No dairy cows and perhaps as many as thirty beef cattle for the leys, bearing in mind that Adam is expecting Pip to come up with thirty more – and why has Adam got them this early when they will poach the grass and may well be surplus when Pip does come through with hers as he expects?
It is not going to cost him as much of a fortune as it has already cost Ruth. Furthermore, since the cattle at Home Farm are being kept primarily to improve the soil and as a secondary consideration to be sold for beef, he has not lost bloodlines or the sale of anything for breeding.
Really, it’s Adam who should be upset at his herbal ley scheme being jeopardised. You’d think he’d come running over to discuss it with Pip, tell her not to bother buy any cattle of her own. Ragged Robin, on Peet’s said she doubted there would be more than 50 cattle on Home Farm land. And Ayrshire cowman said the cost would be a month’s cigar money for Brian or something along those lines!
It was a very artificially manufactured row, wasn’t it? With Brian being improbably present and Pip improbably absent. Though I suppose she could have been off skulking somewhere on Brookfield land keeping a low profile. Or checking the fences!
I quite enjoyed the row, actually. Tom was awful, wasn’t he? ‘My Dad says …’
It was awful, but it was surprisingly in character. Let’s face it, Tom is spineless and devoid of independent thought, and so making a bitchy remark about Dopey’s farming ability and attributing it to his Dad would be spot on.
Tony did say it, so it was at least accurate attribution, whereas blaming David for his wife’s and daughter’s bad farming practice was not accurate attribution.
There is still some enjoyment to be had in blaming Ruth, but admittedly a wholescale shaming of Plop would be preferable.
IBR (or IBS!) isn’t anywhere near the level of TB IME