Opening
Today we opened Farm & Garden for the first time this year. This is early for us, probably the earliest we have ever opened, but we started Lambing early and the Snowdrops have arrived so it seemed a suitable time. Farm & Garden will be Open on Saturdays and Sundays in February and also daily during half term. In March Farm & Garden will be open on Sundays and most Saturdays. The House Opens in April.
Webcam
We now have a webcam which initially will show the Lambing Pens and the progress of Lambing, along with our Lambing Blog written by Judith Phillips. When Lambing is over we shall move it to another location to show other areas of interest. So if you want to keep an eye on us or just see what is happening at Kentwell, then log in to the Webcam.
Lament for our Carp
Our Carp have taken a terrible beating this winter. This has been a consequence of the arrival of an otter combined with the cold weather. The otter has not merely feasted regularly on our fish but doing so in winter when they hibernate seems to have disturbed them with severe consequences. When hibernating carp burrow down into the mud and remain there until the weather warms up. However, with the otter regularly hunting for food the carp kept on being disturbed and kept on burrowing. It seems that when they burrow in the mud they may release toxins present in the mud. This is of no consequence normally as any toxins merely rise to the surface and are released to atmosphere. However when the moat iced over this winter the toxins may have remained in the water and built up sufficiently to kill the fish. So what with the otter eating them and the build-up of toxins during the prolonged cold spell, we have lost nearly all our fish. Without the toxins the otter may well have does this on its own over a year or two. What can one do about an otter, you may ask ? Nothing - they are a protected species. Some well meaning body introduced them into our local river some years back, Once they had eaten all the fish there they moved away from the river to find sources of food and our moat with its carp must have seemed a very convenient larder. Well meaning bodies have a lot to answer for. No-one has ever seen the otter here but we see endless evidence of its presence. Our carp have given pleasure to thousands of visitors. Is the balance of interest right here ?