Glyn-Coch Craft Centre

Pwll Trap, St. Clears, Carmarthenshire, Wales, UK

Tel: 01994 231867

Glyn-Coch Email

(info@glyn-coch.com)

For enquiries on how to use the website or on the website design please contact the webmaster here:

Webmaster Email

(webmaster@glyn-coch.com)

Tel: 01994 231867

SAT/NAV users. 

Please use our map reference OS SN 259 175. Our post code area is very large so using the postcode will get you lost! The brown Tourist Board signs give you an easy route to follow from the A40, half a mile west of St Clears.

We have some creative activities for  individuals and small groups of up to 3 children. (Prior appointment needed for bigger groups)

For example
• Make or decorate china fridge magnets
• Decorate wooden book mark etc.

Well, as usual the Margam Park show was a magnificent event. We covered the cost of going, and renewed acquaintances with all our old friends. Thelma is madly packing up ceramic buttons, sheep earrings and pendants to fulfill the orders. And today we have received  a new display stand for us to display them at the local craft shows.

Its not all good news though. Like everyone else, we are not immune to the recession, and that and the fact that we are reaching retirement age, means that we are reviewing our options. We are still a going concern, and at the moment we are valuing the business to see whether it is possible to grow our way through these troubled times. or whether we should move. Some of the valuations  suggest that perhaps we could buy a property more suited to our aching bones, and so we are thinking of selling. For details look at our Farm for Sale page. If we do move, we hope to take the museums with us, and to continue the craft making that we do now. e will, of course, still be interested in the wildlife, but sadly will probably not be able to keep the flock going........ though .....maybe...we could try one or two Shetlands, which are half the weight, but do have fine Merino type wool!

Thinking of sheep, we hope to pick up a few freezer packs on Friday - so if you are interested please look at the Animals page or ring 01994 231867. Otherwise we will have enough lamb to keep us going for another decade!

Isn't life great? The day after creating the Farm for Sale  page we get a letter through the post inviting us to the Terrace of The House of Lords because we have been short listed for the Beautiful Farms award! You can read about the competition here, and see our entry here. We only had 36 hours to prepare the entry - so it just shows that leaping blindly really is a useful tactic!

Don't forget that we will shortly have some beautiful Norfolk Horn Lamb for you to buy. Fresh on Friday and frozen thereafter.

The Beautiful Farms event at the House of Lords. We had a lovely day. Those aristocrats certainly know how to organise a good party! We didn't win, but got a commended certificate. Not bad when you consider that many of the farms entered were 100 times the size of ours. When the pictures were taken afterwards our group included the Webbers of Hindon Farm, Minehead. I must have known other members of the family, as I grew up in Minehead, and some of the first farms I worked on were only about 2 miles from Hindon Farm! To see more about the Award Ceremony see the Farm Business Magazine write up. 

Hi. Since I last wrote  Ken and Sue have brought us some more cameras and, perhaps more importantly a nice display case, so some of the cameras have moved out of the cardboard boxes, and you can see them properly. See our new Camera page for more information. Their visit was a bit sad, though, as they have sold their house and are off to New Zealand to live. We wish them well in their new adventure!

Twitchers will be excited to hear that I saw a Harrier (probably a Hen Harrier, I thought), flying over the house twice during the week, and it has been seen again today, by our friend Dai. Dai is an expert on exotic cage birds, and modestly claims to know nothing about our local birds, however his description suggests that it may have been an even rarer Marsh Harrier. Between sightings, I have heard an occasional raptor call, which is unlike either our Buzzards or Red Kites, so it is possible that this bird, or birds, may be thinking of spending the summer here. For more information see our Ecology page and scroll down to Birds.

If you are interested in moving here, don't forget to look at our Farm for Sale page. 

Don't forget that we have a freezer full of succulent Norfolk Horn Lamb for you to buy - if you can get here to collect it. 

The Hen Harriers have put in several more appearances, but it appears that our rooks and jackdaws have organised a vigilante group and are trying to drive them away.  I think that we may have a female here, but the male is finding it very difficult to get back, and appears to have moved towards Whitland.

Our tea room roof has sprung a leak in the recent wet weather, and, so far professional advice is that a repair will cost far more then last year's meagre takings will justify. However we are investigating alternative strategies, but until we find a promising one the tea room will remain closed. Watch this space for developments.

Following on from the Beautiful Farm Awards, we have already had an article published in the St Clears Times, and understand that there will soon be an article in the Carmarthen Journal, in the Camping and Caravan Club Magazine and in the Bat Conservation Trust newsletter. We have also had an intriguing phone call from a Television Company, however the initial message  was left when our phone was down.  So we wait with baited breath!

At long last the season has started again, and customers are once more beating a path to the craft shop. One party came, today, to collect the items they had decorated earlier in the week. They included a really beautiful cat and dragon, and a very intricately decorated egg cup.

We have just received our confirmation of stand booking for Wonderwool Wales which is to be held on the Royal Welsh Showground at Builth Wells at the end of the month 

Lambing starts next week, so we are busy sterilising lose boxes and assembling lambing pens. So my blogging duties may have to take a back seat for the next few weeks.

20/4/10

What beautiful weather. And what's more we have clear blue skies without a vapour trail anywhere to be seen! Now we know what damage the airline industry does, I hope that they well be persuaded to pay the full costs of their awful industry. Just like the Banks, though, the government is already helping them out, by using the Royal Navy to bring their passengers home. I wonder how big a cheque BA and Ryanair (among others) will pay for this service? I hear their excuses already, but they have known for several years that ash and jets don't get on, and yet they do not seem to have specified a modified engine for their new airliners, or discussed contingency plans with the authorities, or within the industry. And  every school child  knows about volcanic activity in Iceland and which way the world rotates! Our sympathy and good wishes go to the victims of this monumental incompetence.

Our flying celebrities, the Hen Harriers, seem to have decided to continue their northward journey, as we have had no sightings for the last couple of days. But what a privilege to have seen these magnificnet birds.

Thelma is preparing to move northwards as well. The boxes and bags are already packed, and the caravan and car are being checked over ready for the trip to Builth Wells and WONDERWOOL WALES. We look forwards to seeing you there at the weekend.

Many apologies for not keeping you up to date. We have been lambing - very late this year due to the wet summer last year and an unintended affect of Government Policy - I will try not to bore you with the details. Nevertheless this is not a good time to lamb, and I have spent most of the time since April working 20 hour shifts. Now things are easing up in the barn, and I will have to try and catch up on all those other jobs. 

Thelma had a good time at Wonderwool Wales, and has made enquiries about the Wool show at Cockermouth in Cumbria. With luck we hope to be there in 2011 as well as at Builth Wells.

Nothing much to report on the wildlife - birds are beginning to settle down after the Hen Harriers' visit. I am investigating one strange song I heard regularly in May, but now I have had time to listen to the RSPB CD the bird has stopped singing. At the moment the best match is a Golden Oriel, but I feel sure that  there wouldn't have been one here. Has anyone got any better ideas? (Comment above)

I have just updated our show calendar. We are planning to go to the exciting new series of Food and Craft shows that the Carmarthenshire Centre for Crafts are organising in St Clears. It is hoped that there will be nearly 30 exhibitors on alternate Fridays starting on 30th July. It is hoped that they will also be able to turn out for the St Clears Christmas Lights switch on which will be held on 28th November. This event usually includes a carnival procession, local choirs, celebrity guests and all the fun of the fair.

I thought that you might like to see these cheerful mugs - part of a batch we are decorating for a customer.

Just a reminder that we can decorate bone china to your specification. We can use any picture which you or we own. We can do single items, or large batches. We decorate various items for Christenings, Weddings, Anniversaries, Graduations, or any other event you wish to remember. 

Price depends on the size and complexity of the job, but we aim to be competitive. Simple jobs, when we have all items in stock (and we already have the prepared artwork), can be done in  a fortnight, but if possible please allow 2 months as most of our suppliers are subject to 'potters fortnight'.

All the bone china we decorate is hard wearing and the decoration is permanent, so it is suitable for both ornamental and every day use. We even use our hand painted china in our tea room. Whether hand painted or hand decorated it can be washed every day, even in the dishwasher. 

Contact us by  letter, phone or e-mail  for details

Hi. A bus turned up here today. Unfortunately the organiser of the trip had neither visited us nor contacted us when planning the trip, so , very sadly, the group leader (not the organiser) was disappointed with what she found. She had expected a large craft centre like the wonderful one at Corris. This was a sad occasion for the elderly group members, and for us. So please, please, if you are organising a group visit look at the information for group leaders on this page.

Normally we love to be visited by groups, and with suitable notice can organise demonstrations, practical sessions, guided walks, and special catering. You tell us what you want, and we will try to organise it for you. We have been visited by Schools, Young Farmers Clubs, Women's Institutes, Church Groups, Prince's Trust Groups, University of the Third Age, Social Service Groups, Special Needs Groups, Mystery Tours, Retirement homes etc etc.

Better news! We have sold the twin tub washing machine which has been advertised on our surplus equipment page. Keep an eye on the surplus equipment  page, because it is bound to get busier as our move draws near. You never know what we may decide to sell.

Group visits! A party of 12 booked for 10:30 this morning. They gave us plenty of notice, so we tidied the pottery, traveled out to buy some extra clay, cut it up, weighed it out, and conditioned it, and cleared the diary. We got up early to ensure that the routine work was done before they arrived and then we waited and waited. Its now nearly six o'clock, and we haven't heard a thing.  Makes you think that we ought to charge a deposit, doesn't it? Mind you we did have some nice customers and got some mowing and slip casting done instead. Don't worry, we would love to welcome your group, but please let us know you are coming and if you have a problem. You can find more details about group visits here.

On a happier note we have put some more details about the surplus pottery moulds we are selling on our surplus equipment page.

Another job done while we were waiting for the group was decorating  china with a new design that Jean has created for us. We now have bone china mugs, and ceramic brooches, pendants and ear rings decorated with a beautiful original painting of a barn owl - or at least, we will do if they fire correctly. Expect news on this in the next few days!

I have also put some information about the 15 species of  butterflies that are flying on the Woodland walk today. The wetland areas are also producing the normal array of wild flowers. You can see which are flowering by following the butterflies link.

Nuts and berries are also ripening now, so you can see guelder rose and rowan (mountain ash) berries, and how about picking blackberries or hazel nuts from our award winning Woodland Walk? ---- Contact us for details.

If you want to comment on anything written here use the 'Comment' link above or see  our contact page.

Oh dear! You must think that I am a really miserable old grouch, with two consecutive moans about our group visitors. (Most group visits go really well.) So I thought that I had better  tell you about some of the nice visitors we have had - which, to be honest - is most of you. There was the couple who bought Thelma a lovely pot of flowers, and the lovely letters and e-mails of thanks that we have had. And even the campers who have extended their visits or booked a return visit. Another lady phoned to tell us that she could not honour her campsite booking as her husband was ill. I could tell from her voice how worried she was , and the fact that in such distress she had thought of us was really touching. I really hope that she and her husband will be able to come here when he is better.

Another lady, Jan Walmesley used our campsite as a base for the local section of her epic 630 mile walk round the coast of Wales which she is doing for a small local charity. It impressed me so much that she was going to all this effort for her local community that I decided to create a Charities page so that you can learn about her project, and others that I care about. 

The new Barn Owl design has fired correctly and mugs and pendants will be in the shop or craft stall soon.

Those of you who were disgusted (as you should have been) by the horrible state of our old open air silage clamp will be pleased to know that much of the rubbish has now been cleared, and it is beginning to look like an organised machinery parking area again!

Anyway - the 1.30am shipping forecast is on the radio, so I had better get some sleep!

PS 18/8/10 

The new Barn Owl  : - Only a few mugs and pendants available at present. Contact us for details.

 A ghost story....

A couple of weeks ago I was finishing off something in the office, and at about 2.00am decided to call it a day and give the dogs their bedtime walk. It was pitch dark but as I approached the campsite I got the distinct impression that something had changed. We passed the wooden hut, and continued under the trees. From the other side I heard a fairly solid metallic click. What was it? Silence. I continued, and then, through the trees I thought I saw the shape of a small car. Had the campers on the nearest pitch been visited by their cousins? Strictly speaking this would have infringed the official rules, but they did not seem to be doing any harm. 

I walked on. There was that click again, definitely a double click this time. The sound was repeated periodically as I walked down to the Ram Paddock. On the way back up the drive I noticed that following each click the car courtesy light flashed on. Someone was trying to summon up the courage to speak to me. I went to the car to investigate.

The occupants turned out to be young students from Belfast who had spent the day driving down to Rosslaire to get the midnight ferry to Pembroke Dock on their way to Cornwall. Very sensibly they were looking for somewhere quiet to sleep for a couple of hours. They asked how much the pitch fee was, but as they were leaving so soon I told them that I wouldn't charge. I told them where the toilet was, and left the outside light on so that they could find it. And then I went to bed, hoping that I had judged the character of my new friends correctly.

I had forgotten my nocturnal adventure the next morning when we went out to see James off in the mini bus with his friends. Turning back to the house we noticed a small brown envelope leaning on the door jam. On the outside was a note that thanked me for allowing the students to rest the previous night, and that the envelope contained all they change they had. 

At my age I have seen most that human nature has to offer, but I must admit that I was  touched by those students. I hope that they did not need the change as they drove for many more hours on their way round the Bristol Channel. I wish them well, and hope that they are safe and having fun!

Back to business

We are busily preparing for the South Wales Gift Show in beautiful Margam Park. this is a TRADE show, and entrance to the show is by invitation only. However, if you run a hotel, guest house shop or tourist attraction and would like to come to the show, contact us by using the link at the top of this cell or phone 01994 231 867. If you are not involved in tourism  and haven't been to Margam Park before, I recommend that you do. Most of the park and some of the buildings are open to the public, and are well worth a visit especially on sunny days!

At the show we will be launching our Barn Owl design, and this will feature on Bone china and on our ceramic jewelry. We are also taking the opportunity to enhance our jewelry range with silver plate backings and silver bracelets- all decorated with our own designs, of course. Look out for it in shops and here at Glyn-Coch. 

Sorry, what a long time since I last wrote!

First some important news. After 10 years as shepherds we have decided to call it a day. Next Monday afternoon we are taking all our remaining adult sheep to Whitland Mart to be sold off on the following day - Tuesday 8th November. I have e-mailed all the local rare breed farms and many farming organisations to tell them, but if you know anyone who might like to 'rescue' the flock please let me know. The flock consists of 12 ewes and 3 rams, but you don't need to buy them all, the three rams each have their own group of ewes for breeding purposes, so you can start your own flock with just 5 sheep (or fewer if you wish!).

The good news is that when we checked the ewes last week there was not one case of foot rot. (No cases this year!) After 10 years of struggle against that obviously painful, and very smelly condition, we have beaten it, just in time to retire. We have also had 2 years without losing a lamb before turnout, except for one each year which was lain on by its mother.

We are keeping the 15 lambs for the time being, as we will need them to cut the grass - until we can make other arrangements, but - as last year - one or two will be turned into freezer packs when they are big enough. If you would like some very nice meat (the legs, shoulders and chops are excellent) just contact us. To get an idea of what we are offering you can still see last year's list.

The South Wales Gift Show turned out to be less successful then we had hoped, but we did pick up one potentially very important new customer. One of the advantages of attending such shows is that we pick up useful market intelligence, and it was very encouraging to learn that we were not the only ones to have had a bad season. In fact the recession has even affected the gift trade in London. That being the case we expect to do as well as anyone else when  business picks up again! Lets hope for a good Christmas. Our ceramic Christmas Tree decorations have already selling well!

Healthwise, Thelma's back is causing her increasing problems, but 10 months after my fall, it looks as though I may live! So without so many sheep to look after we will be able to stay here more comfortably until we find a buyer.

 Actually, I am quite pleased that the market is so slow at the moment, as Glyn-Coch really is so beautiful! The shorter evenings and damper weather are made all the more tolerable by the spectacular colours of the autumn leaves, and the arrival of the winter migrants. When I take the dogs for their bedtime walk in a few minutes I will probably hear the shrill, but discrete, contact calls of the newly arrived Redwings. After a short absence our Greater Spotted Woodpecker has rejoined the Great Tits, Blue Tits and Coal Tits on the nut feeder by the shop door. A Chaffinch watches and pounces on any dropped nuts, while Jackdaws and Magpies try to work out what is going on. In the evenings the cat watches the hole, in the wall above the shop door, which is used by up to six Wrens in winter. A couple of days ago, when watching the antics on the nut feeder from the kitchen window a young fox appeared on the muck heap at the bottom of the yard and coolly spent several minutes hunting for worms. 

As my health returns, I am starting to catch up on all the jobs that I could not do in the summer, and starting the winter routine of wood cutting and tree pruning etc. Each job completed gives a lift, and even though visitors may not notice, I know that there is hope that I will be able to show off this wonderful little farm as it should be when the tourist season starts next year, and when potential buyers start to think about moving house! In the meantime the little paths round one of our ponds show that the Otter has moved back into its winter quarters, and nearby I will be able to watch Goldfinches and Long-tailed Tits going about their business!  

Well the adult sheep have now been sold, and we earned more then we expected. What's more it appears that there may be three new flocks of Norfolk Horn sheep in West Wales. We wish the new flock owners all the best, and would encourage them to send off their breed certificates to the Norfolk Horn Breeders Group. We still have some pure-bred lambs if anyone is interested!

Almost immediately after the sale we headed off to Ireland for our short "summer holiday" in County Clare. The voyage out was rough - the two following crossings were cancelled, and RTE news described the storm as a hurricane. After our 2.00am start we were very grateful to get to the beautiful Old Ground Hotel in Ennis where we slept for about 24 hours! The attraction to Ennis is the Traditional Music Festival where we meet up with old friends. Ennis becomes a bit like the  Elvish city in Lord of the Rings - all Mead (well, Guiness) and Music where musicians from 9 to 90 mix with, well almost anyone. (They even let us in!) A highlight is the Ceili Band competition where 12 bands compete before expert judges who are screened off  to ensure that they do not know who is performing. The audience, however are given a pre printed list, and are given the running order before the judges are allowed in. The audience also judge the performances and collectively count as a fifth judge. Last year's winners drew the short straw and had to go first, and were very careful and professional, absolutely determined not to drop a point. In contrast one of the younger bands who performed late threw all caution to the winds and really went for it and scored fairly highly with me!

A great attraction of the festival is the pub sessions - of which there were about 100 spread over the four days and about 20 or more pubs. These are started off with a small group of performers who are then joined by anyone else who has an instrument and wants to have a go. As players come and go the character of the music changes and you can hear anything from Northern Irish (with Scottish Strath Spe influence)  to Southern Irish (with Spanish or Moorish influence), and, of course you can always pick out Central European influence.  (I think that I even recognised a Jig that had been used by Beethoven this year.)

After a wonderful few days in Ennis we drove down to Killarney - rather a grand town full of seasonally closed hotels and restaurants. We stayed in the adequate Castle Lodge Hotel and visited Dingle driving down the last hill between thawing snow drifts. The lady who served our lunch asked what the roads were like as they almost never had snow. After lunch we enjoyed the bright and warm sunshine as we walked round the impressively active fish dock, and looked back at this very pretty town surrounded by its miniature mountains.   

The next day we drove about a quarter of the way round the Ring of Kerry. (Even in November the reality is more beautiful then their website suggests.) The road between Killarney and Molls Gap is a real driver's road, with plenty of challenges. I did not know whether to enjoy the drive, look at the spectacular views, identify the wildlife or the breeds of sheep. (Mainly similar to Kerrys, but a few others and even goats). From there we drove on to Kenmare and Sneem. We will certainly be going back, but allowing more time.

Later we went back to Roslaire and an even rougher crossing home. However, on a brighter note we did find somewhere to have a comfortable cup of tea while waiting for the ferry. In 10 years we have continuously been frustrated by the fact that Wexford closes down at 6.00pm, and this trip was no exception. Having failed to find anywhere at New Ross, we looked for pubs on the way to Wexford. A huge example of its type was closed for a private function, and the filling station cafe opposite was just closing. And then we noticed a sign outside the Whitford Hotel Rather modern and soulless compared to The Old Ground, but tea from 2 Euro, friendly staff, and the possibility of nice food as well. 

Back at Glyn-Coch we have spent part of today preparing for the St Clears Craft Market tomorrow (Friday). We are taking some of our Christmas stuff. Its 10 days before Advent, but the shops are already wishing people Merry Christmas. With religious festivals being misused in this way, it is no wonder that people are getting confused by religion. While most Religions (especially Christianity) are all about encouraging love and respect between people it must be easy to think that Christmas is about greed and avarice instead of a celebration of the greatest gift a God could give the world, or on another level about how the kindness of strangers could comfort oppressed refugees in an occupied country. Its enough to turn me into a religious fanatic! Look out!

Glyn-Coch is still open. The shop is full, you can make a pot, look round the 'Museums', or walk round our beautiful woodland walk - weather permitting! The camp site is now closed for the season, as the ground is getting wet, but we can still accommodate single units nearer the house if you let us know you are coming. If you ring us we will let you know what to expect! If you are on your way to Ireland, why not pop in for cuppa?

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Now that the Christmas Decorations are down - its time to get back to serious work! So I've spent much of the last few days writing to potential trade customers to tell them about the South Wales Gift show which takes place at the very beautiful Margam Park at the end of this month. This is an easy job when we are writing to existing customers as they already know us, but trying to find a balance between over selling and underselling to people I don't know is a nightmare. And I don't want to upset people by adding to their junk mail or spam. But "nothing ventured nothing gained", so I have to try. Doing my homework and trying to select businesses that are more likely to use our services and products helps. So nearly 300 letters and e-mails later I need some light relief!

And one of my Christmas presents is doing that. I was given a 'bird feeding station' which is now in operation opposite the kitchen window. It's not attracting anything very exotic, yet, but it is fun watching the Great Tits, and Blue Tits, which are the main visitors. However Nuthatches - which always feed upside down - and greater spotted woodpeckers provide added colour. Occasional visits by  chaffinches, long tailed tits etc add interest, and the antics of jackdaws and magpies are entertaining - while the rooks seem totally baffled and strut about morosely pecking dropped food and looking suspiciously at the new metal tree.   

I have been reading! And can I recommend 'Rabbit Stew and a penny or two' by Maggie Smith-Bendell. This is a biography of a Romany lady who was brought up in Somerset (where I was brought up) and whose travels took her from Newton Abbot in Devon (where I went to Agricultural college) to Ledbury in Herefordshire (where I worked for a while soon after leaving College.) During my early years working on farms in the West Midlands and the Home Counties I often supervised gangs of casual labour, and the best gangs to work with were always the Romanies. I never understand the cruel stereotypes of these charming and hard working people and Maggie Smith Bendell describes the lives and attitudes of my workmates brilliantly.  She pulls no punches either about the racism of the house owners (you and me) or the rare misdeeds of her fellow traveling people, and shows how many preconceptions are based on misunderstandings rather then bad intent on either side. The book is written in her own voice, and is not - as far as I can see - over-edited or ghost written. and the book is charming and compelling. 'Rabbit Stew and a penny or two' by Maggie Smith Bendell is a paper back book, first published by the University of Hertfordshire Press in 2009 and has deservedly been reprinted 3 times already! Read it if you can find a copy!!

Another book that deserves recommendation was written by the long suffering chap who taught me to identify moths, one Adrian M Riley. Not content with being one of the leading experts on British moths he decided to become an expert on British Birds as well, and deliberately set out to become Britain's top twitcher in 2002. Basically the book is a species list, but it is certainly the most exciting species list I have ever read. Not only is there the ornithologist's thrill of descriptions of some of the rarest and most exotic of British avifauna, but also the sheer determination and adventure of an epic 78,000 mile journey round The British Isles in order to be in exactly the right place and time to see these rarities. His car averaged over 8.5 mi/hr for every single hour of 2002, but Adrian also took lifts with other enthusiasts and used boats and aircraft as well. It is also tells the story of an exciting and fiercely fought competition and is  human story in which Adrian describes the physical and emotional fall out on friends and family (not least himself)  of such a determined and prolonged effort. There is even a football thread to the story! As someone who sat next to Adrian in the 'Moth Lab' for over 6 years between 1993 to 2000 I can assure readers that the picture one gets is of the real Adrian single mindedly pushing himself to extraordinary lengths to study the creatures that he loves. 'Arrivals and Rivals a duel for the winning bird': Paper back. Published by Brambleby Books 2007. 

I've just been up-dating our show calendar . At long last people are beginning to organise the events that we attend! And it looks as though, after a slow start, we may have a full season. An exciting new show will be Fibre Fest to be held at Bicton College in South Devon in August. This is a similar show to Wonderwool Wales held at the Royal Welsh Showground on 8th April, and a real must-see if you keep sheep or trade in wool or if you use wool - or other natural fibres in your hobby or business. They are retail shows with a holiday atmosphere, but everyone with an interest in natural fibres should go along.

While on the subject of shows, we have just returned from the South Wales Gift Show - a trade show - which we have attended twice each year for about 8 years. After a dismal Autumn show our expectations were not very high, however in the event we tripled our best ever performance at the show. In the past we have lost out badly to the large importers, but it seems that this spring the Gift Shops, Hotels and Tourist Attractions we supply have decided that there is no future in going for low priced mass market goods, but are aiming at the better off who are less affected by recession, and those who would previously have bought many cheap items , who they suspect will buy fewer, better quality of locally produced items. 

One of my Christmas presents was something grandly called a "bird feeding station", and so I have been bird watching from the kitchen window. Of course I have been entertained by the usual suspects (robins, tits, finches etc) but have also observed regular visits from nuthatches (who always feed upside down),  and greater spotted woodpeckers. One day I saw an unusually fluffy looking woodpecker, and then realised that it's red crown was missing. What I had seen was a female lesser spotted woodpecker. So now I have been driving myself mad trying to work out how many of the Greater Spotted Woodpeckers were actually Lesser Spotted males! As with many problems of species identification, they are easy to distinguish in pictures, but when they are bouncing about 50 yds away, things are rather more difficult! The first day I saw a nuthatch on the feeder I took the dogs for a walk and saw a tree creeper working the trunk of a leylandii in the garden. Not a great twitch, but it is nice to see both species on the same day. There is a row of oak trees on the Woodland Walk, where, if you are lucky, you can watch woodpeckers, tree creepers and nuthatches working the same tree at the same time! All three species work hard looking for insects, but while the woodpeckers hunt conventionally for wood boring insects, the little brown tree-creepers always start at the bottom of the trunk and works upwards, the much posher nuthatch starts at the top and works in the opposite direction. This way three species feed on similar food on the same tree and never interfere or really compete with each other. A beautiful example of what is so fascinating about ecology and evolution.

I wont embarrass myself, or the authors by telling you too much about the book that has taken most of the last month for me to read. It is a history of Irish farming written by two academics, and like many books of its type it is painfully obvious that the authors have not had many opportunities to get their hands dirty. The thing that irritated me most was the repeated assertion that the traditional methods of farming were in some way inferior. They were the traditional methods simply because up to that point in time they were the methods that answered to the particular agronomic, economic and social conditions of the time. In fairness the authors did come to this conclusion themselves by the end of the book, but the way they expressed it did not allow for the realities of making decisions on a farm. A farmer works in large (or small) fields, but the decisions s/he makes depend on scientific or cultural knowledge applied to individual plants or animals. The general application of those decisions depend on the economic environment of the particular farm, but specifically on the day they are affected by weather and labour and mechanical accident, It is all very well for 'agriculturalists' and 'improvers' having grand ideas and historians looking for 'systems', but if they do not understand the practical realities of individual decisions they will make themselves look foolish at best and create disasters like the American Dust Bowl or the West African Ground Nut Scheme at worst. I'm afraid that the authors teetered on the brink of disaster and clawed their way back from the brink by their finger nails. They did however describe some interesting techniques and the tools necessary to implement them, the gradual spread of new ideas, the sporadic nature of mechanisation, and the agri-economic development of the Irish regions. The chapters on native livestock were fascinating. Compared to Britain, Ireland had surprisingly few of its own breeds of livestock, partly because of a very late start in breeding native strains. Reading between the lines this was due to colonisation, and the damage done by absentee (or xenophobic) landlords who imposed largely inappropriate British methods, tools, and livestock on Irish farming communities. In spite of my irritation this will be a useful reference book. A History of Irish Farming 1750-1950 Bell and Watson 2009 Four Courts Press

Urgent: Drive is closed for repairs, as I write. It is not expected to reopen until Thursday. You can only get here on foot (avoiding wet concrete as you go). Please phone for details. 01994 231867

The Drive repairs are now complete. In three days Dan and Luke filled over 80 pot holes with approximately 7 tonnes of stone and 0.75tonnes of cement. Their achievement is even greater when you consider that they were using our own small scale equipment, oh and they were delayed by a flat tractor battery that had (because of where it was parked) to be recharged before they could continue. 

Meanwhile the rest of us have been walking in and out, and it was smashing last night, as I walked passed the Stud's 'front field' towards our boundary to hear the volume of birdsong increasing as I approached. I suppose that the resident flocks are splitting up and beginning to mark out territories, but whatever the reason I was just enjoying the sound, and perhaps feeling a little bit proud of the achievement!  

The book of the week was by Kenneth Allsop, a collection of articles he wrote for a newspaper about 30 years ago. Once I had got over his slightly wordy (prolix?) style I really enjoyed the book. Especially his fondness for rooks - the most human of corvids - and when he talked about identifying plants and animals, and admitted that he had to relearn some of the species each year. This sort of honesty is so refreshing when others are so bombastic about species they have just obviously misidentified. I asked a plant expert I was working with a few years ago how many species he could identify without looking at a book. Oh about 2000 he replied, and then said that he never, by choice, identified a single plant species without seeing at least 20 whole specimens rooted in their natural habitat. Plants are incredibly variable. and you rarely catch more then a brief glimpse of an animal. So you usually can only say that 'it is probable that the identity of organism X is what I suggest that it is". (Certainty, at least with plants, only comes when specimens are examined under the microscope.) I think that Kenneth Allsop had understood that problem entirely.  Besides that, the book described the wildlife, around the old watermill that was his home in Dorset,  for each week of the year, and it is a tribute to his honesty that in some quiet weeks he was diverted into history, environmental politics, and on one week of awful weather in late autumn he seems to have retreated into the pub and believed everything the local 'folklorists' told him!  In the end one gets a good idea of the local ecology and the man himself. Unfortunately I can't remember the title.

Well, the road repairs are paying off! We are beginning to get busy again, and the camp site is filling up, too.

Not only are the resident birds starting to mark out their territories (as mentioned above) but the migrants are arriving thick and fast. Chiff Chaffs are calling, and the Stonechats 'song' is  imitating a mason. Swallows have been seen, but sadly ours haven't arrived yet. There is no sign of last year's Hen Harriers, but to compensate we have a pair of Red Kites exploring nesting sites near by. Every time I put my head through the door I promise myself  a session with the RSPB birdsong CD, but just as I get to settle down something else exciting happens. My Grand daughters have noticed a multitude of little black spiders scuttling about amongst the dead leaves in the woodland. My spider books (including Collins Field Guide to Spiders of Britain and Northern Europe by Michel J Roberts 1995)seem to be telling me that they may be from the family Salticidae, and that they could be either Aelurillus v-insignata or Evarcha arcuata. But I have some way to go before I am sure. Anyway, they are the most unthreatening of creatures as they busily romp around. From their size and activity I imagine that they must be feeding on microscopic springtails which feed on the dead leaf litter. They certainly entertain two pre school little girls! 

For those of you who prefer butterflies there are good numbers of Orange Tips in flight, and we have also seen Holly Blues, Speckled Woods, Cabbage Whites, Small Whites, Small Tortoiseshell, Peacocks, and Red Admirals. Imagine my jealousy, though , when Jean came back from a bird watching outing to say that she had also seen a Brimstone Butterfly. In nearly 11 years we have only seen one here!

While we are on the subject of insects, a queen bumble bee flew into the shop while we had some customers in. The bee got trapped in the diffuser of one of our fluorescent tubes and as I went to rescue it the customers expressed their fear that I would be stung. I had to explain that the stings of worker bees are modified ovipositors, and that the queen bee can lay eggs , so her ovipositor is not modified to sting. I felt quite proud of myself for remembering this, as I have learned that if you stay calm worker bees will not normally sting you either. But it was nice to be able to reassure the customer.

Thelma and Wendy had a good trip to Builth Wells last weekend. As usual they really enjoyed WonderWool Wales on the Royal Welsh Showground. Takings were only 2% down on last year, and they came away with the bonus of a possible trade order as well! Trouble is, having run things here on my own for the weekend, I am having to continue while Thelma recovers! (Mind you, I did get a lie in this morning!)

One of my jobs, since the show, is to create a new page about our Round Knitting Looms, as we had several enquiries about the range. Click on the link above to learn more.

I feel obliged, now, to say something about books I have read. However I have said enough about spiders so I will just say that if you want to cross the Atlantic don't, whatever you do, go in a rowing boat with James Cracknel and Ben Fogel. I have read their book "The Crossing" about the 2005 race, which they rather surprisingly won. Although they are both very capable people the reason for the surprise at their success is that they were totally unprepared. They had not trained in the boat, they had the wrong or inadequate equipment, they did not know each other very well, and had not even thought about the emotional strain they would be under. They were only permitted to start the race, by working through the night to meet the increasingly severe challenges that the organisers set them. As Andy Mcnabb said 'they must be either insanely brave, or just insane'. The book seems to be aimed more at the 'celebrity' market rather then at those who would normally read books about tough sea journeys, but after a slow start as I got used to the strange style, it became more of a page turner as the full horror of their predicament became clear. In the end, I enjoyed the book and hope you will too!

What beautiful weather! (Nearly 32 degrees in the sun here, my daughter has just pointed out, though just 20 degrees in the shade.) Without lambing to worry about, I am almost up to date with the mowing (Unheard of, at this time of year.) And I have even started having a go at some of the soggy patches in the wetland section of the Woodland Walk/Nature Trail. 

The Marsh Marigolds are putting on a wonderful display this year, and the bluebells are beginning to show. Plenty of butterflies are about, and I have already seen two species of Damsel flies. Many summer moth species are already on the wing, so look out for the day flying moths, or nocturnal ones at dawn or dusk.

At least one of our swallows has returned, though he/she looked a bit weak when first seen. S/he has flown into the Nissen Hut to explore last years nest, and is now obviously chasing insects, but I have not yet convinced myself that both swallows are here. I hope that s/he or they are less worried then I am!

The red kites have been seen again hunting over our wetland, and evening spiraling in the thermals with our buzzards and ravens.

Are you interested in weather folk lore? I have been anxiously watching the oak and ash buds, and the good news is that there seems to be a dead heat. The buds  opened on the same day so there will be no SOAK this year. Mind you, if the folklore refers to average weather for the whole year, we do have to expect some rain to make up for the dry winter and spring. You just can't win!

Have you seen the new Loom page yet? Round Knitting Looms . If you have caught the National Wedding fever how about downloading our  Retail Catalogue and looking at the China Decorating page. What did you think? I would love to get some feedback on these new sections, or any of the others. I hope, when I create a new page, that it will answer all your questions without being too boring - but recognise the danger. Please use the Comment link to tell me. Your comments will be used in the design of the post retirement version of this website, retired, yes, but we will still be decorating china and doing things with wool.

Books? I'm reading the Guardian's potted version of the Greek Myths. Maybe its the version, but I don't think that they are a patch on the Mabinogion, the collection of the Welsh folk tales! The Welsh tales have the distinct advantage of being about real (as it turns out) flesh and blood people, with most of the magic being in the style in which the stories were told. 

Hi, its hard to believe that a month has passed since I last wrote. The weather is still wonderful, although it is blowing a gale at the moment. We had lost a lot of the more exotic shrubs and some trees to the frosts, and now the wind is bringing down branches from the survivors. Never mind, it all makes space for new developments. and the standing dead wood is great for woodpeckers, and the windfalls will be home to all manner of wood boring insects, fungi, lichens, mosses, and even small mammals.

Good news on the move. We have found buyers who want to carry on at Glyn-Coch much as we have been doing, and as we do not intend to move far away there is talk of us continuing to supply the shop, and possible cooperation in the pottery and with the ecology. The campsite may even expand. It looks as though some of the sheep may remain here too. Early days to be sure yet, and we are still dependent on a chain forming. Keep watching this page for progress reports.

Craft sales have been picking up as the new season gets underway, though takings at the local shows have been very variable. We have achieved our first export to Australia, though, and following our successful delivery to America last year I am beginning to think that we should change our name to Glyn-Coch International! Hang on, the orders were only a dozen plates across the Atlantic and one small loom to Australia. But we are beginning to learn how to deal with these orders, and what we are allowed to send through Australia's very stringent quarantine rules. 

I wish the UK would follow Australia's example, it would save so much trouble with animal and plant diseases and invasive species. Sometimes casual imports to the UK seem trivial, but when you remember that a ham sandwich that someone brought back through an airport resulted in a massive outbreak of Swine Vesicular Disease a few years ago, and when you think of the problems caused by Japanese Knotweed, the Australian rules make more sense. Checking the rules, and filling in appropriate paperwork are minor inconveniences compared to the massive disruption to the affected industries, and the livelihoods of those who work in them.

A couple of weeks ago James and Dai were collecting firewood when James got bored. Dai stuck three sticks in the ground, and James wove more sticks through them and so made a hurdle. From that we decided to make a hide at the end of the big pond, and in clearing the brambles for this project we discovered a large lump of iron. An e-mail to the Traction Engine Society revealed that what we had found was one of 4 axles from a  timber cart that would have been hauled by a traction engine. 'One axle is just scrap, but all four with the turntable is worth £2000!' Now how much digging time have we got?

You may remember reading my ''ghost story'' (4Sept2010) about the students who appeared late one night having just driven across Ireland  to Rosslaire before catching the Ferry to Pembroke Dock on their way to Cornwall. Well, it is to be published in next months issue of the Camping and Caravan Club Exempted Sites Newsletter. Not exactly mass circulation, but even Shakespeare had to start somewhere - mind you I think he had just about finished by the time he got to my age!

The move is still on track and we have been getting estimates from removers, signing solicitors papers, starting to pack up books etc, and negotiating about livestock and equipment transfers etc. Not getting carried away though, as there are still potential hold ups in the chain. You know how it is!

I'VE JUST BEEN REMINDED THAT I SHOULD SAY THAT THE BUYERS WISH TO CONTINUE THE EXISTING BUSINESS, SO ALL BOOKINGS FOR THE CAMPSITE, SHOP POTTERY ETC ARE STILL VALID. WE WILL CONTINUE TO MAKE WOOL KITS, EARTHENWARE AND CERAMIC JEWELRY AND DECORATE BONE CHINA ETC AFTER WE MOVE. More details will appear on this website as things become settled.

Good ecological news. The Nightjar is back, and considering the time of year, he must have brought a mate with him this time. I have heard him chirring away in daylight for several weeks, but assumed that with my ageing and farm machine modified hearing  I was listening to grasshopper warblers, which were common before we joined Tir Cynnal and lost their habitat. However, the night before last, I went on a glow worm patrol and my friend started started chirring away, quite close and in unmistakable fashion. No doubt now we have a  pair of Nightjars, but no strong evidence for the warblers. No glow worm sightings either - so far. But Nightjars! There were fewer then 100 pairs in Wales when we last visited by these fascinating birds.

8TH JUNE. I DID HEAR GRASSHOPPER WARBLERS TODAY, I'M SURE!

The loom I was telling you about in the last entry got to its new Australian owner, who wrote to tell us how pleased she was with it. She is thinking about getting another one as well!  

Oh, we were visited by an author the other day. Gwen Kingston who publishes with Serrin Books. She showed me her latest offering, and the few pages I looked at looked like a very good read. Sadly I got distracted the moment she left, so I cannot give you any more details, but remember the name!

I MUST REMIND YOU THAT GARRY AND RHONA, WHO ARE BUYING GLYN-COCH, WISH TO CONTINUE THE EXISTING BUSINESS, SO ALL BOOKINGS FOR THE CAMPSITE, SHOP POTTERY ETC ARE STILL VALID. WE WILL CONTINUE TO MAKE WOOL KITS, EARTHENWARE AND CERAMIC JEWELRY AND DECORATE BONE CHINA ETC AFTER WE MOVE. More details will appear on this website as things become settled.

You may remember that a few weeks ago I was worried that only one swallow had returned. Well, for some time now, I have been watching both parents feeding their fledglings, and today the 5 little ones took to the air. Amazing to see such tiny scraps fly as expertly as their parents on their first flight!

Been round the walk today, and seen ragged robin, marsh bedstraw, spearwort, birds foot trefoil, water forget-me-not etc all in flower. The recent wet and windy weather has knocked down a lot of the guelder rose berries, but cherries and rowan berries seem OK.

Thinking about wind, we were visited by a coach party on Saturday. It was a booked visit, and so on Friday I checked the drive for overhanging branches. Imagine my horror to find that on Saturday, the wind was gusting across the drive and blowing branches into the path of the coach's very expensive wing mirrors. Luckily no damage was done and everyone (including the driver) appeared to be enjoying themselves.

We have also been visited by our friends the campsite inspectors this week. While it is always a bit nerve wracking to be inspected, it is useful to be brought up to date with the latest advice, and to hear how other sites are doing in these difficult times. And of course there are the camping stories to swap! While it seams that all campsites are ticking over, the number of campers are lower this year then last. While this is great news for those who like a quiet holiday, it is headache for site operators. If you spend 4 hours a week cutting grass you need an income of at least £40 a week to pay for it. With our charges that means at least 5 nights' pitch rents, and that is without paying the £100 a season for hookup maintenance, or the £100 a season to empty the chemical disposal point. And what about cleaning and maintaining the toilets etc? In a year when no one has any money, should we raise prices or reduce standards - or just keep going as we are and pray for a good July and August? I'm doing a lot of praying!

As part of our move we have been trying to value the equipment we are not going to take with us, and this includes the little Taskers' field roller that we have used every spring since we have been here. Molded into the spokes that connect the drum to the axle is the intriguing number '1832', which I always assumed to be a casting number. However during my research I stumbled over the Hampshire County Council Taskers' museum website and noticed that the factory was the Waterloo Ironworks and was opened in 1815. 1832 could be a date. A few e-mails later, and they confirmed that our roller was indeed 179 years old. It still works - as the day it was made. It's kept outdoors, never cleaned, only oiled when in use, and although designed to be pulled by a horse is just as successful behind a tractor. Why aren't modern vehicles as reliable? This wonderful machine is actually older then the ones they have in the museum. What next?

The results are out from the Nature of Farming Awards, and sadly we haven't been placed. However, the accompanying leaflet about providing habitat for Yellowhammers illustrates how out of touch these policy makers are. Assuming that we could afford to take the actions they require we would have to destroy most of the habitat that is used by the 71 other species  of birds (including rare Nightjars, Grasshopper Warblers, Goldcrests, Bull finches etc)that we have here, and leave no land for our few rare breed sheep, campsite or craft centre. I wish these people would come out of their offices and visit a few small farms for a change. In the 19th century  this area was famous for wheat growing and Yellowhammers were abundant, but present economic conditions mean that no cereals have been grown here for 50 years. You can argue that a few survive on grassland, but you, the public want cheap food and do not allow farmers the leeway to let much grass flower. Close the supermarkets and restrict food transport on heavy lorries, support the village bakeries and cereal growing will return to this area and so will the yellowhammers. The office wallahs seem to want the species that existed when all farms were small, but do nothing whatever to help the few small farms that have hung on. They go on about the subsidies available from single farm payment and the environmental schemes, but these are paid on an acreage basis and are of little benefit to small farms with few acres to qualify for subsidy. Planting 6m habitat strips around our half acre paddocks will leave little useful land. Now if we ripped out the hedges and put all our 10 acres together, then these strips might be worth doing. Is this what they want?

Anyway please support the winners of the Nature of Farming Awards, which should be published here in a few days. Whatever my frustration about the politics and economics of nature conservation, the winners will have put in a lot of hard work. Its not just a matter of investment. Maintaining habitat involves a lot of backbreaking handwork, and monitoring species is a highly skilled and painstaking task, often involving unsociable hours and inclement weather. Before modifying habitat it will have been necessary to assess what species are already present, so that you do not lose real rarities, after that habitat has to be changed at the right time of year for the species you are interested in, and may require prior soil work or excavation. The new habitat will need constant monitoring to ensure that the target species are doing well, and to see what other species come in.

This has been a great butterfly year here at Glyn-Coch. For the last few weeks we have been overrun by Meadow Brown butterflies, but yesterday the first Gatekeepers appeared. While mowing the woodland walk I was amazed to see what looked like dozens of Ringlets covering about a square metre of rough grass. I can only assume that they had just emerged from the rough grass in the glade under the power lines.

After the swallows fledged last week I assume that many other species have also left their nests, as this morning has been eerily silent. The good news, though, is that the swallows have destroyed their old nest, and are now busy rebuilding. Our rams are in the little triangle field and when I go to see them I often encounter flocks of small birds. One day a family of long tailed tits rose from the grass about 10 yds in front of me and perched on some dead twigs, and watched until I was quite close, before flying into an overhanging branch. The next day a flock of Goldfinches and Blue tits were in the same place. There may even have been a Yellow Hammer amongst them, but I did not get a good enough look to be sure.

Craft wise, we are beginning to gear up for the Fibre Fest show at Bicton College in Devon, next month. If you want to know more about our stand try here or here. Information is a bit thin at the moment, but I hope that I will be able to tell you more as time goes on.

Sometimes terrible things happen, and while I do not want to depress potential customers, I'm afraid that I cannot help but mention that yesterday morning when I went to check our few remaining ewes, I found one being attacked by a fox. It is very unusual for a fox to attack a full grown sheep, or even a healthy lamb. Foxes usually eat beetles, slugs, snails, frogs, lizards and small birds and mammals. They also eat carrion, including dying or dead lambs, and will sometimes take a chicken or pheasant. This fox was unusual. It first appeared last year as a half grown cub, and is distinguished by a much darker coat then local foxes. (Our local foxes range from sandy coloured to red, this one is dark brown with a lot of black.) It also appears to have absolutely no fear of humans. I said last year that it looked like an urban fox, and I suspect that someone adopted it as a small cub, fed it on inappropriate food, and when it became troublesome at home they "released it" in the countryside. Now this cub, deprived of its normal upbringing, is clearly struggling to survive in what is, to it, an alien environment and is turning to unusual food. Sadly I have had to warn my neighbours (who keep sheep) about this rogue animal, and I'm afraid that someone's misguided efforts to help an "abandoned cub" will end in this animal being shot. And I have a badly shaken ewe to nurse....

Never mind, it is an ill wind.... Following the fox incident I have stepped up night time patrols round the healthy members of the flock. And guess what? Not only is our Nightjar still around, but there appears to be more then one of them. Its always difficult to be sure, because the way they sing (or chirr) makes it very difficult to locate individuals. However, I'm as sure as I can be that there are more then one, and the other/s sound/s a lot softer and quieter then ours. I don't know much about their behaviour, but I suspect that either a young one is learning the song, or perhaps we have another adult, probably on our neighbours' land. 

Butterflies! I hear that they are getting rare in the towns, but we have plenty here. Speckled Woods, Meadow Browns, Gatekeepers, Ringlets, Large and Small whites, Green Veined Whites, Small Coppers, Small Tortoiseshells, Peacocks, Red Admirals, Holly Blues and Common Blues have all been seen since the Orange Tips finished. I've even seen a Common Blue in the yard - and the Buddleia is only just beginning to flower! I've been watching the way the whites fly, and notice the weaker flight of the Green Veined compared to the Large and Small Whites. At the extreme are the Wood Whites, but after a single certain sighting last year, I am not convinced that my suspects this year are not Green Veined Whites. (Of course, their flight is not really "weaker" then the others, its just that they specialize in more sheltered habitats, where their food plants when found are relatively large. They are very maneuverable in the complex woodland airspace compared to the "stronger flying" Large Whites who have to fly long distances to find relatively small food plants in more exposed habitats.) On a different tack, Slow Worms are much more common then I have suspected in previous years with many sightings, both of the creatures themselves and spectacular hunts by larger birds and cats. The other day I found a beautiful pygmy shrew in the pottery - obviously a gift from Three Wheels the cat.

Thelma is busy with preparations for the Fibrefest, (at Bicton College, East Budleigh, Budleigh Salterton, Devon, EX9 7BY) on Saturday 20th August and Sunday 21st August. She has just finished packing the jewelry she has made, and has now started assembling dozens of knitting looms and kits. I don't know what is coming next, I'm just hoping that we will be fit enough to get it all down to Bicton and onto the stall on the day. Please come and have a look!

Train spotters can watch  a preserved train (THE PEMBROKE COAST EXPRESS ) passing Glyn-Coch on Sunday 11th September. Details here. The train will be hauled by Nunney Castle from Bristol to Carmarthen, but will reverse (due to a lack of turn-tables any further west) past us, diesel hauled, at about 1.30pm. At about 4.05pm the train will pass us in a cloud of steam at about 75 mi/hr with Nunney Castle doing the work, with the diesel relegated to its proper role as ballast at the back of the train! Please note that the times shown above are guesses based on advertised departures from distant stations, and these excursions appear not to keep strictly to their timetables.

Engineering fans may like to know that the Electricity Utility's Muskeg tractor will be arriving here on Thursday morning to replace an electricity power line pole. Not quite sure which model it actually is, but it has been working on Carmarthen Showground for a few days and looks something like this. Apparently costs £250,000 weighs 25tonnes and there is only one in the UK. It is arriving on a lorry that must weigh something like 60tonnes loaded, and they are going to attempt to drive up our drive and through our yard! I've told them repeatedly that this is impossible, but the driver has been to have a look, and is sure that it will be OK. It will be an interesting day! Hope it doesn't block us in for too many days!

Confusing news about the Nightjars. For the first couple of days of Western Power's operations here the Nightjars seemed to take no notice, but on the third day they disappeared. (The edge of the scaffolding they were building to protect the railway from falling wire was only about 10yds from the assumed nest.) And then we had a bright warm moonlit night and any of their chirring was drowned out by grasshoppers. The next night, however, the Nightjars could be heard from our neighbours' land. I should say that there must be at least three chirring away, spaced out at about 150yd intervals. It doesn't sound like one throwing its voice, as the volume remains fairly even as I walk the whole 450 yds. The sound is softer and less aggressive then the one heard earlier in the season, and sounds more like contact calling then territory guarding song.

We have a Large Emerald Moth performing for our customers by sitting on the door jam of the toilet door. It is a recently emerged female in mint condition, and is proving dramatically that 'moths are not all dirty little brown jobs.' Everyone is getting good photographs.  This species Geometra Papilionaria, used to be known as Geometra Geometra and is the type species for all Geometrid moths.

I'm afraid that there is no more news on the Muskeg Tractor (See above), as common sense prevailed and at the last minute they decided to send a lighter machine. However the job is now complete and we have two brand new 50ft 32KV electricity poles and 2 smaller 11KV poles on our land, and the poor woodpeckers have lost their ancestral home. (Don't feel too sorry for them, they have plenty of dead trees, especially after the severe weather last winter!) One bonus was about 10tons of stone that was quarried out of our field in the process, much of which will end up easing your path round the woodland walk. I would strongly urge any farmers about to host a similar operation to get a strict timetable agreed well before the start, they should also have strict limits on the numbers and types of vehicles (preferably only low ground pressure vehicles) allowed to travel over fields and get the utility companies to agree to strict bio-security measures. Soil compaction will lose us crops for many years, and lax bio security could cost crops and livestock as well as Single Farm Payment for those lucky enough to get it. Much of the work we did on the drive in the spring has been destroyed in the last few weeks as almost an extra years worth of  van, Land Rover, and lorry journeys conspired to crush our concrete patches, especially at the bottom of the drive where the base is weaker. None of these things seem to have entered the electricity companies heads. However, in spite of the chaos of this operation and the huge numbers of people, and the ignorance of basic agriculture, I can say that all the people I met were good company, skilled professionals and great ambassadors for the two main contractors and numerous sub contractors. I feel very guilty that once or twice I let my frustration show. They were very diplomatic!

No more moth pictures either. I am hoping to get a good picture of a common blue butterfly on the buddleia, but so far the weather has not been helpful. This has not dampened the spirits of our campers, though. The campsite is nearly full for the first time this year, and there was a nice family party going on the last time I looked with at least three generations involved! After all the work when the site is too quiet, I love to see a good mix of people of all ages and backgrounds all enjoying themselves together. It is nice too that we have had caravans, tents and motor homes all on the site together. Its not all pleasure though, I had to unblock the chemical disposal point this afternoon. Its never blocked since we put it in 10 years ago, so I had a very steep learning curve. Fortunately "who dares wins"! 

Our swallows have just fledged their second brood this year, and the yard is full of excited little birds practicing their hunting skills. and occasionally hunting each other. I think that there must have been at least 3 birds in each brood, that is the number I usually see sitting on the nest and in the yard, but the view of the nest and the speed at which they fly mean that it could be more.

Thelma is taking our craft stand to Guildhall Square Carmarthen tomorrow for the Merlin Festival. And preparations are well in hand for Fibrefest, (at Bicton College, East Budleigh, Budleigh Salterton, Devon, EX9 7BY) on Saturday 20th August and Sunday 21st August. And we are beginning to look forward to autumn Trade Show at Margam Park.

Nearly a month has gone by. Doesn't time fly?

At last, we are rid of Western Power and their various sub contractors. We are still moving that pile of stone though. Half of me is excited by the prospect of an all weather path, and half is wondering where it all came from, and how big a hole we are going to have in the field when it all settles back. It did rain today for the first time in about a month and it looks as though our new stone path is working.

Western Power are not the only leavers though. Our Nightjars seem to be on their way back to Africa, which seems perverse after they tolerated the scaffolding being erected only yards from their nesting site, only to leave as the site was finally cleared. The swallows, though, are still here and we seem to have 20 or more whirling round our farm yard, most evenings.   

We have been on our travels too. Our visit to Fibrefest at Bicton college in South Devon was a qualified success. Takings barely covered the costs, but we were kept very busy demonstrating our round knitting looms, and distributed all our business cards, all the leaflets we had, and almost anything with our name on it. The general opinion amongst stall holders seemed to be that it was a wonderful site, but that some of the advertising had not been as affective as it might have been. They thought that takings were down because of the economic situation, but that with this year's experience under their belts, and an improved economy, it should be a brilliant show next year. 

A highlight of the show was the wonderful "Above and Below the Waves" exhibition, knitted by over 2000 All2knit  contributors from all over the world. It was designed by Alison Murray in support of  Devon RNLI It filled a large marquee, and must have been getting on for about 1/8 acre. When I walked into the aquarium section I actually expected the temperature to drop! If you would like to see it I believe that it is in Exeter between 22nd and 25th September, Cardiff Bay between 29th September and 1st October, and so on around the UK. This link gives the details of the tour, but make sure that you follow the link to the show concerned, it is not always clear from the calendar what is actually being shown.

You really should  visit Fibrefest next year. Apart from Alison Murray's exhibition, there was an exhibition of fibre fashion by Bicton College students, talks and 2 very large marquees full of trade stands. Outside near the marquees there were several rare sheep breeds, llamas, alpacas. and basket weavers (a breed apart!). Bicton is centred round a Georgian Mansion and has the grounds to match. Between the marquees and the beautiful lake was a magnificent heard of Devon Ruby Cattle, complete with a typically (for this breed) docile bull, and a flock of the ugliest sheep you ever did see. (Texels). As exhibitors we were allowed to camp nearby, and taking a breather one night I came across a frolicking young badger, presumably drunk from a surfeit of windfall apples. Ah well I suppose that students will always be the same.

And so, on with the move. We have been busy packing up the pottery today, ready for its new owners. Rona is moving into the static caravan next weekend so that her children can start school here. So the pottery joins the tea room in temporary hibernation. Our campsite is definitely not hibernating though. Its nearly full again - which reminds me - time to check the loo again!

SUNDAY 11TH SEPTEMBER

HAULED BY 5029 NUNNEY CASTLE , PEMBS COAST EXPRESS

LEAVES CARMARTHEN WESTBOUND AT 12:50PM AND SHOULD PASS US (FAIRLY SLOWLY ABOUT 10 MINUTES LATER, AS THE TRAIN IS REVERSED WHEN HEADING WEST OF CARMARTHEN BECAUSE OF THE LACK OF TURNTABLES.)

THE RETURN JOURNEY LEAVES WHITLAND AT 4:50 PM AND ONCE AGAIN SHOULD PASS US STEAM HAULED AT APPROACHING 75MI/HR

Please note that times are approximate. To avoid disappointment please arrive early and be prepared for a long wait. (If you are early we can take you to the best viewpoints!) Our local forecast is for rain, but this is often wrong, as we are on the sheltered side of the Prescelli Hills. Should be a good day for steamy atmospheric pictures though! 

Not here? This is what you missed. Click on picture for the video!

UNFORTUNATELY GARRY AND RONA, WHO WERE BUYING GLYN-COCH, HAVE HAD TO WITHDRAW, FOR FAMILY REASONS, SO GLYN-COCH IS ONCE AGAIN ON THE MARKET. WE WISH THEM WELL AT THIS DIFFICULT TIME.

AS part of our planned move much of our farm machinery display has returned to its owners, so for the foreseeable future we have a rather thin museum. I am trying to think of ways of bringing our David Brown 2D with all of its equipment and our 179 years old Taskers Field Roller under one roof for your entertainment!

At last we have moved all the stone left by Western Power. Although a little is still in the field in case of soil settlement round the new posts, most of the rest is improving the wetter areas of the Woodland Walk. So if you have had to forgo that pleasure for lack of Wellies, have no fear, with care you can get round with snorkels (due to recent weather) and good walking shoes.

What beautiful weather. Everyone is  making silage round us. This must be the latest silage harvest since I started farming in 1969. Back then making hay in August was pushing it a bit, and we didn't have the machinery to make big bale silage as we do now. In those days silage was made in clamps, and opening a clamp to add some dodgy late season silage risked ruining the silage already in store. Making a separate clamp would depend on having accessible (by animals and machinery) ground that was not already in use. There would be nothing more frustrating then making a good crop of late season silage and finding that you could not use it because all the surrounding land was waterlogged. These days big bales allow farmers to place their mini silage clamps anywhere on the farm, and spaced out so that the land does not get so messed up when the bales are used.

On a different subject, Dai, who helps look after James, has recently joined the local wind band as a tuba player, and we have just had their latest fixture list. So if you like wind music go to these events and support them:-

• Sun Oct 16 Hymn Festival in Llandeilo
• Fri 18 Nov - Christmas Light Switch On in Carmarthen
• Thurs 8 Dec - Llangennech Christmas Lights
• Sat 10 Dec - Carmarthen Christmas Food Fayre
• Sun 18 Dec - Christmas Concert with Carmarthen Male Voice Choir in Christ Church Carmarthen 
  

We've just been to the South Wales Gift Show at Margam Park, one of the two trade shows we attend each year. This time the show was in the Mansion House, a very grand, but, to my taste, rather forbidding (except in bright sunshine) palace built round a VERY VERY grand staircase. The staircase is well worth a visit, as are the very beautiful grounds, the ruined abbey, the walled garden and Orangery. (Normally a staircase as grand as that would come down into a huge hall, but at Margam the hall is only about 10ft wide.)

AS you can imagine, given the present economic conditions, trade was less then brisk, but Thelma was delighted when she got an order for her debut bone china design on the launch day! Watch this space for more news of her Celtic knot designs.

Sorry I have not written before now. After the Trade show at Margam I was asked to set up a website for the show. More work! But doing a website for someone else means that I have to do it properly. Prepare for some improvements here. Its been quite an experience, but nice to see a new website picking up surfers from around the world. Lets hope some of them buy something! (http://southwalesgiftshow.co.uk )

Meanwhile people keep viewing Glyn-Coch, and deciding that it is too big! The advert states the acreage... I suppose that the economy means that there aren't many people seriously interested in taking on a business or land. So we have to carry on.

The good news is that the milder weather, and lack of customers, mean that I have been able to cut back the jungle round the Nissen hut, so the yard looks a lot tidier. We have been able to do some much needed decorating in the house as well. You never know, we may make it so nice we wont want to leave... If only our health would improve.

The mild weather also means that the moth catches are consistently enormous for the time of year. Several early species seem to be hanging on, or producing extra generations, and we are already catching December moths. The knock on affect on the birds is interesting. Our woodland is full of larger then usual flocks of our usual winter residents, all actively feeding. In contrast my mother's well stocked bird table in the middle of Minehead on the edge of Exmoor has very few birds. I suppose that while there is plenty of wild food the birds are staying in the country, but I suspect that as soon as the temperature drops urban bird tables will be swamped by all the extra birds that have survived through the mild rural autumn. This nicely demonstrates the problems of one day surveys, such as the RSPB's surveys that occur over a single weekend. They often report species declines, and blame 'modern farming methods' to the annoyance of many farmers who see consistent increases in bird populations on their farms. Neither side is wrong, it is just that nature is more complicated then we think, and no one can afford to do "proper surveys" which are sustained over longer periods and have equal numbers of trained observers in all environments..

We went to the Christmas Light Switch on in Carmarthen on the 18th, and can report that Dai's wind band lived up to the billing (see previous entry). They produced a very nice little concert, and proved to be very competent musicians. They shared the stage with a choir formed of children from all the local Sunday schools who sang brilliantly, and also showed exemplary patience during the speeches! You can see the band again on Thurs 8 Dec at Llangennech Christmas Lights, on Sat 10 Dec at Carmarthen Christmas Food Fayre, and Sun 18 Dec the Christmas Concert with Carmarthen Male Voice Choir in Christ Church Carmarthen. 

Politics. I shouldn't be talking about politics here should I? However, the government assumes that because I am involved in private business and am  not on strike then I am anti strike. Well messrs Cameron, Clegg (my leader - to my shame) and colleagues, I am inclined to support the strike. For 25 years I worked in Agricultural Research, and during that time I don't think that we ever had an above inflation pay rise. We were told that we didn't deserve a rise because of our "gold plated" pensions. Well I started receiving my pension in May, and in June the government changed the index linking to my detriment. So my huge £8,000 a year will be worth about £20,000 less in total, by the time I die. (Now. let me see, does that mean they are instructing me to die 2 1/2 years earlier?) During my 25 years working for the government, below inflation pay rises probably cost me well over £10,000. It feels as though my colleagues and I are being taken for suckers. Well, you might say, who wants agricultural research? The answer is everyone. We all eat. During the 1970s and 80s one of Britain's biggest export earners were the artificial pyrethroid insecticides, developed over 30 years by my colleagues, and one of the first insecticide groups to be totally non toxic to mammals and non persistent in the environment. We also run the Classical Experiments where crops have been grown continuously for 168 years and which are becoming increasingly important as global ecological standards. We ran aphid forecasting systems that helped farmers to reduce insecticide use to the minimum required to safeguard our food supply. We do  all sorts of basic ecological research, and research into a variety of farming systems, including "conventional" and low in put systems. Importantly we used to train scientists from third world countries, who would be their nations' experts on crop diseases that traditionally had caused famines. The recent cuts mean that most of my old department  doing ecological survey work and aphid forecasting have lost their jobs, and the remainder are being offered the choice of taking "early retirement" or gambling on staying on and avoiding being made redundant in the next round of cuts. It is heart breaking to hear of so many bright careers being wrecked. Soon the only people doing Agricultural Research will be the large agrochemical companies, and I doubt that they will have much time for the sort of research the government used to pay for. Meanwhile the government is attacking the very people it has made redundant and who claim benefits, and the people who have low pay because the government has consistently given them below inflation pay rises. On the other hand the people who created the situation by (to put it very politely) their incompetence, are still in receipt of their multi million pound salaries and million pound bonuses. If the Liberals had shouted a bit louder and forced Osborne to cut more evenly across society I might well have been anti strike, but as a small business man I need my customers to be secure in their jobs and to have money to spend. The millionaires holiday abroad. Probably more then half our customers would have been on strike today, and many others - in private industry - will have suffered pay cuts , reduced pensions, and job insecurity because of the way governments and their friends in The City have behaved over the last 4 or 5 years, putting up their costs, starving their businesses of cash, and bankrupting their customers. Yes, we have billions to pay off, but taking a few millions from those who have least and have to spend all the cash they receive is not a good way to do it. There, end of politics - back to the craft centre.

But, of course there is little to report. 

Oh yes there is. If you have been here before, you may remember the little Kingmaker resin and coal model of a GWR Auto train. It was the last of a batch of such models that I bought soon after we came as I was sure they would sell like hot cakes. Well, years later, I have sold it. And I sold it to someone who had driven such a train, many years ago. The gentleman had been ill, and it obviously gave him a great deal of pleasure to see the model, and selling it was one of the nicest sales I have made, and great compensation for for no longer "owning" such a wonderful model. 

There are very few visitors about, let alone customers. Even our wholesale customers are pulling their horns in, at the moment. At times like this, we usually blame ourselves, but everyone we meet tells us the same story. So, it is on with maintenance outside, while Thelma is using her craft skills to make Christmas presents inside. But at least that is traditional. As advent goes on it seems that events have conspired to give us all the sort of Victorian Christmas that Dickens would recognise, and if we ensure that we are all warm, well fed and have friends and family about us, what is wrong with that? Isn't that the message of the old Bible story?

I can't believe that it is so long since I last wrote. But then we've been pretty busy showing prospective buyers around, entertaining our growing tribe of grandchildren, and running Glyn-Coch. On top of that Thelma has taken on the Chairmanship of the Chamber of Trade, as well as being on the committees of Crafts from Carmarthenshire, and Carriage Driving for the Disabled and I have become webmaster for the South Wales Gift Show. 

We are also very busy decorating Queen's Jubilee Mugs for local organisations. If you are involved in such a project and have not already put in an order I would suggest that you do so very soon, as the potters are struggling to keep up with demand for the most attractive mugs. If you order now you will probably get your mugs in time, but delays may result in delivery after the great occasion. (That is not necessarily a plug for us. The problem is in Stoke, and so will affect any decorator.)

The thing that prompted me to write this now was a walk through part of our woodland. Our Woodland Walk was rated as 4th best in Wales in 2005 and is free for anyone to walk round. It is a circular walk and can be completed in as little as 1/2 an hour if you are a dog walker (on leads, for the sake of ground roosting/nesting birds, please) or 3 hours if you are a bird watcher. This morning I took our old collie round the wetland section, and the trees were full of birds. I don't think that there were any great rarities, but just quite large numbers  of each species. I cant remember all that I saw, but there were wrens, dunnocks, black birds, thrushes, chaffinches, sparrows, gold finches, long tailed tits, greater and lesser spotted woodpeckers, carrion crows, rooks, jackdaws, magpies, jays, snipe, moorhens, mallards, and who knows what else I would have seen if only I had time to stop and look! Walking through the woods at his time of year is not simply a matter of looking and ticking boxes, it is a matter of listening to the music, as dozens of little birds go about their daily business, softly contact calling as they go. Of course, some such as the great tits are starting their summer calls, and the pigeons and rooks are already busy nest building. (At least, the pigeons, in our barn, are nest repairing, as they have been hatching a clutch of eggs about once a fortnight all through the winter, though few if any of the hatchlings have survived.)

What I should be looking for, is the small white finch that a friend saw (several times) in her garden, a couple of miles away. She is a skilled and enthusiastic birdwatcher - not quite a twitcher- but cannot identify this little bird, and I have scoured my bird books without any luck, so we know that it is not a species often seen in the UK. Lets hope that, whatever it is, it finds a mate and becomes the founder of a colony, which can add to the fascination of a walk through the woods, rather then simply a poor lost stray, doomed to a lonely death. 

(STOP PRESS! Added 23 Feb) The small white finch appears to have been a very white chaffinch. Unusual, but not unheard of, apparently.

There, just what I should not have done, two paragraphs in a row with sad endings. Honest, I am not trying to depress you. However, you cannot have a beautiful ecosystem without full life cycles and that of course implies that tragedy is also present.

Thinking of which we have found a buyer for our last 7 sheep. Paul cannot gain them without us losing them - see what I mean? Paul is a local lad with a lifetime of experience in the farming industry, though this will be the first flock he has owned, so he is doing his homework. He has already been in contact with the breed society for advice. The last thing that I heard from the same lady who is advising Paul was about he arrival of the Schmallenberg virus in this country. It is believed that the virus is carried by a particular species of insect that apparently managed to cross the Channel for the first time last summer. This is consistent with rising temperatures as predicted by climate change theory, and follows the arrival of Blue Tongue carrying insects a couple of years ago. These events are not unusual these days and show why it is so important to do all that we can to counter global warming. Schmallenberg virus can cause adult sheep and cattle to suffer symptoms like diarrhoea  and fever over the winter, and birth defects cattle and sheep. And apart from the suffering to the animals, will result in more pesticide and drug use in farming, increase food cost and even scarcity, depending on the severity of the outbreaks. The news of this outbreak must be bad news for DEFRA which last week published a very optimistic report on climate change which predicted increased yields from crops. As usual the politicians only ask plant physiologists about he affect of increased temperature and CO2 levels on crops, and ignore what plant pathologists, agronomists, and ecologists are telling them.

Is there any more bad news that I can dredge up? Even I am getting depressed! No, just think about those birds in the woods this morning, and the tribes of grandchildren!

The South Wales Gift Show (a Trade show) at the end of January got off to a good start on the Sunday with the small retailers arriving in greater numbers then the previous two shows. Most exhibitors covered their costs for the whole show on that first day. On the Monday the bigger 'corporate' buyers were not quite so enthusiastic, but nevertheless went home with piles of brochures. A yellow severe weather warning (for snow) frightened away many of the most important buyers on the Tuesday, while we basked in weak winter sunshine, and went home that evening on clear and empty roads! But we had a nice break, meeting old friends, and apart from a little (a little?) work it did not cost us a thing! 

This is, I suppose, the quiet season between Christmas and the start of our tourist season. We expect a few holidaymakers during the school half terms, and during the Easter Holidays, but generally it is quiet until May. This year, without lambing it us unusually quiet, and the recession is making things worse. Local accommodation providers were reporting only 20% of expected occupancy during the summer, and things are only a little better now.

Visitors comment on the birdsong, which is truly wonderful. As residents are practising their summer songs, immigrants are already beginning to arrive, as is demonstrated by a sighting of a Chiff-Chaff on the feeder in our yard. (Very reassuring, as I had spent the previous 10 days or so trying to convince myself that the Chiff-Chaff “song” I heard was really a practising Great Tit!). However, it has turned cold again and the birds are temporarily quiet. Apart from the songbirds, red kites are making their presence felt, with increasingly frequent passes over the yard. At night Tawny Owls are in good voice, as are the Greater Spotted Woodpeckers. Frustratingly, though, we have not had a positive sighting of the Lesser Spotted Woodpeckers we saw last year.

Craft wise we are still very busy decorating “Jubilee Mugs” for local authorities, and trying to work out whether it is going to be worth decorating a few extra for private sale to collectors or to children who are between schools, or who have missed out for other reasons. Let us know, if you are interested in a Jubilee Mug, or any other china that you want decorated.

WARNING: A LONG SERMON FOLLOWS!

I am always interested in agricultural controversy, and the one of the moment seems to be the Super Dairy, as illustrated by the real Lincolnshire project, and the imaginary one on The Archers on BBC Radio 4. (Don't misunderstand me, I would prefer all dairy farms to have about 60 cows, but..) The story is always represented as a battle between “greedy hard hearted farmers who are cruel to animals” versus the “ordinary animal loving people”.

However, both sides have much more in common then they may think. No one chooses to spend their lives looking after animals who could tolerate harming them. After all, even if they couldn’t sympathise with the animals, a sick animal requires far more work and expense then a healthy one. A dead dairy cow represents a £1500 or more loss, and a bought in replacement will never do as well as one bred on the farm. And if you have milked the animal twice a day for years, you grieve for her as you would for a member of your family. I still remember cows I milked 40 years ago.

Dairy farmers must be dedicated to their animals. To give maximum yields cows must be milked twice a day at 12-hour intervals, meaning that with even with the best and most modern equipment the cowman’s normal working day is at least 14 hours long. People who own their own herds will work 14-hour days 7 days a week throughout the year – often without a holiday. Whereas team milking is possible, cows prefer a constant routine and familiar servants. You may say that, of the 14 hours, cowmen only spend 4 hours milking, but the milking parlour still needs to be washed and maintained, the yards need to be scraped, calves fed, muck spread, and hedges, fences and roads mended. Grassland management also takes a lot of time and hay or silage making often extends the day to 18 hours. After all that there is the huge amount of paperwork insisted on by DEFRA, and the normal toil of accounts, health and safety, etc etc.

In the Archers the character who most fits the typical dairy farmer I know is Ruth, who desperately wants to carry on milking in the “traditional “ way, but who is fast running out of economic options. (Most dairy farmers would be envious of the amount of time she spends in The Bull, though.) Whatever twists and turns there are in the story, even Ruth will be either forced to expand, go into some form of niche marketing or give up milking altogether.

Against this, most of the protesters like to shop in supermarkets, which distribute their food from one or two national centres. Recently I heard of one company that transports milk on a round trip of over 200 miles for processing before selling it as “local milk” near the farms it was produced on. With this system in place the food chain cannot afford to collect produce from farms that produce less then a 40 ton lorry load at a time, and they would prefer it if farms could supply multiples of 40 tons throughout the year. The farms where I milked in the 1970s (or Glyn-Coch, when cows were milked here) could only produce about a ton a day. If dairy farms had kept pace with changes in transport practice most cows would be in herds of 2,400 by now.

The nasty thing is that when farmers are forced into keeping so many animals in one place, there is the potential for rapid disease spread within the herds. The staff involved will do their utmost to protect the animals against all known physiological conditions and diseases, but with man made global warming bringing in novel diseases (like Schmallenberg Virus, which is currently devastating sheep flocks and also infecting cattle in Southern Britain) disease outbreaks will happen. Professionally I will be fascinated to see how staff of the “super-dairies” cope.

One thing that the protesters are wrong about, though, is the idea that cattle like to always be outside on grass. Like us they love being outside in what they regard as good weather, but like us they have their limits. Cows do not like being in the open when it is too hot, or too cold, and they do not like wet windy weather, especially when there is a wind chill. In these conditions they head for any shelter that they can get, and dairy cows will remain indoors even when the gates are open, and a field of fresh grass beckons. If outside in wet weather, they will lie for hours to keep their patch of grass warm and dry, knowing that once they move they will have to stand until the weather changes. They do like to play in the snow, though, especially if they can return to a nice warm barn afterwards. In Victorian times cows used to spend their entire lives indoors in what were called “Town Dairies”, though these were eventually banned for various reasons including noise and pollution.

One of the most famous of the modern large dairy units was built near Aston Clinton at the edge of the Chilterns in the early 1970s, and was known as the Aston Mootel, because the designers intended it to provide 5 star accommodation for (I think up to 200) cows. The cows had free access to their own “cubicle”, from which they could move to an out door “loafing area”, or to an indoor silage clamp where they could eat one of their favourite foods as and when they wished. It was considered important that they could socialise normally so they had wide passages and plenty of space.  Cubicles were designed so that animals could retreat when normal squabbles got too much and cowmen were trained to watch for behavioural as well as health problems.  (A lot of attention has been paid to the cubicle beds, which these days are made of beaten chalk, or covered with special rubber mats to provide comfort and prevent sores. The dimensions and gradients are also designed to ensure that they do not get fouled, and the barriers are designed to allow cows to communicate with their neighbours, while minimising the risk of being trapped or injured.). At milking, cows were fed a top up ration to replace the extra nutrients individual cows devoted to milk production. At this stage the intention was that cows would be outdoors in the summer, but could, if the need arose be kept in the unit for much of the year. The successful design of the Aston Mootel was copied in dairy units all over the country, including the Glyn-Coch dairy unit.

As a student in the mid 70s I visited a large “Mootel” in mid Devon that had adopted zero grazing. That is, all the grass was brought to the cows, who spent all their lives in their luxury accommodation. The reason for changing over to zero grazing was the distance the cows had to walk to find enough grass. Normally a cow on an intensively managed farm needs an acre of grass each year. In the 1960s a typical commercial dairy unit of 60 cows occupied about 60 acres and the cows had to walk at most a few hundred yards to be milked.  Economic pressures meant that farms needed to expand, so the super-dairies of the mid 70s were in excess of 200 acres and cows needed to walk up to a mile. Cows naturally split their time fairly evenly between eating and cudding, and can’t really do either when they are walking; so long marches to the milking parlour reduce milk yields. As the cow tracks converge near the milking parlour they also become overused and muddy, and the mud works its way into the hooves and causes damage. The udders also get muddy and this causes food hygiene problems with the milk, and disease problems for the cows particularly from mastitis, which in cows is pretty gruesome. Concreting the cow tracks would attract the same criticism as does keeping cows permanently on concrete, though it has to be said that nearly all dairy cows have spent the winter months on concrete as long as I can remember, without it causing any problems. Cutting the grass mechanically and bringing it to the cows is probably the best way of alleviating these problems. In herds of over 1000 cows it is probably the only way to feed them.

If the protesters have their way, the modern 1000 cow plus super-dairies will not be built, and the farmers who wished to become involved in these very challenging projects will probably retire from their smaller units and the price of milk will rise. Higher milk prices will probably mean that dairy herds of around 200 cows will survive a little bit longer, though many herds as small as 200 cows are already uneconomic. Smaller herds will continue to go out of business. However the higher milk price will almost certainly result in a reduction in demand for milk, as people, particularly in these harsh economic conditions, find alternatives. When this happens, the milk price will fall again and the rest of the 200 cow herds will fail, and most British cows will be zero grazed in much larger herds. You can’t ignore market forces, and Governments here and around the world seem determined to remove any protection that farmers have had.

Whether or not you drink milk, you will notice, and probably regret, the replacement of grassland by wheat and oilseed rape, resulting in the increasing uniformity of the landscape. While you may regret loss of landscape diversity, wildlife will just fade away.  But more serious then that will be the damage to the agricultural ecosystem, on which we all depend. Very few scientific assessments have been done of whole ecosystems of agricultural fields, but those that do, suggest that even arable fields (conventional or organic) host over 2000 species per hectare. What this means is that for all the world leading agricultural research that has been done in this country we have but a sketchy understanding of how this ecosystem works. We do not yet know in detail what the overlap is between grassland and arable microfauna and microflora, we do not know how beneficial individual species are to (say arable fields) that can only build up their population in grassland. We do know in very crude whole-ecosystem terms that arable crops can benefit from occasional grass leys, but for the most part we do not know what happens to the non crop/ non pest species, or how they interact with subsequent crops or the more attractive wild fauna or flora.

To maintain our wildlife and the safety of our food chain we need to support our farmers. Since the reforms that resulted from Rachel Carson’s 1968 publication of Silent Spring, the methods farmers are allowed to use are relatively benign. Indeed the research cycle now goes from sledgehammer techniques when a new problem is first discovered, through a gradual process of refinement to the development of benign cultural or biological controls, with the law following closely behind. At present the damage done to the UK landscape results from political and economic pressure for all farmers to do the same thing at the same time. When something unpleasant happens on one farm, wildlife cannot find refuge on the neighbouring farm, because the neighbour is doing exactly the same thing. What wildlife and your safety needs is the empowerment of farmers to grow a greater variety of crops and to do things differently from each other, and a food chain which supports this diversity, and which educates the consumer about its consequences, and the resulting benefits. Whatever is decided about 1000 cow dairies we will still have this problem.

Controversies are coming along like buses!

To eat red meat or not to eat red meat? What a question! If you do not eat red meat, and can't afford to eat tropical nuts, iron and vitamin supplements, or you actually live in the tropics, you will probably get anaemic pretty quickly. But hang on, the research only reported an association between high levels of red meat in-take and increased risk of cancers etc. Well there is a pretty good association between people visiting Beachy Head and being found dead on the rocks below. This does not mean that you are likely to die if you go there to look at the view. You have to be pushed, or be depressed enough to jump to end up on the rocks below. Being pushed or depressed can be described as "causal links". Without a causal link an association simply indicates that there may be a project in there for a scientist who wants to investigate the association to see if there is a causal link. Sometimes the causal link is entirely harmless, such as the statistical quirk that means that buses often arrive in threes. The significance that journalists have applied to this story is simply because they do not understand the science or the funding environment in which scientists have to work. Either that or they know that this sort of story sells papers.

It is certainly dangerous to eat so much red meat that you get fat, and as your stomach doesn't stretch simply because you do eat more meat, then eating more meat means that you eat less fruit, vegetables, cereals etc. In other words people who eat large quantities of red meat are not eating a healthy balanced diet, and can expect to suffer a range of illnesses. We know that fruit, vegetables etc contain chemicals that help our bodies fight diseases that include some forms of cancer. Eating more red meat displaces other food items, reduces your defences from cancer and increases the chance that you might die. The researchers who reported the association did try to allow for this in their work, but it must be difficult. The research is also reported to have suffered from another problem. Much of the data was self reported. That is the people who were the subject of the research assessed their own meat intake etc. However this was a very big survey carried out over a long period of time, by a respected group of researchers, so we would be silly not to take notice. But taking notice means reverting to a healthy balanced diet, not giving up red meat. They have not discovered anything dangerous in red meat. And remember that red meat may be essential for rapidly growing children, invalids and convalescents and for the elderly. It is probably not so necessary for healthy active adults, unless they are professional athletes or undertaking other forms of heavy labour. 

If large numbers of people give up red meat, then our countryside will change, wildlife habitats will disappear, and famous views will no longer be quite so attractive. For some, this landscape change will increase the likelihood of depression, and for others starvation may become a problem as the agri-ecosystem struggles to cope and crop yields fall. Most people eat about 500gms of red meat a week and the research suggests that continuing to do this will probably not do you any harm. If you eat 1kg of meat a week then the Government advice has been for many years that you should reduce your meat intake and eat your 5 portions of fruit and vegetables a day.

Once again, time has flown. I should have written last week to tell you all about Wonderwool Wales, but Thelma and Wendy are already there, at the Royal Welsh Showground at Builth Wells, setting up the stand for tomorrow and Sunday's show.

It will be really good, this year with lots of stands doing demonstrations, and Wool-Schools including Beginnings, beading and blocking , Fibre choice and preparation,  Hand carding,  Spin on a drop spindle,  Understanding your spinning wheel,  Design for the terrified,  Hooking a woolly sheep,  Creative Crochet , Lockerhooked bracelet, and  An introduction to dyeing

Also the folowing demontrations will be taking place

One reason that I haven't been able to write before now is that before Thelma could take the stand up to Builth Wells I had to service the caravan. Our old ABI Monza Blenheim is now nearly 20 years old, and every  year I give it a full 100 point service. It also gets a professional safety  check and trailer service in alternate years. This year was a professional year, so I was late starting my service, and of course the moment I started the rain came - so much of the job entailed running out between showers. I got everything done with a day and a half to spare, except for everyone's favourite - the toilet check, It all looked good, except the flush. It was totally dead - and so was my electrical test tool! For 20 years the Thetford Cassette toilet had performed perfectly, and  there appeared to be an electrical fault, and I had no way of testing it - and no instructions. Never fear, the Thetford website shows an exploded diagram of the old C2 "permanent" toilet and shows a fuse of the standard "twin spade" car type - so we went out an bought a packet. Early the next morning I groveled inside the cassette locker and found the fuse, which turned out to be an old cylindrical glass radio fuse, and 2 of our local electrical shops, the camping shop and 2 garages said that they had not seen one for years. Eventually someone found a slightly smaller diameter fuse that was the same length in their "scrap box", and with one end wrapped in silver paper to stop it moving around too much I put it back into the toilet and....nothing. Still not working.  The external (cassette present) micro switch clicked reassuringly  when operated manually , so the fault must be either the pump or the flush switch itself. These were both internal, and the diagram did not give enough information to check either safely, so I gave up. Thelma and Wendy packed the van. While carrying something into the van for them, I looked at the toilet roll storage well in the top of the water tank, and decided to fiddle. When I twisted it, the well rotated, and on pulling  vertically it popped out, and there underneath was the pump. After undoing one screw the pump came out, and at the bottom I could see the impeller which was seized up. However, after a few gentle prods, I got it to move , and on test it roared into life. Then I had to put it back into the tank and replace that screw! Well needless to say, by the time I got it there, the van lights were on, and I had a torch inside the tank, and grazed knuckles and sore knees and...well you get the idea. But at least the sales team wont be flushing the toilet with the shower head!

Wild life! Most of the migrants are here, and Bullfinches and Goldcrests have been seen in full costume. I have filled the feeder in the yard with sunflower seeds and we are being entertained by very colourful Goldfinches, one collecting goose down from near our elderly gooses' "pond" under the sitting room window. and I suspect that we may have a red kite nesting here. But the species that I am really interested in is  the Nightjar. They nested here last year, and we have heard them here this year, but they don't seem to have settled yet. And to make matters worse I have developed tinnitus, which means that sometimes I can here the churring all the way round the Woodland Walk! I know I have been fooled when I come in doors and the magical little bird follows me! A friend made me green with envy when he told me that there are no less then three settle pairs of Nightjars on one of his favourite walks in Wiltshire. However, another friend with more local knowledge tells me that it is early for them to settle in Carmarthenshire. So we can but hope!

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