Moving on a Broad Front

This has been one of those weeks that just illustrate what a wide range of things occupy us here at Fallowfield.

 

Halter training has been continuing even though not all participants were as enthusiastic as others!

Now that the weather has picked up – well until this afternoon when we had a heavy shower of thunder and hailstones! – Mike is busy every spare hour that he has harrowing and rolling the fields.  In my ignorance, I used to think that this was just a good way of getting out of my “To Do” list and there was no way that he was going to be able to hear his mobile whilst on the tractor!  I confess that I was wrong – hard to believe really! - and if the pasture management had been left to me over the years, our fields would be in a very poor state now.  Not that they are in any great shakes at the moment, but that is all weather related.  However now that the grass is finally growing – the alpacas have hardly touched any hay this week.

 

 

Here is a great photos of Mike and my sister Lucinda at the Northumberland County Show last year.

Houghton King won Supreme Champion and his daughter, Fallowfield Petra won Reserve Champion.

 



Anyone who is involved in the organisation of an Agricultural Show will appreciate just how much work is involved.  Vicki Ridley and I organise the Alpaca Section of the Northumbeland County Show and I am also Chief Steward.  Vicki is brilliant at paperwork which is not my forte, so between us we make a good team.  People always seem to leave their show entries right up to the last minute and there are always a  myriad of queries that go with the entries. So not only have Mike and I been chasing up alpaca breeders all week, but we have also been trying to get as much sponsorship as we can and we think that we have broken all records this year. We are hugely grateful to all concerned.

 

 

 

We have had some lovely B and B guests staying this week.  We do enjoy looking after our guests and making them as comfortable as possible.  We often get complimented on the choice we offer for breakfasts – particularly for vegetarians who sometimes feel badly done at breakfast time.  A popular choice here are our American style Blueberry Pancakes with maple syrup.  This is my recipe:

135 g. Plain flour
1 tablespoon caster sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1 egg
¼ pint milk

2 tablespoons melted butter
Blueberries
Maple syrup

Mix all the dry ingredients together.  These can be mixed in advance and stored in an airtight box.  Beat the egg into the milk and add to the dry mix and beat well with a wooden spoon until smooth.  Then add the melted butter and the blueberries.

Heat a non-stick frying pan until quite hot and drop small ladlefuls of the mix into the pan.  There is no need to grease the pan first as the melted butter in the mix will prevent it from sticking.  Bubbles will start to appear on the surface of the pancakes and when these burst, the pancakes should be ready to flip over.  I usually lift the edge of one to check that it has a good golden colour first.  Flip all the pancakes over and cook for a few moments more.  Serve with the maple syrup.

These are truly delicious as the blueberries burst whilst cooking and you get a lovely jam like effect – yum, yum!!  Enjoy!