Another week of progress in Devon

Checking the ladies in the sunshine.

 We have had another week of activity here in Devon preparing for our glampers. It has been mostly lovely weather (although there was a huge storm which had to be one the night that our 11 year old and 3 of her friends had chosen to camp in the garden...!) which has been good for us. Last weekend was a very exciting time as it saw the installation of the solar panels which are to power the water pump and filtration system to bring our
borehole water safely to our glampers in the huts. They are all wired up and the water is pumping well. Now we just need to wait for the next lot of samples to be tested to finalise the filtration requirements. The reservoir is in place and the she that will be the pump house to keep all the electrics and controls in is ready to be built. Amazing to see the little dials going round thanks entirely to the sun. :)

We have also got most of the other pipework back underground now and waiting to be used. The next big delivery here is stone for the lane improvements tomorrow. Offgrid is great but we still need our glampers to be able to get there easily!

I am hopeful that in the next week or so we shall be able to get the area fenced and the bases for the huts and hottubs sorted. It is very exciting and getting closer but I still need to use a little imagination to see everything there!

Meantime, life on the farm continues in it's usual busy manor. The sunshine makes it more pleasant to move and check the animals. 

Some young ladies out for a stroll.

Sheep check in the sunshine.

 As well as the day to day tasks it is nice to grab the chance to enjoy our lovely space in the world. After a lot of running our lovely working dog, Swift enjoys a paddle and drink in Holly Water a my favourite resting spot. Not only did she have a little rest but we also got the chace to admire some of the local residents in these gorgeous.
Damselflies. They don't like to sit still for long but are just beautiful.

Another little job that was just asking to be done was to gather some Elderflowers for cordial. A lovely smelling kitchen is the result! Happy days in Devon!

Lots of little steps closer!

I can't believe another couple of weeks has passed already - where has it gone?! Amongst other things we have taken delivery of most of our 'plumbing' and it is now safely in the necessary places in the ground. The septic tank was taken up to the site on the front loader of the tractor with a straw bale to protect it if it swung - all very farmer-ish!! The trench you can see here is now filled in again and hides the waste pipes all connected up to the septic tank and some fresh water pipes. Now we are expecting the solar panels for the fresh water pump to be installed next week and then it will just need the huts on the other end!

We have plumbing!

Septic tank with it's straw bale buffer!

Lane work in progress

 We have also made a start on the access lane which is in need of some improvement. The next step is to roll what is left there now and then come to a final decision on the surfacing. I'm told the roller might need a driver at the weekend...! 😲

Freshly prepared homemade apple juice and jam. Yum!

This week I have also raided the freezer stocks of last years fruit to make some jam and juice to put into our bottles and jars with our new labels. I think they look quite good, if I do say so myself. I hope that our glampers enjoy them.
We also took some photos for the website to show our standard welcome baskets and the 'Extras' option. All you need to do is put the kettle on and relax.

Standard welcome basket.

'Extras' option 

It's all happening in sunny Devon!

Things have been quite busy around here over the last couple of weeks. The sheep are now rather less woolly as they have finally all been sheared.

 

 

As we lamb in November this is part of our preparation before 'tupping' or putting the rams in with the ewes. The ewes are now being given the choice of mineral buckets in their fields to help make sure they are in the best condition for conceiving and hopefully growing us another year of lambs.

Also on the farm there has been the start of 'silly season' with the first of the grass being cut and stored to make silage for the winter feed for the cows. Some of the fields have already been re-ploughed and planted with maize for the next crop.

 It has also been exciting to see some work being done this week on the actual site for our Shepherd's huts. The water has been tested and we are awaiting results to know what, if any, treatment is required and more visible is the arrival of a digger to level the site and put in some trenches for the necessary pipe work. I have to admit to having mixed feelings when first seeing the topsoil being removed but I realise it has to look worse before it can look better and we are a step closer to that now. We also took delivery of timber for some fencing and expect the arrival of the septic tank on Thursday - not everybody's idea of exciting but it is all leading us towards our amazing escape that we want you to be able to enjoy. :)

Meanwhile, the girls seem completely un-fazed by the assorted activities around them and enjoy the shade under one of their favourite trees!! 

Time is Racing on.

Well, I'm not sure where the time has been going but suddenly it's a couple of weeks since I updated you and lots has been happening here on the farm.

Our main exciting news is that the borehole has been done so we now have a water supply for our glampers. As it is it is not quite ready to come out of taps and showers but it is the first step. It now needs to wait a couple of weeks and then be tested to discover what, if any, treatment is required over and above an infra red light. After this they will be able to install the solar pump to bring it to our pipes and taps when the time comes.
We have also been doing a spot of shopping for our guests comfort. We now have some very nice pocket sprung mattresses on order, tables and chairs for a spot of al fresco dining are ready and waiting and an assortment of other goodies are appearing and being temporarily stashed as they wait for their new Shepherd Hut accommodation.
Alongside all of this life on the farm has also been quite busy with the arrival of a gorgeous new litter of piglets,

 

At 2 weeks old they are now very busy and lots of mischief!

We also have the welcome return of our beautiful Bluebells beginning. We have many Bluebells in our sheep fields and in the small wooded area in the field. This is where the name for our pedigree flock of Dorset sheep comes form as we are The Bluebell Dorset. We are also naming one of our Shepherd Huts 'Bluebell' so they are quite special and seeing them return each year is a pleasure. This year they were just peeping out at the same time as 18 new ladies joining our Bluebell flock. :) We have also selected which of our home grown ewe lambs will be staying with us as our next generation of breeding ewes so on my 'to do' list is to apply to the 'Dorset Horn and Polled Dorset Sheep Breeder's Association' to get them their pedigree registration numbers. With half the flock being sheared tomorrow it is a busy time!

Busy, busy, busy!

Well the sun is shining and the world looks amazing in glorious mid Devon at the moment. If I was going on a glamping escape right now there is nowhere I would rather choose! Although we are enjoying the beautiful weather and the lovely countryside around us we are also very busy here on the farm just now.

 Blue skies and blossoming trees are a pretty sight to see on our way to check stock and carry out farm work. We are lambing some sheep for a family member who has been unwell at the moment so although our own flock won't be lambing again until October we are back on lamb watch for a while. I think this new mummy was wondering why her breakfast trough had a little foreign body in it!! Several of the babies like to hide themselves away in the patches of nettles and under

Strange Breakfast!

 trees!

In addition to lambs we have been waiting for our sow, Gunta, to farrow. In the early hours yesterday she produced 8 very spotty piglets for us.

Meantime, elsewhere work continues on our shepherd huts and the website and booking facility is all underway. Lots to keep up with. :)

Work in progress...

This week we have decided on our logo. We have fiddled and changed and finally agreed that we have one that we like. Hopefully you will like it too.

We wanted to show the Holly Water stream, the hut and the sheep who will be our glampers' neighbours!
We are happy with the result and now we can put it on the labels for our homemade jam jars and apple juice bottles. Some of the small details are getting sorted out now and it feels like small steps in the right direction.
In addition we have now got evidence that there is work going on with wood in the building of our huts!

How does this look for a stack of roof sections?
It's like a slightly monotone rainbow!
Meantime we have had some lovely Spring weather in glorious Mid Devon and some beautiful sunsets although I always seem to struggle to be in quite the right place at quite the right time and I rarely have  a better camera than my phone with me. 

This was one evening saying good night to the woolly ladies. Just a minute or two earlier and the sky was ablaze!

Sadly I am no David Bailey but maybe some of our guests will do a better job!

Time is flying.

I don't know where the time goes. I haven't been here for a while but lots has been going on. We have had some amazing Spring weather some of the time over the last couple of weeks and you can really see the beautiful Devon countryside waking up. One particularly exciting wake up for me is a small colony of wild honey bees that live in one of our mature Oak trees. We spotted them first last year on a gorgeous sunny day busily foraging and very much hoped that they would survive the winter. They have made themselves a nice safe nest as they have gone up inside the tree from a gap at the bottom so nothing can get in to hurt them. I filmed them when I found them and this last week I have spotted the first few stirring in the warmer weather. Excuse the commentary - I must learn not to chat if I film things!! 

As well as the survival of our clever little bees we have moved most of the sheep back to the fields around the glamping site after their lambing and winter holidays on other parts of the farm. It is nice to have them back.
We had a visit from the hut builders this week to look at access for when the time comes to deliver the shepherds huts to us. Although the lane still needs work, a gate needs putting in.....it is nice to imagine them arriving! I have also received a few parcels in the post as I have begun shopping for our glampers! Many hours are being spent browsing and considering how we will make a perfect glamping retreat in our glorious corner of the country. On days like today it would not take much as the sun is shining and the world looks beautiful bathed in the amazing Spring light.
Last night after checking on the last of the lambs I tried (with little success) to get a picture of the most amazing sunset from the hut-tub spots at the shepherd hut site.

Not the best photography but you get the idea. Just beautiful! :)

Right now I am waiting for a phone call from Iain to say that we have a visitor to look at the lane and site to discuss the necessary groundworks so we will hopefully see some actual physical at some point fairly soon. I will keep you all posted. In the meantime, how about thinking about a little jolly for a glamping holiday in a Shepherds hut in glorious Devon? Happy times and memories waiting to be made.