A couple of things...

The apprentice is recovering from yesterdays ordeal, ordeal as in it was for his parents, for him he was bouncing round like Tigger on acid enthusiastically telling all medical staff that he was so excited about his operation. Not sure the poor mite fully understood what was going to happen but he was totally calm and today, despite being in pain, very brave.
Second thing, jobsworths strike again so there really is no point reading this blog ever again. The reason for this is that we do not exist. Since 2006 we have been smallholders, got the badge, t shirt, created a few dvd's and working on the book, however we do not exist. There are a few animal moves imminent (well you didn't think that all that new fencing was for decoration) and so yours truly needed the CPH number, the one that means we can smallhold. Not finding the right bit of paper with it on a quick phone call to those idiots that run the admin allowing us to live the dream. Despite giving all the details of who I was, where I lived, favourite colour and a whole wealth of seemingly pointless information the moron on the end of the phone found no record of my existence. They could, he happily informed me, issue me with a CPH number but it would take a few weeks. Not ideal as some animal moves are planned for a lot sooner. I complimented the idiot on his efficiency and looked for the CPH number. I found it. On a letter. From the moron I spoke to who was asking how many goats and sheep we had. Its a letter he sends me every year. Bit pointless as I don't exist.