Getting Away & Creating Space

Our Christmas Eve treat

The most important and exciting event over the last couple of months is that we have been 'En Vacance'. 

Yes, on holiday.  Away.  For a whole week!  To another island.  But this one was in the sun.  With a beach.  And a pool.  And no daily grind or domestic routines.  What bliss.  We all needed to get away and re-boot. And come home with white bits.  The 'Ologist and I went on a holiday we never ever would have imagined we'd go on ten years ago, however, given the age of our child and only a week of grace from school for half term, we took the plunge and booked it up.  It was an all inclusive, no brain required resort hotel in the sun complete with a choice of pools, all day bars, all you can eat sumptuous buffet meals and not to forget the most important bit....the Mini Disco EVERY night.  Boy, we lived it up.  I can only thank the resort for having a bottomless supply of all inclusive Cava which helped us through the evening's entertainment.  The small girl had an absolute ball, and has come home a confident swimmer and a Spanish mini disco queen!

We entrusted our farm, livestock and home to the hands of others and didn't look back for a second.  On our return the animals were all very happy and well nurtured which was everything we had hoped for.  Hoping we can do it again....soon!


Before we left we had quite a bit of 'grind' to deal with.  Our first couple of deliveries of hardcore to go down on our driveway was too soft.  Although it was 40ml to dust hardcore, it turned out to be a local stone that was too soft.  The 'Ologist should know after all, they do call him the Rock Doctor. 

After not that long at all the hardcore disappeared and the potholes came back with a vengeance. We had already sorted out the drainage off the driveway.  It was the stone. It was too soft. So, the day after my birthday back in December it turns out I get a late birthday present.....16 tonnes of hardcore from a local quarry.  Gee....thanks.  But, this stone is good and hard. 

As my parents were having an extended stay with us we put them both to work.  My father on our latest toy - yes a mini digger (woo-hoo!) - and spent a good few days shovelling, transporting and raking the hardcore.  16 tonnes sounds like a heavy load but after it was dumped it didn't look much. 

I have to say, after moving it and raking it level I discovered muscles in my chest and back that I never knew I had! 

My mother kept pouring the tea and fed us at each mealtime thankfully as I could hardly lift a knife and fork by the end.  It worked out a treat and thanks to a family effort the drive is still holding now after a very wet winter. 




Yet more trees have come down and another line of hedge laying has been completed over this long and wet winter.  Our trusty tree fella has laid the hedge line that runs along our entrance driveway so that now as we enter the farm we have views over to the west.  It has again opened up a once completely impenetrable tree line and has allowed the light to flood through and the views to open up.  It will take a good few years for the hedge to thicken up but the shape is outlined and the space has been created.

As the ground is so wet all the brash from the last few rounds of hedging and tree clearance is just laying where it fell.  As a result the farm looks a bit of a mess and the edges of the fields are crowded with bushy tangles of the tops of dead trees.  It is just one of those things; we can't get on the land with a tractor and trailer to clear up the mess as in doing so we would create more mess and chew up the ground.  A local farmer has told me to sit tight and wait until May when the ground is hard and the brash is dry.  We can clear and burn in one round and get it all gone.   

The ponies are all doing fine.  They have spent the whole winter out.  It was a decision I came to, hard as it may seem on them, to suit myself.  I was finding the routine of turning them out, rugging up, bringing them in each night and mucking out three stables each day just too much.  Added to this picking poo in the field every other day was just stealing too much of my time.  I asked a few local horsey friends and came to the conclusion that they'd be fine.  And so far, so good.  Fairly soon as the Spring grass starts to grow they will go into restricted grazing mode.  This will hopefully protect them from 'fat pony' ailments and keep them healthy.  The small girl continues to enjoy riding her pony and I have been out a few times on mine recently so all in all good news on the equine front.


We under estimated the winter winds here in Devon and didn't put our trampoline away.  As a result after one particularly strong storm, I think it could have been Imogen, the trampoline took a serious battering, rolling sideways repeatedly between a maple and ash tree.  We are not sure as yet if this is terminal or not.




We are getting pig-ready.  We have been talking for some time about having some weaners on the farm. In fact, the 'Ologist for Christmas had a special attachment for his Kenwood Chef - a mincer and sausage-maker in anticipation of making his own sausages.

We have decided to cut our vegetable patch in half and let the pigs have the worst side.  It is all so weedy and overgrown they will have a great time rooting up the ground.  We are almost complete with the fence and just need to clear some of the other junk and debris away.  Our plan is to have two or three weaners that will grow to the required size and then turn into bacon, sausages and roast pork.

On the other side of the pig fence is our vegetable patch which was rather disappointing last year.  Although we did manage a few crops it was a never ending battle with the weeds which have taken root here far longer than we've been in residence.  I have been convinced to use chemicals to kill the weeds so in a few months time I hope to show this picture again and it will be a whole difference scene.  Although it goes against my grain to use these powerful chemicals, they are all designed specifically to kill plants at root level and they become inert in the ground almost immediately.  So as a one-off we have decided to wage war again the deep rooted enemies and spray the hell out of it.  Watch this space.

One surprise we had was down in an area we call Nine Pines Wood (no guesses for what's growing there!)  After clearing undergrowth we found this old dilapidated shed.  It turns out it is an old pig ark.  It is our intention to rescue and renovate the pig ark and rehome it to pigsville.  I might mention it has probably been under the shadow of this old oak tree for more than 30 years and may well not take too kindly to being lifted and removed.  But, where there's a will there's a way...as they say...so we'll give it a go and see what happens. 

Our smallest and newest dog deserves a mention.  He has recently turned One Year Old and is maturing nicely. 

There was a time he was referred to daily as the 'terrorist'.  That seems to have been dropped of late and he is now a very cute and lovable rogue.  He is a Parsons Russell Terrier and a great farm dog.  He is permanently covered in mud and loves to help with any and all jobs on the farm.  He has learnt not to chase the sheep and chickens and if he forgets he gets shown the 'explaining stick' - my riding crop - and soon remembers. 

My old dog we brought with us from the other side of the world is still going strong. She is my African queen - a Rhodesian Ridgeback, and although not keen on the cold and wintery weather still manages to patrol the grounds each day and return to her spot next to the Rayburn. 

Whether she will see another Devon winter is questionable, but that's not worth thinking about really. 

For now, she's all good.  And I can say the very same about the rest of us too.