Ups and Downs

Life is full of them and last week was no exception.

On Tuesday I spent a lovely day in the historic city of Hereford with my Mum. For many years I have driven through the city, wondering what secrets it had, but I had never taken the time to stop.

The Cathedral is magnificent. This is a picture of the North Transept, which was reconstructed during the reign of Henry III.

It was the Stanbury Chapel that really caught my attention, the detail was incredible and was popular in the fifteenth century.

By far the most exciting find was The Old House, set right in the middle of big shops is this black and white house which bears the date 1621. If only it could talk!

Now for the down. My poor dog, Tara, had to have an operation to her hind leg on Wednesday. It was a very painful procedure and would have meant at least a month in hospital for a human. She was very sorry for herself for a few days, but is now improving and starting to use the leg again. Everything looks good, so not such a down in the end.

This is my faithful friend, Tara, who loves to sit next to me when I'm writing, especially if I have biscuits with my coffee.

Stocking up

The last few days have been busy here on the farm as we have harvested the first crop of our silage. I thought I'd blog about it as some people have been interested enough to ask exactly what silage is.

So for the non-farmers out there here it is.

Firstly the fields are mowed, then raked up into furrows of cut grass. After that the grass silage is picked up by the forage harvester and blown into trailers.

Next the grass is taken to the silage pit, where it is rolled to compact it to release unwanted air. It will then be covered by black plastic sheets and kept as winter feed for the cows. And they love it!

Back in Time

At the weekend I visited the gardens of a local mansion which was having an open day. The sun shone and everything looked lush and green, complimenting the provision of colour from the a wide range of flowers. This one caught my eye and when I stood close it smelt divine. Not being a very good gardener (although I try) I asked what it was - an Azalea. Now I just need to find out exactly which one and whether it would stand up to being in my garden.

On my walk around the garden I saw many interesting things, like this eighteenth century bath house. Not quite as bathrooms are today.

It was the stables that interested me most. As a horse lover I can just imagine these full of horses. The date on the outside of the building was 1810.

Then I found this oven as I peeped into an abandoned cottage. I wonder who used it last and when?

I just love going to places full of history, I can't help but think about all the people who have lived and worked there.