We had a great time at Wonderwool, the sun shone, No Bones Jones’s food was as good as ever, the customers came to see us, were very cheerful and spent gratifyingly. What more can you ask of a show?
I was chatting away to Chrissy Smith of the Lost Sheep Company, who has designed many patterns for us, when she mentioned that if you add bicarbonate of soda to a dye pan of red cabbage, you get turquoise. I was instantly hooked on the idea of doing more plant dyeing.
During the first lockdown I spent many very happy hours wandering around the farm picking stuff and made a load of plant-dyed skeins that all sold. Then I stopped for a year.
Spring has arrived here and thus we have a sea of dandelions that went into the first dye pot. Went to the market today and came back with a red cabbage that when boiled will stink out the barn and some carrot tops to keep me busy over the weekend.
The wild flowers on the farm are so beautiful, red campion, violets, early purple orchids, bluebells and a small white flower that I can never identify.
Our pregnant females have all come back from their winter grazing and have been scanned so we have 42 cria due this year, slightly up on last years’ 38.
The vet, the mighty Geoff, was round on Wednesday to give five males the snip as they are not good enough to be stud males although one of them was a stud male, but now, quite a few years later, he has been outclassed. Castrations are pretty straightforward and after the deed is done they get up and toddle off to their field.
