Christmas Day in Blubberhouses

Christmas Day was bright and sunny here and as dinner wasn't until 5pm we decided to go for a walk up the valley and through the woods. An icy breeze was blowing but the sky was so blue. As we walked through the field a pair of Red Kites put on a wonderful display swooping and whistling as they went. I took some photos but they havent come out clear enough to put on here.
The River Washburn was frozen over in many places and the duck pond in the woods looked solid , we didnt attempt to check the ice ourselves but some ridiculous people had and you could see footprints in the snow whhich had settled on the ice. Quite why anyone would risk doing this I dont know!!

Hearts and Flowers, Harrogate

A week ago my last guests of 2010 checked out. I decided that after a really busy year I would give myself some well earned time off!!! However my time off is only time off from B&B as Im spending a couple of weeks helping in a florists in Harrogate. Hearts and Flowers belongs to my good friend Daphne and as its such a busy time for her right now Ive offered my services as a work experience person.
So here I am every morning now getting togged up with , dare I tell you, vests and t shirts, jumpers, tights,woolly socks etc etc I can hardly move!!. But..its soooo cold in the shop. We cant have heating on because its not good for the flowers so you really do have to keep moving to stay warm. The last couple of mornings Ive got into the car to find the temp -11 degrees!! Brrrr! Its ok though as all the customers are really jolly and preparing for Christmas, quite when Im going to have time to do that Im not sure!!

Sheep Scanning 2

Lots of people ask me about sheep scanning so I took some pics so you can see how it works. The sheep are all in the building and they are funnelled up the race. I usually keep the pen full at the back. The images show my Dad sending the sheep along towards John. As they are scanned, depending on the result, Chris puts a coloured mark on then.
After scanning they will be sorted into lots so that all those having twins are together, triplets are together etc and Chris can feed them accordingly. In late January those having triplets will come inside as they need extra care and attention. There are also some sheep scanned to have 4 lambs! So watch this space in March!!
The sheep we have just scanned are all Mules and will lamb first starting late February. After Christmas we will scan all the Swaledale sheep as they will lamb later starting towards the end of March

Sheep scanning !

Its the time of year now when all the sheep should be in lamb. So that we know whats what we bring in John Barnes the Sheep Scanning Man! John scans thousands of sheep through the winter and covers an extensive area travelling to all parts of Yorkshire, Northumberland, Cumbria, Derbyshire and even down to Nottinghamshire.
Its very testing for him right now with the weather being so bad and having to set off very early in the morning to keep to his schedule. The Image shows John scanning a sheep which looks at him in amazement when he says she having triplets!!!

This is her scan but dont ask me how you tell whats there !!

Mackenzies Smokehouse

I think Im going stir crazy!! All this snow means my car hasnt moved now for 4 days, which is unheard of!!.This afternoon though the sun came out and I decided I would go for a walk.
I set off through the land and went to see the cattle on the edge of the moor who were all busy eating the silage Chris had taken for them. I then wandered up the hill towards the road, in some areas this proved to be a mistake as the snow was above the tops of my wellies!!.
When I got to the road I went to Mackenzies Smokehouse. Their shop is just wonderful and the choice and quality of food is exceptional. Its great to have it as a local store.
I bought some of their home cured Bacon for breakfast tomorrow and some eggs as Ive promised Chris Yorkshire Puddings for tea, along with Roast Beef from our own farm, and as our hens are on a winter go slow I didnt want to have to go back on my word.
The shop is all dressed for Christmas and looking really good and mouth watering. Im meeting friends there for lunch in the Restaurant next thursday and can't wait.
On the way back I met one of Mackenzies neighbours!! This Highland cow was trying to get a drink of water!

Miserable Weather

The first of December. What can I say? Totally miserable. The animals are getting fed up with it all now, as is the farmer and according to the weather forecasters theres more to come!! This is the view from my office window. Lovely .....

Snow

After heavy snowfall last night Blubberhouses was looking stunning today in the warm sunshine and with a fabulous blue sky. I decided to go for a walk up the land and take some pictures. I think the sheep probably thought I was mad. The cows seemed totally unconcerned !! Chris has a busy time ahead of him now getting hay and silage out to all the sheep.

How to keep warm! Not....

Last night we had some snow showers, the scenery this morning was beautiful. The day has been bitterly cold but with the most brilliant of blue skies and sunshine. As Ive got a busy weekend with guests Ive been busy outside chopping logs and filling coal buckets for the fires and whilst out there I could hear voices. At first I thought it was the people here taking part in the Sheep dog trial but I then realised it was coming from the direction of the river. So I went for a walk with my camera and there , with the River Washburn in full spate, were the canoeists!! Can you just imagine how cold the water must be?? I though it was bad enough for those watching the dogs but at least they can sit in their vehicles with flasks of hot tea and packed lunches!!
However I decided of all of them I was probably the warmest having been walking but then I came back inside to the roaring fires and my own brew of hot tea. Lovely.

Honey from busy bees!!

One of the Beekeepers who bring their hives onto Hanging Moor, Peter Gudgoen, arrived yesterday afternoon bearing gifts. Peter came to pay his 'pot rent' which basically means that we get paid in pots of honey which is great.
This picture shows Heather Honey on the left which Peter had great success with at the Harrogate Autumn Flower Show winning First prize in his class. So any guests now having Honey on their porridge or toast arent just having any old Honey, its Prize winning Honey too!!.
Another of our regular Beekepers, Janice, also had great success at Harrogate this Autumn with her Honey from our Moor winning 'Best in Show' and we also have some of that too. So this is fantastic news for them both, and for you if you come and try some !

My new Pigs!

Ive wanted some pigs for ages, Chris has taken a bit of persuading but today was the day!! We set off this morning to Craven Cattle Mart at Skipton as we/I had seen some weaners advertised. We got there just in time and although there was a penful of pigs I was able to pick the Gilts (females) out of them and managed to get all 3. So here they are now living next door to my hens at Scaife Hall farm! Happy days!!

These pigs are a cross breed and have a Middle White Mother and a Pietrain father. The Pietrain is a breed originating in Belgium and known for its high yields of lean meat.
The Middle White is a rare but distinctive breed and has been described as a "beautifully ugly" pig . Japan has paid tribute to the breed by erecting a monument to the Middle White "for its outstanding eating qualities"and it is still popular in that country.

These little pigs were born on August Bank Holiday at Hesketh Farm Park, Bolton Abbey so are very used to being with and near people so they seem quiet and relaxed. Ive been and bought them some food, they've had dinner, theres a large bed of straw to sleep in, what more could they want? Except perhaps some table manners but as they seem to want to stand in their food I dont think this is something they are going to learn any time soon!! What a life !

A Beautiful Autumn morning

This morning was absolutely glorious. Whilst waiting to cook breakfast for my guests I couldnt resist nipping outside and taking some pictures. Im not sure they really show the beautiful colours in the trees around us right now but the Autumn colours this year are amazing. The sun was just coming up over neighbour Kevins fields and its a 'good to be alive' day!!

Now Im supposed to be catching up on office work but as I hate doing accounts I keep finding other things to do.....like writing this blog!!! However must get back to it...... or maybe theres some ironing I could be doing......

Out to lunch at Middlethorpe Hall !!

Yesterday I had a day off and I went to Middlethorpe Hall Hotel and Spa just outside York to meet friends for lunch. I met up with two fellow Farm Stay members, Katrina from The Wold Cottage on the Yorkshire Wolds and Anna Lupton of Carr House Farm Ampleforth.
I hadnt been there before but I have to say its a beautiful place. Middlethorpe Hall is a William III country house set in 20 acres of its own gardens and parkland. Built in 1699, it was once the home of the famous diarist, Lady Mary Wortley Montagu.
The house is decorated with antiques and fine pictures and the gardens and parkland have been restored and include ha ha's, a white garden, a walled garden, a small lake and some beautiful specimen trees.
The panelled dining room that we sat in overlooked the gardens . The food looked like a picture on a plate and tasted wonderful. I started with a Chicken and Mushroom terrine with pickled girolles ( had to ask what they were, small mushrooms in case you didnt know either!!) and toasted Brioche, and then a main course of Baked Chicken breast on a bed of lentils with baby onions. I wasnt going to have dessert but then couldnt resist the home made ice cream!! A lovely young man from Cannes was our waiter and the whole time we sat there, which was quite a long time, too much talking I suppose, was very relaxed. Middlethorpe Hall has been awarded two Rosettes by the AA, and much deserved.
We said we should do this more often and we proposed to meet in the spring before we get busy again with B&B and so that I can escape the lambing sheds for a while!! Not sure what Chris will think to that one!! All in all a good day

Another day, another sheep dog trial

Today saw us hosting another sheep dog trial for the Yorkshire Sheepdog Society. A cold and gloomy day didnt stop the competitiors arriving and waiting to run their dogs. Todays trial was a Nursery Trial which means young,or novice, dogs can have a go.
Chris decided to have a go with Jill our sheepdog. After a good outrun there was a slight wobble when she missed a fetch gate, she then got the three sheep through the drive gates and then managed to get them into the final pen. Chris was really pleased with her performance. Other runners seemed to be equally having equal amounts of good and bad fortune.
At the presentation the winner was announced as Chris Ryder!!! and Jill of course. Chris and Jill have never won a trial before, in fact they have only had a go 4 times so hes a very happy chappy tonight. Extra biscuits for Jill at teatime I think!!
The top picture shows Chris having received his prize card and winnings and the second picture shows Chris and Jill with Bobby Clarkson of Bondcroft Farm Embsay, a renowned sheepdog breeder and handler, whos bitch Fern is Jills Mother.
There was some teasing about how Chris could take me out tonight for a meal with the winnings but as its £6 Im not sure we will get far.Its definately not a sport that will propel anyone into footballer style wages any time soon!!!

New Kid on the block!!

The latest arrival to the Scaife Hall Farm family arrived on Sunday. This is Thomas, so called after the chap we bought him off!! Hes a Belted Galloway and is now with his 'ladies' and settling in well. At present hes not registered with the Society but the paperwork is being processed along with his hair samples for DNA testing.A bull can only be registered in the Herd book if it has no other white than the belt.

The origin of the white belt is unknown, but generally its presumed to come from cross breeding with Dutch Belted cattle. The Dun and Belted Galloway Association was formed in Scotland in 1921, and in 1951 the name of the organization was changed to the Belted Galloway Society and dun cattle were no longer registered. It also keeps and records pedigrees for Belted Galloways and oversees the registration of White and Red Galloways. Currently in the UK there is a thriving breeding programme overseen and guided by the Belted Galloway Cattle Society.



Betty says Hello!!!

Hay Making

After a couple of glorious days of sunshine, and no rain, the grass Chris cut at the weekend was ready to bale yesterday afternoon. Les Wilson came along with his tractor and baler to help out. The tractor is a Fordson Major which was built in 1945. In 1966 it was put into a shed and never moved until Les bought it in 2008. It had flat tyres and needed new spark plugs but once this was done the engine fired up and it was driven out and back to life. The Massey Harris baler was built in the 1950s. In those days there wasnt anything on a tractor, PTO shaft, to drive machinery and so the baler has its own engine and is self propelled. It baled in excess of 200 bales yesterday and amazingly it didnt throw one loose bale out.
David Pennock came along with the big baler and made everything look easy and I still think his way is the best as the bales are moved by tractor!!!. The small bales Les did all had to be moved by hand, by Chris and I last night, and stacked into the barn.
David sat on the old tractor but I doubt he will be contemplating getting one for himself any time soon!!

Kilnsey Show

Yesterday was the annual Kilnsey Show. Set in the heart of the Yorkshre Dales, in the most picturesque setting, the crowds flocked in and enjoyed the best weather Kilnsey Show has has in years!! The last two shows have certainly resembled Glastonbury on a bad day !!!
The area of the show I was involved with was the REAL Village and our aims over the last 4 years have been to promote the importance of the rural hill farming communities and businesses there in and to promote local food. We had a marquee with over 33 stall selling the very best of Yorkshire Food courtesy of the Northern Dales Farmers Market. A second marquee promoted all kind of rural businesses from Petties Paws Kennels at Fewston to Yorkshire Water and we also once again supported a charity called ARC Addington, who we did the breakfast event for earlier this year.
A third marquee houses the cookery theatre and 5 demonstrations took place through the day featuring local chefs using food from the farmers market. They were from Coniston Hall Hotel, The Angel at Hetton, Rudding Park, The Bull at Broughton and Grassington House Hotel. The smells in there were absolutely wonderful and made your mouth water!!
The fourth marquee was the childrens area. This one buzzed all day with children making collages, colouring, decorating biscuits and making bread with award winning chef Andrew Wood. Andrew is based at York University and must be the most patient man I know. He educates and enthuses all the children and every session he did, which is about every 45 minutes, was fully booked from 9.30am to 5.3pm.
Chris Heseltine from Hesketh Farm Park at Bolton Abbey brought along guinea pigs and they spent the whole day being stroked by the children, they too were extremely patient and went home very tired!!
All in all it was a very long day but very rewarding and it goes without saying that after being there for for 12 hours we came home absolutely shattered!!

Mule Sheep Society

Its taken a while to get round to doing this post. Lifes been really busy of late, which is good, but theres not a lot of time left for blogging!!
Last Sunday the Skipton branch of the Mule Sheep Association held an open day at the home of Ken and Lynne Throup. The sun shone down,it was a beauitiful day up on Silsden Moor and Kens sheep were a credit to him, as were his spotlessly clean buildings courtesy of Lynne and the pressure washer ( we wives have our uses!!). There was a good turn out of Mule sheep breeders there and over numerous cups of tea and mountains of cake the world was put to rights. Theres much anticipation of the forth coming lamb sales as trade is very buoyant at the moment, long may it continue!!!
The pictures show a pen of Mule Gimmer ( female) lambs . one of several classes put out to judge. Even I had a go!!. There were classes for 4 lambs, 4pens of 4 lambs, Mule ewes, Swaledale ewes and fat lambs. Incredibly I managed 50 out of 50 in the fat lamb class and ended up with an overall score of 221 points. It was way short of the winner but I was quite pleased! The top picture is Mr David Brown from Agglethorpe who acted as Master Judge for the event and Jeff Throup Chairman of the Skipton branch.
Today Chris has mown grass to make some hay, the forecast is good and hopefully it will bale in a few days.

Busy Bees on Hanging Moor

Well the honey for your morning toast has to start somewhere!! I went up onto Hanging Moor today to get some pictures of the heather which is now the most beautiful shade of purple. Once on top of the moor the view for miles around was the purple heather. The Beekeepers who bring their bees onto the moor for the summer have all placed their hives some time ago and the bees were busy working. The picture of some of the hives has a slight blur but there was a rain spot on the Land Rover window and there was no way I was going to get out or open the window!!!. The bees just surrounded the vehicle, i dont know if they thought it was a large blue flower!!
Hives placed on the heather have to be in a place chosen with care often in a gully, or sheltered valley.The beekeepers have to make sure the spot will not flood as there have been occasions when hives have been partly submerged and even washed away after torrential downpours on the moorland tops. Shelter is of the utmost importance and the bees should be able to fly out up the hill and come down hill loaded.
I have read articles that state Heather honey is the 'Rolls Royce of honey' and 'rather special stuff'!! Oh and another interesting fact is that the bees who do all the work are the females, the boys (drones) just laze around apparently!! Eating honey!! Ill leave it at that I think !

Glorious Weather for a change!!

Last week I thought summer had passed us by with grey skies and cold blustery weather and on thursday the most torrential rain downpour Ive seen in a while. Sadly on the wednesday the forecast on TV was good so lots of farmers got busy cutting grass to try and make some hay and then the day after the foecast changed again!!
However yesterday was glorious, hot and sunny and absolutely great for the committee of Ripley Show.
Chris set off early as his task for the day was to be the judge in the sheep section for 'Any other native breed'. This comprised of classes with a mix of breeds in them as opposed to the normal one breed in a class. He judged Herwicks, Poll Dorsets, Hampshire Downs, Oxford Downs, Manx Lachtan and Leicester and Lincoln Longwools. Quite a variety to his day!!
I went along at lunchtime having serviced all my rooms and we had a lovely afternoon, catching up with friends and watching the various attractions.
All in all a good day!

Yesterday was a long long day! Chris and I started out very early as he had to go and round sheep up for the Sheep Dog trail that we were hosting. Chris set the course up the day before so once the sheep were in the holding pen they were ready. Competitors came from all over the region and over 40 dogs ran through the day. The picture shows Chloe Cropper, the youngest competitor of the day, from Lancashire just about to pen her sheep. The entry fees for the day are to be put towards the World Trial 2011 which is to be held at The Lowther Estate in Cumbria on September 15 - 18th.
I had a mad day of guests checking out and others checking in, rooms to service and on top of that the catering for the event. Luckily my very good friend Denise came to help out and was busy making sandwiches whilst I did the cleaning. If she hadnt come down I darent think how my day would have been!! We served all sorts of sandwiches and home made cakes and tasty Weegmans of Otley Pork pies, which always go down well!!

We packed up our Cafe about 5pm and then once the clearing up was done we ventured out to the Mill 67 Bistro, as they have just started a Thursday evening carvery which as always was wonderful and after a very long and tiring day it absolutely hit the spot!!

Intrepid Cyclists

Last nights guests are two to be admired. This is Howard and Phil who arrived on their bikes having cycled all the way from Bridlington. Their very sensible wives arrived by car having had a paddle in the sea in Brid followed by a visit to Beverley and then onto Blubberhouses.
The idea was to continue today to Blackpool on the bikes but due to a knee injury this idea has been shelved and instead now a visit to Harrogate and lunch in Bettys!! Very wise!

I preferred yesterday!!

Yesterday I had a wonderful time, once all the cleaning was done, and I went to see my friend Gill Lishman at Castley - www.Castleytreatments.co.uk - and had the most relaxing facial Ive ever had. So much so I almost nodded off.
What a contrast today was!! The shearers were back in town. This time Brad and James were joined by Steven Robinson, who has a sheep shearing and sheep showering busines, and its his trailer thats being used. Wonderful Amanda Douthwaite came to help and to wrap the wool. I was trying to keep a very low profile but ended up helping to push the sheep up the race as Chris had to go and rescue a sheep that had got itself stuck in some fencing. Quite why sheep do this I have no idea! There just didnt seem to be a chance to escape after that! Then Amanda had to go so as you can see I ended up being Chief Wrapper. Oh but it smells!! and the flies and the bug things that pester you are just awful.Well I think so anyway. These chaps just seem to get on with it. I managed to stay cheery but was so glad when the last sheep came through and we could stitch up the wool sacks.
We had a few walkers through this afternoon , some came close to have a look as they had never seen shearing before and were amazed how quick these chaps do the job and how quietly they go about it, slowly turning the sheep as they move the shears around the body,, no pulling or fuss. I think they make it look so easy, although I know its not.!!
So thats it for this year for the shearing, a job well done. All sheared, all packed and its ready to take away to Bradford to the Wool Board.

Farmer Chris

As an addition to the last Baling post..... This is hubby Chris, who I inadvertently failed to give a mention to!!Stacking bales.... and the stack half complete.

As the day has gone on the weather has got worse. Its quite cold and very windy. I have trellis in the garden with Roses and Clematis on in full flower and thats been ripped off the house wall from its top fixings. Its not completely gone and can be refixed but I hadnt realise just how strong the wind was. Good job I didnt peg the washing out, that could have been halfway up the Washburn valley!! The local cricketers have picked today to have a working party session in preparation for next Sundays Annual Duck Derby Event, sooooooo not a good day to be on the cricket pitch. The rain is now lashing down.
Anyway Ive done my jobs and I cant go out into the garden, and its Sunday afternoon I may as well go and watch Come Dine with Me. I think the voiceover man on there is just brilliant!!

Baling

Yesterday more Big boys toys arrived as the silage was ready to bale. The weather has been perfect, warm and sunny with a breeze to dry out the grass. Tim has turned the grass in the morning and then Stuart arrived to 'row it up' into tidy lines ready for the baler. The top picture was taken out of the cab of the baling tractor, as I got in to have a chat with David ,and Stuart called over the CB to make sure I got his good side!! I havent actually seen this chap close up so Im not sure if I achieved this or not!!

David baled the silage into big round bales and then its wrapped into black plastic and stacked ready for the cows and sheep in winter, which we dont want to think about for some time yet!! Today the forecast is for a gloomy day with rain so its a good job done that its all safe.

Silage Time

This is my kind of silage making!! Get the chaps in with their big boys toys and let the machinery do the work. We used to make a lot of hay into little bales and as theres only Chris and I it was back breaking work. Now we give our friend David a ring, who gives his friend Tim a ring, and they come along and see to it!! Its wonderful. They will be ready for a pint in the Hopper tonight!!
This afternoon they have both been mowing the grass on the other holding we have at Fewston, tomorrow morning they will turn it and then either late tomorrow or Sunday it will be baled and wrapped. After this Chris will make a stack and it will sit and wait for winter.
All was going well today until David hit a stone with the mower and its completely sheared off the blade!! He wasnt too happy when I saw him at half past three but new parts are arriving in the morning and he'll be on his way again. It could have been worse I guess!

Independant Travel Witers

About a month ago a Travel writer from The Independant came to stay with a local man called John Sparshatt. John has created a new long distance walk called The Six Dales Trail and it sets off from Otley and finishes in Middleham. The writer, Rhiannon Batten, published her article on Saturday 26th June to coincide with the launch of the walk by Janet Street Porter in Otley.

You can see the article using the following link

http://www.independent.co.uk/travel/uk/yorkshire-striding-ahead-in-the-six-dales-2010641.html

Sheep Shearing in Blubberhouses

What a wonderful day it must be for a sheep when the shearers hit town!! The weather has varied quite a bit this week but generally its been warm, too warm to carry a fleece of wool on your back!!
The shearers are James Wilson on the right who farms with his Dad Kevin next door to us and the chap on the left is Brad Rogers all the way from sunny New Zealand. Brad has just spent two months shearing in Italy and is now here for the rest of the summer shearing before going home later in the year to start the shearing season there. Its hard work but they obviously like it! I think it pays well!. James has been to NZ for the last 3 winters shearing too.
I very much dislike this job and will find any excuse not to be involved. I used to wrap and pack all the wool for Chris but now my excuse is Im too busy, or Im waiting for guests to arrive , too old, too tired etc etc. Just anything really!!!
Brad and James make it all look so easy and can shear about 40 sheep an hour each, the wool comes off in a complete fleece and then its rolled up and packed into a large bag called a wool sheet. Chris does this now and it makes him move abit just trying to keep up with the shearers, especially if theres a third man with them which there often is !! But then he is considerably, dare I say it, older than them!!
Once the shearing is finished all the bags will be taken to the Wool Board depot in Bradford to be sorted and graded.

Another hot day!

This is brilliant! Two hot days in a row, has summer finally arrived? Probably not but the cows are enjoying it anyway. They look very relaxed with nothing to do. The sheep are not enjoying it quite so much as its the time of year when the fleeces are heavy and they are ready to be shorn. We have the shearers, James and New Zealander Brad coming along on Sunday to make a start, so for that we need this good weather to stick around as you can't shear sheep when they are wet.
The hens dont venture out quite as much when its hot, they dont like the heat, but then again they dont much care for the cold either, or snow, or wind or rain!!

Yesterday was a lovely day. I took a trip up to Clapham to see some friends John and Di who have just moved there from Kent to open a B&B. Its the most idyllic setting with amazing views which go on forever. And its so peaceful, not a sound except the birds singing and the occasional sheep calling to its lamb.I think they will do very well there, I hope so anyway. Its been a big life changing move for them but they've practised cooking the eggs (poached were particularly terrifying), theres homemade bread and yogurt and they are just waiting for the phone to start ringing!!. www.crooklandsclapham.co.uk. We sat in the garden and had tea and cakes, I could have sat there for ever but duty called and I headed back to Blubberhouses, but it wasnt all bad because we went to The Hopper for a meal with some friends which was really nice. All in all a very good day!