July 23, 2014

    Hay Making 2014 – the thick and the thin of it

    The hay making continues to make progress across Cae Mari Jones, with Phil mowing more every morning. Last night we bought in the first of this area of hay. We have run out of space to stack more hay inside

    July 21, 2014

    Hand Haymaking 2014 – Rowing, Racking and Stacking

    Due to a technical hitch, I haven’t been able to post for a number of days, so here is a rather long update on how the hay making has been progressing. Tuesday 15th July We built four racks in the

    July 15, 2014

    Hand Haymaking 2014 – whatever the weather

    After the Social Mow on Sunday, Phil and I began work on the cut grass with the intention of making hay from it, given the unsettled forecast. We began about 3pm on Sunday afternoon. It had been overcast most of

    July 15, 2014

    Social Mow 2014

    We had our annual Social Mow on Sunday. A couple of people had camped over the night before and we began mowing soon after 8am. We didn’t have blazing sunshine, but the cooler, damper conditions did make the mowing easier.

    July 12, 2014

    Hay Making 2014 – After a course

    On Wednesday 9th July we ran another full Introductory Scythe Course. It is always interesting to learn about where our course participants have come from and what they intend to use the scythe for. This time it included controlling bracken

    July 7, 2014

    One Man Went to… Wimpole

    What does a Scyther do in his spare time? Why enter scythe competitions of course! While Phil has been going to the West Country Scythe Festival since it’s beginning, he had never made it to the Eastern Counties Scythe Festival

    July 6, 2014

    Biodiversity at Dyfed Permaculture Farm Trust

    The picture below is of a moth trap glowing at the bottom of one of the Trust’s hay meadows. This was set up on the evening of Monday 30th June and shone brightly for several hours through the night, looking

    July 5, 2014

    Social Mowing Day 13th July 2014

    Just a quick reminder that we will be having our annual Social Mow on the meadows of Dyfed Permaculture Farm Trust, near Newcastle Emlyn, Carmarthenshire, on Sunday 13th July. This is a chance for mowers experienced and novice to meet

    June 29, 2014

    Hay Making 2014 – Making hay when the weather breaks

    On Wednesday (25th June), Philip and two volunteers cut a section of hay knowing that the dry weather was unlikely to last long enough to fully cure the hay. This is the situation when we use hay racks. Racks can