It’s officially Spring, yet at this time of year the wildflower meadows are keeping the glory to come well hidden. A combination of autumn grazing by our two cows, followed by winter grazing by our flock of sheep has left the vegetation short. It looks unpromising now but it is
National Meadows Day last Sunday saw us spending a fair part of the day out in one of the Trust’s meadows, saving the hay. This is grass that was cut in the rain on our last scythe course. We would not normally choose to cut hay in such weather, but
Every year I mow a labyrinth into the top hay field for Summer Solstice. Here is the one I mowed last year. The labyrinth is useful in that it gives people a chance to walk and play right in amongst the flowers WITHOUT trampling our valuable hay crop. Our children
One of my personnel markers of Spring is the moment when the sheep refuse even the sweetest hay in favor of the new grass growth, sparse as that may be. Thoughts then start to turn towards making the next crop. One of the first annual tasks in the hay meadow
I mowed a Labyrinth into the Top Field for a Summer Solstice celebration we held at the Trust on 22nd June. Using our trimming scythe and a Profisense 50cm blade I mowed a narrow path through the wild flowers based on a traditional pattern. A sketch of the design of