So here we are in September already?! Time has flown by since my last post. At the beginning of August, Gravelly Grazing had a stall at the Ibstone show and grazed some cattle on the Common there; that meant lots of preparation on our part and some hard earned relaxation afterward. During the week that the cows were there I was acting as 'security' (hilarious, I know) with the caravan pitched by the cows to deter unwanted attention from the cows and the craft tents. The day was a success, with lots of enquiries from the public and I made sure to have a good look around the show (I even won a coconut on the coconut shy).

The following Monday (my 22nd birthday), Will and I headed back to Broadstairs unannounced which came as quite a surprise! We had a lovely holiday back in Kent for the week, and it tied in with Broadstairs Folkweek rather nicely. We ate far too much good food, visited Monkton and saw some of the local sites. It was nice to be a tourist in my home town again.

So, back to the farm again, and I spent two weeks finishing odd jobs, moving sheep and milling about the farm. It was a bit more relaxed than I have been used to, with many of the big jobs finished off or the year. Towards the end of August I went to Uffington Country Show; it was a lovely day and we saw some crazy things, including ferret racing, pig racing and horse gymnastics! At the end of August, Will and I had a week in Pembrokeshire, Wales, visiting some of the most beautiul coastline I have ever been to. We visited all the little villages in the area, ate Welsh cakes and Barra Brith, went body boarding in the rather large waves and relaxed in the caravan. We also went to the 'Really Wild' festival in St Davids and saw yet more ferret racing!

So now I'm back at the farm again, clinging on to the time I have left before starting my Masters course next month. Since I've been back I have been working on a survey report, putting together the sightings we made on some recent environmental surveys. I have also learnt how to skin a deer, and moved about/put up some more fencing. Last weekend we all went to the Henley Show (yet more ferret racing was involved!) and Will got two ferrets (named Ronnie and Reggie, ha ha) which we had great fun playing with, once they stopped biting! This week we will be moving around sheep and preparing for tupping, when the rams are put in with the ewes, and figuring out where all the animals will be grazed over winter. I will also be finishing off the report I have been working on and tying up loose ends, and I am squeezing in a visit to York to view a house for this October (fingers crossed this time!). This weekend we are all going to the Royal Berkshire Show in Newbury, where you guessed it, there will be more ferret racing and interesting agricultural displays. I can't wait.