18 replies to this topic

[j and H]

Well this weather is certainly putting a lot of us through the mill, 

after reading a few members stories, i'm glad i bought a slope, 

how are you all coping….plenty of mud for us, thankfully no flooding 

[Greenbeast]

Tonight was my best time at the farm in weeks. Dry, clear sky, just cool enough to keep me from overheating while i worked. A stark contrast to this morning where i got soaked through to my underwear

[adrian007]

Surface mud in walking zones, or where the ground got a bit mashed from the electrical connection. There is water in the trench that will become a track one day - just need the cash at the same time as it is dry!

 

All else is fine.

 

Oh, being in a caravan, on top of a hill ... not just any hill, the hill that protects Bodmin Moor from the worst of the weather coming off the Atlantic ... that is exciting in the wind!

[Greenbeast]

 

 

Oh, being in a caravan, on top of a hill ... not just any hill, the hill that protects Bodmin Moor from the worst of the weather coming off the Atlantic ... that is exciting in the wind!

hehe

 

we're lucky to be much more sheltered, we've sited the caravan in a field of a bout 1.5ac that is bordered by trees on S/E/W and by our woodland to the north

It is a fairly windy site in general but the treelines break the worst of it before getting to the caravan

[shepherdscove]

I've been getting a bit battered, caravan's been rocking, lol. We've ended up getting the drive done: dug out and small stones laid on top, earlier than we'd anticipated because the track leading to the yard (where our barns and caravans are) was getting unbearable and almost impassable! Funny how the jobs you assume would be top of the list get pushed back when the unexpected happens! Had to bring the sheep in too because it's just so muddy and their feet were starting to suffer. The pigs however,just love it. They have some grass still but tend to ignore that and mooch in the mud!

[j and H]

We have had a few important job changes, we where going to build a porch for the caravan, as we are going from mud to caravan..but the goat house had a leak, so new roof was erected,

the carpet can always be changed in warmer and dryer  weather…the animals come 1st, we are still dry and warm enough...

 

been lucky with the wind…as we sited the caravan in a dip, and its protected against most winds…the track to the caravan is a quagmire, but that will have to wait until it dries out a bit, i need to build a small 12ft x 9ft barn type building as the goat will kid in 3 weeks….

[tonydockers]

Wet

[shepherdscove]

Ah Tony, I really feel for you. I know how much, financially and emotionally you are putting into your property, to make it habitable and safe for your family and animals. You'll come good, after all your efforts it just has to be. Hang in there!

[shepherdscove]

the carpet can always be changed in warmer and dryer  weather…the animals come 1st, we are still dry and warm enough...
 
True enough, and good call! Will you move out of the caravan, do you have plans for another home?

[j and H]

if all goes to plan…but that will boil down to how much work and how successful the business becomes….its a hard route, and so it should be, 

if it wasn't, every rich person would be buying land and building on it

 

a little farm house on a working farm is our dream….and thats down to us to achieve it

[Tom Bombadil]

It had been very bad. Not for our land, but for us dwellers upon it. I recommend sandbags to divert rather than trenches like we dug.

Our caravan is on a slight slope and we trenched above and around it. But the roof just collects and directs it at the edges and it all just flipping puddles. What i plan to do next is to have a large tarp, sloping down to the stream (if we go back before spring). The wind is strong but we are sheltered it seems.

For the town down in the valley, it seems that they too had it bad and some flooding happened a mile or so away. I kept an eye on the area as I sat at home in the dry, kinda feeling guilty not being there able to help...it is my town now too!

[Sunnysouthdevon]

Tom how far away is your ground from were you live? When do you think you will be taking the leap and moving closer to it?

[Tom Bombadil]

We live in London, some 250 miles away.

We are preparing it for when we move to Wales in the summer after the schools break up.
We will rent local for a year and then get to it.

[Sunnysouthdevon]

Crikey I didn't realise you were so far away.....

[Tom Bombadil]

Its all in the diary section.

Its far away if we lived on it yet, but we dont, so what-ho!

We have long term plans, and we are patient!

Loads can be done at long weekends, or during my hols, and at the moment, it is still exiting.
Animals are another matter of course, but planting of long term trees, herbs, walls and fences and hard standings and gates etc etc etc.

If we were starting the business up today, then yes we would have to be there now, but my job at home here is too good to just drop right now. We can do both.

[Sunnysouthdevon]

When/ if mine goes threw I will only have long weekends/ holidays for the time being but I only live 15 mins away so evenings will be utilised aswell.... I plan to stay employed at my current job but cut it down to 3 possibly 4 days a week and the rest of the time building the business/ farm

[shepherdscove]

Good luck to you all. It sounds as though we all have a few challenges yet we're excited about facing..and beating them if we can (not the weather obviously, but we can find ways round,like Tom's tarp idea!) we've had to bring our sheep in even though we have an abundance of good grass, but their feet were suffering. Our pigs just love the mud so they're OK. Our poultry section is due next but I'm having a slight problem with the fencing ATM. Should be ready by end Jan. And we have our new (very old) mobile home coming soon. That will make life a whole lot easier as it'll have a bit of heating and (probably most exciting of all), a shed which sits rights outside, butted up and can be the boot room..no more mud indoors, yay!
As I type this I can see the breath coming out of my mouth!
Have a fabulous, exciting day everyone!

[j and H]

lovely ground frost this morning, that made life a lot easier to get around, the ground is solid ….

just thinking about adding a porch to the caravan, a boot room would be very handy, but like most things…something always comes up that is far more important…just building a temp shed for the goat to kid, 

[shepherdscove]

We were incredibly lucky (?) we found our piece of paradise that already had barns and outbuildings on. So that's one headache and expense we don't have to face. Still, there's always something which needs to be bought. Just before Christmas we bought a chicken coop, and had to buy straw. The coop was too big for the car so I managed to find a friend with a pick up. And to have straw/hay delivered was quite expensive (well maybe the cost wasn't big but it seemed an unnecessary expense). So we forked out for a trailer. Long term it will pay for itself, already is in that we've used it several times. Second hand and nothing fancy but it does the job. Naively, I thought farming would be buying animals??!!!!
Had the sheep (sheep's, sheeps?) feet checked today, nothing bad thank goodness. They looked in pretty bad shape to me but apparently, everyone's feet (just animals?!) aren't great at this time of year and with this much mud. So they can go back in the field. What we thought was a pregnant ewe because she got so large so quick, turns out it's just her fleece springing back into full shape from drying out! Still a possibility of the three ewes having lambs, just a bit early to tell. We bought them having already been in with the tup twice. raddle markings weren't that clear so we are guessing either 1st week March, 3rd week.. or 1st week April!