Estate agents haven't learned yet! Although they also sayIt benefits from oil-fired central heating
there is good potential for solar heating on the south facing roof
Running away to Wales.
Moderator: Peak Moderation
-
Ippoippo
- Posts: 255
- Joined: 24 Nov 2005, 11:09
- Location: Bath->Tokyo->Cardiff-> Hokkaido, Japan next?
Noticed it show up the other day.Tess wrote:hey, one of the other two cabins adjacent to my new land is selling up now.
http://www.thesmallholdingcentre.co.uk/ ... lands.html
Anyone fancy joining Dave & I in ferryside?
(they're selling the place because they broke up, not because we moved in, in case you're wondering...)
It's 2/3 the price of ours. Nicer house, only a big garden rather than the 1/2 acre we have. But you'd have some very nice neighbours and no doubt some shared veggie plots/chickens...
I would be tempted... but would find it hard to pursuade my good-lady to move there (She'd complain that there was only one bedroom, plus she would need to get a new job... I could still commute to mine).
It was more the wooden construction that put me off, luckily my other half wants to move to wales, I just have to convince her that next to a river is better than next to the sea.
Not that I'm a position to move anywhere now half a million traders have dusted off their Frank Wood books and jumped into accounting, or tried to.
Not that I'm a position to move anywhere now half a million traders have dusted off their Frank Wood books and jumped into accounting, or tried to.
I'm a realist, not a hippie
It'd be lovely to have someone like-minded from ps as a neighbour. The property isnt ideal because it's up a big slope (basically it's located next to the top half of our land) and there's no parking except on the roadside. But it is south facing, and I think it'll have to get a bit cheaper to sell. The best thing would be your neighbours hehe. I've also considered the option of buying it myself and turning it into a B&B/holiday let or rebuilding as a cob house, but the price would have to come down a lot first. We'll see how quickly it sells...
Spent the weekend down at the new place. We arrived on Friday night in the middle of a rainstorm and quickly made our way to the local pub to sample some beers before last orders. The locals seemed in good spirits; lots of singing.
On the way back, we discovered the large stream at the bottom of our property had burst its banks and was flowing nicely across the road. However, by morning the 2m breach in the riverbank had already been filled in. Quick work by someone. I guess it probably floods quite regularly down there.
Saturday and Sunday were glorious weather. We finally got to meet our neighbour who manages the adjacent woodland for the landowner. Very nice chap. I helped him bag up some firewood for sale. He suggested if we helped him work the woodland for a couple of days we could have free firewood whenever we needed it. Personally I'm gonna love getting involved. Might have to get myself trained up like Mike and Tracy P. Apparently there are quite a few small woodlands around the area which are too small to interest most commercial tree felling companies, but which are in need of appropriate thinning. The deal my neighbour has is that if he does all the work and supplies the landowner with firewood as required, he gets to do whatever he likes with the rest of the wood. So some gets used for personal use (building and firewood) and the rest gets sold.
On Sunday we started digging the land and figuring out how cheaply we could make polytunnels. The land has great soil (it's really yummy texture), but also lots of roots due to the fact that it's surrounded by woodland. Some areas of the land are better than others for roots. We'll probably take a rotovator to it to get things going.
It was a huge thrill to be working on my own land. Never felt anything quite like it. Long may the pleasure continue.
Oh, and I finally found the elusive spring which appears at the bottom of the land below the house. Don't know how I missed it - it's quite fast-flowing! Certainly no problem with a water supply while that thing is flowing...
On the way back, we discovered the large stream at the bottom of our property had burst its banks and was flowing nicely across the road. However, by morning the 2m breach in the riverbank had already been filled in. Quick work by someone. I guess it probably floods quite regularly down there.
Saturday and Sunday were glorious weather. We finally got to meet our neighbour who manages the adjacent woodland for the landowner. Very nice chap. I helped him bag up some firewood for sale. He suggested if we helped him work the woodland for a couple of days we could have free firewood whenever we needed it. Personally I'm gonna love getting involved. Might have to get myself trained up like Mike and Tracy P. Apparently there are quite a few small woodlands around the area which are too small to interest most commercial tree felling companies, but which are in need of appropriate thinning. The deal my neighbour has is that if he does all the work and supplies the landowner with firewood as required, he gets to do whatever he likes with the rest of the wood. So some gets used for personal use (building and firewood) and the rest gets sold.
On Sunday we started digging the land and figuring out how cheaply we could make polytunnels. The land has great soil (it's really yummy texture), but also lots of roots due to the fact that it's surrounded by woodland. Some areas of the land are better than others for roots. We'll probably take a rotovator to it to get things going.
It was a huge thrill to be working on my own land. Never felt anything quite like it. Long may the pleasure continue.
Oh, and I finally found the elusive spring which appears at the bottom of the land below the house. Don't know how I missed it - it's quite fast-flowing! Certainly no problem with a water supply while that thing is flowing...
Pictures, ah yes. Sounds like a good idea.
I'd like to set up a more formal blog for the project, like 'peplers in rye', but it would connect my online and offline presence rather more closely than I'm comfortable with. A google search for the name of the house already brings up this thread as the number one hit.
I'd like to set up a more formal blog for the project, like 'peplers in rye', but it would connect my online and offline presence rather more closely than I'm comfortable with. A google search for the name of the house already brings up this thread as the number one hit.
Tess -
Congrats on finally getting your own earth under your fingernails !
May you have much happy digging with the robin's song around you !
However, IIRC you b'ain't veggy, and you've many tree roots to lift,
so how about some 10-wk weaners from asap until three months have elapsed ?
This would require somebody tending them, with an electric fence enclosure, and in return would provide:
- a really well-dug, de-rooted and well-dunged garden, ready for working over for spring planting,
- a substantial volume of pork for the freezer plus several to sell or barter (thus making the freezer stock effectively free)
- a good demo of practical intent for your community to observe, discuss and in passing by just stop and chat about with you,
- much entertainment from the porcine cultural traditions . . .
Electric fence for half an acre isn't difficult or very expensive (especially if you can cut the light posts you'll need from local woods),
and a local farmer or if req. an abbatoir can handle the culling & conversion (skilled job).
As a first go, the breed I'd go for as being both friendly & really good diggers and (later) an excellent flavour, are Tamworths.
But then I'm biased as I had some as a boy and have at last got some more -
four 18-wk Tamworth gilts arrived the other day, and we're setting up a new pen and arc alongside some of the oak coppice,
with a view to letting them forage for acorns once they're trained to be home for their evening meal.
The Tamworth Breeders Club always has some ads if you'd be interested, and please feel free with any questions to me
(though I'm not expert myself) -
All the best,
Billhook
Congrats on finally getting your own earth under your fingernails !
May you have much happy digging with the robin's song around you !
However, IIRC you b'ain't veggy, and you've many tree roots to lift,
so how about some 10-wk weaners from asap until three months have elapsed ?
This would require somebody tending them, with an electric fence enclosure, and in return would provide:
- a really well-dug, de-rooted and well-dunged garden, ready for working over for spring planting,
- a substantial volume of pork for the freezer plus several to sell or barter (thus making the freezer stock effectively free)
- a good demo of practical intent for your community to observe, discuss and in passing by just stop and chat about with you,
- much entertainment from the porcine cultural traditions . . .
Electric fence for half an acre isn't difficult or very expensive (especially if you can cut the light posts you'll need from local woods),
and a local farmer or if req. an abbatoir can handle the culling & conversion (skilled job).
As a first go, the breed I'd go for as being both friendly & really good diggers and (later) an excellent flavour, are Tamworths.
But then I'm biased as I had some as a boy and have at last got some more -
four 18-wk Tamworth gilts arrived the other day, and we're setting up a new pen and arc alongside some of the oak coppice,
with a view to letting them forage for acorns once they're trained to be home for their evening meal.
The Tamworth Breeders Club always has some ads if you'd be interested, and please feel free with any questions to me
(though I'm not expert myself) -
All the best,
Billhook
-
kenneal - lagger
- Site Admin
- Posts: 14290
- Joined: 20 Sep 2006, 02:35
- Location: Newbury, Berkshire
- Contact:
I had a Tamworth cross once. She used to watch me climbing over the fence with her feed bucket and then started to copy me. She wrecked the fence in the end.
My favourites were Gloucester Old Spots: with their lop ears they couldn't watch what I was doing so didn't come over the fence. You would need a strand of barb at the bottom to stop them rooting it up. You have to talk to GOS's before you get too close so that you don't frighten them by sneaking up too quietly.
My favourites were Gloucester Old Spots: with their lop ears they couldn't watch what I was doing so didn't come over the fence. You would need a strand of barb at the bottom to stop them rooting it up. You have to talk to GOS's before you get too close so that you don't frighten them by sneaking up too quietly.
Action is the antidote to despair - Joan Baez
Oh yes Gloucester Old Spots are great! Our first two were GOS and they were really easy to manage - just used an electric fence.
This pair are GOS cross large black and are much more lively! Much better diggers too and have their large paddock dug into mounds and hollows already. Last night we extended their range some more.
This pair are GOS cross large black and are much more lively! Much better diggers too and have their large paddock dug into mounds and hollows already. Last night we extended their range some more.