The Accidental Smallholder Forum

Community => Introduce yourself => Topic started by: judee on September 29, 2011, 02:55:56 pm

Title: Hello from Exmoor
Post by: judee on September 29, 2011, 02:55:56 pm

Hi. We have a nearly 10 acre holding on Exmoor. We breed Ouessant and Boreray sheep, and have chickens, ducks, goats, alpacas etc at present we are slogging away at everything and are just reaping the tiny benefits of our hard work (to a small degree). We have been here nearly 5 years. At the moment I am waiting for the local contractor to second turn my hay! Yes I know ..... but you know what a year it,s been and there is a good field of grass there. I don,t know if it will make hay that's any use but if we use it for bedding... or hayledge. My animals are basking in the sun, thank goodness for this lovely weather..they must all be short of vitamin D. I know I am!

Title: Re: Hello from Exmoor
Post by: Roxy on September 29, 2011, 03:02:08 pm

 :wave:  Hello and welcome from the Peak District in Derbyshire.

Everyone here is getting another crop of hay this week.  Hotter now than its been most of the summer.  I am sure we will be grateful for this extra hay once the winter weather sets in.  The last two years we got September hay, and it was nice.

Title: Re: Hello from Exmoor
Post by: SallyintNorth on September 29, 2011, 05:59:30 pm

Hello judee  :wave:

I used to live in Exmoor.  You and I maybe crossed paths on the motorway, it's very nearly 5 years since I moved up here to the frozen wastes... 

You probably know a lot of people I knew down there - have you joined DASH?  (Devon Association of Smallholders.)   

Even up here there's grass cut, and there're combines out too.  We've had three good days and another three forecast.  We've been kinda wishing we hadn't finished all ours a few weeks back!   :D

Welcome to the forum, looking forward to hearing more about all your enterprises.

Title: Re: Hello from Exmoor
Post by: JulieS on September 29, 2011, 06:05:11 pm

Hello and welcome from not too far from you  :)

Title: Re: Hello from Exmoor
Post by: Cinderhills on September 29, 2011, 06:08:53 pm

Hi and welcome from North Yorkshire.  :wave:

Title: Re: Hello from Exmoor
Post by: ty capel flock on September 29, 2011, 08:30:31 pm

Hi there and welcome. :thumbsup:

Title: Re: Hello from Exmoor
Post by: Blinkers on September 29, 2011, 08:33:04 pm

Hi & Welcome from Sunny South West Wales  :wave:

Title: Re: Hello from Exmoor
Post by: Hazelwood Flock on September 29, 2011, 10:55:29 pm

Hi from Darzet! not all that far away!  :wave:

Title: Re: Hello from Exmoor
Post by: wytsend on September 30, 2011, 06:44:16 am

Welcome from orth edge of Dartmoor.

What part of Exmoor... I know it very well indeed.

Title: Re: Hello from Exmoor
Post by: melodrama on September 30, 2011, 08:23:02 am

Hello from sunny Forfar  :wave:

Title: Re: Hello from Exmoor
Post by: sabrina on September 30, 2011, 08:42:41 am

Hello from Banff in Scotland  :wave:

Title: Re: Hello from Exmoor
Post by: judee on September 30, 2011, 09:03:36 am

Many thanks for all the greetings! I don,t feel so daft with my nearly October haymaking. I really dread not having enough hay and every year (since we have had animals) the tension mounts as to how we will either make or buy some! Never in a million years did I ever imagine that hay would become my annual obsession. Fingers crossed that the weather holds, it,s looking very misty early mornings.....
We have lived on Exmoor for 20 years but came new to smallholding 5 years ago. We love it but sometimes regret that we didn,t start earlier. The weather has become VERY important to us, and the seasons have REAL meaning. We do sometimes hanker after moving to the Highlands of Scotland, so I,m extremely interested in how things are going for members that have "taken the plunge".
I am a member of DASH, but I find that with the animals, children and other family commitments that I don,t get to meet people. Thanks again for all the good wishes.

Title: Re: Hello from Exmoor
Post by: Rosemary on September 30, 2011, 07:45:44 pm

Hello and welcome from Carnoustie  :wave:

Title: Re: Hello from Exmoor
Post by: Miss Piggy on September 30, 2011, 10:56:07 pm

Hi and warm welcomr from West Wales   :wave:

Title: Re: Hello from Exmoor
Post by: plumseverywhere on October 01, 2011, 10:28:05 am

Hello from WOrcestershire  :wave:

I missed out on making any hay this year and our grass is shocking as we've been in drought but luckily I've found a lovely man who's still selling for £3 a small bale phew!! will have to keep stocked up as these goats eat like its going out of fashion  ;)
Like you I am juggling children, smallholding and running a small business making goats milk soap as well as caring for a disabled mum - its not always easy to meet people in the flesh so TAS is a godsend  :)
Lisa

Title: Re: Hello from Exmoor
Post by: faith0504 on October 04, 2011, 09:10:34 pm

hi  and welcome from moray  :wave:

Title: Re: Hello from Exmoor
Post by: Victorian Farmer on October 05, 2011, 10:56:22 am

welcome from the highlands off Scotland .been a bad summer but a good spring we have bred more sheep and hens this ye re more than eney other .i checked we had 300 lambs born from 200 .