Wednesday 25 February 2015

Lots of exercise

Every Wednesday afternoon I go to an over sixties exercise class.  Sometimes there are twenty there, sometimes only ten - the latter today but by golly after an hour's concentrated exercise to music I come out feeling as though the blood is coursing through my veins faster than it has done all week.  I wish the class was held every day.   Yes, I know there is nothing to stop me doing the exercises at home, but the flesh is weak and we are all agreed that we never do.   Still, once a week is better than not at all and I continue to go and to thoroughly enjoy it.   There is a lovely lady who always bakes small cakes for us at the end (coffee and walnut today) - defeats the object I suppose but it is such a treat.   Today I took her some of my hens eggs as a thank you for the lovely treats.

My hens are laying very well; in fact they have not stopped throughout the Winter and now that the nights are drawing out the farmer has to make a special journey down to the hen house after tea because before tea they are roaming far and wide across the fields.   I do hope I am not tempting fate by saying it, but in twenty years we have never lost a hen to the foxes and yet we know there are always foxes about.    But then, judging from the large numbers of half grown bunnies, who are still a bit green behind the ears and probably easy to catch, perhaps that is the easy option for Mr and Mrs Fox rather than a scraggy old hen (many of the remaining hens are eight years old - I think it is probably three years since we had any new ones.)

Yesterday the weather was absolutely dreadful with blizzards and a bitterly cold wind.   Today it is much warmer and has been a pleasant day.   But tomorrow a wet day is forecast again and I notice that the two cornfields directly opposite our farm are actually standing in water.   The farmer says they have always been very wet fields, but the farm concerned changed hands the year before last and the farmer who bought it has a very large milking herd of cows and needs a lot of corn for feed, so he can't afford to leave these fields as grass (they are too far from the farm to make it viable for him to bring the cows there to pasture every day in Summer).

Do you eat Wensleydale cheese?   It is produced in Hawes, about fifteen miles from here along through Wensleydale and most of the dairy farmers round here sell their milk to the  Wensleydale Cheese Creamery.  The Creamery is a real success story having been subject to a management buy-out some years ago when it was threatened with closure.   Now there is also a restaurant and a shop where you can buy every sort of  cheese they produce - all are available to sample before buying.

Well that is from exercise, through coffee and walnut cakes, to hens, foxes, farms and then to cheese.   I think that is enough to keep us going for today, don't you?

11 comments:

Terra said...

Did Jamie Oliver talk about that cheese on one of his shows? Or some travel/cooking show discussed how great it is the cheese is still being made. Good for you with the exercise, and your aging flock of hens still producing eggs.

Sue said...

I can still remember my first taste of Wensleydale cheese. I was 12 years old and just arrived in Bainbridge. Lady in village shop insisted I try a piece. That was over 47 years ago!

Gwil W said...

I remember once coming across a 92 year old woman teaching exercises on YouTube. It seemed to involve sitting in a chair and doing things with a long stick if I remember rightly. But your keep fit classes are obviously on a more energetic level.

angryparsnip said...

Wallace and Gromit made Wensleydale
cheese famous for me.

cheers, parsnip

Heather said...

It's good to know that some farmers can sell their milk to large cheese companies. I think it's appalling that so many dairy farmers are going out of business because they are not paid a fair price.
I find it easier to exercise to music. The rhythm helps to keep one going.

John Going Gently said...

My hens are laying well toopat!

Cloudia said...

The hens have hit their productive routine in simpatico surroundings!



ALOHA from Honolulu
ComfortSpiral
<3

Terry and Linda said...

I think our weather is with you...snowing here.

Linda ♪♫❤
http://coloradofarmlife.wordpress.com
https://coloradofarmlife.wordpress.com/sherlock-boomer

Cro Magnon said...

My single hen has still not started laying, but she'll soon be joined by a few more. I've just found a source for the nice black one's I'm after.

The Weaver of Grass said...

Glad many of you have enjoyed the experience of Wensleydale cheese - I must say I personally like something a bit stronger (blacksticks blue, camembert, a really good lancashire- but the Creamery is going very well indeed and expanding again this year/ That is bound to be a good thing. Thanks for calling round.

Mac n' Janet said...

I do aerobics at home each day, though since I've been sick it's been a bit hit or miss.