AS we speed towards the longest day of the year the weather is still very mixed. The last two weeks have been no exception with foggy mornings, lots of clouds, periods of sunshine, ending with two very hot days. Thunderstorms have also been a feature, with the most unusual display of sheet lightning behind the clouds over Manor Farm. Twenty-three mm of rain poured down over a 24-hour period the first week, with a further 31mm falling in torrential storms last week. Fortunately the four days of the Bath and West Show were mainly dry and the final day saw blue skies and plenty of warm sunshine.

Everyone who attended the show enjoyed a great mixture of food and farming, also live entertainment. The highlight in the Main Arena was the grand parade of livestock, all animals looking their very best following lengthy preparation. Our granddaughter Annabel did particularly well in the the Young Farmers Club Stock Judging competition, which was organised by Somerset YFC. She came first in both the dairy and finished lamb sections, with the Chippenham team coming third overall. Annabel then went on to the South West area stock judging event, held at Hartpury College in Gloucestershire. Here she came second overall in the junior stock judging (ie, judging four sections, sheep, pigs, dairy cows and beef) and Robert Gooding came fourth in the senior event. Both Annabel and Robert have qualified for the National Finals, to be held later this year.

Richard and I were stewards on the Main Lawn, with help from Nigel, a friend on one day and sister-in- law Jenny, who was a steward with us on the last two days. On the Main Lawn we used the impressive bandstand to stage four days of continuous entertainment. This included The Band of the Brigade of Ghurkas, a variety of other bands and groups of singers. Morris Men, Majorettes and also Mr and Mrs Flora (a couple on stilts, dressed in beautiful flower costumes), who attracted a great deal of attention.

Around the Main Lawn were situated the Village School, Village Church and a Girl Guides area. The school marquee was decorated with displays depicting the countryside, provided by several local primary schools. There were also lots of activities for children to try. The church provided a quiet area, where people could come to for a chat and cup of tea and the Guides were running errands on the showground.

The atmosphere on every day of the show was wonderful, with everyone in attendance thoroughly enjoying all that was on offer.

Back on the farm we have now managed to catch up on jobs delayed by the weather this spring. At long last we have turned out 40 of our older calves, giving them a wormer to protect them against intestinal parasites that could be picked up from pasture in their first grazing season. On the advice of our agronomist, Ian has now sprayed our growing maize crop with a herbicide, as the weeds growing among the plants were beginning to overtake the growth of the crop. Nathan has been spreading more slurry from our large store onto the recently cut grass fields.

On Stowell Farm all the sheep without lambs at foot have been shorn and the wool packed into wool sacks. Kevin has brought the full, labelled sacks back to the farm, where they have been stored under cover to await collection by the Wool Marketing Board.

As a member of the British Horse Society (BHS) I recently helped, with Richard, at their sponsored ride, held on the Fonthill Estate. It was a beautiful day and all attendees enjoyed their ride across some stunning countryside, with views across rolling hills and even the spire of Salisbury Cathedral visible in the distance. Thank you to all those who attended the event, which raised money to improve off-road access for horse riders.