Living The Dream

This is in blog format with the latest date first

Guinea Fowl, Monday 9th January 2012

The Guinea Fowl have grown a lot since November and were looking a bit cramped in their house. We were a bit anxious about letting them outside with the others as we had read that they might just fly away. Anyway, this weekend we gave them a taste of freedom and they are quite content to wander around the field. It is rather sweet as all nine of them go around together. No obvious signs yet if they are male or female.

The ducks have been very good layers and we have had 2 eggs a day from them for months. They are very good eggs to make cakes with. We get 2 eggs a day from the other chickens aswell. Two of the Wyandottes are cockrels but they seem to get along ok together at the moment. 

Happy New Year

We would like to wish a Happy New Year to all of our blog readers.

More Hatchings, Thursday 3rd November 2011

The incubator has been well used. We have 4 more Wyandotte chicks, who were born on 24th August.They are out in the chicken house with all of the others.It took a few days for the pecking order to be sorted out but they are getting on well together.

We have also hatched 9 Guinea Fowl chicks. They are 6 weeks old and are in the brooder in the chicken house. It is a bit cramped in there so we will be moving them into their brand new house at the weekend. The incubator can have a rest now until next Spring. I quite fancy hatching some ducklings but we will see.

As yet, we don't know the sex of all the chicks we have hatched so far. I will let you know once we find out.

About 4 weeks ago we realised that the Welsummer hen we had bought and named Emma needed to be re-named as it is a cockerel. He is now called Eamon. I think his crowing adds some atmosphere to Rossland.

Guinea pigs, Saturday 21st August 2011

We now have 2 female Guinea Pigs aged 9 weeks old. We have named them Rosie and Poppy. Jamie has been using his carpentry skills again to make them a lovely house and also a run for outside. They are a little shy at the moment but they are getting used to their new home.

Wyandotte chicks, Monday 15th August 2011

We have bought a small incubator and successfully hatched 2 Wyandotte chicks. They are 2 weeks old and already growing a lot of feathers. They will be in their brooder until they are 8 weeks old and then they can join the other chickens.

Jam, Monday 27th June 2011

The gooseberry and blackcurrant bushes have produced loads of berries. I have picked them all and made Blackurrant jam and Gooseberry and Elderflower jam. The broad bean harvest was not so good. We only had enough for one meal for the 2 of us!! 

Ducks, Tuesday 20th June 2011

We bought 2 white ducks a week ago and have been busy putting up a fence for the chickens and ducks so they are nearer to the buildings. Jamie has built them a very smart duck house. As you can see they love going in their green plastic turtle pool!! 

Hot air balloon, Tuesday 14th June 2011

We had a lovely surprise early this morning as a hot air balloon landed a few fields away.

Chicken update, Thursday, 8th June 2011

Unfortunately, it was not such a good idea that the chickens ventured right across the orchard as a fox took Speckledy away this afternoon. It was about 4 in the afternoon and I had only just been out to check on them. I suppose we have been lucky up to now.

Chickens, Tuesday 7th June 2011

The chickens are all getting along very well and the new ones are growing fast. They venture out right across the orchard.

Barn Door, Thursday 26th May 2011

We have had a double glazed door fitted at the back of the Barn and it is a vast improvement on the old one. It lets in a lot of light and keeps out the wind!

New chickens, Saturday 21st May 2011

Last weekend we bought 5 new chickens. They are between 8 and 11 weeks old and very cute. We have 2 Light Sussex, 2 Buff Orpingtons and a Wyandotte. The original 3 hens have accepted the new arrivals very quickly although the pecking order is being established by Speckledy. 

Magnolia, Saturday 7th May 2011

Inspired by a recent visit to Caerhays Castle and Gardens we have bought (well Mum treated us) a Magnolia for the front garden. Hopefully, it will be able to survive the windy weather we get here.

The chickens like to get involved when I am gardening and do a very good job of breaking up turfs. As you can see we only have 3 hens left now.

Barn flooring, Wednesday 4th May 2011

We have taken out the old carpet and lino in the Barn and had wood effect vinyl flooring fitted. It looks very good.

Greenfingers, Thursday 28th April 2011

Everything seems to be growing well due to the lovely sunny spring weather.

Herb bed, Saturday 23rd April 2011

The tulips have grown and look rather pretty in the herb garden.

Horses, Monday 18th April 2011

We have some very nosy neighbours!

Woodburner, Sunday 27th February 2011

As you can see from the photograhs the animals love lazing in front of the fire. They all get on really well together now.

Chimney, Tuesday 2nd February 2011

The Barn has a shiny new chimney fitted and is working much more efficiently now. The old chimney was obviously home made. "Cornish Chimneys" had never seen anything like it before! It isn't surprising that it didn't work very well. Another job done!!!

Dog Training, Saturday 22nd January 2011

Mawgan is doing very well at his "sitting under a pub table" training. We have enjoyed some lovely walks on cliff tops watching the rough seas. We have also enjoyed going into a pub with Mawgan afterwards and warming up by the fire with a drink.

Our generous neighbours gave us some beautiful and tasty Pheasants, Woodcocks and Teal recently. Jamie did very well plucking and preparing them and we had a very tasty game casserole.

Happy New Year 2011

We would like to wish all of our Blog readers a very happy new year.

We had a lovely family Christmas here at Rossland with Daniel, Caroline , Simon, Sarah, Amy and Michael. The weather has been rather severe and we were very pleased that everyone managed to make it here (and home again safely). 

The past few months have been spent looking after the animals, planning the vegetable beds for 2011 and keeping warm by the log burner. I also painted the kitchen. I have felt as if I have hibernated at times but this illusion was shattered when I had to venture out to walk Mawgan. All six hens are doing well but we are only getting one egg a day at the moment. I refuse to buy eggs from the shop so we manage with our limited supply. The cats have been spending a lot of their time indoors watching the birds out of the window.  

There are signs that Spring is on it's way. I planted dozens of snowdrops, daffodils and tulips in October and they are starting to appear. I am looking forward to improving the meadow area in the field in the Spring. I think it will involve some serious digging but I have already bought a big bag of meadow seed so I will have to  go ahead.  

Hens, Friday 24th September 2010

The hens are looking very healthy and happy but we are lucky if we get 2 eggs a day at the moment. They have been laying regularly since we got them so perhaps they need a little rest! 

Tidying up, Wednesday, 22nd September 2010

I have been busy outside having an autumnal tidy up in the vegetable plot and gardens. We had the last of our many marrows, which were delicious stuffed with sausage meat and baked.

Brewing, Saturday, 18th September 2010

Jamie has been busy brewing Cider, Wine and Beer. The wine was made from the abundant crop of local blackberries. It is all merrily bubbling away in the spare bedroom at the moment. I have made my first batch of Chutney. The only bad things is we have to wait 6 weeks before we can eat it!! 

Mawgan, Thursday 16th September 2010

Mawgan has completed a 6 week training course at the local RSPCA centre, with us! He has another certificate but is still rather lively. It obviously just goes with the breed. He is incredibly attentive when he is being offered some special homemade liver cake though!! I do wonder if he is training us!!

Jam making, Thursday, 22nd July 2010

I have been busy making jam. The first batch was Gooseberry and Elderflower jam followed by blackcurrant jam. I am going to make some Lemon and Honey Marmalade next followed by plain Orange Marmalade. This is sadly not all from produce from our fields. Although it has been sunny it is not quite hot enough to grow our own oranges. We do have a couple of olive trees!! My next project is to make rhubarb chutney. I have also grown a lot of berlotti beans. I am sure Jamie can make us something tasty with them.

Front garden - Sunday, 11th July 2010

The cottagey front garden is looking good.

New neighbours - Friday, 2nd July 2010

The farmer has put 8 cows in the field opposite our house. They are very entertaining as they keep climbing up on the Cornish hedges and one evening they escaped and ate all of one of our neighbour's field of onions and cabbages. As you can see from the photo Gizmo is keeping a close eye on them. 

Outhouse - Wednesday, 26th May 2010

We have cleaned and painted inside the outhouse and plumbed in a washing machine. It was quite a step up to it so we have put in some stone steps.

Mawgan's birthday - Monday, 24th May 2010

Mawgan is 1 year old today. He enjoys his walks as much as ever. This is a photo of him with Jamie taken recently in the Luxulyan Valley.

Happy hens - Sunday, 16th May 2010

The chickens are making the most of their freedom and love wandering around the Orchard.  Recently they seem to show an aptitude for line dancing!

Seating area - Monday, 3rd May 2010

We have rendered and painted the wall outside the Barn and planted a flower bed. Hopefully, our guests will find it a nice spot to sit out in.

Swallows - Sunday, 25th April 2010

We are really pleased to see the Swallows back here for the summer. It is so lovely to see them swooping around and nesting in our garage.   

The Field - Tuesday, 16th March 2010

We have had a few weeks of dry weather. Rainy weather was forecast so I took the opportunity to give the field it's first mow of the year. It looks lush and green again. I have dug a new bed for the potatoes and I am just waiting for them to chit before I plant them next month. I have also planted some shrubs next to the vegetable patch so that we can have a small garden area. I have had to put a little fence around these too as the chickens wanted to dig in the soil around them.

Mawgan has been enjoying trips to the beach at the weekends and also loves travelling in the car.

Vegetable Patch - Wednesday, 3rd March 2010

The weather has been fine recently and I have been able to do some work on the vegetable patch. I have moved the soft fruit plants out into the field and also added some more. We now have a rhubarb patch in the field too and my next task is to dig a new bed for potatoes. I have sown lots of vegetable seeds and I think the vegetable patch looks much better than last year already.

The chickens were very keen to "help" me so I have had to put a small chicken wire fence around the vegetable patch to keep them out.

New Year 2010 - Sunday, 3rd January 2010

Everyone at Rossland wishes all of our blog readers:

A very Happy New Year!

Chickens - Thursday, 17th December 2009

We have had the chickens a month now and I am very pleased to say we still have 8. They are really lovely and relaxing to watch and are laying 5 eggs a day at the moment. We have had some beautiful sunny days recently and we have been letting them out in the field. I have been on scarecrow duty as there are buzzards about. 

Chickens - Monday, 16th November 2009

We finally collected 8 ex-battery hens from the RSPCA today. They have a lot more feathers than we expected. They are in the big barn with their hen house and seem happy to be here.

Bamboo - Wednesday, 11th November 2009

I have planted a Bamboo hedge around part of the vegetable patch to give some protection from the wind. The bamboo in the Church grounds had spread a lot this year and they kindly let me dig up 29 seven foot tall off-shoots. It was worth the struggle!! I have planted fourteen of them and may add some more later on. I will see how the hedge survives over the Winter.

Vegetables - Tuesday, 3rd November 2009

I spent a lovely morning inside by the fire today browsing through vegetable catalogues and ordering plants and seeds for next year. I also worked out a planting scheme.  

The Barn is finished - Saturday, 19th September 2009

The builders finished the Barn today and it looks very good. A nice new roof on the outhouse and a new wall and door for the workshop.

The Builders arrive - Monday, 14th September 2009

Work began today on the Barn. We are having it rendered, which should seal it up and make it weather tight. We are having it painted the same colours as the house, which should look rather smart. The builders are also building a wall at the end of the workshop giving the Barn it's own outside space and also will open up the view from the Barn.  

RSPCA visit - Friday, 11th September 2009

We had a visit from the RSPCA today to see if we were suitable to re-home some ex-battery hens. The Hen House Jamie has built passed with flying colours and the Orchard is suitable as their daytime outdoor space. They will not have the hens in until October but it is only a couple of weeks to wait. 

Amy arrives in Cornwall - Tuesday, 8th September 2009

Amy has come to live with us in Cornwall. She adores Mawgan, of course and is looking forward to some long walks once he is older. 

Mawgan goes to school - Monday, 7th September 2009

We took Mawgan to the first session of a 7 week long Puppy training class at Smarty Paws. He was a bit overwhelmed to be with 9 other puppies but so were the others. We began with learning Sit, Down and Stand and our homework for next week is to practice these.  It seems a bit like receiving the instruction manual a couple of months after your purchase! He loved being given tiny bits of cheese and sausage as rewards.  

Mawgan and the cats get on fairly well together, especially when Daddy is giving them all treats in the evening. Kissy and Gizmo follow in the mornings when Mawgan is taken for his walk to the church. It is a comical sight.

Vegetable Patch - Sunday, 30th August 2009

The poor vegetable patch has been a bit neglected since Mawgan's arrival. We have Potatoes and Sweetcorn still growing and have grown lots of carrots, some in rather strange shapes!

Mawgan Ronaldo - Wednesday, 5th August 2009

Mawgan is quite a keen footballer as it turns out!

Soft Fruit Patch - Thursday, 23rd July 2009

Everything in the soft fruit patch is ripe at the same time. We had a few more raspberries and some blackcurrants, which we ate with cream. The gooseberries were very succesful and I have just made a batch of gooseberry Jam. I have spent the afternoon tying in the new raspberry canes. It was very therapeutic.

Mawgan arrives at Rossland - Tuesday, 14 July 2009

We collected Mawgan from a breeder today. He was born on 24th May 2009 and is a liver coloured Springer Spaniel. We are looking forward to getting to know him and hope that he gets on well with the cats.  

The Rendered and Painted House - Sunday, 12 July 2009

Having read back through the blog, we realised that we had not put up a picture of the outside of the house after it was completed last year, so here goes.....

And here is the front garden:

On the way to self-sufficiency? - Sunday, 5 July 2009

We had a fantastic meal this evening. We ate broad beans, new potatoes and peas from the vegetable patch. The trout we had with it was kindly donated by a friendly neighbour and was caught in a lake about 15 miles away. For dessert we had our home grown raspberries with cornish cream. Bliss! The vegetable patch is really thriving and I have learnt so much from my first year mistakes. I can see a lot more digging in the very near future. The orchard is not exactly bursting with fruit but the trees are all still alive and will, hopefully, produce more fruit next year when they are a bit bigger.

The vegetable plot:

And the orchard:

Progress in the Vegetable Patch - Monday, 1 June 2009

After several weekends of hard work we have put up a 50 metre long "rabbit proof fence". We have  planted out the vegetable patch and made "tee pees" for the runner beans out of bamboo canes. We have also built a framework for the peas and broad beans to climb. It looks like a proper vegetable patch and we have harvested our first radishes. We are not exacly self-sufficient yet but it is a start! Touch wood, the fence seems to be keeping out the rabbits so far. 

The sunshine and visitors have arrived at Rossland. Brilliant.

Out Of Hibernation - Tuesday, 10 March 2009

We are very pleased to say that it is rather "Spring like" here now. There are lots of buds on the fruit trees and the weather is definitely getting milder. We had snow for 2 days in February but it soon melted. It was very funny to see people toboganning down the lane. It seemed like the whole village came to enjoy the snow, some with body boards! We did have a rather windy night on Saturday and one of the 2 big compost bins we bought blew into the field next to us. We had to go and ask if we could have our compost bin back please!

It seems that now is the time to sow most of the vegetables so I will be busy. I am still concerned about rabbits but we will soon be putting up a (hopefully rabbit proof) fence.  

Barn Website Launched! - Friday, 23 January 2009

We have now launched our Barn website where you can check availability of the barn and book it for your holiday during the 2009 season.  We look forward to seeing you in 2009. You can go to the barn web site by following the following link.

Seasons Greetings

We would like to wish all of our Blog readers a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. We look forward to seeing you in 2009.

Snow - Sunday, 14 December 2008

It is lucky that we did the digging yesterday as we woke up to lots of snow this morning. I thought Cornwall was supposed to have milder weather.

Even More Digging! - Saturday, 13 December 2008

We had 8 more trees delivered today so we spent this afternoon planting them. The Orchard looks pretty impressive now and I can just imagine it in a few years time laden with fruit. Well, you have to be positive!

A Little Bit More Digging - Wednesday, 19 November 2008

Lovely Autumnal day today so I dug another vegetable bed 4ft x 10ft. I think that is enough digging for this year!!

Strange Beast - Tuesday, 18 November 2008

A weird two headed beast has been spotted at Rossland.

The Continued Attack Of The Rabbits - Sunday, 9 November 2008

The Garlic I had planted in the vegetable bed has come up but the Rabbits have been having a nibble. I have used the last of the chicken wire to protect them. We are going to have to put up a fence around the vegetable beds and cover it with mesh.

First Vegetable Planting - Monday, 3 November 2008

I planted my first vegetables today. A row of Peas and a row of Broad Beans.
I have cut lots of branches from the twisted willow we chopped down and layered them over the rows to, hopefully, stop the rabbits and birds from eating them. We shall see!!

Fire! - Thursday, 30 October 2008

After some tuition from Jamie, I have mastered the art of lighting the wood burning stove. It is so lovely and cosy.

Bulbathalon - Tuesday, 28 October 2008

I planted 250 daffodil bulbs today in between the hailstorms. Should have a lovely display in the Spring

The Beast of Bodmin - Friday, 24 October 2008

The kittens sleep in the sun room at night and when I went in there this morning they were both hiding behind the settee and their tails were all bushy!! After a little investigation I noticed big muddy paw marks on the outside of the window. Something had been trying to get the poor little things. Was it the Beast of Bodmin????

The Start Of The Marathon - Wednesday, 22 October 2008

More tree trimming. Just three left to do.

Spot The View - Friday, 17 October 2008

We spent today cutting the 7foot tall leylandi hedge down to 4 foot as they were getting out of control and more importantly blocking our view!! There are 14 trees and we managed to tidy up 5. A couple more days work to go.

The Vegetable Plot - Monday, 13 October 2008

The Move #2 - Wednesday, 2 April 2008