Mrs Down's Diary

John knows she is in calf from the way she is bagging up tonight (her udder is filling out prior to calving). Won't be long now.

So his season has been a triumph for the new bull. Every cow was in calf.

He has been no trouble. At the end of the first season for our last beef bull he was a shadow of his former self. A few weeks in solitary confinement and the luxury of his own yard were necessary for him to recover peak performance again. This bull looks fighting fit and ready to start again as soon as required.

And there are only three ewes left to lamb. Thank heavens we have chicks and ducklings to look forward to '“ as long as they leave my flower troughs alone when they are growing up, although as a friend said: "You should go down on bended knee and apologise to those poor chickens after blaming them for digging up your plants."

Not likely. They may not have been the culprits on this occasion but they certainly have a criminal record.

For the full feature, see the West Sussex Gazette issue dated April 23, 2008.