It's the very first Middleton-in-Teesdale Farmers Market today. At the auction mart in Middleton-in-Teesdale, run by our friends Naomi and Alan. Come along it will be great!
Setting off shortly as I've to control the traffic for a while. I'll probably send them all to Mickleton as I'm still half asleep.
I'm off to the old lead mine at Nenthead shortly to take part in a learning session concerning the condition of old lead mines. To volunteer to study the condition of mining structures across the north Pennines.
I'm torn between doing something like this, which might use my stonework skills, or learning more about the rare flora around me. About which I know nowt but Inspired by Margaret E Bradshaw MBE (98). Can I do both and still do actual work repairing walls for farmers?
The grazing fields that are also cut in August for a hay or haylage crop are thickly carpeted in Marsh Marigold. Some have Globeflower among them but they seem absent in this field across from the house. The photo doesn't do the view justice here, it is an intense yellow, quite incredible to see the field transformed.
Sheep with lambs have been moved to rougher ground, I don't know if this is a rule from Natural England or just normal sheep management. #Bloomscrolling
Yet another repair needed at The Binks. After this, I can work at a farm a few miles down the dale, which will keep me busy for most of this year. There are just not enough Wallers now for the miles and miles of walls that need repair.
Farmer has told me that, as well as the Marsh Marigolds, he's never seen as many Globe Flower coming on as in this year, out of 11 he's been here. He puts it down to the extremely wet conditions from autumn into spring. It's certainly very wet still underfoot. #Bloomscrolling
I bought four oak planks from Hexhamshire Hardwoods last year with the intention of cutting them into new slats for a garden bench where the wood had rotted but the metal ends were good.
So far I've cut 3 at 35mm wide and 3 at 55mm wide and they're pretty straight if I say so myself. I'm not used to working with wood and it's a different challenge to get them right. It's quality wood but a bit thicker so I'll also have to rebate the ends of the slats. #garden#WoodWorking
I have oak offcuts from cutting the planks into slats for the garden bench. These I'll donate to Alston men's shed.
They raise funds by making oak pins for traditional builders and farmers to repair the stone roofs of the houses and byres in the N Pennines. The pins help to hold the heavy stone panels in place on the roofs. I believe animal horn can also be used to make these pins. #HeritageSkills
There are animals back in the field behind the house for first time this year. There are 15 tups of different breeds, some Swaledale, North Country Cheviot and Beltex (I think). Which is probably Ruben's entire flock of tups, enough to cover hundreds of ewes. They certainly provided extra entertainment for Bramble the cat. #Cat#SheepOfMastodon
That's the through stones in place. That slab with my gloves on is cut square, unlike the others. That suggests it came from a demolished house. Although it looks like a paving slab, it would have been on the roof of a house or barn near here. One of the forty plus that have been demolished in the last hundred years. #Teesdale
This lamb is still unsteady on its feet. Maybe born yesterday.
The ewes with twins have broken through another bit of wall at the Binks, so they're all mixed up with the ewes with single lambs again. Not my fault this time. #BloodySheep#SheepOfMastodon
@Ivor my Dad (a surgeon) used his retirement to learn to wall properly, in between acting as an occasional honorary locum for the GP in their remotish part part of Cumbria. I was pleased to see that the wall we repaired was part of the unrestored original. Still some age.
Let's not dwell on earlier mistakes. It's not a bad day and I've just seen my first pair of Golden Plover and a female wheatear in this field so the day can only get better. #Birds#birdsofmastodon#NPennines
I'm back at the Binks for Craig and Tracey. It's just a short walk from the house. Once this small gap is done I have a contract for a 300 metre rebuild at Bowlees farm. That will start next week and take me most of the summer as I won't be working every day.
There's a cold north wind blowing, about 4°C and it's misty, almost fine rain so I'd better keep moving to keep warm. #Teesdale#SemiAlpine