This is the blog about our long time home – farm, orchard and garden. A collection of written work, photos and a journal – of sorts – of my life here in West Dorset. It is written purely for my own pleasure – and may be yours…
The Holding is undergoing considerable change – the house is still in the ‘surgery’ of a rebuild and the veg garden – that I started 25 years ago – has been flattened and my sheep flock sold. I am undergoing the experience of starting again from the POV of having lived my dream here and being conscious that it isn’t over yet despite the radical changes I planned – and those I just decided ‘were for the best’.
I am not an accidental small holder or farmer – I went into farming after 6th form as a career choice and trained and worked accordingly taking over the tenancy of this small farm nearly 30 years ago and subsequently buying it with my family when the opportunity arose.
The drastic rebuild of the house – that was necessary due to the depredations of long time neglect – and subsequent garden loss and flock loss – gave me the sensation of being eradicated from my home, garden and farm – of leaving no trace – which was unexpected given I had planned most of the changes!
I eventually realised gradually that the orchard I had planted in 2000 is heavy with fruit, and still kept tidy by our flock of geese – my soft fruit area in the – still unfenced as yet – old veg garden is still very productive… and my horse and two ponies still graze here. Oh and the one hen – sole provider of our ‘egg mountain’…
Time for a change.
Time to change.
What’s next?
Well – as I write an update to this page in Jan 2018 – I think we are a few months away from moving back into the house – after what will be 3 years in the mobile home known as ’27’…