Kensmyth

Can you guess which of these stunning fleeces is walking around on these amazing Alpaca?

Do you think these look like mini Hedgehogs?

Everything is growing and unfolding here at Clay Meadow and some of the things that we started in 2012 are coming into their own … the story of the Scots Pine unfolds…

We planted them in 2012 with the expectation that they would grow really tall and provide some screen for us – they were very expensive. However, their secondary purpose was not only to provide the amazing Forest Pine scent of Christmas pretty much all year round but also to (eventually) provide the fruits of our labours… the amazing little Pine Cones.

This year in 2017 not only are the Scots Pine tall but they are giving up their secrets and I am collecting them madly for use for our children visitors!

Well shearing was due recently and the floors had to be immaculate which took a lot of cleaning and disinfectant… thirsty work so when we had finished with Mitchell on Farm Duty we popped out and tried the Bakers Arms at Somerford Keynes. It was an old haunt of ours from our old farm and is good pub grub… it was a treat from my Mother in Law – so Thank you!

Well the time for mating our Alpaca for our celebratory 10th time (breeding for a decade) is almost upon us – just the birthing of 2017 cria first. We are getting ready to celebrate – BIG TIME in true Kensmyth fashion for all our friends, family, clients and followers!

Last years cria produced us outstanding fleeces – first shearing yielding amazing fleeces

Meantime, if you look closely above these stunning Apple blossom flowers, you can see even Mr Woodpecker is getting ready…

amazing what you see when you go looking…

Breakfast is often missed in our house because mornings simply take over. coffee is the “dish of the day” so it was a lovely treat to be taken out for Breakfast having done the livestock first recently…

First choice for Breakfast has to be Made By Bobs in the Centre of Cirencester – I can then have a quick chat with fellow stallholders in the Cirencester Corn Hall Craft Market you see!

A Full Fried English, extra toast and Eggs Benedict – Yum, Yum

I had been glued to Broadchurch as we have friends involved in it. Just before the last part aired on TV having finished filming a long time prior, we had another Film Crew visit us here at Clay Meadow again. One of them worked on Broadchurch and showed us the lovely Hoodie they had all been presented with when the Filming finished. A really nice touch.

it has the name of absolutely everyone involved in it which is pretty amazing!

Farming folk rarely do lunch on Festive days at lunchtime because it interrupts the work of the day, here is no exception. Lamb – nope our Rare Breeds are not for eating but for fleece so Turkey got the vote!

sounds like a morbid title for a blog, perhaps it is a little but today is a time to reflect because our family lost a very dear friend suddenly after just a two month illness that no one knew about – a brain tumour.

my thoughts are with the family and I thought that a spring ray of sunshine was best to reflect upon the fun side of his character and he will be greatly missed. He was just 58 but his memory lives on.

I have said it before and I will say it again – sometimes you just take a photograph that totally shows why you make some of the decisions you made…