Thursday 21 November 2013

This time last year...

 
 
 

...we were visiting Saddlescombe for the first time for the viewing day.  I remember it being freezing cold and so wet!  I was heavily pregnant so was finding it hard work walking the fields and climbing over the styles.  I had so many layers on that I know I had some looks from people wondering if they should ask when I was due, or was I just cold!  Now Freddie is 10 months old and here we are now making Saddlescombe our home!

The farm is split in two by Saddlescombe Road and the ewes are now the other side of the road in the next door field to the lambs who are at the furthest point of the farm. We put the rams in with them about 2 weeks ago and they didn't take long to get busy!  It was so funny as the days running up to them being 'released' we had the rams in the donkey wheel paddock (pictured above) behind our cottage and the ewes in Croft field in front of where we live, and they spent a long time looking "longingly" at each other through the gate!

We are starting to plan our first open lambing weekend here next year which will be the 12th and 13th April.  We are really excited about it and having the opportunity of sharing our flock and the amazing buildings with our visitors. We will keep you posted on our plans. Please let us know if you would like to get involved and help out during the weekend.

Lamb sales are going well both locally and nationally to our loyal customers back in Oxfordshire, thank you.  We've sold some lambs to a local farmer who is also a sheep trader/dealer to sell on to the open market.  So for the first time we don't know who will be eating our delicious lamb!

Over the next couple of months we will start laying some of the hedges and clearing some of the scrub which is invading the species rich chalk downland. We have been overwhelmed by offers of help from the National Trust wardens and volunteers, the South Downs National Park rangers and volunteers, and the members of Portslade Green Gym and feel very grateful for their support.

Our amazing friends John and Julia Sargent have been to visit us today from Little Wittenham, it felt so lovely showing them around.

More soon

Camilla, Roly, Molly, Freddie, Boris and Belle

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