life on the farm Archives - Holly Water Holidays

I think it is fair to say that the last 12 months have been beyond anything we could possibly have expected. Covid has certainly been a very real test for all of us in so many ways. After re-opening in July 2020 and a few totally crazy months restrictions began to come back in and once more we were in the unfortunate position of having to cancel our lovely guests and postpone their much needed breaks. We are very grateful that people were so understanding and patient – we now have some guest rescheduled for the 3^rd time after yet more lockdowns.

However, with the vaccine roll out, the dreadful figures dropping and a planned date for re-opening on 12^th April we are hopeful that there is finally a light at the end of the tunnel.

If you have been following us on social media you will know that the lockdowns, although delaying us, did not stop our plans or the build of our fantastic new treehouse cabin, The Beehive. We are absolutely delighted with the finished result and although (due to restrictions and lockdowns!) we have only had one lot of guests in it so far we are sure that you are going to love it just as much as we do. It is an absolute one off and really feels like you could just be anywhere.

As you would expect from us, we have tried hard to ensure that both the build and the running of The Beehive is as eco friendly as possible. From the avoidance of concrete for footings right up to the solar pane

ls on the roof powering our off-grid systems in the same way as our Shepherd huts.

The giant ground screws that literally pin the sub frame to the floor are

amazing and were put in by www.stop-diggi ng.co.uk south

west, a business just down the road. The local larch wall, floor and

roof panels are all well insulated with UK sheep’s wool and all of our Green tourism criteria have been continued for the running of The Beehive. We looking forward to our guests’ feedback and can’t wait to share it with you as we head toward summer now.

The other little plan we have up our sleeves is an additional space to chill and hopefully watch some of the wildlife that shares our space. Watch this space for updates!

Shepherd huts on the farm are sadly still closed due to Covid but we are just at the end of Silly Season on the farm. This is also sometimes known as May Madness or Silaging! Farm life is generally fairly chaotic at the best of times with rarely a dull or quiet moment but in May things tend to go to another level. This is when we aim to get the biggest part of our winter grass-based feed cut, preserved and stored. For the milking cows silage forms a large part of their winter feed rations so is really important to us but the process of getting it from field to store is always somewhat fraught and I spend a lot of time with my fingers crossed and holding my breath!

Loading the trailer with silage from the forager. — Foraging.

This year, after a seriously wet winter, we have had a ridiculously dry Spring so the grass growth was not as good as it could have been but the weather was kind while the work was done which was a positive. The grass needs to be cut and to begin to dry out before being raked up into lines ready for the forager to pick it all up and spit it into trailers. These trailers are then brought back from the fields and are tipped into a big pit. We get a great big heap which is rolled down as far as possible to squeeze all of the air out and make it keep better. After it has been rolled it is sealed with huge sheets to keep the air and rain out. This is how it is left until we need to feed it to the livestock by which time it is partially fermented and sweet smelling and they love it! The pit we use is called a clamp but lots of people have silage baled and each individual bale wrapped – these are the big bales you see dotted all around the countryside at this time of years before they get moved to wherever they are to be stored.

During the process there are invariably breakdowns of one sort or another and it isn’t always the idylic country event it can sometimes appear to be – particularly if rain is forecast and we are working against the clock, so it always something of a relief to see the clamp full, covered and know that this job can be ticked off!

This year we looked rather like a desert after silaging as the weather had been so dry but things are now greening up again having had a week or so of wetter weather now – thankfully.

Most years a little later we try to cut some hay too. For the sheep we aim to cut the meadows below the huts to keep us going through lambing time whilst they are housed and if necessary, through any snow or hard winter weather. This will hopefully be done during the next settled dry spell we have as this needs a nice hot few days to be properly dried out before baling – make hay while the sun shines and all that. There is nothing like cutting open a new bale of hay on a cold, wet winters day and getting that wonderful smell of summer meadows! Looking forward to more sunshine, maybe the Summer solstice which is nearly here will bring it for us. We spend a lot of time looking at the local weather at this time of year! https://www.bbc.co.uk/weather/2652034

There will be other ‘harvest’ news later in the year for other feed crops but for now grass is the thing and we’re all on track so soon to start holding our breath for the hay.

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