Another week of lock-down, and another week of summer jobs ticked off. Just  one barn left to pressure wash - sterling work from the girls, made easier by Nic lending us his super powered, diesel pressure washer, which although very noisy, did help get the job done a lot quicker!

A good pile of the wood-chip mole hills now gone, but plenty still to go, cant wait to finish that job now and get it all tidied up.

Just a couple of horses in light work, the rest looking relaxed and happy out in the front fields, although the grass still not very forthcoming & badly in need of some rain. A field change due next week which always causes a stupid amount of excitement! 

We did have an interesting interlude on Monday night to break up the boredom! As we went to bed there was a power cut, didn't think too much of it, and it came back on after a short while, nodded off to be woken at midnight by Western Power ringing the gate, accompanied by a fire engine! To cut a very long story short, a power line had come down over the hill gallop, and into the field where the mares are! Cue live line then shorting out & setting the carpet on fire! Cue Darren & Claire running around in our pj's locating all of the horses & making sure they were safe, rehanging gates & mending fences also broken by said power line, accompanied by the men in uniform! Fire was luckily near to the water trough so put out relatively easily, and happily all horses present & correct - if a little un-nerved.

We made it back to bed by about 1.30, but the boys still up the pole till about 4 am, which was all fine except that the alarm in the house then proceeded to go off every time they did something to the electricity supply! By 4 am was feeling just a little jaded!

Tuesday morning then spent replacing the burnt out electric fencing and mending all the gaps! It could have been so much worse & thank goodness no- one was injured. A hefty bill heading Western Powers' way I feel to replace the burnt surface etc etc!

Even in lock-down there is never a dull moment!!

Sadly going to have to furlough another two of the troops from next week, which we ave tried to avoid doing with the team that live here, hopefully only for a short period though if the hoped for return to jumping starts on July 1st. Lots of mowing to do, and I'm sure that they will be able to find ways to amuse themselves up here. Harriet & Dominic have created a whole new veggie patch which is now planted and has a flower border around it! At this rate we will be digging up some fields to plant more veg & also getting the odd cow to milk. Chickens are doing sterling work at present, and if nothing else we have plenty of eggs! Three chicks hatched in the incubator yesterday which very cute, two broody bantams too so shouldn't have to buy any more hens for a while as long as no visits from Charlie!

We hope you are all still well & staying safe, and that we will be able to welcome you up to Hill Farm very soon.