Overgrown hedges

Well quite a lot has changed since my last blog post.  Lots of interesting changes that have taken up quite a bit of my time so the smallholding has taken a bit of a back seat, for now anyway, but not for long because WE(yes, we) have big plans.

I met someone and we hit it off in quite a big way.  We met completely unexpectedly through a mutual friend, discovered that not only do we really like each other but have all the same passions and goals, and our lives have just kind of evolved seamlessly into one another.  I spent quite a lot of my free time staying at his flat at first which took up all my spare time and money, so plans were shelved temporarily, but its evolved a bit recently and we've met each others children now and it went swimmingly, so he stays here a lot now.

Back to the smallholding, we had a letter asking us to cut back the overgrown bushes as they were restricting the view of the road.  I got myself into a bit of a panic about it as I hate getting in trouble, but when we got there to assess the scale of the problem it wasn't as bad as I'd feared.  We got it chopped and cleared in about an hour. Having a big strong man helps of course.

I've kept all the horrible Blackthorn branches to make natural fencing with at a later date(something I actually  know how to do - yay for hedge laying skills!)

So next plan of action is to get the stock fencing built and get the vegetable patch dug out asap with a hired rotavator. 

Slight change of plan

It's all happening here.  Maybe faster than I'd originally thought too.  I was going to concentrate on the pigs first; getting fences built and the pigs on the land by Christmas.  Then a friend called to say someone online was trying to find a home for a huge chicken run and house, with approximately 10 chickens(some of which are ex-battery hens) and a cockerel.  I wasn't quite ready for chickens, I was planning on waiting until spring, but life has a funny way of throwing things in your direction when you least expect it.

I've been discussing the big move with the woman that owns them, so once the logistics are sorted these guys will be coming to live with me!

Ragwort

We just spent all afternoon at the field pulling up and burning the stacks of Ragwort that has taken root over there.  Horsey people will know all about this horrible weed as it's incredibly poisonous to horses, and builds up in their bodies, slowly poisoning them.  Pigs can eat it, but then the seeds come out the other end and you are back to square one, so I am trying to eradicate it as much as possible when I can.  Plus, if we see a small pony for the children, we may wish to buy it, and can't with the grazing in its current state.

My friend Sam came over with her two children, and they all had what I call a proper old fashioned childhood day, running free and building dens, without us having to worry about then running off as it's completely enclosed.  I was jealous.  I wish I was 8 again!

Trying to burn the ragwort.

We are home now, and all exhausted from the fresh air.  Kit has fallen asleep on the sofa, bless him.

Fate

Isn't it funny how life steers you in a certain direction to meet people? I felt that really keenly today.

I got up this morning, and we decided to all go to watch Taylor play football on the spur of the moment. We don't often go because I don't drive, and Pete can't take us all as he isn't always here, but today we all squished in the car and went along.

We got kind of lost as the directions given by the team manager weren't great, and when we finally got there another family were having the same problems finding it so we were both late. At least we weren't the only ones! The mum and I got chatting during the match, and when I mentioned that we were going to a local chicken farm to have a look afterwards she said that she'd love to keep chickens, and that she grew her own veggies at home. Cue me telling her all about the smallholding, and asking if her and her boys would like to be involved once we are up and running. It was always my plan long term to put posters up looking for a couple of local families to get involved and help me eat the food we produce, and run it as a community smallholding, so meeting her was just perfect! We were so busy chatting we missed practically the whole game. I gave her the location of the field and she was going to pop in and have a look on the way home, and she texted me a while ago to say she'd been and was really excited.  And to think I nearly didn't go to that football match today.

So hopefully we'll be starting the fence repairs in a week or so, then I will be on the lookout for my first two pigs. I have had the paperwork and it's all signed now, and I now know the official name of my field; Runwell Glebe.  Isn't that a pretty name?  I'm going to make a sign for the gate.

Taylor's football game was rubbish by the way(what I saw of it).  They lost 7-0, bless them.

Waiting

While I'm waiting for the paperwork to be signed and the hard work to start, I'm having lots of fun thinking about fencing, shelters, hen houses and chicken/pig varieties. I am so excited about my pigs and chickens. I've set myself quite sensible achievable goals for the first 6 months, I think. First

job is build a pig pen with a shelter, then get two weaners. They are going to clear the ground for me, so I can move the pigs to another spot after Christmas, and grow a few veg on the cleared patch. I am restricted as to what I can grow this year, in the freshly turned and manured earth, but next year I should have a free reign and get lots of lovely veggies. I may build some raised beds too. I also want my chicken house on site in the spring, and I'm having a great time looking at all the different types of chicken out there. I love Brahma's, and Cochins, Maran's and Wyandotte's, but in reality I will just go to our local breeder and choose 6 birds that are all slightly different so that the children can tell them apart.

Handy Tool

Today I have mostly been playing with this garden planner from Sutton's Seeds.  Not only is it fun and pretty to play with, it tells you what to plant where year on year, and sends planting reminders via email.  I love it!

Change

A lot has changed in our lives in the last year. Firstly, after years of planning & dreaming, and always failing to action those plans, we moved from a horrible council estate that we'd been stuck on for 11 years, to a close, but totally different, rural-bordered town. After many disappointing false starts where we'd selected towns, fallen in love with areas, houses and jobs and then not been able to move(I think this happened at least 4 times over the years), I finally managed to pull it off in the space of 4 weeks last May. So, we moved from this:

To this:

Unfortunately, my new garden is North facing and after a complete disaster this summer where nothing grew or ripened at all, bar about 5 tomatoes, I'd all but given up on my vegetable growing that I'd enjoyed in our previous tiny garden.  So, when I was travelling through the local village of Runwell a month ago and saw a 'To Let' sign at the gate to a small meadow, the wheels in my head started turning. I called the agents who told me that I needed to put in a bid to rent the land, but after asking a few questions I found out that there was a chance it had to stay as permanent pasture and couldn't be turned over, so I decided not to bother bidding.

A month later I had a voicemail asking me if I was still interested, as they had received no other bids and were happy for me to turn over the land and start a smallholding. A few visits and phonecalls later and hopefully by next week I will be the proud renter of this: