A mixture of all sorts of weather filled the past week. On some days there was plenty of sunshine with a clear blue sky on one particular day. On other days there was a chilly damp feel to the air as overnight temperatures fell to freezing and persistent overnight fog developed. When early morning temperatures range from freezing to 9C it can be quite stressful for our animals. They are unable to add or take off layers as temperatures rise and fall. When they have their winter coats mild temperatures are more problematic, leading to outbreaks of pneumonia if ventilation in buildings is not adequate.

Despite the onset of winter I noticed a few flowers were managing to hold their heads up as I walked across our field being over-wintered with the stubble following cereal harvest. There were yellow dandelions, white yarrow, delicate blue common field speedwell and clumps of mayweed with their white daisy -like flower heads. While in the wood adjoining Manor Farm I noticed large numbers of long tailed tits busy flitting about high in the branches of a clump of trees. Another bird now seen in flocks in our fields is the fieldfare. Fieldfares along with redwings are winter visitors from the far north to most of Europe. They are sociable birds, often seen foraging for food in large flocks. Ian also told me that he has recently seen a barn owl and our pair of resident kestrels can regularly be seen hunting for small rodents as they hover above banks and verges around the fields near Melissa's house.

Over the last week both Kevin and Ian have been continuing or trying to finish a number of jobs around the farm. Ian has been clearing ditches to help water flow away from fields, also tidying up a few remaining hedges and managed to take a few loads of manure to the field of over- wintered stubble. Kevin continues to properly clean and prepare barns for the 500 ewes due to give birth just after Christmas. He has also been moving small flocks to fresh pasture. Another job which needed doing was to paint the bed of the livestock trailer with an anticorrosive solution. Apart from these jobs all the sheep, which are still outside in a large number of locations, have to be checked daily. All our cattle, now in the barn, have to be checked, fed, mucked out and bedded up, so there is always plenty to do .

During the week the remaining two loads of peas Kevin harvested earlier this year were collected. These graded for human consumption although the moisture was slightly high. There is an increasing demand for high quality pulses that meet the criteria for human consumption and next year price per tonne is expected to increase. Blue peas are firm but tasty, a great addition to recipes such as soups, casseroles and curries, or in fact any spicy dish. They are high in dietary fibre and low in fat and are the same peas used for split green peas, but with the skins left on.

Recently Kevin had a delivery of superphosphate fertiliser. This fertiliser will be used next spring on fields which following nutrient soil analysis showed they were deficient in phosphorus and potassium (often referred to as potash). Phosphorus is often a limiting nutrient in plant growth , so it is wise to have soil regularly tested. Apart from phosphorus and potassium, superphosphate fertiliser also contains calcium and sulphur.

I recently attended a National Farmers Union webinar entitled Net Zero. It is difficult to define Net Zero as it means different things to different businesses. For example it is linked to improved productivity, encompassing things such as , genetics, resource efficiency and animal health and welfare. The collection and storage of carbon is another factor which may involve changing one's arable area, to then allocate more of the land to permanent pasture. There are both economic and environmental reasons for making decisions in the future management of all farm businesses. All farmers will be able to contribute towards the NFU Net Zero goal by 2040 , but the way this is achieved will be different for each of us .