The Austrian scythe is a versatile tool which we put to many uses on our holding. Here is a nice video featuring Peter Vido, the man who first introduced us to the Austrian scythe, showing some of the types of work a scythe can be put to. Note his relaxed
This enjoyable piece on the Austrian scythe and hand hay making featured on Countryfile last night, with prominent UK scythers Andi Rickard and Simon Fairlie. Countryfile – Meadows – The scything starts at 30.35. The linking shot from the previous piece looks like it could have been filmed over our
Every year I mow a labyrinth into the top hay field for Summer Solstice. Here is the one I mowed last year. The labyrinth is useful in that it gives people a chance to walk and play right in amongst the flowers WITHOUT trampling our valuable hay crop. Our children
“Poldarking” is one of the latest words to have entered the scything lexicon. No, it’s not mowing with your top off. Rather, it refers to that style of mowing that seems to be more akin to golf then scything. You know the one, the scythe rises into the air to
Following trials of blades from the Italian Falci scythe factory this spring, we are pleased to offer a limited number of these blades in our shop. Available for the first time in the UK, these blades have a strong international reputation. See here for the blades on offer. More models
It’s only 12 days until the Spring Festival (previously the Smallholder Show) run by the Royal Welsh Agricultural Society. We are exhibiting Austrian scythe at the show this year and preparations are in full swing. Phil has been peening his way through an impressive pile of blades, preparing them both
With the lighter mornings there is time to slip in a bit of work before breakfast. Here’s Phil using a scythe to tidy up the grass around the annual veg beds. Another useful opportunity to assess the Falci Model 128 blade.
One of my personnel markers of Spring is the moment when the sheep refuse even the sweetest hay in favor of the new grass growth, sparse as that may be. Thoughts then start to turn towards making the next crop. One of the first annual tasks in the hay meadow
Winter is somewhat of a quiet season for the scythe but for a number of years now Richard Brown, member of the Scythe Association of Britain and Ireland (SABI), has been giving fellow members an opportunity to get in a bit of winter mowing by cutting reed on the wildlife
We have added some more course dates for 2016. There will be Introductory Scythe Courses on Saturday 28th May, Tuesday 28th June, Wednesday 27th July, Saturday 6th August and Sunday 21st August. The course costs £60 or £50 concession. There will be a Peening Workshop on Sunday 3rd April, Saturday 9th July and Sunday
In autumn the scythe moves from harvesting grass to bracken, a task to which it is well suited. We harvest the bracken both to control it in the fields and to use it as a resource on the farm and garden. These two posts about the 2014 bracken harvest and
The late summer weather has not been easy haying weather. If we waited for 4 or 5 days of sunny weather in a row, as is commonly suggested as needed for hay making, we wouldn’t have made much! In fact, there have only been two occasions which might qualify