Hello all! I have been a long-time lurker, and have decided it is finally time to de-lurk and introduce myself!
I'm not yet a smallholder - have been dreaming of it for years, but my partner and I will finally be taking the plunge in a couple of years - we have to wait that long as our money is tied up until then.
Rather than being frustrated by the delay, I'm choosing to see it as a positive, in that it gives us a couple of years to do concerted research, do courses, and plan. We're currently investigating different areas - West Wales, Mid Wales, Brecon Beacons, Wye Valley and Forest of Dean are the main areas we're currently looking at due to position of friends and family. We're also trying to work out how much land we want/would be able to manage...
What I'd like to ask you all is what you would do in this waiting period to get as prepared as possible for the move? We already have an allotment and large garden so already do lots of fruit and veg growing. In the future, we'd definitely like to have a couple of pigs and chickens. I have a dream of a couple of jersey cows but not sure that's really practical.
Are there any things you did to prepare thta you found particularly useful? Anything you wish you had done in advance? Any advice would be greatly appreciated!
Thanks,
Laura