A Visit To Dawn's Smallholding

Sorry I haven't got round to doing the list of posts I'd promised this week - they're coming it's just been a very busy week! 

Last week, when we were on holiday I got up early and crept out the house, leaving my wife and kids in bed. 

I was quite excited as I was going to see my blogging friend Dawn and have a tour of her smallholding in Wales. 

Milking time! 

I was on holiday in New Quay so it was only about a 45 minute journey through the welsh countryside, although it did take me a little longer to find the farm, even with some good instructions! It's pretty remote out there in the hills, far more than we are here with a large village on our door step.

The kids waiting to go back to their mums! 

I got there in time to see the chickens being fed and the goats being milked. Dawn and Martin seem to have everything very well organised, with loads of feed bins labled up and a chart with who has what each day. The milking operation was pretty swift as well, taking just over ten minutes for the three goats, each taking their turn on the stand to be milked and have a bit of feed. 

Some sheep that are a fair bit smaller than my own! 

Dawn then showed me round their smallholding. It's in a stunning location, the back fields have some great views over the surrounding countryside but I should imagine it has the weather hard when it's bad!  

I think it's also fair to say that the soil isn't great, Dawn is having to do a lot of work to improve the fertility there, I couldn't believe it when she walked me on to one field and said it hadn't been grazed yet. 

But with a combination of animal manure and some really good field maintenance I know it'll improve really quickly for them, their garden area was already testament to that with loads of produce growing outside in the beds and in both polytunnels. 

There was also lots of great ideas everywhere I looked. The one I really liked was the water containers at the back of very barn or field shelter, it really makes use of the natural resources and I thought the mini scaffold tower was a great way to raise them up. 

Couldn't go to Dawns and not see the Alpacas! 

Scaffold onion drying rack! 

Dawn and Martin - Such a hard working couple!

It was great to be able to have a guided tour around their smallholding that I had read so much about, it's also nice to met up in person with someone that I quiet often message and we each comment on each others blogs. 

It's also great to see a couple doing the whole "smallholding" thing properly, I've no time for time for people that always talk about doing something but don't, these guys really walk the walk and know what they're on about when it comes to smallholding because they are putting the skills and knowledge into practice every single day. 

So thanks again Dawn and Martin for your hospitality and time. Also sorry it was such short notice that I was going to turn up!