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.
With the blessing of horses
Horses always seem to be fascinated by small people, and Sherafey is no exception. I presented Lyra to her, and she very carefully blew warm breaths over her, and had a good old sniff, whiffling around her very gently. I can't imagine anything better to see a baby on...
Say hello to Lyra
Well, what a night (and a day). This time yesterday bump was just that, a bump; and we'd got quite happily used to him or her being around. Anyhow, in the middle of the night she decided it might be time to get outa there, and so this morning, here she is, suddenly a...
What comes down, must go up
Ever since the horses arrived here, and through all the terrible weather, the lack of stables has really bothered me, and Sherafey, who dashed into hers as soon as it was finished. It also means poor Mel here can eat his dinner in peace without being monstered by the...
Taming a bit of wilderness
Having once been entirely bog, we've got a fair amount of rushes growing. In fact the wood field had so many this year that it was more than half covered. The horses have dealt with the majority of the rushes in their bit of the field, but the far end is fenced off...
Inside things
We've only been here five minutes and the place is already looking rather 'lived in'. Mum has been beavering away making curtains for us using organic cotton (we got it here), and they are very fine. In the kitchen - and here...in the bedroom, and some very fine...
Outside things..
It's a sign of how little sun we've seen this 'summer' that come autumn, and a little sun, I just wandered about the place, marvelling at how magical it is. As I took this picture I could hear the sound of birds of prey calling, and little else.The woods and bog are...