http://www.country-couples.co.uk/blog A blog about rural life in the UK, our countryside and my country life. It's all here, farming, gardening, wildlife, animals and rural dating. Tue, 12 Jan 2010 08:31:27 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en Between the dreadful floods and the UK’s deepest winter freeze in decades North Cumbria would be forgiven for feeling a little bedraggled of late. Of course with the luck I have I started a market trading business in October, just in time to be flooded out in November and then frozen out in from late December. [...]]]> http://www.country-couples.co.uk/blog/support-our-winter-wildlife/ In the last post we looked at attracting hedgehogs to your garden so now we need to know how to make a hedgehog house. Hedgehogs will only stay around your garden if they find a warm secure place to hibernate over the winter months and a good supply of food and water on warm days. Whether you [...]]]> http://www.country-couples.co.uk/blog/how-to-make-a-hedgehog-house-wildlife/ Should you be lucky enough to have a hedgehog visit your garden or wish to attract one and see it safely through the winter months there are lots of excellent books in libraries and experts at wildlife centres for advice. Failing being able to visit one of these then you can read the excellent information for [...]]]> http://www.country-couples.co.uk/blog/attracting-hedgehogs-to-your-garden-caring-for-hedgehogs/ Pets and fireworks simply do not mix. Bonfire night is a fun time for us roasting marshmallows and going “ooooh” as fireworks paint the sky can actually be a pet’s idea of hell. Every year many pets are lost or injure themselves through the fear of fireworks. Whether you have a dog, cat, horse or small [...]]]> http://www.country-couples.co.uk/blog/pets-and-fireworks-protect-your-animals-on-bonfire-night/ You don’t need 50 acres to be able to grow your own potatoes, you can grow potatoes in pots or containers on your patio, along the side of your drive or even on a balcony and growing potatoes is not nearly as complicated as most people think. We use large buckets or tubs placed around the [...]]]> http://www.country-couples.co.uk/blog/grow-your-own-potatoes-in-containers/ To date, there have been a reported 64 cases of people infected with E Coli 0157 bacteria from Godstone farm in Surrey and four petting farms have now been closed (either by health officials or voluntarily). So far there are no known links between the four farms and one petting farm has two different strains of [...]]]> http://www.country-couples.co.uk/blog/petting-farms-and-e-coli/ Heritage Open Days 2009 will run across Europe from 10 to 13 September and offer fascinating free days out for everyone. In Cumbria we will see events ranging from Ancestry Sessions to Tattie Pot Suppers and Guided Walks to Wartime re-enactments … to name just a few of the events being held here. English Heritage Open Days [...]]]> http://www.country-couples.co.uk/blog/free-days-out-heritage-open-days-2009/ Have a read of this: “This means farmers will have to calculate the level of available nitrogen already in the soil, the N requirement of the crop, the available N from planned spreading of livestock manures and calculate the remaining level of manufactured nitrogen they can apply. Accurate record keeping is also a requirement.” Is it just [...]]]> http://www.country-couples.co.uk/blog/red-tape-forcing-farmers-to-quit/ We all know the answer to the question should I microchip my pet is yes but if you’re anything like me you always say to you’ll do it next time we’re passing the vet and then promptly forget. Yesterday I got home to be told by Mum not to open the round pen as we had [...]]]> http://www.country-couples.co.uk/blog/should-i-microchip-my-pet/ Picking wild fruit from hedgerows, or foraging as it’s known, is a past-time I’m sure we can all remember from our childhood. The time honoured favourite fruit for picking has always been blackberries and as they are due to ripen later this month I thought I would set out some un-written rules for picking wild fruit. There [...]]]> http://www.country-couples.co.uk/blog/picking-wild-fruit-from-hedgerows-the-rules/