The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Community => Introduce yourself => Topic started by: Deanne on July 24, 2009, 11:39:33 pm
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I come from a subsistence hunting background, although my parents lived in a small town they eked out their/our living not only by working but by keeping an allotment with chickens, veg for the table, swop and sale and flowers to sell and show, ferrets kept our yorkshire puddings swimming in rabbit gravy, and sometimes a cade lamb came our way to be reared lovingly, mysteriously disappearing when it started to get a bit too big to be managed in the kitchen. Currently we have an "equestrian property" which we have decided to sell because although we live 3 miles from a shop and 1 mile from the nearest road, the equestrian neighbours do not like our chickens, our ferrets, our terriers, and regard the idea that we might get some sheep with utter horror.
Our property consists of a lovely old farm managers cottage, a shippon (we've removed most of the partitions and now call it a barn), a block of three stables and 3 acres of old turf. Originally we bought it to further my interests in connemara ponies, but as it happens, 7 years on, we have realised that we are actually not "equestrian property" people. The neighbours call us "allotment people", but I think that means we are smallholders! So we're looking for a more suitable property, where we can have some cades, or even our own ewes, a pig or two (maybe middlewhites, but my son likes kunekunes), and a bigger flock of poultry which would provide eggs to sell, at the moment our tiny flock of 10 only just serves us and lets us give a few away. The property would be ideal were it not for the two barn conversions that flank us and the original farmhouse at the back of us (now owned by people with no interest in the land at all).
Thats me anyhow, an ex connemara pony breeder, newbie border terrier breeder, aspiring pig, sheep and possibly polytunnel owner!
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Hi Deanne...welcome to TAS...changing your neighbours seems like a great idea...what a strange lot!
Farmer
:farmer:
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Hi welcome, sad fact of life, "country" dwellers and animals just dont mix. All that mud and poo dont you know!!!
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I really don't know why toonsers have to go out and ruin the countryside with their posh views. To my mind the countryside is where food is grown/reared - not where silly city people can go and pay daft prices so they can have horses. Surely they could accept that we all need to have our own interests and they are all different. it would be a sad old world if we all liked the same things.
Welcome to the forum Deanne, hope you get sorted soon, such a pity you've to leave a place you love for this stupid reason - I was in a similar position in my last home, and although my reasons for moving were not primarily because of a stupid neighbour I was so relieved to be away from him..
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Hello!
Where I live we get a lot of summer visitors, mainly passing through and it amazes me the number of times people say "its such a magical, beautiful place to live but it must be so tiresome with all the livestock" ????????!!!!!!!???? Not my livestock I add(don't think two sheep count ;D) I can only assume its tiresome for them keeping their dogs on leads whilst exploring the area. They don't seem to realise that centuries of farming, crofting have helped make the countryside and history here what it is. I find it a little sad that its these same people are those who can afford to buy the property around here to be used as very occasional second homes and let the ground, sometimes acres and acres, just turn to bracken, dock and ragwort. :(
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We're not really clear, as a society, about what the countryside is for ie food production. THis is because most people have got out of touch with their food and where it comes from. Successive governments have pandered to the notion that the prime purpose of the land is to provide a playground for the population at the expense of food production. Things may be on the turn though. And we have to keep trying to negage with people about food and its production.
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I have to admit that since I like horses, and like my dogs to have plenty of space to run free, I would favour a combined option - grazing land, agricultural land, and community land (fenced in and kept separate so that people, dogs and horses can't get hurt by traffic or machinery) I suppose that's too idealistic though.
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I like your idea doganjo,
People have always had to co-exist with really conflicting views of the world. I am lucky with my neighbours. By chance we have moved to a community where even the local farmers are supportive of a family trying to find their own way to produce their own food. Although we may have created a bit of a hippy style myth by sitting outside around a fire for the summer solstice. A neighbour commented on it the next day. Still, I'm glad that folk are friendly and different. If the immediate neighbours shared my world view, there would be fewer redcurrants to pick in the hedgerow. It would be great if we could foster mutual respect. It could go even further than that and we could exchange stuff.. I could give them eggs and they could give me money....(my neighbours clearly have too much judging by the cars they drive.)....
Actually it reminds me that we have asked the golden retiever walking neighbours to feel free to walk across our land. We have a problem with deer eating our newly planted trees and another dog smell may well deter them.
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If the country side becomes a no go area, before too long it will become a concrete jungle, as those who drive past on motorways dont recognise its value. Why fight for a strip of grass (full of bluebells in the spring) if you never see their beauty. There must be a compromise.
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Hello, not too long ago we made friends with a couple who moved up from London, they wanted the rural life and have it now but, when they first moved they wanted to put mud on their wellies and they bought a Range Rover to drive the 7 miles to the train station to go to work on the intercity train!!!! I found that funny, now they do have real mud!!!!! I enjoy the countryside so much, you can go out with the dogs or watch the chickens and Ducks and you forget any problems and enjoy them for what they are. I picked loads of Raspberries last night, 3 days ago loads of Bilberries and alway have a large bag of stuff from my walks...LOVE IT, welcome from me too!!!
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Hello and welcome!!
What a shame that your equestrian neighbours are like that. Do they not realise that the land their horses are now on was used for livestock, and other things prior to them turning it into "equestrian".
We have ponies - Dales and Fells - but would not call our farm equestrian. I deliberately keep the ponies elsewhere to enable me to keep my agricultrual status on the land. Cattle graze and we have sheep, goats, llama and a large free range flock of hens.
Sadly a lot of the farms here are being split and the house and a few acres sold for horsey people to buy. They arrive and then start going on about muck spreading smells, noisy cows, cockerels crowing.......but they are not happy if I tell them their kids are noisy!!!
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Welcome to the madhouse Deanne :P
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Hello and welcome to this forum.
Kindest regards
Joe :)
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Bored, Joe? ;D or just catching up? ;) Hope the back isn't too bad
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Doganjo you beat me to it!!! ;D
Hello and welcome to this forum.
Kindest regards
;D ;D ;D ;D
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Hello and welcome
Carole