Dear Diary Wednesday 16th March

The summer weather continues at Coombe Mill with clear blue skies and real warmth to the sun. Nick has chosen just the right day to bring in Ben the digger and begin to clear a path around our top field. The field, stretching from behind the cottages to the rabbits, is the largest we have, however the fencing is just so poor we have never used it for any of our animals which is a crying shame really. I have to confess to climbing to the top today in an endeavour to collect some pics to share and realizing that it is probably the first time in 8 years I have actually been up here! Shame on me, usually I stick to shouting to my children playing there from the confines of the garden that their dinner is on the table. Anyway it was well worth the climb and I shall be doing it more often, the view is amazing, I could see right across the cottages, the river, our animals over the river and up to nearly the top of St Breward, I was looking for the church tower but couldn't quite see that.

With 3 Alpacas arriving on Friday, a new Shetland pony last month and lots of pregnant goats, sheep, chickens and ducks and Dotty the pig, I think Nick is hoping to rotate the fields a bit more with this new one. Goodness knows how much it is going to cost to fence it is so vast, and there is talk of using it as 3 fields, so for that I read more expense - "oh deer, keep the bookings coming in Fiona" I muttered quietly to myself! That and worrying at some points that digger, driver and bank were all going to come tumbling down onto the lane, they seemed to work so close to the edge. In the end I was pleased to report only a few minor landslides which I sent Nick to clear!

Work went on till dusk but only 1/3rd of the field covered so its back to work we go in the morning!

Farmer Ted spend the day with paintbrush in the kitchen in Water Mill again after the feed run and I had a frustrating day sorting marketing changes and washing beds....no quick job with 8 of us! I was very glad of the excuse to come out and check up on the boys with my camera!