Whilst we all love to complain about “Government”, both local and national (with “European Government” adding a third interesting dimension currently!), the biggest frustration for us has to relate to the lack of one of the few meaningful services that our local Council is “contracted” to supply. Potholes (which on some local roads are now more akin to trenches!) are one of our biggest bugbears currently. In the middle of last year a mile long stretch of the Mornacott Road was, over several days, marked up for repair with lots of white highways’ agency markings (at, we’d imagine, a not insubstantial cost to the taxpayer). As the year wore on the markings were washed away and still the holes remained. In December highways’ contractors arrived and repaired and replaced large sections of a little used adjoining road which was in far better condition.

Now, having variously been informed on enquiry to the local Highways’ Department that the contractors had reported the job completed (probably the wrong job as it turns out!) and that the work hasn’t been done as a “funding request” needs to be submitted, we’re living in hope that that something more than just slopping muck into the holes for it to disappear after the first heavy shower (as has happened for the last four years) might actually be done!      

February used to be one of the quietest months at Mornacott with the shoot season over and lambing and calving not yet underway. However in its' usual inept manner the EU amended a regulation for 2015 which further restricted the periods in which hedges can be cut prohibiting the cutting of these between 1st March and 31st August.  So at the wettest times of the year when cutting operations are most difficult we now have to cut hedges to avoid doing so during the prohibited period.  The last of the hedge cutting has now been completed and we will now be clearing up the cuttings over the next few months using the bigger spoil for biomass fuel and logs and chipping and burning up the brash.

 Our busiest shoot season yet came to a close with the traditional Beaters'  Day.  Our team of beaters were able to enjoy a day of shooting and/or beating followed by a Mornacott reared turkey dinner with all the trimmings.  Served by Mornacott staff, this is just a small token of our appreciation for the hard work and dedication our beaters have yet again shown, whilst enduring some arduous weather conditions and contributing to yet another highly successful season at Mornacott.

Our holiday cottages were once again very popular over the festive season.  Our guests were able to enjoy a home from home Christmas with the added benefits of real log fires, a Christmas Day swim in our heated indoor pool, stunning views, locally grown Christmas trees and for some a Mornacott Farm reared turkey.  We're very much looking forward to the New Year with some new on-site attractions, so watch this space!

Charlie, our stockman, started the process this afternoon of weaning our calves.  When our calves are about 8 months old, they are separated from their mothers as they are now eating adult food and the mothers' milk is running out.  Already currently pregnant, our cows have a calf every 12 months, so this process gives them a break before their next calf is due. 

 To the human eye, this can appear to be very emotional for calf and cow alike with both tending to bawl continuously for about 4 days, which can be heard for some distance and causes some sleepless nights for us all!

With little notice the A361 North Devon link road was closed at the end of September with notices showing that it was likely to be closed for up to four months.

Really handy at the start of the shooting season which much of our rural economy relies upon during the slow winter season!

One might have thought, that since the A361 is the main arterial route for North Devon, overnight and weekend working would have been the sensible which would have seen the works complete inside a month but enquires elicited the response that “curing times” and “contingency planning” made this impossible.

Not to be put off a good day's shooting alternative methods of transport are often brought into play by our teams of guns, avoiding the irritants of our increasingly poor road network!