Charlie's September

Charlie's farm diary: September 2000

When I was milking September was my favourite month of the year, all the silage in the clamp and straw stored in the barn, and still a bit of decent weather left, no fertilser to be spread or any field work to speak of, plenty of ground for the cows to roam over now it didn't have to be shut up for mowing, it left a little time for a week off or getting repairs done to the sheds ready for winter.

Now I have got out of milking it isn't quite the same, all the months seem to be more of the same and I have more time to look around at other times.

This September, there seems to be as many Hawthorn and Holly berries than I have ever seen, also Acorns, they say it is a sign of a hard winter ahead, but I must say in all the years I have been here I have never seen the connection. We also had a good crop of Hazel nuts on the hedges but the Grey Squirrels have ate them all.

acorns berries

The Swallows have about all gone now, but in truth they never really came, it has been the first year in my 50 odd years here that we have not had a nest in the cow shed! On the other hand we seemed to have had more Cuckoo's than usual.

Nearly all the corn fields are cleared now and the winter ploughing can start.

The next crops to come in will be the Sugar Beet and the main crop potatoes, also the Maize is still to be harvested, this will be chopped and put in a clamp for winter feeding of cattle.

Charlie, September 2000.

Next: October 2000