Maybeck Amy & daughter

If you have read far enough back in my blog you may have seen a post in May 2011 about Denise and I heading off to Thirsk Auction Mart, where we bought two Belted Galloway heifers. It was very exciting being let out with the Land Rover, Trailer and a signed blank cheque!!!
Anyway a few days ago the two heifers calved and this picture shows Maybeck Amy in the middle and her first daughter on the right, who hasnt been named yet.
So far there are 6 cows with calves, the calves play together and can run like the wind so i didnt try and get any nearer otherwise all you would have seen was them disappearing off into the distance!!

Deliciously Yorkshire Event

 Yesterday I took some time off to go to Harrogate and the Deliciously Yorkshire Meet the Producer Event. I like to go to these events from time to time, not just for the sampling (of which there is lots, mmmmmm yummy) but its great to see the wonderful produce thats available on our doorstep.

I wasnt looking for anything specific, but things that are maybe different for Breakfast are always good, and there were one or two Jam producers that Ive not seen before. Although having tried their produce I have to be honest and say I think I will be sticking with Bracken Hill for the time being. Not because it wasnt nice but BH is better

I bumped into some friends, Anna, from Carr House Farm at Ampleforth who is now an Advisory member of DYand master butcher David Lishman of Ilkley ( who I know from my Young Farmer Days!!), whos shop you really should visit if you are here for a holiday. Its fabulous.

I have to thank David for the group hug pic as it was taken on his Iphone. All in all a lovely afternoon.

Lambing Time already!

It seems to come round earlier and earlier. Chris decided we should have some early lambs and released the tup for a couple of weeks last August. It was thought not many would be ready to be mated but it seems it must have been like a Club 18 -30 holiday as we have 130 due to lamb over these next two weeks!!!.
This little chap is a few days old now and bombs around everywhere. His favourite place to sleep is in the hay rack!
The Blue Faced Leicester Triplets were born yesterday afternoon and are all doing well with their Mum.
Yesterday it started to snow quite heavily and it looks like being around for a few days so I think these little chaps will be inside for a quite a while longer

Bess in the wars ...

Poor Bess has been in the wars this week. On Monday we went on a very long walk, as always her enthusiasm for walking running and charging about took over and before I could stop her she jumped over a barbed wire fence!!
The upshot of this was a visit to the Vet who kept her in as she had to have a general anaesthetic so that they could sort out the wound.
When I picked her up the poor dog looked very sorry for herself and had a great big cone on her head. Bess has bumped and crashed her way round all week and yesterday the cone could last no more as it crumpled into a heap.
Chris took charge, when I wasnt in view, and mended it with a roll of Insulation tape. What a mess. This morning it broke again and its now bound in blue tape too.
Goodness knows what looks I will get when she goes back to the vet tomorrow!!!

Howgills, Alpacas & Lunch

Chris had ordered some pallet forks for the tractor from a firm just north of Sedbergh. As the sheep cake is all arriving on tuesday we thought today would be a good day to go and collect them.
The proposal to me was a drive in the country and a lovely lunch. Ill come back to that!
Anyway as we had a sharp frost last night the day was beautiful and bright and the scenery was amazing. The Howgills looked beautiful.
As we were driving back we saw quite a sight,after driving past fields of sheep, hundreds and hundreds of them in fact, we had a great surprise when we saw this wonderful field of Alpacas. They arent all on the pic but there must have been 30 or 40. Not something you see every day!
Back to lunch. Just before setting off the idea of a 'lovely lunch' had somehow become Fish and Chips in the LandRover. I wasnt really impressed but hey ho!!. We drove through Sedbergh but couldnt see one, we drove through Settle, saw the chippy but no where to park, so we trundled on. Hellifield, oh another F &C shop, but it was closed, Gargrave nothing but tea shops. Even the advertised 'food in next lay-by' failed to materialise.
By now I was starting to get a bit miffed at the thought of getting home and having to start making lunch when the promise has been a lovely one out somewhere. Chris was in his farming overalls so there was no way I was taking him into a pub or cafe!! Skipton was fast approaching, and after that the next stop would be Scaife Hall when Oh what joy to behold, a Burger King!!
Burger King it was then. A picnic in the Land Rover, certainly not fine dining but at least I didnt have to make it!!!

Strange Hotel Guests!!

Today I met up with a couple of friends/fellow B&Bers Sally, from Elslack Grange and Karen from Hellifield Peel.
We went to lunch at Coniston Hall Hotel near Skipton. We had a lovely lunch and caught up on all the gossip, outstaying all the other diners that were there, but then thats nothing new, we often manage to be the last to leave. We put the world to rights, and then some!!
When we came put we got quite a surprise to see these two stood at Reception. They didnt seem to have any luggage so I guess they werent checking in, and luckily they didnt leave any calling cards. At least not while we were there anyway!!!

December

Its been a while since I last updated my blog so I thought I would do a really quick resume of December. It turned out to be a very hectic month, busy with guests until the 11th and then on the 12th I jetted off to Germany to vist my friend for a few days. I forgot to take my camera so there arent any pics but all we did was lots of talking, shopping and generally catching up so there wasnt really anything to photograph.
I had a lovely time but all too soon back to reality and my annual Work Experience stint at Hearts and Flowers florists in the lead up to Christmas.
I had a wonderful surprise when Lisa and Darren called in to see me. Lisa first came to stay for B&B about 22 yrs ago with her family and although she now lives in Australia we have always stayed in touch. They were visiting some of Darrens relatives in South Yorkshire so decided to venture further and visit us. 18mths ago we saw all the family again at the wedding of Lisas sister Catherine in Surrey which was a wonderful occasion.
Christmas saw us entertaining all my family, dont think Bess knew what to make of it all but she joined in anyway!
On the 27th we went down to Cheshire to the wedding of Andy and Rebecca, son of our friends John and Rachael (who we also met many many years ago through B&B).
After this we came back and got ready for New Years Eve when 56 of our friends gathered in the Hopper Lane Hotel to bring in the New Year. Daphne Denise and I prepared the food and we charged everyone £10 to come along and all the surplus money is being donated to The Yorkshire Air Ambulance, £410 in total.
All in all a busy but very enjoyable month. Think I need abit of a rest before another one like that though!!!

Horse Racing in Fewston !!!

Saturday night saw the locals gathering in Fewston Hall for a night of Horse Racing.
Kevin Wilson was MC for the evening. 6 races were to be run each race with 6 horses. The horses were all auctioned off by local auctioneer Ian Smith from Wharfedale Farmers Auction Mart before the race and then you could place your bets. £1 a go !!!
Denise and I were asked to spin the wheels for one race, its a simple game, whatever colour the wheel stops at and whatever number, that horse on the table moves forward. There were a couple of 'move back 3 spaces' on the board and I think everyone landed on them at some point. Chris had a couple of winners, I had one winner and received the princely sum of £2.50 !! I'll spend it wisely!!
At the half way point a Pie and pea supper was served and at the end of the evening its fair to say it was a fun evening and a great way of raising funds for the village Hall.
All in all about £900 was raised towards the hall refurbishments. I think its a night which may be repeated next year!!

International Wool Textile Organisation Visit

Last week we had the pleasure of hosting a farm visit for a delegation of members of the International Wool Textile Organisation, the China Wool Textile Association and the Australian Wool Testing Authority.
They were all in the UK to attend a conference in London and had then travelled north to visit the Wool Warehouses in Bradford to learn more about what happens to wool once it leaves our farms. Then they came here to see where to raw product begins.
We talked about what we do on the farm ehre with the sheep, the different breeds and the 'farming year.
We got Jill to do a sheepdog demo and then we went up the land to meet the cows and then onto the moor to show where some of the sheep live.
When they left us I was presented with an absolutely beautiful chinese silk scarf, a prcelain memory stick decorated in chinese writing and a '100 mile rug'. The rug is made from wool which has grown and been processed in North Yorkshire which means it has traveled only 100 miles in its life. Its beautiful!!
The delegates (top picture R to L) are Ms.PENG Yanli- President China Wool Textile Association, John Lambert- Consultant to International Wool Textile Organisation, Mr. Robert Wang – China Project Manager- Australian Wool Testing Authority, Chris Ryder, Elisabath van Delden – Secretary General International Wool Textile Organisation, Priyanka Kapoor- Marketing- International Wool Textile Organisation, Ms.SHUQIN Zhang – Assistant to President China Wool Textile Association

Farm Stay AGM and Bradley Burn Farm Shop!!

After our big night out on Monday it was soon 6am and I was up and off to the Farm Stay UK AGM which this year was held at Slaley Hall near Hexham in Northumberland. Unfortunately Ive not been to the last couple of AGM's so it was a great chance to catch up with the many friends I made around the UK during my time on the Farm Stay Board of Directors. We had a lot of laughs, an awful lot of food and I wouldnt have missed it for anything.
After a fab breakfast yesterday morning I set off for home. I headed over the moors into Weardale and went along to Wolsingham to visit Bradley Burn Farm Shop. This is the brainchild of the Stephenson family and is run by Christopher and his wife Jill. Christophers Mum Judith was on the Board of FS UK with me and we sat in their wonderful restaurant ,within the shop, and talked for ages. We started off with coffee but were still talking at lunchtime so we had really tasty homemade soup and the most delicious cheese scones Ive ever had!!
If you ever find yourself in Weardale go and have a look in the shop. Its packed with local and regional food and theres a big map on the wall with pins in denoting each of their suppliers locations. They even had Mackenzies of Blubberhouses Bacon!!

Deliciously Yorkshire Awards

On the 14th November Chris and I, with our friends Richard and Denise, went along to Rudding Park Hotel to the Deliciously Yorkshire Awards.
DY are the regional food group responsible for promoting Yorkshire Food.
The dinner was a feast of delights all sourced from the shortlisted finalists. We started with Champagne and canapes of Moss Valley smoked pork, Ramans Kitchen beetroot relish on Shepherds Purse Cheese, Yorkshire Crisps and Blacker Hall Pork Fettle and Basil Sausages. Yum!
We sat down to a dinner of 'Whitby Seafish' smoked salmon served with 'WS Bentleys' Micro salad and 'Yorskhire Organic Millers' spelt bread.
The main course was Roast 'Swillinton Organic' Chicken with 'Monks Folly' Potatoes and 'Parkers Veg' root vegetables.
The trio of desserts were 'Birchfield Dairies' Rice Pudding with Mercers Strawberry Conserve, Yorvale Lemon Meringue Icecream and 'Burtree Puddings' Golden Syrup Pudding.
Those who had any room left then enjoyed a trio of Shepherds Purse Cheeses. I had to pass at this stage as I had seen on the menu the coffee still to come with 'Sciolti' Chocolates and 'Miniature Bakers' wonderful Chocolate crisps and Snaps.
After the dinner Nigel Barden of Radio 2 and Nick Stafford of Hambleton Ales began the presentation of the awards.
Chris and I were shortlisted in the category 'Best Yorkshire Breakfast' and were absolutely chuffed to be announced as the winners!!! We had to go up on to the stage for the award and all I could think was' please dont trip, please dont trip!!' We were presented with our award by Nigel Pulling, Chief Executive of Yorkshire Agricultural Society who were the sponsors of our category.
So now we have a lovely plaque to put on display and great memories of an amazing evening!
(and in case you are wondering I didnt trip!!!)

Sheep scanning already!!

It doesnt seem like 5 minutes since we were scanning sheep last winter in the snow and the freezing cold. I usually do this job with at least 2 jumpers on, plus a vest, tights, ski socks jeans overall, coat and gloves its a wonder I can move really!!! Yesterday couldnt have been more different. It was a gloriously sunny warm autumnal day as John Barnes scanned the first 130 ewes.
These Mule ewes , and a few Blue Faced Leicesters, are due in the first couple of weeks of February (Chris decided it would be a good idea to have some early lambs!!!)
The scan went well and with 70 having twins and thirty odd having triplets it looks like it could be a busy week or so!
The local cows must have thought they were missing something as they all had to come and watch over the wall. So nosey!!

Woodland Management

At the moment its hot and sunny here and for 1 October, most unusual. Bess and I are still doing lots of walks locally and at the moment there are lots of changes going on in the woods.
Yorkshire Water are currently undertaking a Management plan of the woodlands round here and slowly are restoring them to Ancient Woodland areas.
The non native species of tree, mostly pine, are being taken out. Replanting will them take place with the predominant tree species being Sessile Oak. Any trees already in the woods that are native to UK will be left to naturalise.
It should look really good when its regrown, not sure ill still be around to see it though!
In the meantime it looks like the Orcs from Lord of the Rings have just crashed through!!!

Barn restoration 2

Theres been much activity this last week as the preparations for the barn restoration take shape. Thursday was a brilliantly sunny day and a great time for tackling the shrubbery which has grown up over the last 20 years.
Dad came along and armed with loppers and a chainsaw he and Chris cut everything down. We loaded it all into the tractor bucket and it got taken away. Then as we were in full flow we cleaned out the small out houses near the house. The main barn is just about clear and three skips later I think it s a job well done. Very therapeutic too!! The only thing is it all looks rather bare now!

Emmerdale

Weve had a great afternoon out today. Chris and I went with some friends for a tour of the film set of Emmerdale.
Its a purpose built village on the Harewood Estate and not open to the public. We know the man who sources many of the props for the soap and he showed us round. Nigel is responsible for getting onto set any animals you might see, farm props, vehicles and so much more.
Its surprisingly small and compact in the village and looks so much bigger on the TV.
We went into Paddy Kirks house! They actually film in here and it was tiny. The living room especially so. We wandered round the vet practise and back out. We went into the cafe and The Woolpack but these are just used for storage, make up, wardrobe etc and the internal scenes are filmed in studios in Leeds. We wandered into Pollards B&B but have to say I didnt pick up any tips!!!
It was a really interesting afternoon and a new family coming into the soap were just filming their first scenes. Look out for a battered old green camper Van. I cant say any more than that!!!

Barn restoration - Part One

After about 3 years of ups and downs its finally looking like our Barn restoration project may be going ahead. A meeting a week or so ago saw the builders about to be instructed and it was all systems go.
Chris and I have a lot of work to do clearing out the sheds and finding somewhere to store all the 'junk' thats accummulated. Well Chris says its his toolshed workshop but really alot of it is junk!!Why do we keep all this stuff?
I have lots of plants and shrubbery to remove so that the building can be repointed, Im getting Dad down to help me with all that but goodness knows where everything is going to go.
The ugly bulk hopper for cattle feed has also had to be removed and that was yesterdays task. Chris's cousin Stephen and his son James came to take it away to their farm.
I couldnt resist taking some pics and wondering if I should label them Danger Men at Work!!

Walking the dog

The recent spell of decent weather, along with aquiring Bess, has meant lots of long walks. This time of year its wonderful to be out and about and especially up on the moor.
The Heather is in full flower and looking beautiful and the views on a clear day are endless. Bess bounds around like a puppy with seemingly endless amounts of energy. Really cant say the same for me but I do enjoy it!!!

The top picture here is taken looking over Thruscross reservoir, and the bottom picture is looking down the Washburn Valley towards the farm which is too far away for you to quite make out.

Our newest family member - Bess

With great excitement I set off on Monday to collect my new best friend, and here she is!! This is Bess, shes 3 years old and just the best dog ever!!
I had considered getting a puppy but didnt think I would cope very well with poop and chewing and general madness until it was trained. This dog has been working as a gun dog at Cuckavalda Gundogs and has been expertley trained by Jack Peckitt.
Weve been out for walks and she stays at heel, she loves to dive into the River and have a swim around and she knows shes not allowed in the kitchen. We always leave the door open from the hall so she can see us but I just have to ask her to 'stay there' and she does!!! Its brilliant.
This afternoon she had a bath and a good brush and shes looking good!
Right now shes watching Friends with my niece Rachel!!

Moorland Flowers

Now im into blogging I seem to be taking my camera everywhere with me and a couple of days ago I went with Chris up to the Moor to see the cows. Its fair to say everything is in full bloom but one thing we noticed in abundance was the little pink flowers, its just a carpet of pink in places.
However neither of us knew what the little flowers were so I sent the photo to Marion at FWAG/Nidderdale AONB and asked what it was and she has told me its Wild Thyme.
Before the farm went into the Environmental scheme, Higher Level Stewardship, we used to run more sheep on the moor than we do now. Now the head count is much less we are noting more and more of nature bursting back to life.
Thyme is a low growing plant up to 2 cm tall with creeping stems up to 10 cm long, with oval evergreen leaves 3–8 mm long.
The strongly scented flowers very in colour from lilac, pink-purple, magenta, or a rare white, and has a scent ranging from heavily herbal to lightly lemon, depending on the plant.
Its really beautiful to see it all !!

Pheasant chicks

How cute are these latest additions to the farm?? Hatched only 24 hours ago they are Pheasant chicks.
They were hatched, and are being lovingly looked after, by one of our Light Sussex hens who was feeling broody. She is a very protective mother and keeps them close all the time, sometimes you just cant see them as they are tucked up right into all her feathers.
At present they are in a run in one of the barns but will soon move outside. They will stay in the run, nice and safe for a while yet.