IT was another week during which the weather seems to have been doing all sorts of things. There have been periods of warm sunshine, cloud cover, chilly breezes and about an inch of rain has fallen here on Manor Farm.

Richard and I have spent most of the past week stewarding at the Bath and West Showground. Being stewards has meant attending briefings prior to the opening of the four-day show, which I am pleased to say went very well, with favourable weather and good attendance.

We steward the Main Lawn section, a large grass area with a bandstand in the middle and marquees along the side representing the village church, village school and Girl Guides' HQ.

Throughout the show we run a full programme of entertainment including a steel band, military bands, singing groups and Morris dancers.

The school is always set up with a theme – this year's being Roald Dahl – with a number of pre-schools displaying their interpretations.

A great deal of work is involved in setting up prior to the show, with Helen and her team producing an outstanding display, also providing activities for children.

The church is always busy, being a relaxing venue to meet friends, have a chat and enjoy refreshments. The Girl Guides' HQ also provides a number of crafts for children to do, such as making dragonflies and friendship bracelets.

Apart from activities centred around the marquees, we hosted a number of roving entertainers, including flower people on stilts, a juggler and there were lots of bubbles! Richard and I thoroughly enjoyed the show, which had a great atmosphere.

Meanwhile, on Manor Farm, the weather wreaked havoc with one of our fields of winter barley. The crop is particularly thick and lush following the recent rain, so when the torrential downpour occurred at the beginning of the week about a third of the field was flattened, which will make harvesting difficult.

The damage done to the stems will also prevent the grains from plumping up properly, so the yield will be reduced with poorer quality grain collected. The rest of our cereal crops have grown well since the rain, even our one field of spring barley has finished germinating. However, the different stages of growth of the plants across the field will mean uneven ripening, so harvesting this crop may also prove to be challenging.

Nathan, one of our young employees, recently attended Grassland and Muck. This event was held on the edge of Stoneleigh Park, Warwickshire and showcased everything farmers need to produce more grass, better forage and how to make the best use of manures.

It featured the latest in machinery with demonstrations and advice readily available on all aspects of of grass management, from seed to harvest and storage. There was also a focus on soil and nutrient management.

Nathan was impressed by the new trailed mowers and the speed at which they could operate, also the large balers with fully integrated wrappers.

Just prior to the Bath and West Show I managed to visit three of the Wiltshire Wildlife Trust nature reserves nearby. These were all in the Chippenham/Melksham/Trowbridge area on a day with plenty of rain, interspersed with a few sunny spells.

The smallest reserve was just over a hectare, whilst the largest of the three was about 90 hectares.

They encompassed a mixture of woodland, open green spaces and river banks, where Richard and I enjoyed walking surrounded by bird song. We saw a pair of swans with cygnets, damselflies, mayflies and many flowers, including orchids and beautiful yellow flag irises.