The Accidental Smallholder Forum

Community => Introduce yourself => Topic started by: Maesgwyn on November 05, 2011, 01:53:57 pm

Title: hello from Carmarthenshire
Post by: Maesgwyn on November 05, 2011, 01:53:57 pm
Hello, my husband and i have moved from Hampshire over a year ago now to West Wales and have some land here, so far we have fenced one of the three fields and have poultry and pigs. We have been doing up an old house and still have quite a way to go as the place has not been lived in for five years and the land not really worked for 20 looking at the saplings that are now growing at least 60 away from the hedge line.
Julia
Title: Re: hello from Carmarthenshire
Post by: Rosemary on November 05, 2011, 04:23:49 pm
Hello  and welcome from sunny (well, it was) Carnoustie  :wave:

We moved to our place eighteen months ago, renovated the house (lived in but nothing done since about 1920  ::)) and we're working on the smallholding. Great fun and very satisfying  ;D
Title: Re: hello from Carmarthenshire
Post by: dyedinthewool on November 05, 2011, 08:54:54 pm
Hi Maesgwyn  :wave: :wave:

Welcome to a sometimes sunny Carmarthenshire - though we have morethan our fair share of the wet stuff.

There's lots of 'incomers' to West Wales on this forum - and lots of lovely people who help out us 'newbies' who ask daft  :P :P questions and get some very good advice back.

I know the feeling, we are the same - nothing been done on the holding for years ::) ::) I'm currently cutting back some more of the hedge thats about 15' out into the field. 

We've concentrated on building the extensions so far but still have the old house to renovate...
Title: Re: hello from Carmarthenshire
Post by: Jimbofish67 on November 05, 2011, 09:18:57 pm
Hello Maesgwyn

be interested to hear how you're doing, we have a similar task a head of us when we finally make our final move down to Wales. Old house and neglected land.
We'll almost be neighbours being just up the road on the edge of the Breacons.

Jimbofish
Title: Re: hello from Carmarthenshire
Post by: Plantoid on November 05, 2011, 09:24:50 pm
Hi Julie,

Like you we have brought in  improved breeding stock to the local populace . ;)

We came in from Cambridgeshire and live close to Ammanford.

 I don't work the land per see as I'm a physical ( and some days mental ) wreck but I do have a fair bit of experience in crop growing and have still managed to grow things via a big glasshouse and numerous raised 900 mm high beds done in engineering bricks & filled with a decent mix of stable muck , sharpe sand and brought in top soil,  as the soil here is about as much use as a chocolate tea pot .

 I've been dragged up as a farm labourers colt in the wilds of Lincolnshire since 1950 and had my own small mammal  farm and couple of acres to play with .

Happy to offer you any knowledge and experiences I have .

Have fun with clearing ..I had to remove over 90 trees with boles of over 10 inches  diameter and all the associated scrub on the place I had .

We kept anything over 1 & 1/2 inches thick for the wood burner , then used the rubbish , brambles and leaves etc to help  burn  the roots that we dragged out once they were fairly dry then used the ash as potash on the new veg and lawn areas.
Title: Re: hello from Carmarthenshire
Post by: Miss Piggy on November 05, 2011, 10:14:17 pm
Hi Julia, welcome from another West Wales smallholder. We are furher west, right on the coast at Cardigan Bay.
Title: Re: hello from Carmarthenshire
Post by: Cinderhills on November 06, 2011, 08:27:04 am
Hi and welcome from North Yorkshire.  :wave:
Title: Re: hello from Carmarthenshire
Post by: ballingall on November 06, 2011, 10:42:23 am
Hello and welcome from Central Scotland!

Beth
Title: Re: hello from Carmarthenshire
Post by: Blinkers on November 06, 2011, 10:59:55 am
Hiya Maesgwyn, from Carms/Pembs border (but then you know that ..  ;) ) :thumbsup: :wave:  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: hello from Carmarthenshire
Post by: Maesgwyn on November 06, 2011, 11:04:02 am
Wow what a welcome. miss Piggy where abouts on the Cardigan bay do you live? I am off to CCF and the supermarket tomorrow as that is our local 'big town' 
We concentrated on the house first as we like our creature comforts though things did not go as planned as we lived in a caravan through that very cold winter last year, frozen pipes etc, we are now in the house but still surrounded by building work and the mud that goes with it! We have three fields and are fencing one at a time, bar the lack of polly tunnel we have reached all our targets for our first year which is pleasing, now the nights are drawing in we can concentrate on the inside of the house again.
It has been a very steep learning curve but fun at times, my spinning keeps me sane!
Julia
Title: Re: hello from Carmarthenshire
Post by: kaz on November 06, 2011, 12:38:04 pm
Hi & welcome. I'm a bit further up the Cardigan bay coast 10 miles away from Aberystwyth. :wave:
Title: Re: hello from Carmarthenshire
Post by: Maesgwyn on November 06, 2011, 03:21:48 pm
Kaz I belong to the Ceredigion Weavers Spinners and Dyers guild that meet in the school hall at Aberaeron so come up your way once a month, there seems to be quite a few of us on here that live this far west.
Title: Re: hello from Carmarthenshire
Post by: Bionic on November 06, 2011, 03:55:07 pm
Kaz, Maesgwyn,

I am hoping to move to the same area in Jan. I wasn't aware of the Ceredigion Weavers Spinners and Dyers previously but will no doubt see you there once I get settled in

Sally.
Title: Re: hello from Carmarthenshire
Post by: digit on November 06, 2011, 05:15:10 pm
Hi and welcome from  Nr Swansea  :wave:
Title: Re: hello from Carmarthenshire
Post by: little blue on November 06, 2011, 06:51:21 pm
hello and welcome :wave:
Title: Re: hello from Carmarthenshire
Post by: Lesley Silvester on November 06, 2011, 11:30:28 pm
 :wave:  Hi and welcome from sunny Shropshire.  Not that far from Wales.
Title: Re: hello from Carmarthenshire
Post by: Violetsprite on November 07, 2011, 09:51:50 am
Hello Maesgwyn - we also moved from Hampshire to the Brecon Beacons - we're bracing ourselves for winter with the first frost this morning - if it snows here we can be snowed in for up to 2 weeks. This forum is great for advice & everyone is so welcoming. Good luck with your ventures!
Title: Re: hello from Carmarthenshire
Post by: Maesgwyn on November 08, 2011, 08:26:52 am
if it snows here we are 'snowed' in because the CC do not salt the roads and there are hills between here and town which is only three miles away, some of the villagers end up walking in to the shops, 4x4s work as long as others have not hogged to road by not being able to get up the hills! After last year I am dreading the frozen water containers and pipes.
Title: Re: hello from Carmarthenshire
Post by: wendy on November 10, 2011, 10:21:24 pm
hello from Norfolk :wave:
hoping to move to either wales or scotland both have apeal to me not sure which way to go :-\
It will be my last move into retierment from a 6 acre smallholding to somthing smaller with a view.
But still enough room for veg and chickens....... ;)
Title: Re: hello from Carmarthenshire
Post by: wendy on November 11, 2011, 10:31:56 pm
 :wave:Hi and welcome
I too would love to move to wales carms pembs brecons areas
good luck :thumbsup:
Title: Re: hello from Carmarthenshire
Post by: Miss Piggy on November 13, 2011, 09:09:59 pm
Hi Julia,
Sorry, I have been away for a few days and only just logged on to see your question. We are just 5 miles north of Cardigan. Is that where you shop? If so you really cant be far away. I'm not a spinner although it is something I would love to learn to do. There are so many things I would love to do but the days are just not long enough, evening comes around to quickly.
Best wishes Anne
Title: Re: hello from Carmarthenshire
Post by: Lesley Silvester on November 15, 2011, 10:54:44 pm
I've just got back from a long weekend in Cwmtydu.  What a beautiful part of the world to live in.
Title: Re: hello from Carmarthenshire
Post by: Miss Piggy on November 18, 2011, 02:10:09 pm
Hi, pleasant Goatlady of Madley, doesn't seem right calling you mad goatwoman. You are right it is a lovely part of the world, we are only a few miles down coast from Cwmtydu. So glad you had a goodtime. We are so lucky beautiful countryside and the beautiful coast and beaches all rolled into one.  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: hello from Carmarthenshire
Post by: littlelugs on November 20, 2011, 08:36:56 pm
Hi, from brynaman, we just moved here to our first proper smallholding, all the best for the future  :farmer:
Lea
Title: Re: hello from Carmarthenshire
Post by: Lesley Silvester on November 20, 2011, 11:37:31 pm
Hi, pleasant Goatlady of Madley, doesn't seem right calling you mad goatwoman.

Thank you but how many sane people keep goats in the back garden of an ex-council house and bring them into the conservatory for milking?   ;D
Title: Re: hello from Carmarthenshire
Post by: Plantoid on November 21, 2011, 12:44:06 am
I thought all goat herders  did it like that MGWoM  ;)