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So, the biodynamic preparation stuff really got going this month.  We have made our first batch of barrel preparation, some ready made stuff has arrived from the Biodynamic Agriculture Association and we have begun with our new grazing, topping, harrowing and spraying regime.   It's going well but we're finding it quite a strain to keep on top of.  Either more hands are required, or perhaps more mechanisation, or possibly, we're just trying to do too much (surely not!!!).  The dock tea now has an aeration pump in it and it's smells WONDERFUL!!!  There's something good about spending this much time and energy with the land itself, it's like blessing and being blessed at the same time.

It was time for the annual shake up of the cows and calves as we try to put them in groups for the summer.  Weaning is always a bit traumatic and usually involves at least one sleepless night for the neighbourhood.  So it was this year as we separated the spring/summer calves of last year from their mums.  It's at times like this that I wish the barns were quite a long way away from the house!  Suffice to say, they have all survived and as I write, they are happily grazing in different fields, confident, independent little beings... another success story!

There's a slightly different story to tell with the piglets.  Prudence, who breeds the Gloucester Old Spot piglets for us, suddenly has an abundance - we think the boar must have had a summer holiday last year as babies have not been forthcoming, but he's made up for it since.  We took delivery of 20 over a week and there are more to come.  The first batch of 14 arrived and we put them straight out into the field in a lovely big house with some electric fence around.  Of course, they've not seen electric fencing before, so we spent quite the best part of a morning teaching them where the boundaries are.  It's not nice to watch them getting zapped, but they have all survived and now know where the line is drawn.  We have 3 groups out there all rooting around for worms and bugs and roots in the soil, chomping through grass and thistles and gobbling up the whey, beans and barley we're feeding them.  They look like little round melons on legs!

We are often asked if we will do Hog Roasts.  From now on, the answer, categorically is "NO"!  I was priviledged and blessed to be asked to do one for the wedding of a friend's son, Phil who married Zoe.  I borrowed the hog roasting machine from a local friend of a friend and loaded the pig onto the spit with the help of Dougal (a 60kg pig is HUGE and HEAVY).  I left the farm at 6am and arrived in Watford just before 9am where several strong men were on hand to get the hog and machinery into the relvant marquee in their garden.  Now, the act of roasting a hog is pretty simple really.  You tie the pig to the spit, score it and salt it then turn the whole thing on and leave for several hours.  It's really not so much the work as the length of time it all takes and you do need to watch it 'cos the pig shrinks and comes loose from it's moorings on the spit... so I needed to retie it a couple of times.  We served the pig at 7pm... it was all over by 11pm when the less inebriated men reappeared and returned the hog roaster to my trailer along with our marquee which they ably dismantled and I drove down the farm track at 1:45am.  I know that was an exceptionally long way to go and I did it 'cos I wanted to make a gift to my friend, but even taking away the travelling time, it's a long day and a lot of clearing up to do at the end of it... so please don't ask me to do a hog roast for you... I will supply a delicious pig (if we've got one ready)... might even be able to find you a roaster to hire... but manpower you will need to do yourself!