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From the farm at Yockenthwaite
We have had a good week. Most of the sheep are now clipped and, apart from one field, all of Raisgill is cleared. It did go into big bale silage, but that is partly the fault of the weathermen who forecast showers at the weekend.
In the event it was hot, wall-to-wall sunshine, ideal hay weather - we baled up on Thursday and Friday. You win some, you lose some!
Sunshine and showers this week have rather put paid to progress, but there is walling and fencing and wool to pack; plenty to do and plenty of hands to do it.
Late on Saturday afternoon, Stuart and I had a ride around Raisgill "Hagg", a large block of open land totalling about 1,000 acres on the opposite side of the valley facing Yockenthwaite.
A footpath flanking the gill behind Raisgill winds its way up the hill over Horse Head and at Horse Head gate in the top boundary wall, the path descends to Halton Gill at the head of Littondale. From the top wall the views in all directions are spectacular and on a day like Saturday it is difficult to describe just how beautiful it is. The breeze brought the smell of warm earth and vegetation and all that could be heard were skylarks and the odd sheep calling to its lamb in the distance.
The cotton grass is still flowering and it really is quite a sight to see, even though it is now well past its best. The grass is long and coarse - not much suited to sheep, who prefer sweeter, greener areas further down. There were very few sheep at the top.
The wet boggy patches were littered with the yellow spikes of bog asphodel, a plant I am not all that familiar with. However, my reference book suggests they are poisonous to sheep and cattle, causing liver problems, and that in the past they have been used as a yellow hair dye. Now that's worth knowing if I feel the need for a change!
As we came back down the hill we came across a lamb sitting out of the sun under a bank edge, its foot infested with maggots, blowfly larvae, and what a mess it was. We gathered it up onto the bike and continued our way down. In places I had to carry it as Stuart negotiated the rougher patches, but we were soon home and the lamb treated.
Today I will cut the lavender before it is completely spoilt. I always keep quite a lot myself, but most of it goes to a lady who makes handmade soap. It is a backbreaking job and quite fiddly tying it all into bunches, but it is worth it at £25 per kilo.
3:13pm Thursday 31st July 2008
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CommentPosted by: DANIEL, skipton on 3:56pm Sat 2 Aug 08
it not the weathermans fault elizabeth Jayne hird its your fault for listening to them get your self a barometer to forecast your own weather so there!
it not the weathermans fault elizabeth Jayne hird its your fault for listening to them get your self a barometer to forecast your own weather so there!
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