We're lowland folk here at Lower Dairy Farm. We live towards the valley bottom and have no aspirations to climb tall buildings or scale mountain peaks. Perhaps this may explain the recent curse that hit the farm. It is safe to say that every piece of lifting machinery that could go wrong, went wrong in the past few months. To the point the curse became ridiculous when in attempting to manoeuvre the last remaining operational lifting device (an engine hoist) into place during repairs to the loader tractor...the wheel fell off the lifting mechanism and it smashed the barn doors...and was so heavy, it required a lifting machine to lift it. You couldn't make it up. The one device that just about kept going was...you guessed it, the Nuffield and the buck rake. And here we are at work:

Oh no, wait...that's a picture from the 1970s. In positive news, we have used a heck of a lot less fuel and oil in not having an operational JCB. And aside from some truly dark days and muscles worthy of a Venice Beach bodybuilder, we have (touch wood) made it through the curse.

Professor Tractor has, as ever, stepped up to the mark and become the UK's fastest tractor-splitter, with the help of Team Concrete we have created the new Stansted runway ('Welcome to London Little Horkesley'), Mum has outdone herself with the range of tasty chutneys, jams and marmalades in the farm shop, the grass is growing and we have also welcomed a remarkable selection of ridiculously friendly calves. Onwards and upwards! Curse permitting, I'll be updating the blog again soon...