No time to stop and stare, no sooner than the Roundhouse and Bodgers’ Yurt were up and running we had to crank up all of the machinery related to haymaking.

There is a farmer at the bottom of the valley who I’ve always privately been amused by for being the worst farmer in the shire (it’s a farmers’ thing!). He baled his first cut of hay about five weeks ago, I’m just doing mine, so what does that say about me!! It takes a long time for an incomer to be accepted into a farming community and I thought I was making good progress, even as a beardy weardy eco warrior, but this has put me back ten years!!

We have had a much bigger crop of hay this year so the sheep should be fine this winter and I managed to bale up some straw directly behind the combine (for the price of half a butchered lamb), so all bases have been covered.

Everybody on the island is eating well, with plenty of pork and lamb in the freezer, Wendy’s homemade pork sausages have been a big BBQ hit with friends, family and yurties alike, good old Itchy and Scratchy! We also have eggs popping out of chickens like there’s no tomorrow, not to mention the kitchen garden which is producing more salad, fruit and veg than we can shake a stick at, there will be some bottling and preserving to do. Make hay while the weather is fine!!