Farm sitting in Cornwall

I never intended to take up farm sitting as a career move, but it seems to have crept up on me! I have just spent two weeks in Cornwall, one week of which was my normal WWOOFing and the other week was farm sitting for my WWOOF hosts so that they could have time with their family in Sussex. As well as looking after the 75 sheep, seven hens, four young turkeys, six cats and Jess, the sheep dog, I simultaneously looked after their daughter's dog, Pickle.

In actual fact, none of this was very arduous as, being summer (so they tell us!) the sheep did not have to be fed as they have more than enough grass, so I just had to walk round them twice a day to check that they had enough water and that they were all still alive. The sheep were separated into three different groups and James and I sprayed them against fly strike (see previous posts for an explanation) the day before they went away. One group were the recently weaned off lambs and the shearlings (sheep that are one year old and have been shorn for the first time this year) from last year, the second group were the ewes who were in a fairly bare paddock until their milk dried up, and the third group were six rams and wethers (castrated rams). One of the ewes had suffered an injury to her back leg that was raw and not healing so we put her in the barn with a friend for company and I had to give her an antibiotic injection. I also sacrificed my last bit of organic calendula ointment and gently rubbed that onto the wound every day, too. One of the rams had a sore head from fighting and I was supposed to pen them up every other day and put some salve on it. I couldn't do this by myself but Jess would help get them into the pen area. However Jess appears to be a one-man sheep dog – she would 'Lie down' and 'That'll do' (signifying that I wanted her to return to me) but when I shouted 'Come bye' (Go left) she ran back to me, lay down and looked very pleased with herself, and when I shouted 'Away' (Go right) she looked at me with a look of complete bewilderment on her face as if I was speaking a foreign language! At the time it was quite frustrating, but later on it made me laugh, especially the tilt of her head and bemused expression.

Shep, the other border collie that they had had when I was last there in March had met a tragic end on the road at the top of the farm track. I missed him very much as he was my constant companion on my walks down to the river through the woods, so much so that, this time, I did not go down to the river at all. He was such a funny dog, bullied by all the other farm dogs that they had over the years, and impossible to train as a sheep dog – the only command he ever learned, and that was an unconventional one, was 'Whoosh!' which had him tearing around the perimeter of the field moving the sheep from under the hedge banks. Once he had done one complete circuit he would jump the gate and go back to the farm – job done! But he was such an affectionate dog and it won't be just me who misses him as he made friends with many WWOOFers over the years. I almost stood on the hill amongst the sheep and called 'Whoosh!' just to see if his spirit was still about. I try very hard not to get attached to other people's animals, I always try to remain slightly aloof, and now I know why – it's just too damn painful when they die!

It was very lovely to have young turkeys to look after again. A few years ago now, Barry and I bought some fertile turkey eggs and hatched them in the incubator, supposedly for Christmas. However, they were free-range and did not gain the weight we had expected, so we ended up slaughtering the four male birds and keeping the two females. I grew very attached to Troy and Troy's sister (don't ask me why they were called that, as I haven't a clue!) as they would run to the fence and 'chat' to me when I went up to the field. It's amazing the range of chirrups and whistles that female turkeys use. In time we managed to track down a turkey stag (Harry – after the farmer who sold him to us) and the girls both wentr learned, and that was an unconventional one, was 'Whoosh!' which had him tearing around the perimeter of the field moving the sheep frome fox killed Harry who must have been protecting his girls and I was so worried about the girls being killed too, that I gave them away to a friend of ours, so there were no more chats with the girls. I'm pretty sure that Jo's turkeys are three stags and a hen, even though they are still quite young. However, in the week that I was looking after them, they grew like weeds and the boys were all doing rudimentary displays by the time Jo and James came home. They were in a pen made from old electric poultry netting that I tried to repair with lengths of baler twine (what else!!)and would quite often walk through another hole that I hadn't spotted and go 'extreme free ranging', but they were very accommodating when it was time for bed and would walk back to the fence and almost wait to be lifted over. I am hoping that when I go back next year, I find that there is still a pair of turkeys in the orchard and that they don't all make it on to the table for Christmas dinner.

Jo and James also have two holiday lets, a bungalow and a barn conversion, and it was changeover day on the Friday that they were away. The barn is looked after by two ladies who clean it all through, strip the beds and remake them, and do some of the washing from the previous week's occupants, but Jo and her cleaning lady usually do the bungalow, so I had to help instead. Luckily the previous occupants had left it relatively clean, so the major work was stripping and remaking all of the beds and then hoovering and dusting all through, cleaning the bathroom and kitchen and making sure that oven, microwave, dishwasher and fridge/freezer were clean. By the end of the morning I was exhausted and I still had about five or six loads of washing to do. Of course, the weather was rubbish so it was out of the question to dry the sheets, towels, pillowcases, duvet covers and bath robes outside so for several days the farmhouse looked like a Chinese laundry with wet washing draped everywhere – Thank Heavens for the Aga! It certainly made me appreciate just how much work goes into these holiday lets in peak season – I'll never take it for granted again!

My birthday happened to fall in the week that they were away, so I decided to treat myself to lunch at a local pub that had won Taste of the West awards. It was a bit odd sitting there in solitary splendour whilst other diners sat in couples or groups, but I still managed to enjoy my meal: I started with smoked mackerel served with a rather delicious gooseberry and elderflower sauce, then followed it up with a steamed venison and wild mushroom pudding, fresh veg and new potatoes and then, even though I certainly didn't 'need' it, I finished off with a strawberry and blueberry pavlova with Cornish clotted cream! Feeling decidedly full I drove back to the farm, sat in a comfy chair with a self-indulgent book and promptly fell asleep. I was awoken by a knocking on the front door and found the four young girls who were staying in the barn standing outside with a slice of gooey coffee and walnut cake singing 'Happy Birthday!' - their mother had been over earlier in the day and noticed the five or six birthday cards that had found their way to me! It was such a lovely and spontaneous gesture from complete strangers that I got quite choked up - people really are very kind!

I am currently back in Somerset doing another farm sit and will then be going to Oxfordshire to WWOOF at a lock-keeper's cottage on the Oxford Canal.