Author Topic: New Member  (Read 4251 times)

CrookedJock

  • Joined Oct 2012
    • slipperfieldcroft.co.uk
New Member
« on: October 01, 2012, 10:40:42 am »
 :wave: Hi! I don't exactly know why it has taken us so long to get round to becoming a member, we have surfed the site many times over the past few years, but following the fantastic festival in Forfar on Sunday, we have finally gotten around to it.
My wife and I are based in the lovely conservation village of West Linton, Peebleshire, Scottish Borders and have owned 36acres on the edge of the village for just over two years now. So far we have been working hard to improve the ground as it was left fallow for many years (and some nice person left tons of old wrapped haylage bales to rot and spread fragment of black polythene everywhere!). We have been clearing out drainage ditches, working on flood management (very glad we did this after such a wet year!), repairing and resurfacing tracks, fencing (about 1km by hand), ploughing, harrowing and resowing mixed grasses. We now have 12acres of great grazing with another 12acres of improved grazing. The remaining 12acres is of peat bog, mixed woodland and river margin.
To date we have established a flock of Registered Hebridean Sheep, Clydesdale & Cob horses, some chickens and are looking to get some Belted Galloway Cows soon. It has been a steep learning curve and we are only just at the start!
We loved the Festival in Forfar at the weekend and are very much looking forward to next years. I would love to bring some of my Hebrideans along then and get more involved.
Thanks to everyone involved in setting the festival up.
JRJames

Ina

  • Joined Feb 2012
  • South Aberdeenshire
Re: New Member
« Reply #1 on: October 01, 2012, 11:27:14 am »
Sounds a great set up - welcome to TAS (from somebody who is only a would-be smallholder... still dreaming!). I agree - Forfar was fantastic.

Currently pondering

  • Joined Oct 2012
Re: New Member
« Reply #2 on: October 01, 2012, 02:04:01 pm »
My husband and I went to the Forfar show yesterday as we are in the infacny of looking into buying our own smallholding.  I would agree that the show was fantastic and the demonstrations expecially were really useful and more than one person told us about the accidentalsmallholder website and so here we are.    Although I am slightly terrified by the idea, I basically grew up on farms in Fife but have been a city dweller and an accountant for a number of years now but the fact remains that I'm never happier than when I go back to visit family in Fife and get out of the city limits.

Any advice would be appreciated in how to make the transition.  :wave:


HappyHippy

  • Guest
Re: New Member
« Reply #3 on: October 01, 2012, 02:15:20 pm »
Hello and welcome to TAS  :wave:

Glad you enjoyed the festival  :excited:
Can't wait til next year, eh Rosemary  :excited: :excited: :excited:

Lesley Silvester

  • Joined Sep 2011
  • Telford
Re: New Member
« Reply #4 on: October 01, 2012, 09:10:59 pm »
Hi Crooked Jock and welcome to TAS from  :sunshine: Shropshire (in between the clouds).  Sounds like you know what hard work is about.  Look forward to hearing more about your venture as time goes on.

Big Light

  • Joined Aug 2011
    • Facebook
Re: New Member
« Reply #5 on: October 01, 2012, 10:23:06 pm »
Welcome to TAS from Kinross-shire from a fellow Heb keeper

Rosemary

  • Joined Oct 2007
  • Barry, Angus, Scotland
    • The Accidental Smallholder
Re: New Member
« Reply #6 on: October 02, 2012, 11:17:25 am »
Hello and welcome from a very tired Accidental Event Organiser  ;D Hope we meet up soon.

SallyintNorth

  • Joined Feb 2011
  • Cornwall
  • Rarely short of an opinion but I mean well
    • Trelay Cohousing Community
Re: New Member
« Reply #7 on: October 05, 2012, 08:49:03 am »
Welcome to CrookedJock  :wave: from north Cumbria.


Although I am slightly terrified by the idea, I basically grew up on farms in Fife but have been a city dweller and an accountant for a number of years now but the fact remains that I'm never happier than when I go back to visit family in Fife and get out of the city limits.

Any advice would be appreciated in how to make the transition.  :wave:
Well, it isn't for everyone, Cp, but before taking the final plunge, I WWOOFed to get some more and varied experience, to help me know what I really wanted to be doing and to get started on gaining some skills and experience that were lacking.

Ten years ago I was running 'cross-functional business projects' for a well-known telecomms giant, and now I'm a Cumbrian farmer :farmer: 

And in answer to your next question, "Not a bit."  ;D
Don't listen to the money men - they know the price of everything and the value of nothing

Live in a cohousing community with small farm for our own use.  Dairy cows (rearing their own calves for beef), pigs, sheep for meat and fleece, ducks and hens for eggs, veg and fruit growing

Tiva Diva

  • Joined Mar 2011
  • Scottish Borders
    • Thornielee Cottage
Re: New Member
« Reply #8 on: October 05, 2012, 09:23:17 am »
Hi Jock, we're quite near you, at Thornielee between Peebles and Gala. Like you, we've had to put a lot of energy (and money) into neglected land. Perhaps we could meet up sometime!

darkbrowneggs

  • Joined Aug 2010
    • The World is My Lobster
Re: New Member
« Reply #9 on: October 05, 2012, 09:26:17 am »
Hi there - and welcome  :wave:  from wet wet wet Worcestershire  :gloomy:
To follow my travel journal see http://www.theworldismylobster.org.uk

For lots of info about Marans and how to breed and look after them see www.darkbrowneggs.info

lachlanandmarcus

  • Joined Aug 2010
  • Aberdeenshire
Re: New Member
« Reply #10 on: October 05, 2012, 09:42:24 am »
Hi there to both newbies! (well newbies on here anyway!) from Royal Deeside near Aboyne.
Im not sure how one makes transitions other than in a big leap....or at least several medium leaps.
I ran away from Big Corporate Life - decided after OH lost his mum that life was too short to wish I had done it and not got round to it.
Im (much!) poorer now in some ways and have no holidays but really, in heaven.

lachlanandmarcus

  • Joined Aug 2010
  • Aberdeenshire
Re: New Member
« Reply #11 on: October 05, 2012, 09:43:19 am »
BTW Crooked Jock I think we NEED photos of the Clydies pronto...... :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :horse: :horse: :horse: :horse: :horse: :thumbsup:

Mammyshaz

  • Joined Feb 2012
  • Durham
Re: New Member
« Reply #12 on: October 10, 2012, 07:58:50 pm »
Hello and welcome from durham  :wave:

jaykay

  • Joined Aug 2012
  • Cumbria/N Yorks border
Re: New Member
« Reply #13 on: October 11, 2012, 06:11:51 am »
Hi from Cumbria  :wave:

 

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