Blog - Page 61 of 109 - Farm Holiday Cottages - Fishing and Wildlife Holidays

Starting from number one there are five new photographs on the Photo page all sent in by Lynne. There will be five from Anjela, Connecticut tomorrow and another five from another person the next day.

JUST BACK FROM PEMBROKESHIRE LAST WEEKEND THOUGHT YOU MIGHT LIKE THESE. LYNNE.

SPRING FLOWERS ON THE PEMBROKESHIRE COASTAL PATH. LYNNE.

ST DAVIDS CATHEDERAL. LYNNE.

SEAL AT RAMSEY ISLAND. LYNNE.

LICHEN ON A CRAB APPLE BRANCH. LYNNE.

TREES WITH A REALLY STRANGE ORANGE BARK AT PICTON CASTLE. LYNNE.

We had a bit of a gale here on Saturday night. A tree in the Farm Yard was snapped and whilst taking Tass, Kye and Thornton on their walk last evening, a large tree on the left hand side of the valley was seen to been blown down. I will have to walk the Valley this afternoon to see if any other damage has been done.

A couple of you have remarked on how scruffy Ewy is looking. As you know we have had problems catching her to be able to have her fleece shorn. As we have been unable to catch her it is now dropping naturally. Since we have turned the Horses out this year Ewy is becoming a little braver. She has started to come very close to the gate. A couple of times she has even followed Breeze and Arnie out of the Horse field, nearly to their stables. We feed Willow and Gypsy in the field and over the past few days Ewy has started to eat some of the Fillies feed out of their bowls with them. If we are patient I reckon that we will be able to catch her. She does need to be checked over and to have her feet trimmed. We will then let her go free range again.

Today’s photographs starting from number eleven were taken by Vicky and David, two of this weeks holiday guests staying in the cottages at Denbury Farm. There are still various dates available during June and July for holidays at the Farm.

Branston sharing his food with a lamb at Denbury. Vicky.

Lady and her Foal. Vicky.

Train at Minehead station. David.

Lady’s foal taken at Denbury. David.

The goslings at Denbury. David.

Here are a couple of news items sent in bu Elsie over the past couple of weeks.

Here is their message …

Whatever next, Karen would love this. Elsie.

Swans cause a flap for rush-hour drivers

RUSH-hour traffic was brought to a standstill when two swans and their cygnets wandered across a busy road.

Passers-by rushed to stop cars as the six birds tried to cross the busy Claremont Road roundabout in Newcastle city centre today.

Vehicles on the sliproad for the city’s central motorway were stopped in both directions for several minutes.

The swans were ushered in the direction of nearby Leazes Park. and once there they headed for the parks lake.

Radio producer Steve Drayton, 47, was cycling to work when he saw the swans.

“I saw the traffic backed up in all directions. At first I thought there had been an accident then I saw the swans,” he said.

“They were being ushered across the road by two ladies from the roundabout where it seems they had roosted for the night.

“But they were heading for a slip road so I jumped off my bike and helped steer them back towards the park.”

Ural be expecting me…

LIFE’S a hoot at an owl sanctuary in the region after the arrival of a long-awaited addition.

Ural owls Ursula and Unwin have been trying for three years to start a family.

Staff at the Kirkleatham Owl Centre, near Redcar, east Cleveland, decided to help out this year and put the clutch of eggs laid by Ursula in an incubator.

After a month-long incubation, the proud parents have a son.

Centre manager Craig Wesson said: “Ursula and Unwin have been attempting to breed without success for the past three years, so this year we decided to place the eggs in our incubator to check that they were fertile or discover why they were not hatching. After a month-long incubation, our first Ural owl hatched.”

In the wild, the brown and ash greycoloured Urals are a bird of the northern forests and are found from Europe to Japan.

There are five new photographs on the Photo page, starting from number six. There are only five photographs left to go onto the Photo page that were sent in by Anjela. After tomorrow I will have no more.

Mute Swans Head. Anjela Connecticut

Stray Cat. Anjela Connecticut

Common Raven. Anjela Connecticut

Ducks down under. Anjela Connecticut

This how far the pomegranite plant has grown. Think it will make a nice house plant when it is bigger. Elsie.

We manage to find two Swallow nests today with the eggs in the nest that the Swallows are sitting on. The close up webcam has had eggs in the nest for about a week, but have only been incubating for a day. I don’t believe that the Swallows are incubating the second nest, although the adult birds are returning very often through the day. I should think that within a couple of days the incubation will start. The two nest are very close to the nests that I thought were going top be used, that I have had the camera pointed at. I will show one of the nest through the daytime hours.

Thornton wasn’t very well this morning. When we got up he was continuously bleating and was not at all interested in his bottle. We were quite worried about his condition. Last night he pawed at the floor a couple of times, but not enough to cause any concern, and this morning he did not seem to have a belly ache, as pawing at the floor indicates. We tried feeding him with a syringe, we got a little milk in to him but more seemed to go onto the floor. Early afternoon it was decided to try to take him for a walk down the Valley. Although he didn’t go far it made a great difference. He started to eat a some grass and when he returned to the Farm House he drank a full bottle. Within half an hour he had disappeared to be with the other Lamb. I can only think that he had eaten something that didn’t agree with him yesterday.

There are four new photographs on the Photo page, starting from number one. We have very few photographs left.

Smuggler the Horse that we brought down from the paddock when Sonny went last week. Photograph taken by Vicky who with her Mum Dad and Boyfriend are on holiday at Denbury this week.

Ewy by the Horse field gate. Again taken by Vicky.

Cygnet from Abbotsbury Swannery in Dorset. Lisa, Eastleigh, Hants.

Butterfly. Anjela Connecticut

Chapel built into the rock in Sedona Arizona. Anjela Connecticut.

We have started to break Smuggler so that he can be a riding Horse. He is being kept in Arnie and Breezes stable block. We are giving him a lot a attention, one thing that he hasn’t had for a few years, when he was in the paddock with Sonny. For all the lack of attention that he has missed he is a very kind Horse.

Smuggler was born at Denbury a little over four years ago. When he was born he belonged to some one else who was a Tenant on the Farm. When the Tenant move out he sent Smuggler to another Horse livery yard. As he didn’t pay for the livery, Smuggler was left out in the Winter without being rugged or given any feed other than Hay. He was only about nine months old, being a thoroughbred he did need a lot more care than he was given. The following Spring I purchased Smuggler and he came back to Denbury.

I delivered Smuggler when he was born. Smuggler was his Mother first Foal and initially she was not very interested in him. I had to milk the Colostrum off of his Mother and bottle feed Smuggler. After a few days of persevering with holding Smuggler on to his Mother udder, she eventually accepted him. So Smuggler is a little special to us.

With Smugglers breeding he should make a very good jumping Horse. After breaking him to the saddle we will start to get him to jump on a lunge line in the sand school. Once jumping we will then make a decision on his future. If he is good at jumping he will be wasted at Denbury and we will have to decide if to sell him or find a rider who would want to compete with him in either eventing or show jumping. We will have to wait and see, but we will show him working from time to time when he is being broken.

There are four new photographs on the Photo page, starting from number eleven. We have very few photographs left.

Flower in the tropical Biome at Eden I no idea what it is, it was the only picture the camera lens did not steam up! CH.

Red squirrels on the Isle of Wight. Lisa. Eastleigh, Hants

Squirrel thinking. Anjela Connecticut.

Baby Woodpecker….Anjela Connecticut.

Lilac Tree. Anjela Connecticut.

Pink Flamingo’s, Sanibel Island, Florida. Anjela Connecticut.

Emmi did not manage to get into Foal. She came back into season a few weeks back. I was going to send her back to the Stud to be covered by the Stallion but after the way that she came back with kick marks on her body I decided not to.

Lady will not be going to stud this year after the injuries that she got when she Foaled this year. We could have sent her when the injury was better, that would have taken a about three weeks. She is well due a break this year after the run of Foals that she has had. We will be able to send Emmi and Lady to Stud early next year. We have another Mare in Ireland that I need to see if she is in Foal.

The grass has grown very well this year. Already we have a five acre field that if the weather gets warm we could make hay with. The rest of our hay fields in the Valley are growing well. When we have made hay from them and the grass has regrown we will probably let our Contractor use for his Cows. We have not had any stock on them for getting on for eight years other than our few Sheep. It is good for the ground to have stock on them.

There are four new photographs on the Photo page, starting from number six. Nearly out of photographs.

My tulips, planted over the last two years….Anjela Connecticut.

This may be blurred if it is no good just scrap it.This was mother bird sitting back on the nest at 9.00am.Note the feet at the top of the picture,it is bigger than the chick. Lindsay.

Cygnet and Swan from Abbotsbury Swannery in Dorset. Lisa, Eastleigh, Hants.

The River Thames, from the Thames path near Abingdon. CH.

Sorry no Diary tonight as we are trying to get the new Valley camera set up with the computer.

Elsie If I remember I will put the Sheep on tomorrow. When we have Holiday Guests the wire that we use for the Sheep we use so the our Guests are able to watch the webcams in the Cottages.

OUR HOLIDAY COTTAGES NOW HAVE INTERNET CONNECTIONS.

There are four new photographs on the Photo page, starting from number one. Nearly out of photographs.

A perfect winter sky in November, near Oban.There was the most horrendous storm the day after.You could hardly stand up! Lindsay.

The Woodpecker…..Anjela. Connecticut.

I had NEVER seen a starling in our garden! On Friday evening, Chris looked out and saw a couple on the patio. Yesterday, however, there was a mini invasion of at least 12!! They took over the place! Even the local Robin was looking somewhat shocked, and he is usually quite aggressive towards visitors! I’d put out some meal worms – some dry and some rehydrated on a plate of water and within moments they’d all disappeared! It was quite amazing to watch! They were gathering up maybe six at a time in their beaks! So I put out some more, on the patio and on the bird table along with a scattering of birdseed. And they came back to scoff the lot!! I’ll just have to see whether they stay around! Julia.

Red squirrel on the Isle of Wight. Lisa, Eastleigh, Hants.

Last year Ewy would just hang around with Breeze when they were in the Horse field. When we put the Mares and Foals in the field she has been getting very close to them. Since putting Willow and Gypsy in the field last night, she has started to latch onto them as well, this evening when we fed the Fillies in the field Ewy tried to eat their feed with them.

It seems that Emmi is going to be the leader in the field until we introduce Breeze. She wont allow Willow and Gypsy to close to Lady and the Foals, she lunges at them with her ears laid back on her head every time she thinks that they are to close. It wont be to long for the Fillies to get close to the Foal, and for them to run with them for part of the time. Willow has a few scrapes to her chest where she fell over yesterday when we turned them out into the Horse field. I should think that she did hurt herself, but she seem fine today.

The Goslings are getting a little to independent. They are going off on their own to the annoyance of the Goose who has to follow them, if they are not careful the Fox will get them. We took the battery off of the electric fencer to recharge it, to make sure that the fencer would give a good shock if the Fox decided to try to get through it. Whilst it was on charge It looked as if the Goose and the Gosling may have got through it, as they were grazing on the outside on the left hand side of the fenced area. I don’t think that they had walked around the Lake to be where they were, if they did and they do it at night they will definitely get had by the Fox.

I thought he was a beauty.Somebody’s prize bull!.He was near Sumburgh Head in the Shetland islands. Lindsay.

My favourite squirrel. Anjela,Connecticut.

Here are a couiple of photos I took the other evening. Until two days ago, I had NEVER seen a starling in our garden! On Friday evening, Chris looked out and saw a couple on the patio. Yesterday, however, there was a mini invasion of at least 12!! They took over the place! Even the local Robin was looking somewhat shocked, and he is usually quite aggressive towards visitors! I’d put out some meal worms – some dry and some rehydrated on a plate of water and within moments they’d all disappeared! It was quite amazing to watch! They were gathering up maybe six at a time in their beaks! So I put out some more, on the patio and on the bird table along with a scattering of birdseed. And they came back to scoff the lot!! I’ll just have to see whether they stay around! Julia.

Cygnets at Abbotsbury Swannery in Dorset. Lisa, Eastleigh, Hants.

My Penny Farthing Planter that my Son and Daughter -in-law bought me for Christmas. Quite a talking point. Elsie.

We let the two Fillies Willow and Gypsy out into the main Horse field this afternoon. As usual with the young Horses it was like a rodeo with the pair of them bucking, tossing and generally going mad with the excitement of going out into the field after being in for the Winter. Racing about both Fillies slipped over. We saw Gypsy and it wasn’t a bad fall, but Willow went down in one of the hollows in the field and we didn’t see how she fell. From the distance that we were away from Willow, and the way we could see her head and legs rolling about, just over the top of the hollow, it looked as if she had seriously hurt herself. After over a couple of minutes she got up and the two of them started going around the field at full speed again. They eventually came back to the gate. Willow started to flail her legs out in front of her and lifting her head as if she was in a lot of discomfort. She also had a nettle rash over a lot of her body. For getting for over an hour Willow looked in a lot of discomfort. We checked her over and there was no signs of any injury. She has started to show less sign of the discomfort she had been experiencing and it could well be that it was the nettle rash that was causing the problem. She is now grazing with Gypsy and we will put Breeze and Arnie out with the Fillies at about 8.pm. I should think that Breeze will start herding the Fillies around, but they are quick enough to keep out of her way.

Touch wood the Goose and Gosling have managing to stay alive. Of a night time they spend a lot of time on the water, the Gosling staying very close to the Goose as if they are expecting danger. It could be that the Fox is on the prowl and the Goose knows it. The electric fenced off area that we have put on the near bank seems to be helping. That side of the Lake poses the worst danger area, as Fox are able to get very close to the lake in the bushes. On the far side of the Lake the stream gives a lot of protection, and with the gates we have put at right hand end, it hopefully will give the Goose and Goslings the time to get in to the water before they are attacked. The Magpies still are a danger during the daytime.

The USA Osprey webcam is working again. Unfortunately the nest is higher than where the Osprey chicks can be seen. I should think that there are chicks in the nest as the adults were sitting on the eggs before the Locks Ospreys. The Peter in Delaware had left the webcam working whilst he was away on Holiday for a week, but by all accounts there was a Hurricane in the Indian River Bay area whilst he was away. The Hurricane caused a power cut that made the computer to go off.

There are five new photographs on the Photo page, starting from number six.

We thought she looked a bit unusual. Lindsay.

Ducks in a pond in Connecticut. Anjela Connecticut.

The grannys bonnets are in my garden. Barbara.

The first is my dog , Pepper, enjoying an ice cream. PM.

Newstead Abbey. Nottinghamshire. Judy.

Sonny went to his new home this morning. We don’t like parting with any of our Horses. In Sonny’s case it was that we got him to be a companion pony for Smuggler until we had the time to break him. We really needed to break Smuggler last year, but although Sonny was a very well put together Dartmoor pony, and that we were also giving him away free, no one except for the people who took him today had made any inquiries for him. We believe that he has gone to a good home. The two children that Sonny is for came when he was collected, they were very keen on Sonny and they do have other Horses so he wont be on his own. Mind you we would not have let him go to any one unless Sonny had a companion. The people who have taken Sonny will need to have him gelded, that will cost in the region of two hundred pounds, and of course they will need to break him, so they will be putting a commitment into him.

Both Smuggler and Sonny knew something was happening that they did not like, as they started to call to each other as we were loading Sonny into the Horse trailer. It was quite easy getting him into the trailer, and it would not have caused him a lot of stress. We managed to get him to follow a feed bucket and within fifteen minutes he was in the box. He kicked the side of the Horse trailer once the back was closed. Both Horses then started to call to each other more. It is sad and we do feel sorry for them. They have been together for four years, since they were both about nine months old. When we got Sonny he was only days away from going to be slaughtered. A lot of moors ponies do finish up this way, as there are very few homes for them. Some years the ponies bring very little money in the pony sales straight from the moors. Many bringing little more than a pound or two each. At least Sonny was saved from that fate and is now going on to a new life. Both Smuggler and Sonny will miss each other for a while. We have taken Smuggler from the top paddock in to the stable yard that Breeze and Arnie are kept. He has been calling for Sonny all day, but will settle quickly once he get use to his new stable friends.

We put Lady and Emmi and their Foals into the Horse field this morning. They both seemed very pleased to be together. There was no squabbling and they stayed close to each other all day. Within a few days the Foals will start to play and run with each other.

There are five new photographs on the Photo page, starting from number six.

We thought she looked a bit unusual. Lindsay.

Ducks in a pond in Connecticut. Anjela Connecticut.

The grannys bonnets are in my garden. Barbara.

The first is my dog , Pepper, enjoying an ice cream. PM.

Newstead Abbey. Nottinghamshire. Judy.

Farm Holiday Cottages – Fishing and Wildlife Holidays

Starting from number one there are five new photographs on…

Today s photographs starting from number eleven were taken by…

There are five new photographs on the Photo page starting…

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There are four new photographs on the Photo page starting…

There are four new photographs on the Photo page starting…

There are four new photographs on the Photo page starting…

I thought he was a beauty Somebody s prize bull…

There are five new photographs on the Photo page starting…

There are five new photographs on the Photo page starting…