Unsettled weather continues to hamper any chances of making hay this year. To wrap or not to wrap has been the question, with only one answer. Days are getting shorter and the two fields we’ve cut were shut up after ewes and lambs had grazed it, so the grass is soft and lush.

We did main crop silage earlier on and it happened to be on the day of a family wedding. It was the only sunny Saturday in July. It was the quickest tidy up and we just made it to the church before the bride.

All the ewes are speyned and the mules have gone to their summer grazing up on St Abbs Head to chew their way through the tussocks. Due to the large number of summer tourists who walk up there, the ewes move around a great deal. It may not be a bad thing this year, as it might help to keep them from getting too fit. Fit ewes could be a problem this tupping season, as it’s been a good year with plentiful grass.

The Cheviots produced a good crop of lambs, with 226 ewe lambs. We have plenty of replacements, which is always a good position to be in. The wethers are on the silage aftermath, so should do well there. The lamb trade had its usual seasonal dip, but on the whole it has been a good trade and is still holding up. The store trade so far hasn’t been too disappointing.

Calving has started. It was an Angus off the new bull so there was great excitement, but this was short-lived. It was coming backwards, so needed calving, and all was well – it was up sucking – but two days later it didn’t look right and the diagnosis was meningitis. Despite Galedin vets doing all they could, we lost it, however, the cow has gone away with a calf.

A second-calver produced a Charolais calf early morning, but by lunchtime was dead – she had choked to death on her afterbirth. I thought it was only sheep that found ways to die. Fortunately, things have settled down and we have a few more calves on the ground. Last year when checking on the cows, I discovered someone had climbed the fence off the footpath and decided to pitch their tent in the calving paddock. It was some time before he returned and was advised to pitch it elsewhere.

The cull cow trade is good at the moment at £3/kg, so a few old girls went down the road, two of them came here in 2003 and all four teats are still in working order.

A recent incident brought to light the fact that anyone who is farm assured and has grass parks must let QMS know that you have livestock there, otherwise you can lose your farm assurance. If for any reason they discover you have not informed them and animals have gone to slaughter, these animals can be deemed not farm assured.

Following on from our moment of fame in April, when some filming for the new Avengers movie took place here at the farm, we have had several photo shoots. Some for clothing companies, but this week it’s for a beer commercial so I am hoping for a few samples. I am always amazed how many vehicles turn up on these days with and all the extras, so if they say there will be 20 cars you can expect twice that number.

Having found my fencing contractor, I thought he had got lost somewhere. It’s time to start work on the new Rural Priorities scheme and get these done. There are also wader scrapes to create and a lochside to be fenced, so there’s plenty to keep us busy.