Blogs

Five years ago this week, the Beast from the East held its icy grip on farms across the country, sheep were buried alive under many feet of snow, the thawing of frozen pipes became a daily task and isolated communities were cut off for days on end.

Two years ago, I saw a job advert that looked ideal and, although I had enough on my plate, it kept drawing me in.

It seems a long time since my last column, having written an early one to beat the Christmas deadline.

I know for other parts of the country it’s practically summer, but here in the Scottish Borders spring is just around the corner at last.

Last July, Isobel and I sold eight hectares of hay to a man who contacted us through Facebook.

False spring or not, it has provided an opportunity to set spring work off to a blistering start.

It’s hard to believe 2023 has arrived already. Last year rolled by quickly from month to month and season to season.

Since October, I have embarked on the most stressful experience of my 26 years to date. "What’s that?" you may ask. Well, completely renovating a house solo during a cost-of-living crisis, of course.

March definitely proved to be the month for on-farm maintenance. Whether it was repairing silage clamps, fixing broken cubicles or maintaining machinery, it was all tackled last month.

In the words of Bon Jovi, we’re half way there. In previous years we have lambed over four months, but thankfully this year, for multifactorial reasons, lambing season is only two months.