A Calm End to July - Life on a Smallholding

Welcome to the final vlog of July, where life on the smallholding slows just enough to catch our breath, but not so much that the to-do list vanishes.

Sonic gave us a bit of a scare by leaving his breakfast unfinished, so he came in for a check-up, a gentle eye clean, and a quiet few hours under observation. Meanwhile, the pigs (still behaving, for now) are due a weigh-in as we start to think ahead to their November send-off. With Dexter in good spirits and some (questionable) affectionate nudges from the lambs, the animals have all settled into the rhythm of summer.

Back in the garden, it’s been all about harvesting and preserving. Cauliflower, courgettes, and cabbages are going into soups and curries, much of it bound for winter stores being it in the freezer or the pressure canner. We’re making full use of leftovers from the party, pulling bits from the freezer and pantry (and those long-forgotten chickpeas from lockdown!), and starting to clear space for the next seasonal wave. There’s a quiet joy in seeing food go from soil to shelf, ready to warm us in the colder months.

It’s not a dramatic episode, which was very much needed, but sometimes these gentle weekends, filled with slow cooking, quiet walks, and watching the deer dart past the hedges are just what’s needed.