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31st December, 2008 - A Review Of 2008 With the year coming to a close we felt it appropriate to summarise our highs & lows and the lessons we’ve learnt.
Dan has through books and Saturday morning school learnt how to keep bees and successfully achieved 22 kilos of honey in his first year.
The vegetable plot and fruit cage have despite the weather been an enormous success (DESPITE…one of Mimi’s escaped babies helping itself to some chard recently!) with our best year ever for potatoes, cabbages, broccoli & carrots.
The entire vegetable plot was grown from seed in the polytunnel, unfortunately not all the seeds survived the Spring downpour and the parsnips, swede, turnips & beetroot seeds were pretty much washed away and drowned. You win some you lose some!
Dan has passed his first years Pompier (Fireman) training and lost 2 stone in weight – which will no doubt improve his chances of becoming Mr January in the 2010 calendar!
We lost 3 rare breed chickens (2 Charlie’s and a Mabel) in the Spring of this year to a fox which highlighted the need to build a secure area.
In the early summer with help from friends & WOOFFA’s we installed the new bird pound down by the pond. A.K.A. Chicken Hilton 2.
Whilst the new bird pound kept our new feathered friends safe from their predators of a night it didn’t stop 3 of our ducks leaving home for pastures new. Or in this case the farmers pond over the back!
Unfortunately whilst the bird pound has been a great investment it didn’t help with the general well being of this years turkeys. We started out with 20 and expected to achieve around 500lbs of meat. As they say “all the best laid plans go to pot!”
Just 7 of our turkeys survived and 3 of them are smaller than the chickens. At this stage we haven’t yet secured 100lbs of meat!
Our second batch of ‘fattner’ upper chickens have proved highly successful and cost effective. Although just 8 of the 10 survived – one tipped the scales at over 11 lb – bigger than some of this years turkeys!
We have reared more rabbits this years than ever before. We’ve still had experiences of phantom pregnancies and runts of the litter not surviving. We have come to accept it is natures way and it is ‘survival of the fittest’ – which is why we do what we do as we are top of the food chain!
Tracey has overcome a childhood fear of cats, it was the lesser of the two evils as her fear of mice is far greater! Despite losing ‘Ant’ quite early on we now have 2 cats ‘Hello’ and ‘Sorbet’ comfortably installed and not a mouse in sight!
Dan has improved his vetinary skills and proved he can not only nurse cute fluffy rabbits but he can also administer painkilling injections to a big fat pig with the same body weight as his own………no not Tracey but our pig Dick.
With the aid of a book Dan learnt how to slaughter and butcher a lamb – it’s a boy thing!
Our 2008 summary would not be complete without giving thanks and a mention to all those who have helped us in our achievements;
Dan’s parents Mave & Dave for a life-saving irrigation system and a much needed honey extractor plus their continued encouragement and support.
Gilly and Geoff for rearing our lambs in their field, nurturing & feeding it until D.Day (death day!)
Dale and Andrew for feeding our animals in our absence, providing much needed pig scraps, asperagus plants, plus continued advice and recipes.
Steve Latchford for obtaining great fattner upper chickens from his poultry farming neighbour.
Pete & Karen for assisting with the fruit cage netted roof and endless supplies of English groceries
Ciaran for once again “mucking in” during his summer holidays especially when Dan took to his sick-bed.
Our WWOOFA’s Matt’ and Caitlan for their help in the early summer with netting the bird pound roof and planting & weeding.
Last but by no means least, Our lovely French neighbour Francoise who regulary provides us with scraps for the animals, has tended to them on occasions we’ve been away and in the absence of Grandparents becomes an adopted Grandmother to Victoria.
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