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Exciting news from the smallholding this week -we’ve got new chickens! Introducing Rocky and Molly (Rhode Rock) and Mac and Babs (Light Sussex). We waited till nightfall (see the picture of me above in full Mrs Tweedie mode) and popped them into the hen house. Well, I say “popped” but it was more like “grab,Continue reading “New Chicks on the Block”

It’s a few days after my last post, where we left it with the Assassin going missing on a walk with us and the dog. The Geordie Smallholder family was upset at leaving a cat behind (“Leave no living thing behind” is our motto). Despite constantly shouting on her when outside, she failed to showContinue reading “The Wanderer Returns”

Tears and snot at the Geordie Smallholding this week – the Assassin is missing. As I mentioned in a previous post, she likes to take an evening stroll with us when we take the dog out for a walk at night. She walks to heel better than Doofus. So a few nights ago, being thatContinue reading “One of Our Assassins is Missing”

It’s warm and wet here now, so ideal conditions for the evening scourge of midges. But GS has a new method of avoiding them when he is filling the horses’ drinking trough – he calls me over to watch the water level whilst he hides inside Rufus. Expert Forester Celebrates a Significant Milestone So weContinue reading “Midgey season”

Bill and Ben, the bantams. So called because they took so long to lay an egg for us I thought they were male. They are very shy, but slowly coming out of their shells (pun intended lol). When the other hens get out of flockdown, they are in a lovely enclosed coop and run withinContinue reading “Introducing…”

February was wet, cold and unusually windy. One rare Sunday, the sun shone so we went for a walk after our afternoon tea. Millie was invited but turned back when she found the main road to the smallholding was closed. There are other roads, but they were blocked by traffic. So Millie missed cheese scones,Continue reading “Dreaming of Spring”

One visit to the country store later and I got my wish: excellent waterproof footwear at low(ish) cost. So I’m happy now, if only I had a better pair of working gloves…. The Assassin Behind Bars At Last We did think the cats were trying to break in to AiR’s studio beside the horses’ stables,Continue reading “If it Wisnae Fir Yir Wellies”

It’s time to welcome a new year. As is traditional, GS was chucked out before midnight on the 31st of December in order to be our tall, dark and handsome first foot bringing food, drink and fuel as symbols of peace and plenty for the year ahead. As GS knocked on the door, I wantedContinue reading “Happy New Year”

..or blog, whatever. Here’s as close to time-lapse photography that I can get: over November my favourite tree went from lush green to gorgeous gold to skeletal silver. Yes, winter is here. There are some upsides to the smallholding in the winter: the evening sky almost burning with colour as the sun slips into theContinue reading “A Winter’s Tale”

As you may have worked out, the horses were moved from the big shed (where they had spent two previous winters luxuriating in extremely big loose boxes which took me ages to muck out) when we replaced the shed. “Where will they shelter from the wind and rain now?”, I hear you ask. Well, weContinue reading “Horse Heaven”