weekend, We've visited the legendary Zolibacsi and returned with some more Animals :) Most of these are "proper" non-hybrid animals which means that the chickens are dual purpose (eggs/meat) and should also be able to hatch out a batch or two of Chickens. So in no particular order, here are some of the additions - </div>
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These quaint birds are a local breed which despite their exposed neck are really tough in the cold and heat. They are a good medium-size bird</div>
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I'm not sure of the exact breed but these are proper chickens but just tiny, the cockerel in the photo is smaller than a standard roof tile. They also have "little-man syndrome" where they are very loud and aggressive. The small size also means that the chickens fly high and far and can easily flap over the farm buildings!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvCeefR_mmxFThUl8Z8MFvi6sXusnZc3n2MLH05zf_HQ9pSHWEJvBcZ3OhbP2OyGuzV5vn934vBbV2pmkodcZFmrFo6wGCO-8Lo5m7OydLtseX1haK4Em804PlPGWcYgLwNyYIL1s6sIl1/s1600/img_2568.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvCeefR_mmxFThUl8Z8MFvi6sXusnZc3n2MLH05zf_HQ9pSHWEJvBcZ3OhbP2OyGuzV5vn934vBbV2pmkodcZFmrFo6wGCO-8Lo5m7OydLtseX1haK4Em804PlPGWcYgLwNyYIL1s6sIl1/s1600/img_2568.jpg" height="133" width="200" /></a></ol>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmbKeAQ02aDVPjpmr-VE5VJF50UV8H8Pvg_RBZ5tY_nMfMbPmIoKq3NEjN71qKd32rMrSfIbuL3Y4EswtigUtFHSHjjTXprcwy1aWv65piluNPgoFI0B1bXCMlQaTqkfUKgl9iVKU1FWab/s1600/img_2582.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmbKeAQ02aDVPjpmr-VE5VJF50UV8H8Pvg_RBZ5tY_nMfMbPmIoKq3NEjN71qKd32rMrSfIbuL3Y4EswtigUtFHSHjjTXprcwy1aWv65piluNPgoFI0B1bXCMlQaTqkfUKgl9iVKU1FWab/s1600/img_2582.jpg" height="133" width="200" /></a>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg55n99h_1IyflvRATtxF7zI6J-NaTgvQjhp2LcHf4Eda4ZcnDTek7KrpAppT-9kUz6yExJLBCEfx7_K3guutJVxNqHq7SJol0Q1K9Vc1Znar562Fb5YvbtTA8cJoGgZqYrvqpvWJapaoJx/s1600/img_2586.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg55n99h_1IyflvRATtxF7zI6J-NaTgvQjhp2LcHf4Eda4ZcnDTek7KrpAppT-9kUz6yExJLBCEfx7_K3guutJVxNqHq7SJol0Q1K9Vc1Znar562Fb5YvbtTA8cJoGgZqYrvqpvWJapaoJx/s1600/img_2586.jpg" height="133" width="200" /></a></div>
<h3>
<b>Brahma Chickens (x3) and Rooster</b></h3>
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These are Huge chickens covered in feathers all over their bodies and legs and feet. So far, our chickens have been a bit mellow but we will have to see how the new arrivals cope with the established Brian</div>
<h3>
<b>Turkeys </b></h3>
<div>
The gobble gobble machines are huge, they have the body shape of a pheasant but are about twenty times bigger. It's also fun to stand next to them and play the call and answer game with them :)</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzeItTuO8SmcjEGkj2JMHLSr6fudSjPXKg-DeXlhj9z8-e-l3njmgRXFUHXsyvLbcy5pCVMcpkRkKdU9Xgz5iZnuiuo_aNY9GJ63xFtOqW7P9Ob9b2yhO-6-Ud5f21H5wehuUOz-Fp3PQG/s1600/img_2576.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzeItTuO8SmcjEGkj2JMHLSr6fudSjPXKg-DeXlhj9z8-e-l3njmgRXFUHXsyvLbcy5pCVMcpkRkKdU9Xgz5iZnuiuo_aNY9GJ63xFtOqW7P9Ob9b2yhO-6-Ud5f21H5wehuUOz-Fp3PQG/s1600/img_2576.jpg" height="212" width="320" /></a></div>
<h3>
Cat</h3>
The internet needs more photos of ducks and here is nibbles our blue cat!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh43h50UMMD_mj6CJbOqPIxn5kKQleaLDCCKsAAfcGJxbDDhTptU0eI0s9JXKWgmKuglidX1gM30i9zOq_koxihclkNVEQBQniwqYR22rgg-UuzgbRdr7sRd2-JuX4goeRihzINPAIEefhH/s1600/img_2563.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh43h50UMMD_mj6CJbOqPIxn5kKQleaLDCCKsAAfcGJxbDDhTptU0eI0s9JXKWgmKuglidX1gM30i9zOq_koxihclkNVEQBQniwqYR22rgg-UuzgbRdr7sRd2-JuX4goeRihzINPAIEefhH/s1600/img_2563.jpg" height="265" width="400" /></a></div>
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<ol>
<li>Dogs - Seem to be ok, no major escapes though crunchy did manage to kill a cat!</li>
<li>Cats - Small but growing the 4 cats (Táp, Nibbles, Spot and Patch) are doing a good job. They are going everywhere and I've seen some evidence of mouse hunting</li>
<li>Rabbits & Chickens - We've the same Joys and Problems. Our existing animals are doing well but we are having problems with getting rabbits pregnent and keeping chicken/rabbit babies alive</li>
<li>Grazing animals - Everything is calming down after the very aggressive 90kg Ram was slaughtered. The babies goats are growing well and we are hope all our female goats/sheep are pregnant. Our flock could potentially double or increase by 75%!!! We just need to build an outdoor shelter, reinforce a fence or 5 and then the goats/sheep can stay out all winter</li>
</ol>
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I think we've learnt out mistakes from this year, so come next spring we should be firing on all four cylinders </div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10791882430445376130noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8467367279892165375.post-42816510563150220472014-09-22T20:34:00.001+02:002014-09-22T20:34:09.459+02:00Final build of the summer<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSZpL2_Ny66i8jGTxuxEsmO9rs7lOlYRsK3pFsuTUeyc6lF5qI7eBBzxBHzezawdKFw7c7C8cwNk_apL_Bl9n11XoiPyqrr1EAq4HgDJGE_WpVjBqB8IZhzcTnONZWXwQa2nMKiNLGItiu/s1600/img_2484.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSZpL2_Ny66i8jGTxuxEsmO9rs7lOlYRsK3pFsuTUeyc6lF5qI7eBBzxBHzezawdKFw7c7C8cwNk_apL_Bl9n11XoiPyqrr1EAq4HgDJGE_WpVjBqB8IZhzcTnONZWXwQa2nMKiNLGItiu/s1600/img_2484.jpg" height="133" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Harem</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6xiBV1l8K2jrgyvMIrcW3H9KgKX8dBiUO0mU0aWeeuLqKIDqjs51bZRh5xSw36V4LonfURfm0PbQX7fe_NztZ-f2ldV88ZwFQyvoVOIzrVrT-lrJAf5ZXAoML_7A4q4z19Lor98F5Y30D/s1600/img_2485.jpg" height="133" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="200" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Extended rabbit hutches</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Summer is coming to an end and this is the final end to the works on the farm. Our Rabbits hutch has been at maximum capacity for a while and problems have been racking up as the small rabbits become teenagers. </div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="clear: left; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVFkADs1YJxwM7_IHDKsQIadcUWjUxXTiT_3hBcWGfRYYMZD63TC5JmIDwCLCUVWDlcy8wbj-2zdb06Ka5YDAZpxKZMob_Yt_k7AqpqOtAEr2TAqz6brvhSdNKaQGqEIlMXhsgQVc1AMIT/s1600/img_2486.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVFkADs1YJxwM7_IHDKsQIadcUWjUxXTiT_3hBcWGfRYYMZD63TC5JmIDwCLCUVWDlcy8wbj-2zdb06Ka5YDAZpxKZMob_Yt_k7AqpqOtAEr2TAqz6brvhSdNKaQGqEIlMXhsgQVc1AMIT/s1600/img_2486.jpg" height="133" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Egg laying Boxes</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyJKnSuABsoarsDMu0ERK79ir3UIuOuewD7jl0L-uwyaxce900KBoDdmQYi6MBgKuxiYgQcTzxZ8HJEwOU0oR4qBhbspqDh2OmzW8m7hFV3OFnsn4D7bTZAnPBgqnCDmfgAgCeE7fyqNwD/s1600/img_2487.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyJKnSuABsoarsDMu0ERK79ir3UIuOuewD7jl0L-uwyaxce900KBoDdmQYi6MBgKuxiYgQcTzxZ8HJEwOU0oR4qBhbspqDh2OmzW8m7hFV3OFnsn4D7bTZAnPBgqnCDmfgAgCeE7fyqNwD/s1600/img_2487.jpg" height="132" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">New Gates</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Zolibacsi, our amazing friend and designer came to our rescue. He made "The Harem" a female colony where we can have lots (12+) lady rabbits who will live without fighting and caged in the base of the existing hutch so for our bucks. This will enable our rabbits to grow bigger before butchering. We've also got two side cages which currently have a mother chicken and her younglings and the other has our 13 teenage egg laying chickens (which only 3 seem to be hens). Zoli also gave us two A boxes for chickens to lay in and added some roosting perches. He also brought some iron gratings which works excellent as a new gate.</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10791882430445376130noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8467367279892165375.post-90010855821079131622014-09-09T10:02:00.002+02:002014-09-09T10:03:24.475+02:00Mower update<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQV_y_ife05jwg6fUe-IUJ8RXwNOgl2klHu_gyrTsayP3ux-B2_1WGIFtPk6Rf2NEFdNf_6GyQDqVWX3wfeXtwDihyphenhyphend1vnilbkksLKJop92tqOIDOR0WY0LjJdn5x3QyQ-7MNGgCcXF_o5/s1600/IMAG0066.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQV_y_ife05jwg6fUe-IUJ8RXwNOgl2klHu_gyrTsayP3ux-B2_1WGIFtPk6Rf2NEFdNf_6GyQDqVWX3wfeXtwDihyphenhyphend1vnilbkksLKJop92tqOIDOR0WY0LjJdn5x3QyQ-7MNGgCcXF_o5/s1600/IMAG0066.jpg" height="200" width="119" /></a><br />
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It seems destined that we must always have a mower needing repairs. We've recently had the scissor mower's drive gears fixed and will be finding a place to get the blades sharpened. A non-trivial task after 14 years use and one needing the touch of a professional.</div>
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The sit-down mower's battery has finally bitten the dust. One of the electrodes has corrosion damage from an acid leak and has now sheared off. We now start the search for a shop where we can be a suitable battery.</div>
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The bio-mowers are doing a great job and have been complemented by an army of ducks :) Jimmy, the boy goat, has developed an elvis-esq quiff </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCMxH444DqB9SFyb6rR5vdEqLXH3FCMn_zFIHltYmDj0CzxQtC9phNHR8ctMnu3Y7YdYhBdJPdmK8bzlc7Z09JTRWLUowPKu6SLpbPhD2IHqR_htwnf3Z6q8LeVhFFScIlS5wi1d8fJMRG/s1600/IMAG0070.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCMxH444DqB9SFyb6rR5vdEqLXH3FCMn_zFIHltYmDj0CzxQtC9phNHR8ctMnu3Y7YdYhBdJPdmK8bzlc7Z09JTRWLUowPKu6SLpbPhD2IHqR_htwnf3Z6q8LeVhFFScIlS5wi1d8fJMRG/s1600/IMAG0070.jpg" height="237" width="400" /></a></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10791882430445376130noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8467367279892165375.post-45862648360258134082014-08-27T09:43:00.001+02:002014-08-27T09:43:11.263+02:00It is finished<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpIIX-vdcB2ZlX8Owx7D_tyZ24FWv81Zv91Wyv4niKxaiPgoXIJlGq1IEwpyxMSWgielu4DmPNymRDBdLGz46vqRjCfrQSWru4h1C0YTIYvP0cBLCl-BUSAAerkQdxK5lX7KgL-hooCirW/s1600/imag0048.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpIIX-vdcB2ZlX8Owx7D_tyZ24FWv81Zv91Wyv4niKxaiPgoXIJlGq1IEwpyxMSWgielu4DmPNymRDBdLGz46vqRjCfrQSWru4h1C0YTIYvP0cBLCl-BUSAAerkQdxK5lX7KgL-hooCirW/s1600/imag0048.jpg" height="191" width="320" /></a><br />
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Who would have thought wanting to put up some shelves would be a project which would dominate our August. A two day job of building shelves from scratch has stretched out in to a 20 day marathon work which will only truly be finished next spring. The problems arose when Zolibacsi and Andy went to put the shelves in the utility room and the floor(left) prompt sunk under Andy's weight. It seems that the washing machine was leaking and the floor wasn't concreted in. The Tiles were just placed upon compressed sand. The water from the washing machine had soaked through the sand and meet a layer of clay, presumable from the previous building and this resulted in a build-up of water which eventually led to the floor collapsing. So the tiles were ripped up; Sand dug out; completely new overflow water system added with accompanying hole through 20cm of wall; sand replaced; concrete floor laid; Tiles placed and then shelves finally installed. During this time, we've also concreted in our external water supply so it will be more stable for winter. The big realisation is that this tiles on sand flooring system is throughout the whole house so we will have to plan, budget and relay all the floors in our house next spring. Hopefully this should stop the mouse influx which we have recently been suffering. The new room looks wonderful and isn't done justice by the photo below and we have more storage space now then ever before.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie5kmxDb5a0hjW7Z1Bu1tFd6gHxIYzmXNWrDV6KwBf4Sly3wY3JBGjIurYgKDydKiV19_EpWycZ3qK6uhPNca5guZc5Fv5O35HK9xWtgtjGkEsUw-gHotL_QlMjaqRv7KzEPYJT5degXGX/s1600/imag0050.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie5kmxDb5a0hjW7Z1Bu1tFd6gHxIYzmXNWrDV6KwBf4Sly3wY3JBGjIurYgKDydKiV19_EpWycZ3qK6uhPNca5guZc5Fv5O35HK9xWtgtjGkEsUw-gHotL_QlMjaqRv7KzEPYJT5degXGX/s1600/imag0050.jpg" height="191" width="320" /></a>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10791882430445376130noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8467367279892165375.post-39185424449379558452014-08-13T22:35:00.000+02:002014-08-13T22:35:03.855+02:00Ruben<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgflcCpMLto6UHcANzFoHNfdAbh-PXI3Zyw4dJ9KC4IdMsUA0qBxK_BPPOmyzKm36CazWfebIOiFr6jBOPCfeAIvudRmkVqvLi15JOaybn-8jEbS-FIOw_DAKnMreJQ5667QJ7onRFP2bmb/s1600/P1060907.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgflcCpMLto6UHcANzFoHNfdAbh-PXI3Zyw4dJ9KC4IdMsUA0qBxK_BPPOmyzKm36CazWfebIOiFr6jBOPCfeAIvudRmkVqvLi15JOaybn-8jEbS-FIOw_DAKnMreJQ5667QJ7onRFP2bmb/s1600/P1060907.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a>Its been about a week since Ruben left us after living with us for about a month. Ruben was in need of a place to stay in Hungary as his tourist visa has run out and he was still in the process of applying for a humanitarian pass. He was a friend of a friend of a friend of OACi.<br />
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Overall, he was a great motivation for us, he helped us build an extended electric fence area for the dogs and helped clear up our garden. He also house sat for us whilst we were on holiday and provided a memorable quote re goats.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS6HdbyueN9MYv5oCEM4YF68qGLjs6bdW9FlZmyHAPzy37yvA0EI9UW3y2DKCJ0ThYsJioksdERoEE6mWmhyphenhyphenBqnT0P9aBsVHwnu9w63fbe720paQolviGTiAzo0acIp3osxEUC6s9sGXy9/s1600/IMG-20140720-WA0000.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS6HdbyueN9MYv5oCEM4YF68qGLjs6bdW9FlZmyHAPzy37yvA0EI9UW3y2DKCJ0ThYsJioksdERoEE6mWmhyphenhyphenBqnT0P9aBsVHwnu9w63fbe720paQolviGTiAzo0acIp3osxEUC6s9sGXy9/s1600/IMG-20140720-WA0000.jpg" height="200" width="133" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIRUwyzl4oaWU5nv70v4EbdACkl8pC8QLqfLw14Xj8I5ofxbvUo3AOelLPaeFdQM2Z8eVgh0PS_e6hzpxDMlOL6U5I8t4zZ9zDUPJF4dA6WZOvwOwb4g6pIhiW9IuTUnTpc13es5g_x5gz/s1600/IMG-20140720-WA0002.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIRUwyzl4oaWU5nv70v4EbdACkl8pC8QLqfLw14Xj8I5ofxbvUo3AOelLPaeFdQM2Z8eVgh0PS_e6hzpxDMlOL6U5I8t4zZ9zDUPJF4dA6WZOvwOwb4g6pIhiW9IuTUnTpc13es5g_x5gz/s1600/IMG-20140720-WA0002.jpg" height="133" width="200" /></a>"I let them out for a walk and Wonky sat down and started to give birth, so I called Laurie and said Help, this isn't in my skill set"</div>
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He also was fun, positive and a joy to be around. He suffered at the hands of Romanian paperwork but it never got him down and he saw the good in all situations. </div>
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