I have sat down to write a post many times over the past few months but as soon as I have begun to reflect on the previous months my heart fills with sadness for the loss of our oldest dogs Rosie and Toby. I want to write about both of them individually and do them both justice but the loss is still too palpable. I will come back to their full stories another day when the pain is not so raw.
Since our last post marking the two year anniversary of our move to Wales much has happened. In July, we applied for planning permission to knock down the old leaky garage and block-work generator shed and re-build on the same footprint (more or less) an extension to our house that once finished we will move into. The extension will act as a one bedroom flat for us about the size of our current living room and bar/dining room areas combined. The idea is that we will live in this while digging out the floor and insulating the old stone house (which is over 130 years old) putting a pitched roof on the 1970s flat roof extension to the rear and replacing the guttering and windows. In addition to the works for which planning permission was granted in November, we plan to dig up the concrete round the back of the property to improve drainage. A digger has already begun drainage work regrading the land so that water runs away from the house and dug deeper ditches (as we don’t want the renovated house to flood like it did during storm Callum in October 2018).
Also in July, we finally rid ourselves of the blot on the landscape that was the old caravans we inherited from the previous owners. It had started with a concerted effort with the assistance of Oliver and Justine back in the autumn of 2017 to remove the contents of the caravans, then the manual removal of the windows and crushing (with the help of a digger) by Andy Wright, followed by many hours sifting through the wreckage and sorting into piles of burnable wood, scrap metal, recyclable and non-recyclable rubbish (rubber seals, carpets and moulded plastic).
The late summer also saw the disappearance of most of the older hens (adopted 2 years previously), our little cockerel Rocky and eventually all our ducks to either a fox or polecat (we have seen both in broad daylight prowling about). Each loss was upsetting and we commissioned the building of a chicken house and run from our neighbour Liam Jones to protect our poultry in the future. Currently, all our birds are in stables to keep them safe but once spring is here and groundworks are completed the chickens will be outdoors again.
In August, we both weaved a square-ish log/storage basket out of Willow under the supervision of Jane Welsh at Denmark Farm. It was a weave that well and truly tested the strength and dexterity in our hands but we are happy with the results and we will have a log basket for each end of the house, once the building work is completed. We also bought day old Hubbard chicks to raise for the table from a local poultry farmer and during the next 3 months they grew into fine chickens. We decided to despatch and pluck all the birds in one day which was a little harrowing at the time but looking back was probably the best way to approach. Raising animals for meat is a personal choice, we are meat-eaters who have taken responsibility for where their meat comes from. We believe as my friend Julie says in “A good life and a good death”, but it is difficult. In January 2019, we took our first 3 pigs to slaughter, in March our first cow, and then in November another 3 pigs. Each journey to the local abattoir was preceded by much planning, careful logistics to minimise stress for the animals and sleepless nights. As upsetting as these journeys were, the actual despatch of the animals was not carried out by us. With poultry it is a different matter. It is very hands on, intimate and troubling in many ways. You want the animal to have a quick and painless death and you feel a huge responsibility. It is not for the fainthearted.
September saw a few mishaps with the washing machine blowing up mid-cycle and our 4G internet going from good to barely acceptable connection which meant that the days of us working from home together were over. We decided to put our troubles on hold and attend a practical chainsawing course which taught us how to check filters and spark plugs, adjust and sharpened chain, and maintain our chainsaws as well as use them safely. It certainly gave us more confidence.
Then our beautiful Chocolate Labrador Rosie began having little fits. She had been diagnosed with suspected Laryngeal paralysis a couple of weeks before and had been responding well to treatment but she suddenly seemed very tired and passed away within 24 hours of her first fit. We were grateful that it was quick and she died in Dave’s arms at home. The morning before she had given us so much joy by rolling down our drive (something she did in her youth) and even in death made us laugh when she rolled off the back seat of the car and was legs akimbo in the footwell for a moment before we pulled over and rearranged her body. The farm seems huge and empty without her and the adjustment is ongoing.
The rest of September and October is a bit of a blur to be honest. We did some decluttering by getting rid of 2 broken washing machines, the 3 piece suite that came with the house, double wardrobe that was falling apart and bunk beds. We continued to reap our harvest of vegetables from the polytunnel and raised beds including squashes, runner beans, tomatoes and potatoes. At the beginning of October we bought day old Light Sussex chicks and unfortunately although we brought home 13 chicks only 10 made it through the weekend. It was upsetting as all the chicks we had hatched from eggs ourselves had survived and grown to maturity the year before.
Towards the end of October Toby our gorgeous Labrador/Collie cross had to visit the vet for blood tests so he could continue to take a little metacam for his aching joints. He was frightened of the vets (for many reasons which I will elaborate on another time) and I hated taking him and seeing him shaking in fear. I can still see his face looking up at me from the passenger footwell (he couldn’t climb the seat due to old age/arthritis). Over the course of the following weeks he began to tire easily, he would stop sooner on morning walks and not venture from the top of the drive during the day and then at the beginning of November he didn’t want to leave his bed. He passed away in my arms the next morning, leaving another huge hole in our lives. More on this another time, when the tears stop flowing.
Sometime in October Dave attended a course on fermented foods hosted by Peggy Beer from Eldertree at Denmark Farm. His first batch of sauerkraut and fermented cauliflower were ready in November along with a couple of litres of Kombucha (fermented tea) flavoured, in this case, with pineapple pieces. We also, decided to ferment some of our bumper crop of chillies in brine with a view to making our own Tabasco like sauce and made our first batch of homemade sausages.
November also saw our highland cows Knorr and Wicket pass their TB test with flying colours and an end to our internet woes as an ADSL router was installed and we got an internet connection. A BT engineer spent most of his Saturday fixing 6 faults on our line and 3 days later ADSL stopped working. Thanks to the same engineer’s suggestion we signed up to Fibre, the reasoning being that the ADSL cabinet was 4/5 miles away in the next town but the Fibre cabinet was only about 3km away in the village. Fibre was working well and then the digger dug up our phone line (twice) and we are back to relying on 4G for the time being.
In December a 5 month old highland cow we named Mace joined our herd. He is still indoors at the moment while we bucket and halter train him but we are starting to gain his trust, just in time for him to be snipped into a steer. Preparations began for the groundworks, including taking down the polytunnel, digging up the vine (relocated to a neighbour’s polytunnel), emptying the front log store, potting shed and sun room lean to extension. The digger arrived just before Christmas and we hope building work will start in February (if we can get the bat licence sorted out).
Congratulations for reading six months worth of my ramblings. So why is this post called, ‘Cawl, bread and cheese’? Cawl (stew/soup in welsh) is traditionally served with a piece of cheese and some bread and I think homemade soup/stew is a great comfort food through difficult times and especially long cold winter evenings. So consider it a bowl of comfort with some bread and cheese on the side. Sound good?
