April 2024

11th

We transported ewes and lambs, from the farmhouse to the grasskeep. Some ewes already at grasskeep appeared to want to return to the farmhouse.

Many of the black sheep haven't been sold as they have been good mothers, the mother ewe pictured below raised her lambs without any intervention.

Charlie introduced a Zwartble ewe into the Teeswater herd to increase failing Teeswater ewe milk production.

Called in to the bungalow I am supposed to be moving into tree months ago, to found nothing changed inside. We then visited our other grasskeep.

Charlie called into work, fetched straw and got called in to feed the cattle before returning to Hawick. Waiting I took pictures of a newborn calf, and some peacocks.

How now brown cow.

Calf born not long been born, mother coo was still licking cleansing.

In the evening moi and Charlie entertained a friend named Robert; hosting I cooked a big pot of Panackelty of which we shared. Circumstance prohibited hospitality for many years.

9th

I surmised the prevailing winds drying out land surrounding the farmhouse, but relentless rain returned placing rippling puddles everywhere. We arrived to a near empty cattle market at Longtown, we autioned three ewes and lambs at £70 a life. A huge texel tup and lamb auctioned at £170!

Seated myself next to an abusive bidder, he was cruel to everybody that passed by him. Today we enjoyed a small breakfast and a cup of strong wake up coffee. We met our neighbour farm selling sheep to preserve grass land; everybody seemed alittle dazed by the state of the weather. This afternoon we lost a lamb to scour.

Late afternoon Charlie drove to Gateshead, I had messaged a Facebook Market place seller some hours earlier about the sale of a 5 string banjo. Passing over Carter Bar, we over took a Z3, strangely returning on the A68 we were overtook by a Z4. I purchased the banjo for £100, and we drove back to Hawick as the sun was setting.

I am going to so enjoy learning to play the banjo then additionally writing and composing folk songs.

8th

After turning my attention to feeding cade lambs I reopened the keyboard to add missing parts that I'd left out yesterday. Have a great working keyboard, and additionally the know how to repair if the keyboard breaks or requires additional cleaning.

The Apple iMac keyboard, a second hand Ebay purchase, had arrived dirty with an unexpected tipping space bar; I haven't left any buyer feedback for the seller. This afternoon I've been relaxing, psychoanalysing peadophile hunting stings whilst editing pages on this website.

7th

We drove to Ashkirk, then to Selkirk grasskeep to do a welfare check on the sheep. Charlie pulled over at Lindean Loch, I went for a walk, cool down from being triggered.

I've visited Lindean Loch last year.

Who knows what the enablers have been doing here since.

We also did a welfare check on the sheep at Denholm.

We collected my electronic screwdriver set and later that evening refurbished an Imac keyboard that I'd purchased a month ago from Ebay. There were many rubber springs and tiny screws; filth upon the keyboard plate, trapped inbetween the keys was disgusting.

6th

Woken up in my flat, no nusiance from the adult baby neighbour; perhaps her pale crumpled body has given up, malnourished to death. Farmhouse is undergoing a deep clean, evasively mystifying how the household dust and dirt creeps upon tables, chairs, sideboards etc, in view of being shattered senseless from day and nighttime lambing.

Mother ewe inside the polytunnel.

Mother ewe lamb inside the polytunnel.

Cade lamb leaves the lamb shed for the polytunnel.

Cade lamb leaves the farmhouse for the lamb shed.

Shouldn't you little lambs be turning around the other way for a photograph?

Daffodils are everywhere, including inside the farmhouse front garden.

Quince tree is flowering. Last year we had quince fruit.

Happy to see the cade lamb leave the farmhouse, our dining room stunk of haylage, urine and poo. I've swept, scrubbed down and bleach mopped the room three times to rid the room of nasty whiffs. The remaining cades are full of haylage, good news for us as they'll be weaned and ready for grasskeep soon enough.

4th

Charlie collected me in the afternoon, our first destination was to Denholm to check the welfare of a "sleepy" lamb.

The lamb was flustered due to extremity of weather, but still standing and occassionally aligning with the flock so we departed without her.

Sam the sheep dog was longing to be out and about chasing sheep.

Our second visit was our grasskeep near Selkirk, both ewes and lambs were well; we used this grasskeep last year, but with the addition of Bothendean, of which we didn't bid for this year. I am glad to not be passing through Bowden every few days, the sleepy village felt cursed, against this here disposition.

2nd

Woken very early, Charlie bottle-fed the cade lambs whilst I laid in bed; we travelled to Longtown and again experienced reckless overtaking from two cars passing us near the Scottish / English border. I have reminded Charlie to keep the dashcam plugged in, I'm planning to make a overtaking compilation and sending this dangerous driving video to the police; as I believe the causation of this to be chased down, leave behind, targeted harassment. The big breakfasts at Longtown are becoming boring, I don't enjoy visiting there as I did before; future visits will be a quick in and out; I can't forget the café scolding me and Charlie for two wasted breakfasts left behind on our table by some really mean people, if it happened at all.

Landslide mud has not been that prolific this winter because Charlie acquired a digger. Lambs are faring well in the polytunnel, top of the haylage bale is where they often hand out.

The fleece falling from the ewes neck is from her pushing into the ring feeder, and not from scab which starts on the neck.

They didn't know they were going to a large field of fresh grass, but nonetheless entered the trailer without much encouragement.

A mother ewe contemplates boarding the trailer, Charlie treated the black lamb for a poorly leg.

The age and mileage of our 20 year old truck is concerning when smoking whilst towing, but we've had few mechanical problems since we purchased this time last year.

We took two ewe and two lambs, we received £250, Charlie said they didn't sell very well, but the auction was quick; noticing a recently displayed no photography poster, I was glad to leave. We talked about other livestock auctions, with the idea of selling at Lockerbie. After loading more ewes and lambs we drove to our grass keep near Selkirk, along the way Jock's ewes and lambs glared halted unto the oncoming direction of our truck. I also witnessed a failed lamb being torn apart by two seagulls.

Leaving the farm I was able to forlay Charlie loading more ewes and lambs to grassheep, tiredness both overhanging, and looming upon his face concerned me. We enjoyed a quiet evening before Charlie returned to the farmhouse to feed a poorly cade lamb, who is late weaning onto grass and pellets.