The cows look happy indoors with cooling fan and sprinkler

It is forecast and I can only hope that they are accurate, otherwise pastures that are still green, and third cut silage which is hanging on, will go backwards very quickly.

We have brought all the cows indoors, as it was too hot outside and it does mean that with some decent rain, we will have another month's grazing in front of them very quickly, whereas if we had carried on grazing, all we would have behind them would be burnt pasture.

We have covered most of the grazing ground with dirty water, which will wash in and encourage growth after the rain.

Having repaired the dirty water pump, we still have some pumping to do onto the silage ground as well, and in combination with some rain will do some real good.

At Tillington, things are very different, with young heifers still grazing some decent covers, but leaving burnt grass behind them, although the silage aftermaths are still green, and the rain would very quickly promote some good growth there. We do have contingency plans to yard them all on the first of August if necessary.

The maize desperately needs a good drink, and caterpillars are eating the leaves over at Ripley on our best crops; looking for moisture I would guess. I do hope that we don't need to spray the crop at this late stage.

The cows look very happy indoors, and the combination of cooling fans and sprinkler keeps them cool during milking.

The bio-digester is running at full power, although we are experiencing a few problems with the gas chiller, which is unable to cope with the high temperatures in the daytime.

We will rig a cold water mist device this week to see if it keeps the temperatures down as the fans pull the cold mist through the coolers. This will not be a sophisticated device, merely a short length of alkathine pipe with some tiny holes in it.

Last Wednesday, the coldest day ever was recorded at Alice Springs in Australia. Now of course, it is winter down under, but as we enjoy temperatures that belong down in the Mediterranean, it seems that it's a bit chilly in OZ.

Have you been sunbathing? The latest position statement by Cancer Research UK, in conjunction with other health organisations, suggests that they and the government have got it wrong when bombarding us all with advice to keep covered up on sunny days.

Indeed we are now in danger of becoming a nation deficient in Vitamin D, due to all this hiding from the sun, the most natural way to build up your body reserves of this important vitamin.

Apparently, we only get 10 per cent of our vitamin D needs from food, unless you eat oily fish (skin as well) three times a day.

We therefore rely on the sun, and we get precious little of that in the winter, which means that the nanny state might have made things a lot worse by advising us all to stay covered up.

The cost of vitamin D related disease runs to an estimated 27 billion annually; and the further north you go, the worse it is.

Rising rates of diabetes in particular, but also heart disease and arthritis are the result of lower vitamin D levels.

Being a dairy farmer means that sunshine is something to enjoy at all times and an outdoor life it seems is an advantage rather than a liability?

Whilst you sunbathe, how much water should you drink? Well again, some reality is creeping into the myth of drinking huge amounts of water in order to improve health.

The British Nutrition Foundation has just published a new report. Just as we all knew, tea and coffee in moderation are very good sources of fluid (contrary to what some have been telling us), and even beer and lager add more fluid than is lost.

Wine needs some water drunk with it to balance out the diuretic effect, and spirits need a little additional water for balance.

As for the idea that drinking a litre and a half of water a day flushing out impurities and toxins; well that's pure bunkum. So now we can enjoy the summer rather more, especially for those going on holidays.

Forget the advice that has mainly been given by the bottled water industry and the media. Rely more on your own body telling you when are thirsty and apparently you won't go far wrong.

We like to support our village shop, and it always has a great selection of cheese.

Now I am informed that some clip board Charlie has said that no wheels of cheese can be cut and sold unless it is all gone within seven days; soft cheeses such as French or British Brie has to be sold in less time. Has the world gone mad?

Do I now have to buy plastic cheese from my village shop because of some sudden danger, which has been lurking undetected for centuries?

Does this clipboard fellow not realize that Brie is best when melting, and running off the plate?

I will investigate further, as I cannot believe this to be true.

One of the challenges of keeping village shops alive is to sell what we want, offering a service that is not available in over-chilled, and impersonal supermarkets.

Charles Spencer King died at the end of June. He was the man who designed the iconic Range Rover, back in 1970, when it was more an utilitarian vehicle for land owners and country folk, not the gas guzzling status symbol it has become, with clones clogging up the villages on the school run.

No, Spen King was disconcerted to witness his creation proliferate in towns and cities, nicknamed the 'Chelsea Tractor' later in life as it morphed into an urban status symbol, hated by the 'greens'.

Born in Surrey, Spen King had a glittering career in the motor industry, and persevered despite lack of funds and frustrating trade union problems at British Leyland.

He left to set up his own consulting company in 1985.

He will always be remembered as the man who led the development of the original Range Rover, a vehicle, the like of which had never been seen before.