Spring has definitely sprung – real green shoots rather than Mr. Brown’s imaginary ones! For us that means pressure, pressure, pressure!

As I related to you in last month’s diary entry, spring is one of the most testing times for an organic farming business, and when you add that to our new garden opening at Kilver Court, it all gets a bit hairy!

On the farm we have had a very successful lambing with more than 150 bouncy, healthy lambs and just a few losses. Our strategy to cross our Hebrideans with the Manx Loghtans looks as though it is paying off with bigger, stronger lambs being born. I had one of my most testing farming moments last week, when during one of my bedtime checks, I saw that one of our Manx ewes was looking decidedly uncomfortable.

I hung around for half an hour and could see that its waters had broken, but with no sign of any lamb. Marcus, our farm manager, was off duty so it was down to me. I put my rubber-gloved hand in to see if I could feel what was happening; I found the legs, but the body was very stuck and immovable. After 15 minutes of wrestling, trying to get the lamb out, both I and the ewe were starting to flag. I called in the support team on the mobile, but by the time they got there it was all over. The lamb was stillborn, but behind it still to be born I could feel its twin and thank goodness was able to save both it and the mother.

May finds us wondering if Monty’s alpacas will produce new cria (babies) from last June's mating – a cross between Bambi and The Grinch, baby alpacas are one of the prettiest young on the farm. Their fibre (second only to cashmere for warmth and durability) is added to our Manx and Hebridean wool for added softness and luxury. The White Park cattle are also due to start producing, so fingers crossed as we head off to Rome. 

We're very privileged to have been selected as one of eight top Slow Food Producers from the UK and Italy to be presented to Prince Charles at a key gathering at the British Embassy. I hope to tell you more about the Slow Food movement in next month’s diary and how the visit went. 

Back at Kilver Court, the gardens are just starting to blossom and look superb. The azaleas and Rhodedendrons are just coming into full bloom and with the beautiful weather we've been having, it's all at its best. We're frantically preparing for a staggering number of Women’s Institutes and garden clubs who've all booked to come and do tours over the summer - we also have the Wedding TV channel coming to film the gardens and buildings for their autumn launch too. 

So, enjoy the first of the warmer weather and next month I'll let you know how it all went with the TV crew, the visit to Rome, and about our progress with biodynamic farming.