Tag Archives: farming

Back to Nature – Again!

Posted on May 13, 2019 by Francis Pryor

We are living through very strange times. Laying aside the political melt-down which has become part of everyday life in Britain, we also seem to have taken our eye off the climate change problem – what in the 1970s we … Continue reading →

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January 2017: Hit the Ground Running – or Swimming!

Posted on January 15, 2017 by Francis Pryor

I’m aware that as one gets older, time is meant to pass faster, but so far January has been ludicrous. It’s passed in a couple of blinks. And I know it’s still passing, but I seem to be missing it. … Continue reading →

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Freedom! Ewes and Lambs Released

Posted on April 9, 2016 by Francis Pryor

This is a very brief blog post to celebrate the release of the first batch of ewes and their lambs out of the barn and onto the lush green pasture of early April. It’s always a joyous (and yes, that’s … Continue reading →

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Lambing, 2015: no two years are ever the same

Posted on April 10, 2015 by Francis Pryor

I’ll discuss the actual lambs and their mothers shortly, but I want to start with what you might think is a digression, but is nothing of the sort. In fact I sometimes think it’s the main reason I like to … Continue reading →

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Getting Ready for 2015

Posted on December 29, 2014 by Francis Pryor

Since last year we’ve decided to lamb rather later than in the past – which means that we put the rams in with the ewes late in October and expect our first lambs in mid-to-late March (the actual date this … Continue reading →

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Lambing, 2014

Posted on April 15, 2014 by Francis Pryor

Every year is different. Some years are marked by tough, resilient bags that imprison the lamb when it is born and can quickly suffocate it, unless the ewe or one of us clears the membrane from around its nose. Other … Continue reading →

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Haymaking ends with thunderous chords

Posted on July 14, 2013 by Francis Pryor

I can remember about thirty years ago visiting a distinguished young academic in Cambridge. He asked about the dig I was running and when I told him that the funders had slashed our budget by half he was astonished. ‘So … Continue reading →

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At Last: Late Spring Flowers

Posted on April 27, 2013 by Francis Pryor

Lambing has finished and yesterday we gave the last batch their protective inoculations before releasing them from the barn and out to pasture. They still have open access to the shelter of the barn, should they need it, but they … Continue reading →

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In the deep mid-spring

Posted on March 11, 2013 by Francis Pryor

These last few days have been as cold and unpleasant as any I’ve experienced. Three days ago we had 19mm of rain, so the garden flooded. The following night it froze hard, so heaven knows what damage was done to … Continue reading →

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Haymaking, 2012: Gasp, Grunt, Groan – then Collapse with large Cava

Posted on July 30, 2012 by Francis Pryor

I got back from filming on Friday afternoon, then it was off to get pink (agricultural) diesel. Next it was into the barn, clearing all the hurdles etc. that we used for shearing, to make way for hay bales. That … Continue reading →

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