Welfare -
-
Quality
Walter Rose and son Family Butchers
NOV 2008
OCT 2008
SEP 2008
AUG 2008
JUL 2008
JUN 2008
MAY 2008
APR 2008
MAR 2008
FEB 2008
JAN 2008
DEC 2007
NOV 2007
THE EVERYDAY STORY OF LIFE ON A WILTSHIRE FARM
Links to other pages
HOME
FARM SHOP
FARM SHOP - Greeting Cards
WALTER ROSE
ABOUT OUR FARMING
FARM DIARY
RECIPES
QUESTIONS
CONTACT US
June 2008
Bath and West - Long Service Award
Last week was a chance to celebrate the extrodinary achievement of one of our members of staff. Fred Ponting (who is 75) received a Long Service Award from Princess Anne at the Bath and West show. Fred has worked at West End Farm for 52 years (14 years longer than any Naughtons), he still works for us four mornings a week. Even more remarkable, he started work in agriculture 63 years ago when he left School at 14. He remembers working with heavy horses and the very first tractors. When he started almost everything was done by hand - he tells us that we have life easy now - I'm sure he's right.
We started work very early in the morning so that we could get to the Bath and West Show in time for the presentation after lunch. All the staff from West End that could went to support Fred and his family so we had a proper works outing! We really enjoyed the show, we hadn't been for years and were pleased how well it retains its agricultural flavour. The children loved it too - they were very taken with the Alpacas and pygmy goats - "no more pets" chorused the parents! At the end of the afternoon the heavens opened and torrents of rain fell. We were lucky to get out of the show ground - many had to be towed out - I have rarely seen so much water pouring down the roads - we got back home to find the roads were dry in Devizes. We hven't been so lucky since!
Kennet and Avon Canal
We managed a short cycled ride during half-term along the Kennet and Avon Canal, which flows through our farm. It is a beautiful canal with a lot of wildlife to be seen, the hawthorns (May trees) were in full flower and and the yellow-flag irises were just coming into flower. The moorhen pictured was an anxious parent trying to distract us from its chicks hidden in the bank - we left it alone very quickly
1st June
Little cat Diary
The kittens are now a month old and doing really well - eating, running, fighting - proper little cats now. Only Badger (pictured) seems a bit slow to develop - she's a fat, contented rolly-polly kitten, she moves very slowly and deliberately and isn't interested in solid food. We hope nothing is seriously wrong, she may have to be a farmhouse cat rather than an outdoor farm cat.
4th June
Shearing
Our neighbour came today and very kindly sheared our two sheep which has exposed just how fat they are! It is very important sheep are sheared before the weather gets too hot or they can get flystrike - flies lay their eggs in the sheeps skin and the maggots literally eat the sheep. Sorry, completely revolting so an essential job even for two pet sheep, when their fleeces grow back in about August we will have to treat them with a pour-on medication to prevent fly-strike. It is essential sheep are checked daily for signs of flystrike. I hand feed our two a tiny amount of food each day just so they stay tame and I can look at them properly.
12th June
Hay-making
We cut the hay this week - predictably the forecast has changed from a warm settled spell to wet un-settled weather. Never mind! We moved the cows and calves to a new field today which made them very happy. Having been vaccinated twice in three weeks against blue-tongue and had their annual worming they were quite pleased to be away from the stables. The old cows new exactly where we wanted them to go, first time for the calves though who skipped about the hay field on the way.
Email: Naughton@Farming.co.uk