Sandyford Clover SUPERCOW 2013

They have done it again.

My super brother and his family have officially bred reared and nurtured the best dairy cow in the whole of the UK winning the highest accolade of SUPERCOW 2013 at the UK's biggest farming event of the year, Agriscot

Well done the Tomo's!

We are so proud of them and our dad Eric would have been bursting with pride.

Blue Skies

Late summer fun, actually it's the first

day of autumn.

Holiday Fun

Having a great time in St Ives our most favourite place. Plenty of sunshine, sea and gorgeous pasties.

It's a blooming long journey but well worth it.

Fresh tea in a tin mug on the beach just can't be beaten. (Unless it's cider in the tin mug of course!)

All the Fun of the Farm

An overnight sojourn to my brothers farm to celebrate his littlests 4th birthday and a chance for a catch up.

Here is the birthday girl rounding up cows in her party frock.

 

 

Here are his beautiful multi award winning brown and white ladies (Ayrshires) coming home for milking....

 And here are the cowhands.....

...a bit different from my day when you walked around the field, usually with a dog.

I can vividly remember lying in the grass when a cow got up from lying down and feeling the grass warm against my cheek where her big body had lain.

Great fun to be had feeding the numerous new calves.

Even more fun having a go on some of the boys toys....

All very nostalgic.

School's Out For Summer

At last the holidays are here, with holiday weather to match.

And holiday haircuts are the order of the day.....

Bring on the holiday fun!!!

A Wonderful Wedding.

One of my sisters tied the knot last weekend.

Here she is getting ready..

Admiring family as she comes downstairs....

Proud brother to give her away in the absence of our lovely dad...

Giggling bridesmaids....

My own handsome pair of James Bond lookalikes...

The grooms carriage....

 ....which actually broke down enroute to the church and had to be pushed to the nearest garage for a jump start. It couldn't have been better scripted in an episode of only fools and horses!

The happy couple....

The sun shone, the wine flowed, we danced our socks off...

shared a few secrets...

and generally had a ball...

I love weddings, such joyous occasions and most of the family gathered. All the more poignant as Mum and Dad are no longer here. I suppose the next weddings will be the next generation, ( we have 20 children between us!) And we will be the dowagers.

Bring it on I say.

Brand New Beaver

Our littlest man joined the ranks of beaverdom last week.

and celebrated with a beaver made biscuit...

Catch Up

Time flies when you are having fun as they say.

Egg Hunt.....

More knitting from stash, a cardigan started for the girl on the right 7 and a half years ago when the girl on the left (wearing said cardigan,) was only approx 4 months old.....

And a wonderful hen weekend celebration at centre parcs for sisters forthcoming wedding....

I am the one behind the camera!!!!

New Arrivals....

...eight point of lay 17 week old warren pullets arrived yesterday.

They are very shy, never having been outdoors before today.

There has been a bit of squabbling.

Some of the resident matrons are positively sulking...

What was really amazing was watching a couple of the new girls enjoying a dust bath for the first time. They have spent their entire life in a barn but an innate instinct took over. The wonder of creation.

Speaking of which, there has been a positive proliferation of plum blossom in just one week...

I hope it means a bumper crop of plums. The tree is just two years planted in our garden and was a young sapling. There were approx five plums last year. So here's hoping.

Another arrival this weekend is eldest daughter home from uni for five weeks.

Eleven year old daughter made a lovely spring flower table decoration..

Here it is displayed on a recently purchased rather jolly charity shop tablecloth (£2.79.)

And  just the excuse we needed to bake a big cake to welcome her home...

Also managed some seed sowing, a bit of weeding and quite a lot of leaning on the fence enjoying the bird song. All the brood back under one roof, happy days.