The Accidental Smallholder Forum

Community => Introduce yourself => Topic started by: TheSmilingSheep on June 25, 2013, 08:42:44 am

Title: moved to the west country and loving it!
Post by: TheSmilingSheep on June 25, 2013, 08:42:44 am
We've escaped from London, left behind legal careers, found a thatched cottage in Devon, and are now learning, far too rapidly, about chickens, pigs and sheep..... and strimmers, mowers, tractors & chainsaws... electric fences.... names of birds... wood burners.... chopping wood.... growing vegetables... - no time left for a PROPER job at all!
This site has been brilliant - it may even make me break my personal rule of NO smiley faces!
Title: Re: moved to the west country and loving it!
Post by: SallyintNorth on June 25, 2013, 09:09:47 am
 ;D :excited: :thumbsup: :wave:  ;)
Title: Re: moved to the west country and loving it!
Post by: TheSmilingSheep on June 25, 2013, 09:47:03 am
I'm still fighting it....
Title: Re: moved to the west country and loving it!
Post by: Bionic on June 25, 2013, 09:48:42 am
Come on now Brendon, you know you want to  :excited:
Title: Re: moved to the west country and loving it!
Post by: TheSmilingSheep on June 25, 2013, 10:06:56 am
stop it stop it stop it

(in fact, cruelly, my first post on the pig forum had me inadvertently putting in a face due to my excessive use of punctuation.... but I'm sure that 'mistake' is a full defence....)
Title: Re: moved to the west country and loving it!
Post by: Bionic on June 25, 2013, 10:10:45 am

but I'm sure that 'mistake' is a full defence....)

I thought you had left your legal career behind you  ;D
Title: Re: moved to the west country and loving it!
Post by: sokel on June 25, 2013, 10:11:24 am
Welcome to the crazy world of smallholding  ::) Belive me the smilies will start coming  :roflanim: I never used to use them when I fist started on forums  ::)
Title: Re: moved to the west country and loving it!
Post by: TheSmilingSheep on June 25, 2013, 10:12:12 am
Bionic,  I'm marking your card......
Title: Re: moved to the west country and loving it!
Post by: Possum on June 25, 2013, 10:32:12 am
Hi Brendon


We are escapees from London as well (via Oxfordshire). Moved to Somerset a year ago and have not regretted it for a moment. Your learning process sounds very similar to ours. The best bit was the chainsaw. I'm almost looking forward to winter again so that I can do some more coppicing.


Am trying very hard not to use a smiley............
Title: Re: moved to the west country and loving it!
Post by: plumseverywhere on June 25, 2013, 12:28:07 pm
Hello Brendan

I was born in London - never go there now - too noisy (london, not me)

The smileys....they'll get you in the end, y'know  :raining:
Title: Re: moved to the west country and loving it!
Post by: Possum on June 25, 2013, 01:05:07 pm
Oh goodness! It's not raining in Worcestshire is it?
Title: Re: moved to the west country and loving it!
Post by: plumseverywhere on June 25, 2013, 03:56:22 pm
Its trying to! Always when its goat milking time...school run time or hay time!!
Title: Re: moved to the west country and loving it!
Post by: Possum on June 25, 2013, 08:27:45 pm
Sorry to hear that. Somerset is currently enjoying fabulous warm and sunny weather. Will try and send some in your direction. :sunshine:
Title: Re: moved to the west country and loving it!
Post by: AndynJ on June 25, 2013, 08:56:21 pm
Always sunny in Dawlish, we had to pump water out of the tanks in February, the tanks are completely dry now. :sunshine:
Brendon, log cutting for the burner is brilliant :farmer:  great exercise and its free, we cut everything over 10mm dia just use it as kindling.
We have 7 cubic metres ready for this winter
Preparation is the key, bought 10kg of rat poison yesterday ready for September, starting to plan our planting program ready for next year, rotovated next years veggie plot today. :thumbsup:
collect as many anti vermin containers as you can, collect wooden pallets for kindling and making things compost bins, fences, log stores etc :relief:
Have you been to rendells at Newton Abbot yet, worth a visit. :idea:
Good luck, keep smiling  :hug:
 :wave: :thumbsup: :eyelashes: :fc: :excited: :thinking: :roflanim: :roflanim: :roflanim: :roflanim: :roflanim: :dunce:
Title: Re: moved to the west country and loving it!
Post by: Lesley Silvester on June 25, 2013, 10:41:59 pm
 :wave: welcome from  :sunshine: Cambridge although I actually live in dqually  :sunshine: Shropshire. Persoanlly I  :love: :) ;) :D ;D faces.  :-J :innocent: sure you will begin to soon.  :eyelashes:
Title: Re: moved to the west country and loving it!
Post by: TheSmilingSheep on June 26, 2013, 10:59:39 am
You are all making me smile!
But I've not yet succumbed to the little yellow people.....not yet....

Thanks for the enthusiasm for country life.... I'm being a bit wet and 'delegating' chain saw use and log cutting to the man of the house, but I'm embracing the other stuff - have become a proficient nettle puller!
London seems a huge distance away, and I don't miss anything to do with it.  I can't quite work out how I'm spending my time each day, but it all gets used up, with lots of pottering and pondering.... and taming sheep!... and worrying excessively about poorly hen (and reading way too much on the internet...)
Dawlish life sounds supremely well planned! This year's veg garden is quite an undertaking in itself, not sure I can plan one for 2014...
Off to cut the asparagus for a light lunch!