spring?

British summer time is here in two weeks. Does that mean its spring now? We have had the "worm moon" which is supposed to herald spring. The "worm moon" is the name given to the the full moon in March, its when the worms are supposed to become active again and worm casts begin to appear on the lawn. I have gained some huge worm casts on my lawn...although they could be mole hills. The mole hills are very handy, I've barrowed them off and used them on my raised beds in the polytunnel.

But that is an aside. Is it spring? Well, the dawn chorus is pretty noisy so the birds think it is. I also saw a bat two days ago. There are a lot of insects around so hopefully the bat can stock up on food so that it can hibernate again if it gets cold again. No frogspawn in the pond, so they don't agree. Perhaps the frogs know something we don't.

It will get cold again. It always does. The snows of February have been forgotten, but the snow always makes one last return. Last year it was in April. We'll soon see.



Did you know that all the full moons have their own names? Not that everyone seems to agree. Our friend wikipedia has the best list. I'm now off to remind the chickens that April has the egg moon and they should stop chasing the horses and lay some eggs.



Beggshillbothy.

snow

Well, just like the rest of the country, the Beggshill Bothy was buried under snow in February. This picture was taken during the blizzard that had been raging all night. That snow plastered building on the left is the bothy. The snow had drifted half way up the window.

In the end we were snowed in for 9 days. Luckily there was no one in the bothy at the time. We have had guests who were snowed in and you just have to put up with it. All you can do is borrow our sledge or build an igloo or just watch the blizzard from the warmth of the bothy.
This years snow was the worst we've had in the five years we've lived here. After the blizzard I had to dig paths through the snow from the house up to the barn, round to the chickens and on to the horses. The chickens didn't like the snow. They wouldn't come out and after a day of enforced inactivity I was getting concerned. As you know, my chickens are very free range and being stuck inside can't be good for them. The solution was to dig a path through the snow to the polytunnel. Then they could have a scratch in the soil and enjoy a couple of dust baths. They did eat all my over wintering cabbages, but that's a minor thing compared to chicken welfare.

Now the snow is gone, like it had never been. The weather is warm (for this time of year) and I'm itching to get out in to the polytunnel and sow a few early seeds. I'll have to hold off another month or so. Last year the snows came in April and we had -4°C frosts in May.

Soon, soon, spring will be here and its time to start growing again. And mowing.

Beggshill Bothy.

Range free young chicken

Our chickens are free range. Very free range. In fact they are a bit too free range if you ask me. As soon as they are let out, they make a run for the bird table and hoover up all the seed and things that I'd put out for the wild birds. Then its back up to the field to scratch through the horses straw and hay and normally they'd pop in to the barn for some undercover scratching, but not any more.

After today, the barn door is closed at all times to those pesky chickens.

This morning I took them some sultanas as a treat. I did notice that only 4 of our six appeared. Now I know that Ginger is getting on and is becoming a loner so I didn't worry about her, but one of this years grown up chicks wasn't with the crowd. Probably in with the horses I thought and wandered back in to the barn. It was then that I heard a quiet clucking. An almost embarrassed clucking. It seemed to be coming from the old freezers that no longer work, but are brilliant mouse proof stores for animal food. But a chicken couldn't get inside the freezer, could it? No, the chicken was wedged behind the freezer. It was stuck between the freezer and the barn wall. How did it get there?

I have no clue. I guess it could have wandered around the end freezer and walked along the steadily narrowing gap until it couldn't walk no further. It seems that chickens can't go backwards. Its wings were wedged against its side so it couldn't fly out. Although it wasn't happy, it did allow me to lift it out. It doesn't like being touched, but I think it knew in its small chicken brain that this was the only way.

I'll keep an eye on her in case there are any problems arising from being stuck behind the freezer. Currently she's hiding in the chicken shed.

But, never again with those chickens be allowed in the barn unsupervised.


beggshill bothy.

unnoticed clues

Last week, something strange happened. As I drove down the drive on my way to work, I thought "I haven't seen the Woodcock this year, I saw one a couple of times around this time last year." And there in front of me on the road was a woodcock. It really didn't want to move and I had to go on to the grass to go round it. I got a really close view.
But why did I have that thought and then see it? I can only think that I actually saw it while out feeding the horses, or heard its call or something. Some inner part of me spotted the clues without the rest of me noticing and then that back part of the brain trundled up to the "flight deck" and handed a note saying "woodcock".
I wonder what else I see without really seeing. I have to admit at 6am, I'm not at my best and I'm working on autopilot.

I must try and pay more attention in the morning, I wonder what else I've missed.

mixed week

Well, its been an interesting week. We have had some amazing gales, thankfully we're relatively sheltered although the wooden table and chairs on the decking will have to be retired for the winter. Not even the heavy wooden construction could keep them upright.
On Tuesday morning I saw one of the Orionids which is a short lived meteor storm that occurs this time of year. The best time to look is just before dawn which is the time I'm out giving the horses some hay and so I was able to stand out beneath the clear sky and have a gander.
Speaking of ganders and geese, this week I have also seen my first big flock of migrating geese heading south away from their arctic breeding grounds. That is a sure sign of Autumn, never mind the leaves turning and then being ripped off the tree with the high winds.
But I also saw a bat last night. It must have been warm enough for it to chance feeding, but that's not a good sign for the bat. It mustn't have stocked up enough on midges over the summer if it needs to do some last minute feeding. They roost in the barn so at least they aren't going to be disturbed.

back to beggshills bothy

We were away for most of September enjoying the warm weather and hospitality of Oklahoma and now we're back.
And the Autumn storms are definitely back. Thankfully with all the insulation and a good heating system the bothy is a cosy snug place to relax. Don't let the weather keep you indoors, there are plenty of great walks and at this time of year with the leaves turning the woods and forests are looking great.
I've noticed that our chickens are not such fans of this weather. This morning they were still in the hen house at 8.30 and didn't really want to come out. And yesterday they were in around 5pm which is pretty early. They are free range and I guess this means they are free to laze around in the coup as well as range free in the field and garden. Guests at the bothy will meet them as they always like to pop over in the morning and see what's happening in the bothy. They are very nosey.
The horses on the other hand don't seem to mind this weather. They really like hooving up the fallen leaves from the trees. If only they wouldn't make the field sooo muddy.

beggshillbothy

the busy season is over...

well, I say that, but what I mean is that the nights are drawing in. Its dark by 9pm and I've already woken once to find ice on my car in the morning.
These are all signs that things are slowly down in the natural world. Plant growth in the polytunnel and elsewhere is reduced. This is a good thing because it means I won't have to mow the grass quite as much, but its also a bad thing as there are some crops that need another month or so.

This year, I'm trying my hand at growing things over the cold winter months. I've got winter cabbages, kale, leeks and neeps in and they are growing happily. Hopefully these hardy crops will supply something for the table during the cold months. I had heard that cauliflowers are a nightmare to grow but I thought I'd try them anyway. Half are gone already, it seems that the slugs aren't slowing down just yet. And that cauliflowers are difficult to grow.

The shortening days means that there is less time to work outside in the evenings, but it means that I'll be on the computer more and more so this blog will be updated regularly and the website needs an upgrade...

So busy season isn't really over, its just moved indoors.

pete
inthehills