Summer Swarming

June has been quite a month for us. Opening the farm gates for visitors for the first time for Open Farm Sunday was quite an undertaking. We couldn’t have managed it without all our friends volunteering to help us out. Thank you so much to you all.

More cheese? – Tony, Scott and Emma with Clare

Carolyn feeding strawberries and cream to the masses!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Carolyn, Sarah, Michael and Asher for being amazing caterers, the scones were brilliant.
Tony, Fi, Scott and Emma for manning the cheese tasting and shop, you did a wonderful job.
Tara for tracking and measuring all those wellies (we did track down the one that went over the hedge), Wayne for manning the car park, Chris for helping out with the machinery, cows and calves,
Chelsea and James for looking after the calves.  Joy, Julie and Pauline for organising the fantastic calf colouring and Lynette, Lauren and Nicky for being our excellent tour guides.

Watch that wellie Tara!

It’s busy in the car park, Wayne

Joy and Julie with some budding artists

That’s a nice calf in there

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Also Peter Sloper for joining us with his lovely vintage milk van, John and Robert Lyon for the loan of your tractor and portaloo, Alex Sell for bringing the forage harvester and helping out on the day.  And a big thank you to everyone who came along to see the farm too. We hope you had a good time and enjoyed meeting the cows and calves and finding out what happens on the farm.

Pinta anyone?

Out on Tour

Bees on the move

Swarming in the willow tree

People weren’t the only things swarming over the farm this month, our resident wild bees decided to join in the fun and swarmed. First they decided our white van was the place to be before finding a better spot in the willow tree while they scouted for a new home.

With so many stories about bees dying out it is lovely to see ours en mass and hopefully making a second colony somewhere nearby.

And the bees weren’t the only wildlife on the farm either as we were joined this week by a rather lovely goose who stayed this week and set off again last night.

 

 

Open Farm Sunday Competition Winners!

Here are all the competition winners from Open farm Sunday “Colour and Name the Calf” and the “Wellie Throwing”.

We have chosen eight drawings and names for the eight heifer calves that are now in the barn.

SEBBY by Sebastian Barrow

 

DAISIE by Lily Adams

     

PATCHES by Luda (Lucia?) Giraldo

    

MARBLE by Indigo Lambourne

    

LUCA by Maelle

     

TOFFY by Fleur Jamieson

 

BELLA by Bella Coote

    

…and finally, the magnificently named CALF VADER!  by Jax Lambourne.  The Force is with this one!

  

Thank you to everyone who did a drawing.  We will use some of the other names as more calves are born through the summer and keep you posted.

If anyone wants to keep their drawing, they can collect it from the Farm.

THE WELLIE THROWING WINNERS were

Bonnie Heather (child entry) at 66.3 feet

Calvin Purcell at a prodigious 119.5 feet

Well wanged !!

We will be in touch with all of the winners next week.