May & all the seasons

Can you believe we're nearly halfway through the year already? Time really does fly by. In fact, tomorrow our granddaughter turns one, and it only seems like yesterday that she was born.
May has certainly lived up to its reputation of bringing all four seasons. Not just throughout the month, but sometimes all in the same week! One day I was wearing a jumper and hat and thinking about putting the heating back on (and I know some people actually did), and the next week it was vest tops and shorts.
Bookings continue to come in, which is wonderful to see, with a lovely mix of returning guests and people discovering Boswarthen Farm for the first time. We always look forward to welcoming both familiar and new faces.
Sadly, yesterday wasn't such a good day on the farm. A fox got into the chickens and killed three of them. We were absolutely devastated. Our friendly hens certainly didn't deserve that. Unfortunately, for their own safety, the remaining chickens will have to stay enclosed for a few days while we make sure everything is secure.
The sunshine has been amazing, although perhaps a little too hot for working at times! We have completed first-cut silage on both farms. The crop was so good that it wouldn't all fit into the silage pit, so the remaining grass has been made into big bale silage instead. We needed to do some bale silage anyway, so that's turned out to be a real bonus.
Like many farmers, we're feeling the impact of rising costs. Several of our contractors are now charging fuel surcharges, which feels like a double whammy at this time of year when our own tractors are busiest with ploughing, trailer pulling and other work.
Pixie has also had a busy month. She had her microchip fitted along with her flu and tetanus vaccinations. She wasn't impressed and took off rather dramatically, knocking me over in the process! Thankfully neither Pixie nor Godric stood on me, so no harm was done apart from my pride.
The weather has been so beautiful recently. Long may it continue, with perhaps just enough rain during the night to keep everything growing.
We hope to see many of you soon, until then enjoy the weather.
Maddy & Adrian x