Sarah Todd: Sorting the mummies from the daddies at the farm sales

One of them is desperate for a guinea pig while the more entrepreneurial one hatched a plan to buy a "mummy and daddy rabbit" and start selling babies.

Their father, surprise surprise, is dead against the idea. He says it's no life for an animal to be stuck in a cage, especially with a dog and cats ready to pounce.

Anyway, their plan didn't come off, as we were outbid on the hutch and there was no sales list to say what sex the rabbits were. Knowing our luck, we'd have come home with two the same. Anyway, they didn't look very bright eyed and bobby-tailed to this novice fur fancier.

Then to the hens. Our free-range producer is keen to expand into Welsummers, which apparently lay lovely dark brown eggs. There were some entered in the sale, but every single pen of pullets had a cockerel sneaked in. We have two of our own to get rid of, without taking on anybody else's. We got wise to this trick through a beautiful pen of three Light Sussex. The card read "Trio at point-of-lay. Unrelated cock".

"What's that mean mummy?" asked the daughter. "Well, these three hens were bred from a cockerel that wasn't related to them, that wasn't their father or brother…"

"Are you sure? I'm sure I saw them mating," said the wise one. Of course, she was right. The "trio" of pullets was actually a pair, with a cockerel on top – literally. So, we went home empty-handed but with a plan being hatched in the back of the car as to how to get rid of our cockerels.

I was really disappointed by the Archbishop of Canterbury's negative comments about the Government's plan to get benefit claimants out working.

Not that my disapproval will bother him but it sounded so out of touch with the general public's feeling that giving a little something back in return for benefits is good for both morale and the wider goodwill of others.

We missed Harvest Festival and it's made me out of sorts. Mind you, there probably wouldn't have been We Plough the Fields and Scatter.

It was a joy last year to meet Reverend Canon Leslie Morley, chaplain to the Yorkshire Agricultural Society, who has always insisted on giving thanks for the traditional – farming – harvest.

"It's bonkers if once a year we can't stop and give thanks for the food that we eat and think about those involved in agriculture," he told me.

If Rowan Williams had got on side, rather than pouring cold water, he could maybe have got overgrown churchyards and other parish jobs tackled by those who are out of work.