s it just me, or has time developed an alarming habit of folding itself in half when you’re not looking?
All week, every conversation seems to start the same way: ‘How is it July already?’ followed by a sort of dazed blinking and a check of the calendar to make sure we haven’t skipped a month.
I swear it was March about ten minutes ago. The hedges were barely greening up, I was still hunting for my winter gloves, and now here we are – school holidays nearly upon us, the garden trying to become a jungle, and the entire county heading off to shows and fêtes and barbecues.
Maybe it’s the long daylight that does it. Everything feels compressed and stretched at the same time – days that last forever, weeks that vanish without trace. The to-do list never seems to get shorter, but somehow we’ve already had the longest day and you’re wondering where you were when the first half of the year disappeared.
If you’re feeling the same slight panic that you haven’t made enough plans, or achieved quite enough, or generally kept up – please know you’re not alone. I think sometimes, just lifting your head and smiling at the sunshine counts as a win.
So here’s to July, however it managed to sneak up on us. May it be full of small, ordinary pleasures, and at least the occasional day that doesn’t vanish while you’re trying to remember where you put the corn cob forks.
Laura x
PS – Don’t miss the swish new puzzles page. Last month’s tech meltdown triggered a flurry of ‘where’s the crossword/jigsaw?’ emails in my inbox. But we’ve taken the chance for a refresh, and I’m not going to lie – I demanded high fives all round when it actually worked.
On The Last Cut for Local Meat
(The BV, June 25)
Thank you for your thorough and clear-eyed article on the crisis facing small abattoirs. As someone who has spent a lifetime farming, it was heartening to see this issue given the attention it deserves.
People are very quick to talk about “local food,” “rare breeds,” and “sustainability,” but too often they forget that none of those things are possible without a functioning network of local abattoirs. When you close them, you don’t just lose a building – you undermine the whole principle of traceable, low-mileage food production.
It was especially good to hear Lillie Smith’s perspective. Most of us running smaller herds cannot send animals hundreds of miles without huge costs, stress to the livestock and the loss of everything that makes local meat different.
The government must wake up to this before it’s too late. Once these places shut, they don’t reopen.
Sarah M. Dorset farmer
On Inconclusive is not a diagnosis
(The BV June 25)
While I always enjoy George Hosford’s columns, I must take issue with some of his views on TB testing. I understand the frustration around inconclusive results and the upheaval they cause, but the suggestion that the test itself is “utterly useless” isn’t fair. The SICCT test isn’t perfect, but it remains the most reliable screening tool we have at scale.
Removing animals on the basis of any reaction, as George proposes some farms do, risks culling huge numbers unnecessarily – something neither the science nor most farmers would support.
I also think blaming DEFRA for not “properly dealing with the problem” glosses over the real complexity of managing disease in wildlife and livestock. No country has eradicated TB easily, and the idea that there’s a simple, tougher approach that will fix it overnight doesn’t reflect reality.
By all means, we need better tests and more support, but I think George underestimates how far the system has already come.
AL, by email
People who haven’t been through this can’t really understand how demoralising it is. You put years into breeding and caring for your herd, only to be told you’ve got “inconclusive reactors” and you’re closed down again. Even if the next test is clear, the damage is done – to your business, your reputation and your peace of mind.
It’s hard to see a way out when the system feels so blunt and unworkable. George is right: it’s not just the cows that are infected – it’s the whole process that’s sick.
Name and address supplied
On June’s anonymous Grumbler: What she said next shockled no one.
Your line – “When something genuinely important happens, you won’t miss it” – was exactly right. All the shouting headlines are there to distract us so the real decisions can slip past unnoticed. Thank you for saying it plainly.
Thelma N, on Facebook
month. The endless drama and fake urgency are exhausting – with the side benefit of you missing the important stuff. Also, please let’s bring back quiet, intelligent debate where both sides listen and are open to exchanging ideas.
Anne R, Shaftesbury
Absolutely spot on about Gen Z – my teens are so much better-informed than I ever was. They don’t watch 24hr news – they just expect it to be there when and if they feel like dipping in. But they won’t fall for the scams their grandparents never even suspect, and they find their news from numerous sources, rarely the TV. They even fact-check regularly. Don’t dismiss them just because they’re on TikTok.
Your Grumbler is a bout … grumbling. Honestly – the point of 24 hours news isn’t to watch it constantly and see the same stuff on repeat. the pint is that you get on with your life, and dip in when it suits you. It’s the equivalent of watching Netflix on demand rather than being bound by an old TV schedule. Yes please, I say.
Adam F, Dorchester
Bravo Mr Gelfs
Bravo to Tim Gelfs for such a refreshingly blunt first NFU column. About time someone stood up and said what we’re all muttering in the yard – the whole ELMS/SFI/IHT debacle has been a shambles. Keep it coming, Tim. We need more straight talk and a lot less waffle.
Nick W, nr. Blandford
I was glad to see Tim Gelfs’ column in the magazine, saying what farmers have been thinking for years.
We’ve been pushed to change how we farm, spend thousands trying to do the right thing, and then watched the government yank the funding away with no warning. It’s no wonder people have lost faith.
Tim’s right – this isn’t clever policy, it’s chaos. You can’t build trust or long-term improvements if you keep moving the goalposts.
Good on him for speaking plainly. I hope he keeps going – we need more voices like his.
RD, Shaftesbury
On Holy Row to holy wow
I was only thinking about pew-gate a few months agao and wondering if it had ever been resolved – thank you for the update and putting my ind at ease! the church does look lovely and is clearly a more useable, flexible space without the Victorian pews.
I’m sure it’s still a sore subject with some villagers, but I do feel the most important thing is for churches to stay relevant community buildings, not echoing empoty museums. Well done Okeford Fitzpaine for finding a way though and getting it done!
Kathy L, Wimborne
Want to reply? Read something you feel needs commenting on? Our postbag is open! Please send emails to [email protected].
When writing, please include your full name and address; we will not print this, but do require it.
