Category: Miscellaneous

Title: Christmas Dinner 2009 Description: Christmas Dinner for Smallholders and Friends. Thursday December 3rd 2009 at 7:30pm Could members who have not returned their menu choices please do so as soon as possible, thanks. Start Time: 19:30 Date: 2009-12-03 End Time: 23:30

How many have seen a pub called the Durham Ox? ( How many have been in a pub called the Durham Ox?) The Durham or Teeswater Cattle, native to Northern England and Teesdale are now called “Shorthorn Cattle”. The Durham Ox was born in 1796 and was first exhibited at Darlington Market when three years…

The recent discovery of pox virus in grey squirrels in the Scottish Borders is bad news for Scotland’s remaining red squirrel population. Red squirrels once occupied most of the lowland woods in the UK but today, the only remaining populations of any consequence are in northern England and Scotland. The larger American grey squirrel was…

You should be aware that Tick numbers are on the increase, as are cases of Lymes disease from their bites. Ticks are active from March to October in rural locations. They are second only to mosquitoes for carrying disease to humans. People most at risk are those participating in outdoor activities, trecking,, hiking,, climbing ,…

Looking after hedgehogs is not as easy as the TV adverts lead us to believe.  Over two days during this warm November we retrieved two very small hedgehogs out foraging in the garden.   We’d heard the current advice that such creatures needed rescue, so we set them up with meat cat food and water in…

Supermarket giants Sainsbury’s has given its support to Operation Bumblebee, the initiative designed to boost UK bumblebee numbers. Sainsbury’s is funding an exclusive project aimed at boosting bumblebee numbers as much as 600%. The project will involve the specialist training of over 300 –or 90%- of Sainsbury’s key vegetable and potato growers. The projects aim…

New regulations regarding burial and burning of waste came into force on Monday 12th  May 2006 . These have been introduced by Defra and will spell the end of the traditional practice of burning waste such as plastics and using farm dumps for unwanted materials. We are being encouraged to look for alternatives such as…

On a miserable winter’s afternoon in March we gathered to hear about hedgehogs.  Chris Mclaren’s enthusiasm for them got us all interested in the dedicated work she carries out rescuing injured and abandoned animals.  Hedgehogs are not cuddly creatures but are endearing characters and we were given a wealth of information about their lives and…

I came across this exercise suggested for seniors to build muscle strength in the arms and shoulders. It seems so easy, so I thought I would pass it on. The article suggested doing it three days a week. Begin by standing on a comfortable surface where you have plenty of room at each side. With…

One of the smallholding magazines recently published an article about VAT and tax as they apply to smallholders and it seems worth repeating that you can use the system to your advantage. First, VAT. When your sales exceed a certain limit you have to register with Customs and submit a VAT return but few people…