Birch Cottage has a new website of its own
Visit the Birch Cottage website to bookWelcome to Lackan Cottage Farm
We’re Steve and Claire Golemboski-Byrne, we live here off grid with our daughter, our dog, cats and horses. We make all our own energy using wind and solar, grow as much of our own food as we can (it varies widely) and have used permaculture design principles to help us create a great place to live.
Here on the website you’ll find stories about the projects we’ve undertaken – what works, what doesn’t. You can come stay in our guest cottage – Birch Cottage and we will show you round, or maybe you just want to find out how to do some of this stuff. Either way, welcome.
Autumn colours
Autumn is well and truly here at Lackan Cottage Farm, and the colours are amazing. This is the time of year for fixing fences, getting the place sorted for winter, and as the land is so wet, cracking on with all the many projects that need attention. First up was to...
Ash die back – Minister’s response
having read about the spread of Ash Die Back disease, I was anxious to find out what our government is doing to prevent its spread here in Northern Ireland, and so I wrote to the department of the environment. To my surprise, I received a reply that does seem to...
Cottage of the week
Another cottage and I'm still within walking distance of home. This one is a lavish two bedroom affair, with integral cow shed, and original shutters still on the windows. It looks down over a sloping meadow to the back. given that its on a road (albeit a small one)...
Any old iron
One of the more endearing traditions on old country farms is the liberal application of scrap metal to hedgerows and woodlands, and ours is no exception. Everything from piles of tin baths to the old cast iron wash tub - and a vast amount of one of the most evil...
A new toy
As a result of some lucky trading, we were able to pass on the truly massive stove that came our way, but which was way too big for the room, and get ourselves a shiny new Stanley stove for the living room. The gas bottle stove has gone back into the truck where it...
Autumn sunshine
Evacuated tube solar collector Someone told me last week that they wouldn't have solar water heating because 'It doesn't work in Northern Ireland'. Funny that, I said, because every time the sun comes out it heats our water to 40 degrees, at least. Oh and it charges...