Tag: farm

March 31st – A fast run out late afternoon to test some adjustments, and for the second time in a week my gaze fell upon my favourite tree, the singular horse chestnut at Home Farm, Sandhills. Those who read this journal regularly will know well that I gauge the seasons by this tree. It’s such a classic, perfect conker tree with the iconic outline; I treasure it. 

On a brighter day than awful Tuesday, with the spring sun picking out the greening fields and hedgerow, could that be a smattering of green on the tree? I do hope so.

March 18th – Struggling up Shire Oak Hill after nipping to Stonnall I noticed the flowers at the roadside that were bringing colour to a very dull evening. Plenty of fresh daffodils, of course, but this year the snowdrops seem to have held on forever. Not sure if all these are actually snowdrops, though: they’re very similar but shaped more like a harebell. Can anyone help, please?

Whatever they were, they eased my haul up the hill…

February 7th – On my return, I cycled back down the canal into Brownhills. My favourite tree near Home Farm at Sandhills is handsome even when bare, and it doesn’t seem long now until I see it in leaf once more – but there seems to be a lot of bad weather to go through yet before those warm, sunny spring days return.

On the towpaths, the mud has to be seen to be believed, and at Anchor Bridge in particular, the rotting leaf litter her has made a slimy, hazardous goop which is hard and unpleasant to ride through – until things dry out a bit, take care!

December 25th – I passed Oak Tree Farm near Stonnall, and although the farmyard was deserted, I was pleased to note many of the ducks and a couple of sows had survived the Christmas purge. 

Dozing peacefully in it’s sty, the sow will never know of the other pigs in blankets being fussed over in homes nearby.

Extra points to the cheeky robin who seemed to be looking for lunch while the tenant was asleep.

November 1st – A wonderful warm, misty day on Cannock Chase, and on the way I called in to a farm shop. Beside the driveway, there is livestock in the paddocks; pigs, chickens, geese, a donkey and a goat. There’s a great butchers there and a cafe, too: not sure about eating sausage sandwiches in full view of the porkers though.

More images from this fantastic ride on my main blog here.

4th October – And finally, watch out if you’re riding along the canal between Chasewater and Brownhills. The hedge between Home Farm and the towpath has been flailed, and there are thorns all over it. As it was I passed a couple of people repairing punctures, so if you’ve not got tough tyres, I’d give the route a miss for a week or two.

July 30th – Coming home from Shenstone, I noticed the harvest had started at Lynn, and the grain trailers were filling, clouds of corn-dust blowing over the fields and that familiar scent in the air. 

At Sandhills, the first blackberries ripen by the roadside, while the oats at Home Farm have already been harvested. Interestingly, when I took the photo of Ogley Hay church over the fields, I didn’t spot the red deer in shot…

July 22nd – And near Shelfield, Grange Farm at High Heath has a good few acres of barley this year, ripening beautifully in the July sun.

This is an interestingly un-uniform crop of undulating height, and with a good variety of other plants interspersed through it. I’m wondering if it’s organically produced, or a traditional variety – most modern crops are so uniform they’re boring.

July 19th – Oats are in fashion this year. After years of barely seeing any at all, this year all the best-dressed arable farms are wearing them.

I’m seeing them all over the place – the price, or subsidy for them must be high this year. They are a beautiful golden colour at the moment, and are painting the fields in shades of high summer.

These at Home Farm seem to be ready for harvest.

June 26th – Back near Lower Stonnal, a noxious assault of a different kind…

I was riding back down the lanes and I realised there was a strong farmyard smell, which is unusual there. I travelled some way further and discovered I had been downwind of this: it’s a crop sprinkler spraying liquid slurry on the grass to improve it (I assume the pump is elsewhere).

This is a dairy farm, and they’re using one of the cattle’s most copious products to restore the growth to the pasture.

Nicely circular, but very smelly.