We are now WWOOF hosts
We have registered as WWOOF hosts, and now appear on both the Wwoof Ireland and Wwoof UK websites. Already we are busy organising volunteers from all over the world to come and help out here on the farm. Rather fittingly though, our very first WWOOFer is from here in...Bus conversions on’t telly
Suddenly bus conversions are all the rage, as evidenced by ‘George Clarke’s Amazing Spaces’ on Channel 4. A lovely bus gets converted, if you can take all the C4 jeopardy, and there’s another good old Lambourn horsebox that is being let too....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...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...Pass it on
Something that many of the readers of this blog, and of the blogs that I follow have in common is that we are to some degree, trying to derive a living from the land – usually fairly small bits of it too. Agriculture has grown from humble roots to the massive...Today’s property offering
This is today’s offering, and one that tempts me to become the founder member of ‘Occupy Ballyroney’. It’s an empty four(ish) bedroom farmhouse, that also used to double as the village shop. It’s been empty for some years now, and someone...