Time to start scything again. Second morning today. Was drizzling a bit, but not too much to make the task an unhappy one....
Who is the grass for? The cows and the pigs. Lissie and Bonny are off hay for the moment, but it is handy to give Lissie something to munch on when she is being milked. As for the pigs, they are now banned from the vegetable paddocks, and are on strict rations to get their weight down in the hope that they might start breeding again. Both Mum Pig and Max had put on a lot of weight over the winter, possibly due to the milk and whey they were getting from the cows, so their breakfast is now cut meadow grass, with the normal grain ration in the evenings.
So......time for me to start scything. I love it. The swinging of the scythe gets me fit, airs my lungs, and has a general 'feel good' feeling, almost as good as when I picked up nine black little newly hatched chicks and put them in my skirt so I could carry them to their mum, who Lester had already put in the pen. This was surprise hatching. Didn't know that she was sitting on eggs. Lester found her in the Middle Barn this morning. Just as well he did. She was on her way out into the courtyard with her chicks. The magpies are now showing a heavier presence around us. They would have been oh so pleased to have feasted on one or two or more of those chicks.
And leaving you with a wee little song I crooned when out scything a couple of years ago......
Bye for now,
Vx
10 comments:
Heh you and Sunnybrook should compare scything notes. I bought one last year so I could start practicing but so far haven't taken it out of the storage shed.
A very useful skill to have though I think.
wonderful video you have a lovely voice, I have been raiding the hedgerows for the goats when I walk the dog, they have hollow legs I am sure of it :-)
It won't make the charts, but pretty good! I take my scythe to the brambles on occasions, but end up beating them to death rather than cutting clean swathes. We too have loads of Magpies this year; I've never known so many.
I will suggest scything to my hubby for the 2 fields, not sure he will be that keen though :)
PIONEERPREPPY, I watched loads of YouTube videos before I used my scythe and it paid off because I have not had any damage to my back. Looking forward to the time when you have a go at using yours.
DAWN, ah goats, those eaters of everything you don't want them to eat! Milk soon?
CRO MAGNON, OK, so will stick to the day job! As for scything.... I never cut 'clean swathes' of anything, although I nearly did when I cut the hay in the far field but then the grass was dry so easy to cut. Wet grass bends under the scythe and brambles would stop the scythe in its tracks!
KERRY, possibly not! I did cut hay in our smaller field a couple of years ago, and loved it, but then we got the little tractor which now does the job. I think your husband would prefer sitting on a tractor!
I have been looking for over to keep around just in case. Haven't had any luck so far on finding one. That's great you enjoy it... Seems like hard with!
LISA,....hard work it most certainly is, but it does give me a work out!
All I have is a scythe for our tussocky quarter acre, but the sneaky grass wants to lie down and not be cut. Suppose I´ll get better with practice.
COCO, the grass is a law unto it's self, that is what I have found when out scything, but early morning is the best time to get that darn grass cut because once the sun starts drying it the stems tend to go floppy. And then there is a particular grass which is so fine that it slips beneath the blade. Ah, but then there are the times when the grass is letting itself be cut, and the blade is swishing away, and I am in the scything 'moment'. Then I smack into a thick tussock and come to a stop! I would think you would also be having this experience as well!
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