From the Farm / Sheep, seasons & second chances

The grass went quiet.
The sheep didn't.

A very dry summer, a pond that gave up, an early trip to the barber — and a flock with absolutely no plans to move out.

Field notes from Oakfield Farm

01 / Not going anywhere

Some old friends. A rather warm year.

We’ve had this little flock at Oakfield for years. They are very much part of the place — and before anyone asks, no, they aren’t on the menu. They’re staying put.

They're also wonderfully friendly. Walk into the field and a few will generally wander over to see what you’re doing. Sometimes you get a nuzzle. Sometimes it’s more of a detailed inspection of your pockets.

They look splendid in photographs, but this year wasn’t all green grass and gentle sunshine. For a while, the weather had other ideas.

The lambs found the best spot in the field. The geese apparently agreed.

02 / The best seat in the house

First, find yourself a decent tree.

These are some of our favourite photographs: the younger sheep sprawled under a big old tree, taking full advantage of the shade, with a delegation of geese close by.

It's one of those peaceful scenes that makes farm life look effortlessly lovely. Just out of shot, there is usually a job that needs doing and somebody looking for a gate latch.

Still, the animals had the right idea. When the heat arrived, the sensible place to be was out of the sun.

03 / Summer, with the volume turned up

Not much green. Even less water.

As the weeks went on, the grass lost its colour and growth slowed. What had looked like a generous pasture took on the colour of toast. The pond dried out too — a fairly blunt reminder that the seasons don't read our plans.

With grass scarce and the heat hanging about, we had to pay attention to the practical things: water, shade and how the flock was coping. The cheerful pictures don't tell the whole story.

The pond had become more of a suggestion than a pond.

04 / The welcoming committee

Personal space? Not really.

The photograph says it all. These two aren't shy. If you visit the field, they're likely to come over for a nuzzle and a good look at you.

We've known this flock for a long time. Their characters are as familiar as the field itself, and it's difficult to imagine Oakfield without them.

They do, however, expect prompt attention. We haven't yet managed to explain that we're busy.

Meet the reception committee. They take their duties seriously.

A small farm truth

They may help cut the grass. They are not particularly interested in cutting us any slack.

05 / A haircut with a second life

Off with the wool.
On with the next job.

We sheared the sheep earlier this year to help them cope with the heat. Once those big coats were off, there was another question: what should we do with all that fleece?

At Oakfield, the answer is usually to see whether something useful can be made of it.

The Oakfield flock, properly woolly, before the early shearing.

Some goes to the allotment.

Wool can be used as a natural mulch. It helps cover the ground and hold moisture, and over time the fibres break down. There’s a certain satisfaction in putting the sheep's old coat to work for the soil.

Some goes to friends.

People who spin or weave take some of the fleece. A little of this farm ends up somewhere quite different — possibly in something considerably smarter than the jumper I'm wearing.

A fact worth knowing

Mulching helps soil hold on to moisture and reduces evaporation — especially useful when the weather forgets to rain. Wool has also been studied as a slow-release source of plant nutrients. The RHS explains why mulches matter.

06 / Meanwhile, in the orchard

The geese would like some credit.

Our geese do their bit too, nibbling the grass around the orchard and keeping a very close eye on the windfall apples. They may be the most self-appointed maintenance team we've ever employed.

There’s an old farming estimate that five geese can graze roughly as much grass as a sheep. Of course, try explaining that to a goose and you'll get an entirely different accounting system.

And when the windfalls have started fermenting? Let's just say we've occasionally seen a goose or two looking rather more relaxed than usual. The cider press isn't the only interested party in the orchard.

Five geese to one sheep?

That's a useful rule of thumb, not a law of nature. Feed intake varies with species, season and the grass itself. Farm Advisory Service Scotland uses this approximate comparison.

Our grass-cutting colleagues. Paid largely in grass and windfalls.

07 / Then the season turns

Rain, at last.
And a little supper.

The weather eventually changes. The ground softens, the fields begin to recover, and another familiar autumn sight appears in the grass: field mushrooms.

When you’ve eaten good, freshly gathered field mushrooms, you realise just how little flavour some supermarket ones have. They're one of those simple pleasures that need very little fuss.

Which is rather the point of what we’re trying to do here: pay attention to the seasons, enjoy the food they give us and use what we've got without making a grand performance of it.

Around the farm

Nothing stands still. Not even the grass.

The sheep stay, the fleece finds a use, the geese keep busy and the field surprises us again when the rain returns. That's the story we enjoy telling — the ordinary things that turn out not to be quite so ordinary.

And yes, there's a catering business behind all this too. We like people to know a little about the place their food comes from.

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The grass went quiet.The sheep didn't.