A week of dispatch

Mid winter early morning sunrise

Tiz the season and all that!  We're having a busy time on the farm - I think I open this blog with that line every time, I must come up with something more original for next year.  
We have dispatched our first lamb, and it was the turkeys turn at the weekend, ready for the festive table.

Everyone is talking about how mild it is.  The 'Ologist returned from a walk round the fields
only yesterday saying he'd spotted a primrose in full bloom.  It is only a few weeks since the lovely rose outside the front of the farmhouse lost all its leaves.  We can see the daffodils already pushing up and still no sign of coolers times.  The small girl is very keen for snow - having been born overseas in warmer climes she has only ever seen it in photographs - she has never been able to lie in the snow and make snow angels.  Who knows what nature will make of this warm winter - I guess as the new year rolls out we will have to wait and see, and take it in our stride.

But back to our Kentucky Bourbons.  When we picked up the turkeys months ago we thought we were getting two hens and a stag.  As time went by it became apparent we had two stags and a hen.  Having been warned about adult stag turkeys and how vicious they can be I was not surprised last week to have to separate them, mid scrap.  It has been brewing for a while.  We've watched them displaying to the hen, vying for her attention, and pushing each other around.  Until that moment we'd not seen them actually fighting. 



The turkey pluckers

This particular morning, it had clearly been in process for a while as the dominant stag had made his point severely and left lots of peck marks on his rival.  I thought they were going to kill each other...before we got the chance to do it first.  We have now separated them, and one was safe in isolation for the last few days, with some chickens for company, and a nice bowl of cracked maize...helps to lay fat on them apparently!

 

I must say, the week of dispatch was not as gruesome as I'd anticipated, not that I really got involved in anything at the front end of the process, so to speak. 

 

The prize.

I was handed two plucked and cleaned turkeys and ask to prepare them for either the fridge (for cooking in a few days) or freezer - for a later date.  The dominant stag was 17lbs - a bit less with innards removed - and with the best will in the world too large for our vintage Rayburn Royale!  The hen weighed in at 12lbs and a more suitable size for our trusty stove.  We cleaned her down and trussed her up and in the fridge she sits waiting for some Christmassy sprinkles and a hot oven. 

 

We've decided to have a Turkey Roast (instead of a Hog Roast) some time in the summer and we'll invite enough people to eat our large stag!

 

Late Autumn moving into winter has been productive with the new fencing being completed and hedges being laid.  We moved the Zwartbles from South Meadow to Lower East and discovered in the process a blind sheep.  All the others just followed on, one behind the other, but this ewe just stood still and looked blank.  Even blanker than a sheep usually looks.  When we approached her it became obvious she couldn't see us, but was aware of our presence.  I ran to fetch a pony leading rein and we made a makeshift halter.  It took two of us - one behind pushing, one in front pulling and eventually we managed to move her in with the others.  It was a bit of a comedy scene, and we really hoped we weren't being watched!  It turned out to be an easy problem to fix with a quick shot of medicine.

 

There has been lots of seasonal cheer in the village with plenty going on, although the Carol Singing tonight will be most likely be a wash out as its pouring unfortunately, so we have declined.  A Christmas party for the children in the village hall was well attended, well organised and well enjoyed.  The small girl and her BFF went and had a hoot.  There have been a few parties to attend for the 'Ologist and I, and we even ventured to have an Open House here at the farm which was well attended by our lovely neighbours and local farming families.  It is always so interesting to have the locals here, especially the older generation, as they know so much about the history of our farm and how the land was used.

 

We have had a good year and worked really hard most of the time.  The results are beginning to show - although its a muddy swamp everywhere - we have completed quite a few big jobs that were on our list.  We have been working hard with our architect on the next stage which is the development of the buildings and barn conversions.  Plans have now been submitted to the powers that be in the local council and we await the results in the New Year.  Once they have given us the nod we can start the groundworks and preparation for the big renovations....exciting times.  Expensive times!   

Oh, and back to the lamb.  I can't comment on that one yet,  As I type at my desk above the kitchen the delectable smells of roasting rosemary mingled with garlic and lamb fat are tickling my nostrils.  Will report back in the New Year further on the lamb quality.

Seasonal wishes of the best to all that are reading this blog.  Enjoy the time and indulgence...and hope that Santa visits.  We have great expectations this end....last year Father Christmas actually visited us in the flesh....I ask you, how much more exciting can life get when you are six years old and the jolly old chap comes down your farm track on a quad bike?

I can't tell you the questions we had afterwards as to why he wasn't on his sleigh....I guess that's Devon for you.