JANUARY 2007    HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Christmas has come and gone and the weather has continued wet.  The lamb is growing bigger by the day and is strong and healthy; he even managed to cross the stream without much trouble! 

 

The new floor is down in Xidong Cottage; building work is continuing (weather permitting) and beautifully hand built, specially designed table and chairs are being made.  Although the cottage is not ready for guests yet, it will not be long and I am keen to take bookings now for Easter and beyond. 

FEBRUARY 2007

The weather again!  Snow took over the whole farm (and everywhere else I believe!).  Struggling through twelve inches of snow with a wheelbarrow laden with hay for the sheep was no fun and although for a couple of days I towed it on a makeshift sledge, I decided to bring the sheep inside.  They were due to be brought in soon prior to lambing in any case. 

 

     

 

A little extension is being added to Xidong Cottage to house a cloakroom and work is progressing on that (barring the obvious hold-ups)

 

MARCH 2007

Lambing is nearly finished and has gone very well so far.  There are lambs everywhere and if they could, the ewes would be everywhere too - particular favourite is my lawn!  The only problem has been that everything else gets put on hold while it is Sheep Sheep Sheep.  Only a few more days to go before I can concentrate my energies on Xidong once more.

 

    

MAY 2007

Check out these pictures of our kittens -  There are eight of them and two mothers, (they aren't all in the pictures!)  It is nigh on impossible to take good pictures of kittens - they won't keep still for a start unless they are asleep and then they all become one big heap of black fur!  There are four black ones, three black and white and one ginger and white.

 

  

 

Xidong Cottage is finished!  We had our first visitors for Bank Holiday weekend and they loved it, especially the hot-tub!  The wet room works well and the table and chairs I had made are beautiful.        

OCTOBER 2007

Having had so much rain in June and July, it has been particularly dry and fine since except for some odd days.  Due to this, I have not been in my office as much and consequently haven't been playing on my computer and updating my web site.  I am now doing so!

There are a few kittens left, but the house is much quieter and cleaner now most of them have gone! 

The ram went in with my ewes about a week ago, so lambs will be due in March.

I have been given some Hamburg bantams, which have proved to be mostly cockerels.  They have just started to crow and sound very funny and squeaky.

We have had some more fencing done, doubling up the fence in places so I can plant a hedge between the wire.  One stretch of hazels has been cut back to the stumps to encourage new thick growth from ground level next year; it was heart-breaking to do, but will result in a lovely fresh thick hazel hedge in a few years time.

           What will be a lovely thick hedge one day!                                    On the slur!

 

   

SEPTEMBER 2007

You know we had a heap of kittens in May?  Well, we have another heap of kittens!  Both cats had 12 kittens between them and although they are all over the kitchen and under our feet, they are really adorable.  So much so, I have given them a page of their own!

Click the kitten! 

The outbreaks of foot and mouth have been a blow to all livestock farmers all over the country.  From our point of view, it has prevented the sale of surplus ewes and this year's ewe lambs, so I will be carrying extra stock this winter, unless movement restrictions are lifted for breeding stock.  It is a small inconvenience for me, but terrible news for bigger, commercial farmers, who are likely to be lumbered with extra mouths to feed over winter.

AUGUST 2007

There has been no time to update my news for August, but better late than never and very briefly: 

Badgers or foxes have been round and taken all my laying hens and two guinea fowl (including George, for those of you who knew him) - I am not very happy! 

We have a new all-weather school for exercising horses.

After July's rain, August has been dry and mostly sunny - thank goodness!       

JULY 2007

I think we are all getting bored with this rain!  Fortunately, being on a hill we do not get flooded.  When the sun comes out it is hot and steamy and when the rain sets in the clouds cover the hills and we are isolated on an little green island.  Whatever the weather though, the hot tub is a haven and the only problem is getting out!

 

Some farmers have managed to get some of their fields mown and haylage made, but many fields have not been cut and a few have been cut and the grass is going mouldy in the rows as the rain keeps coming back.  Let's hope that August is a better month.

 

I have been given a couple of guinea fowl, which shout  'go back, go back, go back' very loudly for no apparent reason!

 

This month's rain swelled the River Redlake and the stream   

JUNE 2007

We have had our first quality inspection from Visit Britain and have been awarded four stars, which I am very pleased about.  My most recent visitors walked into Xidong and stood there entranced by it.  Apparently the pictures I have posted do not do it justice!  It is very difficult to get good pictures with my little camera.

 

Here are a few comments from the visitors so far:

    "What a fabulous cottage and in a fabulous setting.  We love the oriental theme and         stylish bathroom"

    ".....wonderfully neat elegance of the delightfully evoked Japanese surroundings."

    ".....saved the best till last though, the SPA is an absolute luxury.  Fantastic anytime of day but especially at night.......will definitely be coming back"

Thank you for those comments - they speak for themselves!

 

  HOME