Make hay while the sun shines!

The lovely warm weather has created a flurry of haymaking activity around the local farms. Despite earlier worries in the year that there wouldn’t be enough grass, the crops have been very heavy. Unlike haylage, to make good quality hay, farmers need at least 5-6 days of dry, warm weather. So as you can imagine the farmers are always listening closely to the weather forecast and keeping fingers crossed throughout that the weather remains good. Derek took these photos on the farm just down the road from us.

Our neighbour Paul has a market garden and each weekend puts his stall out on the side of the lane with an honesty box. So far this year we have had beautiful new potatoes, broad beans, carrots and peas all freshly harvested – nothing beats the taste of really fresh vegetables (especially when they are grown at the foot of Dunkery Beacon)!

We are really looking forward to the next visitation of our friends Julie and Helen. They have recently acquired not 1 but 2 allotments so we are expecting at least a (small) bag of produce when they arrive! They have spent many hours clearing loads of rubbish out, tidying the ‘shed’, acquiring seats (valued at more than the shed) and been given a camping stove so they can make a brew – sounds like home from home!