Andy has now stopped working for Philips and is full time on the farm, so we hope to be doing much of the building work ourselves supported by Straw Works (previously known as Amazonails).  I am currently working on some new pages for our website with more information about the build, so check back soon for more information and pictures.

Dilly cottage and Gilt cottage will be open for bookings during most the year but please contact us or check our build timetable page for information on what is due to be happening when you would like to stay.

What a handsome pig!

If anyone one else has drawn or painted pictures of our animals I would love to feature them here!

4 feeds a day (but at least we dont have to change nappies!!)

Well we have 4 very cute little lambs.  They have been nicknamed Babe, Floppy, Springer and Bambi.  Babe was only 3 days old when he came to us so we had a couple of days of nighttime feeds until he had grown enough to sleep through the night.

He is now a couple of weeks old, twice the size and really rather bossy!  From having a few tablespoons of milk every feed he is now managing nearly a pint every time he sees a bottle.

Meanwhile 3 fantastic Kune Kune sows have arrived.  We will put one of them in with Giles the boar soon and hope to have piglets in August.  Lovely and friendly though they are – they are fantastic at escaping.  Yesterday we spent several hours looking for one pig who we found in big field asleep under a hedge.

Happy in the sunshine.

Andy has been working very hard to put new fencing in t make sure they do not escape again. I would also like to have cctv and 24 hour guards – but Andy thinks this might be overreacting!

We also had a problem with one of the pigs deciding it was fun to chase the Alpacas, and the lambs were being very mischievous and chasing the chickens.  So our big job this week has been to make sure every one stays in their own paddocks.  If it carries on I may well have to call in the United Nations peacekeepers.  Although busy it has been such fun this last week.

With all the chaos that was going on it was lovely to have a picnic out in the woods yesterday.  The bluebells are coming out and it was wonderfully warm.  We have pu a table and benches out in the woods so it is a great area for Elmfield guests to picnic.

Thank you to my nephew James for the fab pictures!

My 2 very handsome alpacas are enjoying the sunshine. The grass is starting to grow too, and they like it much more than the dry winter alpaca feed.

We have great mobile phone reception if you are an Orange or T mobile customer, but are in a bit of a poor area for Vodaphone coverage, so yesterday I bought a little mobile phone which guests are welcome to borrow.

On Sunday we are off to Rye to pick up our Kune Kune Sows.  Rye is only 40 minutes away and a lovely old port – one of the original Cinque Ports and has amazing history, beautiful cobbled streets and really is like stepping back in time.  There is also a lovely sandy beach nearby but as we will be taking the livestock trailer on Sunday I doubt we can stop for a lazy wander round!

Giles exploring his new run

Giles the 3 year old Kune Kune Boar arrived yesterday.  He has been rehomed from just outside Canterbury, where he was a very lucky pig with a big field and lovely house.  So to keep up his high living standards Andy has worked really hard to fence in a lovely patch for him with lots of grass and a big area of woodland too.

Andy has also made a great house for him, but Giles decided to build his own nest and sleep out last night.  Perhaps tonight we can persuade him to sleep in his luxury bachelor pad.

Next week we hope that his new girlfriend will arrive.  And in due course we expect little piglets! We really didn’t plan to get a breeding boar, but as soon as we saw Giles we all fell in love!

Lurkey the Turkey - First Egg

It has been a busy weekend getting ready for the arrival of Giles, but we must also celebrate the first turkey egg.  I am not quite sure why Lurkey the Turkey chose a cupboard to lay her egg in, but she looked more surprised by the egg than the rest of us!

So we have a busy week ahead now:  We hope the orphan lambs will arrive this week,  I have to have all my paperwork for the farm animals audited by DEFRA (Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs),  the grass is growing and I want to expand the number of mown paths around the farm.  So enough writing I had better get on!

Checking and Feeding the Bees

Yesterday morning was glorious weather.  After the morning mist had cleared and we had walked Clifford the Dog over the downs, Andy went to check on his Bees.

We lost one bee hive over the winter, but the other two hives are doing very well.  He has given them a feed of sugar syrup which helps get them goinging after slowing down over the winter.

The bees were out flying collecting nectar from the catkins and other flowers that are already out.  Some of the bees were also coming back with stacks of yellow pollen on their back legs.  The pollen is used as protein and is used for raising thier young (brood).  I was also fascinated to see that the bees were doing some housework and keeping their hive clean by picking up a dead bee and flying it out of the hive. They are indeed very busy (or eveen buzzy) bees!

We are hoping that we will have plenty of honey soon.

The other thing I did yesterday was phone a local farm and find out if they have any lambs that need bottle feeding. I was told there should be some next week as they have only just started lambing their thousand sheep.   I have the milk powder and bottles all ready.  My first job tomorrow will be to scrub out the animal trailer.  I will post pictures as soon as they arrivve as they always look very cute!

For example there are many arts and crafts courses you can take while visiting.  I am very happy to help arrange courses for you – or put you directly in touch with the crafts people  running these courses.  Why not try spinning, felt making, pottery or learning some bushcraft skills while you are here?

Click here to  find out how you can ‘Escape Discover and Unwind’  in Kents Elham Valley.