Well, today has turned out quite nice indeed.
A family turned up to talk to Dick, but he wasn't here so I ended up telling them all I knew about waterwheels, which is surprisingly a lot! Its always a little odd when randoms turn up but seeing as they were recommended to us by people we sort of know (if using someones swimming pool and sauna while they're on holiday counts as knowing them!!) and they were genuinely nice people. I think I helped them out on what they needed to know so it made it worth running around in my pj's after escapee turkeys and pigs and getting my new slippers wet :(
Ive done a fair chunk of the chores now, watered the polytunnel which was a few days overdue :S It is hard to remember it when its pouring with rain outside!! And got a lot of the downstairs done, yet it feels like I've barely scratched the surface on that one! It is nice to know that the kitchen is at least hygienic now!!
Well, I promised a rendition of what we've done so far so here it is, an entry I made in another journal copied and pasted for all to read!!
Tue, Oct 2nd 2007
Today we lost a turkey. This isn't the most positive of starts I must admit, but its relevant to the road we have been travelling thus far.
Our first job here at the farm was scything - not the easiest of jobs for a newbie like me, but Bradley was on hand to clear up my mess. We were scything the top paddock, ready for: our Christmas turkeys. At this point, Bradley was not keen on the idea of turkeys, other than the obvious benefits of raising them ourselves, guaranteeing their high quality of life; as even with the best intentions, even if they're free range and organic: if they're mass farmed birds, they still wont have as high a quality of life, well compared to ours at least, which are spoiled rotten.
Soon after the scything day we acquired a flat pack shed and some electric fence which Bradley was set the task of assembling (this is what happens when you tell Dick you don't like turkeys) And once that was finished, 12 of the tiniest, sweetest little birds arrived. They were so small they could stand on the palm of your hand - and would. They took to Bradley like he was their dad, and he took to them too, so much so that now they have all their wattles and snoods, he still loves them. So here's to our little lost turkey.
There have been various other jobs for us here over the past few months since early August when we properly started working here. Vegetables have been planted, pigs have been tended to, willows have been mulched, lawns mowed (an acre big lawn on a steep hill!), admin done, kitchens cleaned, geese cuddled (they hate it but they're so soft!!) courses attended, feed bought, chickens wings clipped :S, animals cleaned out (least fun job), harvesting, holes dug, signs made, ducks chased!, polytunnel and greenhouse watered, dogs washed, plants maintained, kitchen done up, and Bradley's favorite: walls angle grinded!! Plus so many other bits and pieces, it will talk all day to carry on!!
About half the time we've been here we've been alone, which is always daunting but has been quite nice for us at the same time. We've also been getting involved in local life: the pub! And exploring our surroundings whilst walking the dogs (10 mins walk to the local beach :D)
We've pretty much got it made it has to be said, and our experience here has really inspired us towards setting up our own smallholding and doing our bit.
Right, I better get on - find out what I can do with some ham...
Thursday 18 October 2007
Winter tapped me on the shoulder and said to say hi.
Well today it is officially freezing! Which I apparently forsore as in my wisdom yesterday I purchased a lovely pair of bootie slippers: warm toes are always good. And thus as the year turns were starting to think about what needs to be done in preperation for the coming season.
Today shall be a day of sorting things out: getting the house back to a sociable state. Both the kitchen (or at least the kitchen celling) and our bedroom (sans carpet) should be finished today, so we can start to get things organised, or at least organised enough. I look forward to the day the kitchen is finnished properly and we dont have to keep organising it and reorganising it and so on, and - if the temperature stays like it is today, keeping the doors shut!!
Then I will need to brave the baltic climes, and go outside and do some sorting in the garden, the outdoors has been mildly undertended with all the action going on inside, so I'll need to do some weeding, and possibly some planting, depending on time.
Over the past couple of weeks we've had two broody birds, a duck: Daisy (our female muscovy duck) and a chicken: one of the Buff Orpintongs. But yesterday the chicken apparently decided she was bored, went and layed a yummy egg in the goose house and wondered off to the outside (she obviously forsore this turning of the weather too!) So we made our first venture into the land of incubators. As the Buff had stolen most of the eggs that were layed in the hen house we now have 20 little ones waiting to be hatched, were hoping for a couple of boys, so Im going to have to learn to to sex chicks!
Other than that we have not been up to much, the kitchen and bedroom have taken up most of our time, then weve had some slow days and even a day off to try and recover from these darstedly colds we all have. But there is now plenty to do, and lots of people turining up this weekend to entertain us!
Looking towards the winter season Im thinking about the dreaded C-word, or prehaps the two dreaded C-words: Christmas Cake... I realise I am a bit late for this, but I think it will be worth a try, you never know - I may have a secret talent lurking in the depths of my cooking skills just waiting to be unleashed! Also plans for christmas presents are starting to ensue, as we are slighlty budgetly limited I plan on making a fair chunk of the pressies, but I really need to get moving with them.
And so I shall continue with my day. And cook some paoched eggs since I am now the poached egg queen.
I'll try get some piccys up on here soon, and a back log of things weve done since we got here :)
Today shall be a day of sorting things out: getting the house back to a sociable state. Both the kitchen (or at least the kitchen celling) and our bedroom (sans carpet) should be finished today, so we can start to get things organised, or at least organised enough. I look forward to the day the kitchen is finnished properly and we dont have to keep organising it and reorganising it and so on, and - if the temperature stays like it is today, keeping the doors shut!!
Then I will need to brave the baltic climes, and go outside and do some sorting in the garden, the outdoors has been mildly undertended with all the action going on inside, so I'll need to do some weeding, and possibly some planting, depending on time.
Over the past couple of weeks we've had two broody birds, a duck: Daisy (our female muscovy duck) and a chicken: one of the Buff Orpintongs. But yesterday the chicken apparently decided she was bored, went and layed a yummy egg in the goose house and wondered off to the outside (she obviously forsore this turning of the weather too!) So we made our first venture into the land of incubators. As the Buff had stolen most of the eggs that were layed in the hen house we now have 20 little ones waiting to be hatched, were hoping for a couple of boys, so Im going to have to learn to to sex chicks!
Other than that we have not been up to much, the kitchen and bedroom have taken up most of our time, then weve had some slow days and even a day off to try and recover from these darstedly colds we all have. But there is now plenty to do, and lots of people turining up this weekend to entertain us!
Looking towards the winter season Im thinking about the dreaded C-word, or prehaps the two dreaded C-words: Christmas Cake... I realise I am a bit late for this, but I think it will be worth a try, you never know - I may have a secret talent lurking in the depths of my cooking skills just waiting to be unleashed! Also plans for christmas presents are starting to ensue, as we are slighlty budgetly limited I plan on making a fair chunk of the pressies, but I really need to get moving with them.
And so I shall continue with my day. And cook some paoched eggs since I am now the poached egg queen.
I'll try get some piccys up on here soon, and a back log of things weve done since we got here :)
Saturday 13 October 2007
Our new life in the country
Well, about... 3 months ago now, we had just graduated, were jobless, on the verge of homeless and living in very cramped conditions in a bungalow in Falmouth. Then, one day, we got an offer from a friend to go stay on her smallholding and help out for a couple of weeks while we sorted our lives out, so off we trotted and a couple of weeks turned into the rest of the summer, into a few more months and we havent looked back since. 3 months later we are moved in, married and getting ready for winter and its still the best job in the world!
So this is our story, for our friends and family and anyone else who can be bothered the read our ramblings about being green, being together and life down on't farm!
So this is our story, for our friends and family and anyone else who can be bothered the read our ramblings about being green, being together and life down on't farm!
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