The Cottage Smallholder


stumbling self sufficiency in a small space

New horizons

campanulaI drove into Newmarket this evening with that tingle on the skin from a day working in the sun. I’m painting the outside of a bungalow in a sleepy road on the outskirts of Newmarket. A lovely mellow place where I’m entertained by the kind couple and their cats. Endless cups of tea to fuel my work. Perfect.

And there’s the view. Built on a hill, the bungalow sits in a large plot set between two horizontal parallel rows of houses. So it looks across an unseen road to the paddocks of a stud. These fields rise on the other side of a natural valley. In the spring there are mares and foals. Today there were cattle, resting in a group under the shade of trees in the sunny afternoon. When I left this evening, they were up and grazing like animals on a child’s farm set. Distant, contented beasts munching the green grass under a pinkish blue sky.

I love the sunny days that September sometimes brings. These days are such a fillip, despite the chilly mornings and the accelerated sunset at dusk. Last October there were many moments when I looked up and noticed that the sky was a cloudless Mediterranean azure blue.

Hopefully this year will be the same as I have a backlog of jobs that have been waiting patiently for a break in the weather. 

Today we moved The Cottage Smallholder site to our own virtual server.  Many apologies for the intermission in service. We hoped the migration would be fast but Danny is still battling with the remaining glitches.


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12 Comments

  1. kate (uk)

    I agree with the comments above- mind was full of conjecture, relieved it was just teckkie stuff.Welcome back.

  2. I just wanted to add to a previous comment. I found you when I was searching for homemade chicken soup, and Dr Q’s chicken soup has been a staple in this house ever since!

    I love coming each day, thank you for posting a really interesting blog, you’ve made me think about things I wouldn’t have thought of before.

    Thank you!

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