Last week I rather foolishly referred to our success in keeping the chickens out of the kitchen. This morning one actually got shut into the house – much noise from – Anne when she came across it!

Last week’s visitors included Graham Harvey (hot footing it from a script writing day in Birmingham for the Archers team) and Rita and Stanley – Rita being the Granddaughter of the farmers who owned this farm in the days when the Archers was first recorded here.

Graham, who we last met on a cold windy day when we were learning about mob grazing from Rob Havard of a Natural England and a Pasture-Fed farmer, was with us to talk about changes in farming here since the Archers first was aired and secondly to hear more about the Stockwood Community Benefit Society. Obviously we could only talk in very general terms about changes here since the ‘fifties but we were able to put him in touch with two of the families who have farmed in this area for generations. He is very interested in the idea of the Benefit Society and also very interested in the work on our farm. For his next visit we have promised him a second full tour.
A phone call from Alice at the Hereford and Worcester BBC local radio station means that she will visit us next week to hear how and why we use homeopathy with our animals. We look forward to that as she was clearly genuinely interested.

A key loss this week was Milly – to residential school! Training is critical and she is going to the
trainer who did such a good job with Flash some seven years ago. We have also said goodbye to Christopher’s mum who we enjoyed having stay with us for three weeks.
As for the farm and garden cold dry weather had been a boon! The lean too, and heated, greenhouse has trays of seedlings,;outside, shallots, garlic and onion sets are in the ground. The cold green house and poly tunnel have both salad crops and the first sowing of carrots while the sheep have managed to shake off some of the mud and so look rather better than they did a week ago.

Hard to believe lambing will be starting in the next few weeks. Aside from our regular Open Saturday lambing event in April we are also looking forward to hosting all pupils, staff and parents from a nearby small local first school.
As to next week it appears the dreaded jet stream is reverting to a more normal track which means warmer but wetter weather – good in that the grass will grow but less good in terms of having ground dry enough to put the cattle out before lambing starts!

Half a dozen horse chestnuts had to come down sadly. Not because of disease but simply because they were planted too close to the building! Tim and Chris did the dastardly deed on Saturday morning.

A development not shared before is that Rush Farm is entering the business of selling Demeter baby foods – Holle and the like. So anybody buying such products from Ulula will indirectly be supporting the farm!

– Farmer Adrian