Wet and wintery weather has returned

Posted in farm on March 9th, 2013 by John
Retune of  winter to South Elmham Hall

Return to winter at South Elmham Hall

After the lovely warm sunshine and crisp clear nights its rather depressing to return to mud, flood and snow! All the sheep which lambed last week are back inside. Having been settled on some fresh grazing we decided in the early hours of the morning with the rain falling heavily and snow forecast to bring them all in. Although even lambs a few days old are fine if its just cold, the wet and cold together can chill them very quickly and if they get separated from the ewe and don’t feed regularly they soon get in trouble and if not found could easily die. We had a very busy night with two sets of twins born, with little assistance from us, and rounding up the 30 ewes and lambs from the meadow as the sun was coming up, and getting them settled back in the sheep shed. We divided the shed in half so those that haven’t lambed are easy to see at a glance, even when you half asleep at 3am. Its now late evening and snow has settled, well, settled everywhere that  isn’t flooded. Next  week we had planned to get the last of the fields ready for sowing sugar beet but that will now have to wait until we dry out again. In the meantime the sheep will be staying in until this weather clears and we can get on with the event present paperwork.

Spring is on its way hopefully!

Posted in farm on March 4th, 2013 by John
Signs of Spring

Signs of Spring

Lambing is the start of the working year and certainly the most exhausting sign that spring is on its way.We started last week and certainly when your up at 3am under a  clear star spangled sky with a the chill of morning frost in the air is doesn’t feel like spring at all.Our first lambs have been out in the sun this week watched by our ever present buzzards who have taken to displaying over the meadow, a rather spectacular closed wing plummet to the ground, then at the last minute, wings open and they glide off as if nothing has happened. Every other bird and mammal having dived for cover including our lambs, which after a few thousands years of domestication and only a few days old know a predator or the warning signs there is one around.On the farm we have been giving all our wheat’s a feed and harrowing our organic cereals to knock the weeds back and allow the crop to get a head start. The huge pigeons  flocks, which have plagued us all winter, are still eating into the rape but the longer warmer days are encouraging fresh growth and it won’t be long until its way above their heads and out of reach and they will disperse.There is plenty of spring bird song with great spotted wood peckers hammering on the hollow oaks that fringe the orchard  and even a solitary yellow hammer singing in the warmth of the midday sun in the sheltered valley below the farm house.