[Blueeyes]

Hiya all,  just thought I'd introduce myself and my family, I'm a 35yr old married mum with a 7yr old daughter and with a hard working hubby.

We are living in a 4 bed bungalow with a cpl of acres of land and best of all no neighbours!!! We moved here a year ago and bought it as our daughter is in a wheelchair and wanted some more independence and at 7yrs old it was getting harder carrying her up and down stairs! The land was basically a bonus, I am a proper city girl who at 35 yrs old still enjoys lunching with the girls and nights out and so was unsure how I'd manage. Fast forward a year and we now have a dog   , a rabbit   , 2 Shetland ponies      , 6 Shetland sheep    , and will have ducks    by the end of the week- everyone is amazed, I'm in wellies as often as in high heels     and yep I'm loving it  

I really consider us accidental smallholders as we've never planned this, or to be honest even wanted it, but we wouldn't change it for anything, we've grown all our own fruit and veg and also enough to keep all friends and family going, the only thing we don't do is eat our animals    we consider everything we get as additions to our family and so will be with us till their natural end! 

I'm lucky I guess as I don't work (though my hubby works enough for 3 ppl, but still manages to be at home lots!) so I basically get to enjoy our country life, playing with the animals and having friends over to visit, as they all like to see what we've got up to recently! 

We like a few of you bought and sold a couple of properties well and managed to achieve this, there's a lot to be done on the house and land, and I didnt realise how much  continual maintenance is needed, but we can see the end picture, living the good life in a house designed for our needs and with only the sounds of wildlife to accompany us!

I love reading all of your posts and advice and often have a giggle at what you guys are getting up to, it's a fab forum and as newbies to this life we are needing every bit of info and advice available so thanks to you all! 

Xxxxx

[calamityjane]

hi i'm new to here too love all the advice and tips on here i have 6 ponies but last year we hand reared 3 lambs sadly no longer with us this year we have 15 lambs 6 pigs love them very funny and loving and we expanded by getting hens they are free range loving the hens and the eggs kinda slowed down lately and we also have ducks if we can get more fields hope to get  a cow or two next yearlol lambs are moving soon into another field the joys of catching and moving them what fun

[faith0504]

hi and welcome from moray 

[Blueeyes]

Thanks to both of you, seems from reading these posts that this is all slightly addictive, most people start small then just seem to keep getting more & more animals  my hubby keeps coverting a field adjacent to our land and hopes to one day buy it from the farmer and put half of it back to woodland, not sure how easy it is though to persuade farmers to part with land 

Nice to know though that we arnt the only mad people doing this kind of thing!!!

Xxx

[Rosemary]

Hi and welcome from Carnoustie 

[little blue]

hello and welcome ...yes this way of life is definitely addictive however large or small a holding!

[Sandy]

  Hello, its chilly here tonight, well in my house its chilly. I only keep chickens and did have DUcks, I love forrageing and so do my 4 Labs, welcome from me in Clackmannannannanan!!

[melodrama]

Hello from Forfar 

[Beewyched]

Hi & welcome from West Scotland 

[plumseverywhere]

   Hello, I'm in Worcestershire where I live with hubby, 4 young children, disabled mum, 2 goats    14 chickens    7 bottle lambs  lionlop bunnies  and a strange parrot!  we moved here 2 years ago as the layout was better for mum in her wheelchair and because we'd out grown our last house which had a diddy garden.
Smallholding is addictive! I've gone from being a nurse manager in a London hospital to keeping livestock, living in wellies and making a small business from producing goats milk soap.  I found that I've gone from looking at nice packaging on supermarket shelves to examining whats growing in the hedgerows in order to make meals and pud's!
Lovely lifestyle for your daughter to grow up in too    welcome to TAS ! x 

[Millwood]

a small business from producing goats milk soap.

Wow your stuff looks fab, I've just ordered a couple of bars, or should that be baaaaas?!

Oh & welcome to the forum Blueeyes I often spend my breakfast time catching up with posts in here, and sometimes end up late letting the chooks out!

[Miss Piggy]

Hi Blueeyes, so glad your enjoying the countrylife, you cant beat it, never lived in the city or even a town though but I would change my life on a smallholding for anything. Hard work but such fun, no two days the same. We are in ceredigion, West Wales.

[plumseverywhere]

a small business from producing goats milk soap.

Wow your stuff looks fab, I've just ordered a couple of bars, or should that be baaaaas?!

Thanks for the order! will get it out to you tomorrow 

[Blueeyes]

Wow plumseverywhere your soaps look fab! ESP like the duck one sooo cute!!!

Thanks all for your  nice to read what very ones doing and how people live their lives!

Xxx

[Bright Raven]

Hi Blueeyes, welcome to the funny farm, TAS folks are helpful so ask away, there are loads of tips and pointers on just about every smallholding issue if you backtrack through the forums. There is a thread somewhere in the coffee lounge on members occupations. It makes for fun and interesting reading. I also come here if I have a problem with my animals and I need a bit of reassurance.