On Monday our buyer's mortgage valuer called to value the house for their mortgage application. On Tuesday we had the farm auctioneer here to talk through what we need to do in preparation for the sale of our farm equipment, what happens at the sale etc. Thankfully Tim had spent most of Monday listing all the items of equipment we will be selling, for which the auctioneer was very thankful for, it saved him some time and gives him an idea of what to expect. The good news is that the ewes will be sold off of our holding with their lambs at foot. This will save us the stress of taking them all to the local auction mart and I must admit, it is the way I would prefer to sell them. Since the Auctioneers visit we have added to the list, as he said we would!
I've been getting ready for Wonderwool and so have been making lists of the fibre and other assorted things I need to take with me, and as long as I don't forget my knickers (as a fellow stallholder did one year and none of us will let her forget) and my knitting, (something I did a couple of years ago and I've not been allowed to forget) I should be O.K.
I've spent this afternoon packing the fibre (all 56kgs of it), that I'm taking, into large Ikea carrier bags ready to be packed into the trailer and camper van on Wednesday. I'm taking a couple of days to travel down to the Royal Welsh Showground, rather than rush down on the Friday and then try and set up my stall after a good 9 hour drive!!! So it's all systems go for the house move and Wonderwool.
Sunday, 22 April 2012
Monday, 16 April 2012
Hobbits and Rheged Craft Market
Thankfully the weather, whilst the Hobbits were here was more fine than wet, and with lambing over before they arrived we were able to go out and about a bit more. One place we visited was Kirkleatham museum, it's a small museum, with lots of rooms, but not drab, light and airy with something for everyone. In the grounds is an Owlry, which just had to be visited, especially as vultures were listed as one of the breeds of birds you could see!
I was booked to give a talk to one of my local WI's to which the Hobbits were "my beautiful assistants" handing out the samples of different fibres I talk about. They were rewarded by glasses of orange juice and biscuits, chocolate ones at that!
As I was booked to attend Rheged Craft Market on Sunday, the Hobbits "helped" me pack the fibre I was taking. Eldest Hobbit had a clipboard with a list of all the fibre I was taking, youngest Hobbit and I packed the bags. This worked well and the job was over and done in just over an hour! On Friday morning the bags were packed into the Bongo and it quickly became apparent that for Wonderwool in Wales, I will have to use a trailer to carry all the fibre I will be taking.
As the Hobbits left on Saturday morning, I left for Penrith and the campsite I was booked into for Saturday night in readiness for Rheged on the Sunday morning.
It took me a little time to find the correct campsite I was booked into, but once I was all set up and ready to cook my tea, discovered that I had no gas!!! So it was a quick walk to the local pub for tea, and thankfully I'd brought some snacks and fruit, so I would be able to have some breakfast, if not a cup of tea. (Once we got home the problem was found to be a loose gas regulator, which meant no gas was coming out of the gas bottle).
Once set up at Rheged, bacon butties and a cup of coffee were served to the stallholders, and in my case, most welcome.
I have to say that the jury is out as to whether this was a good market or not. If this had been a market local to me, I would have been pleased with my takings, but having a 200+ mile round trip and an overnight stay on a campsite, I was hoping to take twice as much as I did. But on the positive side, I saw lots of friends, was a good test run out in the Bongo, and I had better weather than at home, beautiful sunshine, whereas at home it was snowing!!
Now just to get ready for Wonderwool next weekend.
I was booked to give a talk to one of my local WI's to which the Hobbits were "my beautiful assistants" handing out the samples of different fibres I talk about. They were rewarded by glasses of orange juice and biscuits, chocolate ones at that!
As I was booked to attend Rheged Craft Market on Sunday, the Hobbits "helped" me pack the fibre I was taking. Eldest Hobbit had a clipboard with a list of all the fibre I was taking, youngest Hobbit and I packed the bags. This worked well and the job was over and done in just over an hour! On Friday morning the bags were packed into the Bongo and it quickly became apparent that for Wonderwool in Wales, I will have to use a trailer to carry all the fibre I will be taking.
As the Hobbits left on Saturday morning, I left for Penrith and the campsite I was booked into for Saturday night in readiness for Rheged on the Sunday morning.
It took me a little time to find the correct campsite I was booked into, but once I was all set up and ready to cook my tea, discovered that I had no gas!!! So it was a quick walk to the local pub for tea, and thankfully I'd brought some snacks and fruit, so I would be able to have some breakfast, if not a cup of tea. (Once we got home the problem was found to be a loose gas regulator, which meant no gas was coming out of the gas bottle).
Once set up at Rheged, bacon butties and a cup of coffee were served to the stallholders, and in my case, most welcome.
I have to say that the jury is out as to whether this was a good market or not. If this had been a market local to me, I would have been pleased with my takings, but having a 200+ mile round trip and an overnight stay on a campsite, I was hoping to take twice as much as I did. But on the positive side, I saw lots of friends, was a good test run out in the Bongo, and I had better weather than at home, beautiful sunshine, whereas at home it was snowing!!
Now just to get ready for Wonderwool next weekend.
Sunday, 8 April 2012
It's been an interesting week......
We finally finished lambing on Monday, the pet lambs have taken to the milk bucket, so that means no late nights with bottles. Just put the milk in the bucket and the lambs are set for the night.
Then the bad weather hit, we've had snow, rain and 70mph winds. Thankfully the lambing barn is big enough to take all the ewes with their lambs and so they spent a couple of days in the warm and dry. Though I don't think the ewes appreciated it as much as the lambs did, because this year's crop of lambs, for some reason, have taken to using their mums as a spring board!
Then the bad weather hit, we've had snow, rain and 70mph winds. Thankfully the lambing barn is big enough to take all the ewes with their lambs and so they spent a couple of days in the warm and dry. Though I don't think the ewes appreciated it as much as the lambs did, because this year's crop of lambs, for some reason, have taken to using their mums as a spring board!
And finally over the weekend we have had a firm offer from a couple to buy our smallholding, so next week we will be negotiating for the house we want to buy. How slowly or quickly we will be moving I've no idea, and packing the house up will not be a problem, it's all the other stuff associated with the smallholding that needs to be sorted out and sold that is going to take the time. But we'll get there in the end we always do. The one thing I won't be doing this year is growing any veg which will seem strange. I'm going to clear the rest of the deep beds and then cover them with compost, which hopefully will keep the weeds down. But for now I just need to get myself ready for tomorrow's arrival of the Hobbits!!
Tuesday, 3 April 2012
The first of the specialist markets!
On the 14th April I will be heading over to Penrith for the Craft Market at Rheged on Sunday the 15th. So if you are in the area, pop along and say "Hello" it will be nice to see a Findlay face.
Two weeks later I will be at Wonderwool in Wales, this is the first time that I've attended Wonderwool and I'm quite excited at attending two new venues, so early in the year. Let's hope both events are successful for me.
Two weeks later I will be at Wonderwool in Wales, this is the first time that I've attended Wonderwool and I'm quite excited at attending two new venues, so early in the year. Let's hope both events are successful for me.
Lambing has finished
Lambing finished on Monday morning with Ariadnne giving birth, all by herself, to a pair of gimmer lambs.
As yet we haven't let them out of the barn as the weather is so bad, it's snowing at the moment and we have taken the precaution of locking all of the ewes and their lambs in the barn, earlier rather than later tonight. No one seemed to complain about the early night.
The final total for our lambs is 26 lambs from 14 ewes, with 14 tup lambs and 12 gimmer lambs. Not bad for our old girls.
As yet we haven't let them out of the barn as the weather is so bad, it's snowing at the moment and we have taken the precaution of locking all of the ewes and their lambs in the barn, earlier rather than later tonight. No one seemed to complain about the early night.
The final total for our lambs is 26 lambs from 14 ewes, with 14 tup lambs and 12 gimmer lambs. Not bad for our old girls.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
