Rhomboid Acres

The more I think about it the more I wished I was one of those neighbours. I would be asking to help in exchange for a few bits.

And let me tell you, those bees were in a MEAN mood when I left them.

...if not a film script, there's certainly material for a novel here: I've been sitting here at the computer on my own roaring with laughter at the descriptions!! But seriously it sounds like one of those situations where you need to be able to laugh to keep a level head.

Hurrah Jelly! Our knightess in felt armour (like Clangers)!

Billy a nice thick native hedgerow along the footpath would be just the thing, don't you think? Regeneration of hedgerows is really good...and as you are Homeschooling I think you could get free trees from the Woodland Trust twice a year.....

Hold a tree planting event and invite the NFH...(Neighbours From Hell)

Seriously, I hate people like that....they make me so very angry...!

The bee story made me chuckle...you describe it so well!

I am considering farming fire ants

A lagoon of pig slurry is quite a good idea as well...composting away very pungently?

That's one of the things they don't mention in 'Country Living'!!!

Ah you would be surprised DL at what goes on....access to lots of very smelly stuff can be very useful!

All in the "normal" course of smallholding, of course!

The lady in the barn conversion has taken it upon herself to 'landscape' the stream banks, even though they are not within her boundaries and the owners refused her permission. My landlords cackled with glee at the idea of me putting geese on the there to munch up al the landscaping.

Ooo and think of the smelly goose poo!

I love the fact I do NOT have to deal with all this carp, because we have no access or houses next to us.....but otoh with right and might on your side it can be such fun.....

Billy - thrilled to hear that your landlords are completely backing you on this one. Good for you! As for people who move to the countryside and don't want to see any agriculture - well they can just go back to the towns and cities where they came from.

Looking forward to seeing more photos soon.

Mrs C

You get this kind of attitude here, with people not wanting polytunnels because they change the landscape, but they still want to be able to buy strawberries over a long period of time. Presumably agriculture's OK as long as it only occurs in other countries such as Spain!

Do not get me started on huge scale polytunnel industrial farming......I know I have one, but its small and not used to grow a crop totally out of season ( well I suppose I do grow a bit of lettuce in the winter.....)

so that people expect to eat unseasonally, so they buy food flown in from places who no longer grow their own food.....etc etc

Sorry, went off topic there....sorry

Wow, two months into this project and still not actually got fences up. Patience, it seems, is the essential virtue for the tenant smallholder.

Things beginning to gather speed however.

Today we went to look at some piglets and arranged to buy them. 4 lovely black Berkshires from one of Rosie Boycott's sows (although hopefully that will not jinx them).

they are gorgeous little pigs and extremely friendly with the children - they all had a great time chasing each other around their pen.

will be collecting them next week once paperwork all done.

Pics then.

What is happening with the horrible neighbours Billy?

Mmmm, not sure. Reached a semi-ceasefire with them a few weeks back but the festival and so on got in the way of actually getting machinery in to do fencing etc so haven't heard much since. Will find out one way or the other when the pigs arrive next week, though.

When are the porkers coming? Before or after next weekend? I ask purely to find out whether or not there is a chance of me seeing them. I love pigs. Oddly enough and almost all porcine by-products too. Land looks good. Stroppy neighbour sounds like the sort who moves into a village and then complains that the men's dinner at the harvest home doesn't let women in...

Pigs probably midweek, Porcella. So plenty of chance of seeing them.

:cheers:

Just bought an eye-watering amount of pig-related ironmongery and several cwt of feed (the suspension of our poor little car was groaning. Roll on the Landy!)

Off to set up number two henhouse shortly and finish building the pig enclosure that was so rudely interrupted last weekend - and yes I shall be wearing a bee veil this time.

A few days away from here and I'd forgotten how much I love Billy's turn of phrase. No where else can I read forum posts which include terms like "pig-related ironmongery". Brilliant!

Looking forward to seeing pictures of the pigs Billy and congratulations on the progress you're making.

Mrs C

Well, things are moving on apace.
Finally shaved a large enough area for the pig enclosure and set up the electric fence ready for its occupants to arrive on Wednesday.
Got the ridiculously heavy second henhouse across the field and set up in the chook enclosure and put 16 Light Sussex and 10 Ixworth eggs in the incubator to start off our meat flock.
or that was the theory. In fact I also collected a dozen light Sussex cockerels at the same time to fatten up as the breeder offered them to me at £2 a go.
The four remaining ex-batts are distinctly unimpressed by the newcomers, but as they are in a 50 ft wide enclosure with waist high grass, both camps are keeping to their own side at the moment and blood has not been shed. I did buy another 25m of electric netting this afternoon though (another £100 groan) to set up a subsidiary enclosure alongside tomorrow.
We have another dozen ex-batts due at the end of the month so our peep will have gone from 4 to around 60 in the space of four weeks... Hmmm need to get to work on henhouse number three.

We were also very taken with some very fine looking black Indian Runners, but have resisted so far.

Wait till you seen the piggies on Wednesday. They are gorgeous.

Bea had a serious talk to me this afternoon on the way to the agricultural suppliers.
"Daddy, I hope you understand that we are not going to eat our pigs."
"Of course we are. that's the whole point of having them."
"No, you can buy bacon in the supermarket. Our pigs are jolly."
"But supermarket meat is horrid and is from very unjolly pigs."
"Hmmm. Well you can go to a Farmer's Market."

and so it went on. Eventually we reached a compromise that we would eat our pigs but would use codewords for bacon and pork while around them so that it would be a secret.