Tuesday 31 March 2015

A Little More History

Though the Field book I spoke of last week dates from 1855 the date on the barn reads 1849.  This was the threshing barn, with large double doors opposite each other, and raised stone sills.  The cereals were spread on the floor, then beaten to separate the grain from the chaff, a process called winnowing. The wind blowing through the doors removed the chaff, leaving the clean grain to be collected; a laborious process, now happily replaced by the combine harvester.


 
Recently I saw lapwings, wheeling and calling over a field drilled with sugarbeet.  They have a distinctive cry which gives them their other name, peewhit.  They come every year, though this is not typical lapwing country, so why do they come and where do they go when they leave us?

A sad discovery in the apiary earlier this month; one colony of bees has not survived the winter; not really a surprise as it did not look very strong in the autumn. The second hive looks strong and will, hopefully, provide a crop of honey this year.  The hives are named after varieties of fruit trees in the orchard; we have Bramley and Lord Derby apples (and hives); several varieties of pear will supply names if we need them.

31/3/2015

Thursday 26 March 2015

Now and Then


Another lovely, sunny day; the view from The Mews, as I made up the beds for the next guests, was a delight.  As always, nature is quick to react; the hedges are taking on a hint of green and the primroses on the banks of the ditches seem to be more prolific than ever this year.


Last week a flock of golden plovers settled in the Eastwood, a field being prepared for a crop of spring beans.  They feed on the insects, slugs and worms found in the newly turned soil.  Later they joined a flock of hundreds which flew over the farm, possibly starting migration.

All the fields on the farm are named; we have a field book dating from 1855 where all the fields are listed and the crop rotation recorded.  Crops, many of which are no longer grown due to changed farming practices include tares, dills, mangle-wurzels as well as cereal crops and acres of pasture, fascinating reading.

Life in the country is not all about mud and wellies; we have our cultural interests, too.  We are fortunate to have that rarity, an independent bookseller, in the next village.  They organise the Lowdham Book Festival which this year takes place from June 19th to June 28th.  I am waiting for the programme to come out and shall certainly be buying tickets for some of the events.