Hi I'm back! Been a bit busy over the last month so I must apologize for not keeping up to date as well as I could have done. The biggest new thing that has happened since the last Blog was our day out with the golden eagles. A couple of weekends ago we had 5 massive golden eagle flying on the estate. We opened the day up to members of the public, and offered them a fantastic memorable experience. It proved such a success that we are going to do more days next season starting in October.

We have also had the chance to get back onto the ground with the machinery which made a happy change. We have cultivated the ground that we are going to plant this spring so it is now ready to plant. We are mostly growing spring barley which goes to become malt for the brewing industry. We are also trying two other crops: Spring oats typically grown for the porridge industry, but I'm growing the crop as a seed crop so that other people can use the grain I harvest to grow oats for porridge. I'm also growing a field of millet which goes to the bird seed industry and will get used on the bird feeders which are sold at garden centers.

At home Sharon and I have become a bit old all of a sudden! Yesterday we left home went down to kingsclere, our local village, and paid a trip to the bottle bank. Then moved on to the village butchers, had a bit of a chat and brought some breakfast for today. Then next door to the village shop to get some herbs and spices and vegetables for dinner. I don't know why but it felt proper old going to the shops together like this, but the next bit really did it. We trundled off to the garden center to spend some vouchers we'd been given and brought 8 fruit tree's and some butterfly tree's (budlia's) which we spent the afternoon planting before I did a little bit of time digging the vegetable patch. Then last night we set about making some venison stew, which included us making proper stock, from a deer I shot on Friday night. Sharon said yesterday afternoon after we'd had a cup of tea and some cake on the decking "If you'd told me just over a year ago that I'd be married and planting trees in our garden I'd never have believed you". What can I say I'll be moaning about those young people next!