The Cottage Smallholder

S told me this a few months ago. The livestock part is great and the dead stock element is always upsetting. One of the most satisfying things for us is to raise our own stock. The bond between you and the young is much stronger. You have waited impatiently through the gestation period to marvel Read More »

I’m babysitting a smallholding that belongs to friends. I’m not staying there, just stopping by morning and evening. For half an hour each day I can immerse myself in their world. It’s a beautiful spot. Set amongst trees, their house was built in the 1930’s, complete with cosy nooks and an old fashioned walk in larder. Read More »

Ham is generally superb to cook and eat. Gammon can be a bit disappointing with its rougher texture and stronger taste. A few weeks ago a good friend gave us two small joints of gammon, bought from the back of a lorry at a Bank Holiday market. The first one was simmered very slowly in Read More »

Last night and early this morning we upgraded the site to the latest version of WordPress. It took a long time and there are still a few glitches that we need to iron out. We have now installed Bad Behaviour as spam comments and trackbacks are still causing problems. In fact last week the overload Read More »

In my later thirties I returned to college to study computer animation. The information overload was intense after years of making wooden toys and leading a relatively simple life. I also had never used a computer before. This was a bit of a disadvantage. Sometimes I could feel my brain almost “sweating” as it struggled Read More »

There are many things that send a rippling chill over us all at the moment. But there is one event that devastated us months ago. Back in April, Fred Fitzpatrick sold his butchers shop. Locally, people gossiped and I couldn’t bear to tell you that we’d lose this wonderful resource. It’s the butcher rather than Read More »

Every blogroll is special. Even the ones that have over a hundred names. Mine holds the blogs that I visit regularly. If I don’t have the time to drop by, I often think of posts that they have they have written – ideas that have touched me. Even though I have met only one of Read More »

I’ve been tagged by Jane over at The Winds of Change. This is a interesting blog and worth a visit. The rules of this Meme are: 1. Link to the person who tagged you. 2. Post the rules on your blog. 3. Write six random things about yourself. 4. Tag six people at the end Read More »

I found a pack of eight chicken legs knocked down to £1.49 in Waitrose on Sunday. My mother peered at the pack. “They look awfully thin and scrawny.” “I don’t care! Slow cooked with loads of vegetables they’ll make a great chicken casserole.” “Well, I’m going to buy these chicken thighs.” She reached for a Read More »

Just beside our front door is a small ladybird (ladybug) and lacewing condominium. It’s a simple design that seems to work well. Just a few short lengths of bamboo cane in an old terracotta pot but it does the trick – attracting these aphid eating insects to a warm sheltered spot to hibernate during the Read More »