A Toggenburg Goat

Its been a long time since my first and only post but we have been making some progress. We have both been on a goat handling course (which was wonderful). Goats are really intelligent and very pretty creatures and of course most breeds produce yummy milk. Unfortunately, I can't manage to milk goats twice a day and get our toddler up and about and do the weekly work run up to London and back. However,  I'm sure we will have some Toggenburgs one day.

Daniel has been on a sheep course at South Yeo Farm West and we have both just been on a small holding weekend at South Yeo Farm East. These are lovely farms that run very good courses run by very nice people who are happy to impart their knowledge and listen to questions, even daft ones. Anyway, the search for land continues - we are going to try to get to know the local farmers better and hopefully that will help. In the interim we are thinking very seriously about sheep - now is the time for research!  I only got back yesterday and I am already on the second chapter of The Sheep Book for Smallholders and have bookmarked the breed page of the National Sheep Association website. On the chicken front, we have had a little issue. Hannah, a beautiful Cuckoo Maran hen we bought alongside Rachel (an equally beautiful Copper Black Maran) turned out to have a rather a loud crow (which our neighbours did not enjoy).  Luckily, I met one of the local farmers soon after the crowing started and his cousin, who breeds chickens as a hobby, has taken Hannah/Henry with great delight. This has also had the benfit of getting Rachel to go to bed with rest of the flock rather than haughtily sitting on top of the coop with her best mate Hannah/Henry. To make up for this slight disappointment we are going to get two young Cream Legbar hens who will eventually lay gorgeous duck egg blue eggs.We have just purchased some splendid new accommodation for them ( big enough to allow us to introduce up to 4 more chickens in to the main hen house (after the new Cream Legbars have settled in) and then to be a home for between 4 and 6 further chickens.  The new chickens will be coming home with Daniel when he comes back from a Pig Keeping course at S. Yeo Farm West on Sunday.  I'm back at work tomorrow but will be picking apples whenever poss. so we can take them to the DASH (Devon Association of Small Holders) Apple Pressing Day at the Wonham Oak Smallholding near Bampton on Saturday. Will try to report again after the weekend.

Raspberries and Kohl Rabi

Hello,

We have not been very good about getting the Lyncott blog started - despite the fact that Daniel went on a land management course recently and can now talk with some authority (although no practical experience) about topping and harrowing. I was particularly impressed when he told me that the unwanted grass we have growing in our flower beds is Rye Grass.

The search for a small (4 or 5 acre) but suitable piece of land (i.e. levelish; with good road access; not too far away from Yarnscombe; and, if we are very lucky, a water source) goes on and we think it will take some time.

In the meantime we are weeding and buying lots of bedraggled but, we believe, saveable plants from the reduced shelf at RHS Rosemoor to fill in the huge blank canvas that is our flower beds.

Anyway, I wanted to report that I have just picked lots and lots of lovely yummy raspberries and the first of our Kohl Rabi.

I am about to serve some of the Kohl Rabi to our toddler, Josh, with some accompanying sweetcorn to tempt him to try it. Let's see what he makes of it.

The story so far

Daniel and Josh
(some time ago)

Lyncott is in a small rural village a few miles from Barnstaple in North Devon.  We moved here from Islington, North London in December 2008.  Ours was a classic move-to-the-country gambit – get away from the stresses of London and find a more peaceful, relaxed existence.  If you can do it (and we recognise how fortunate we are to have been able to do it) we recommend it highly.

Eva

About us

We are Daniel, Eva and Josh.  Daniel used to work in media; Eva still does.  Daniel has done bits of consultancy and teaching recently, but he’s now in the third year of what he expects will be a six- or seven-year mid-life crisis, and is still finding himself.  Until he succeeds, he is working hard at being a full-time househusband and gardener to avoid the charge that he’s just an idler.  Josh was born in Barnstaple in February 2010.  He is very cute.

About Lyncott

Lyncott

Built around 1760, Lyncott is believed originally to have been two farm-workers' cottages knocked together in the 1950s.  Part of a large farming estate until the 50s, it was redeveloped and sold off along with other neighbouring properties.  For much of the 60s and 70s, it housed the village shop and post office.  We have recently blown our life savings re-developing the outside of the house, on which more in a subsequent post.

Talisker (bottom) and
Tobermory

About the cats

Talisker and Tobermory are mother and son, aged 10 and 8 respectively.  They were adopted from a brilliant charity called SNIP – The Society for the Neutering of Islington’s Pussies.  Neither of them had had any kind of traumatic or unpleasant experience, yet both are very timid and neurotic, even for cats.  Having spent most of their life in inner London, they have never adapted well to country life.

The chickens

About the chickens

Our four chickens are Abigail, Dolley, Elizabeth and Louisa (a fifth, Martha, died a few months ago of Sudden Chicken Death Syndrome).  They are all from a North Devon poultry breeder.  They are excellent layers, producing far more eggs than we can possibly consume.  Visitors to Lyncott should expect to be sent home with some eggs.

Welcome to the Lyncott blog

There is nothing here today.  There will be soon.

Probably.