My Confession

Half of our plot from above.

The joy of owning and importantly living on a smallholding is all the animals and the life you create around them but what determines whether you actually get any time to enjoy sitting admiring what you have created is dependant on the small jobs. Those jobs that happen regularly but often go unsaid. They are the ones that add lots of time to your day for which of course you don't get paid for, yet they remain the most important jobs like mucking out, filling water troughs, basic husbandry, milking goats, for us anyway. Most recently I've become obsessed with the layout of this place, new ways of doing things and for me personally how I can save time doing all those little daily jobs.

The biggest job on my mind right now is the goat barn, the one that doesn't yet exist. Whilst that feels annoying that it has taken this long to clear a list of other jobs, move the poultry, finish their aviary and get the site cleared it has its positives.

Time.

Jodie the newest kitten is regularly meeting the goats these days.

Time spent thinking about how we want to function on this site. Here is a little insight... I've been asked whether I would be interested in supplying milk for an artisan cheese maker locally. Of course this isn't a diversion from what we already do it's merely and extension which is why I'm seriously considering it. Of course why would you not... I'll already be milking so what is a little bit more?

Of course that drives the ideas more and the ideas phase is well worth it, because this is a massive investment. Time and effort as well as money if prices for basic building materials are anything to go by are all going to cost me a pretty penny.. Either way here we are and we are not going anywhere so any improvements are not going to be wasted.

I've been exploring using blocks and wood and most recently the idea of building in stone hit me. I mean why not? I've got stone everywhere and of course its what the buildings where made of because of how much is around so I'll be mulling that idea over for a bit longer as well deciding where I'm going to put the boy goats. I had forgotten how much they stink and with my good ability to smell I'm not sure I want them in the same space as the girls particularly when I'll be milking all winter when the boys are at peak STINK!

Clean Goat Co branding is coming along nicely

The rest of my time is now split between making soap, finishing off the web sites, lots of writing which is very interesting to me as one aspect has been the interviews I've been doing with other rural business owners.

Goats milk shampoo bar

I'm finding everyone a very helpful resource not only for me but also for other smallholders. You might not have a flock of sheep and sell fleece related crafts but there will be someone along my list of interviews who you might find interesting to read up on. Alternatively what my monthly posts will introduce you to is other individuals creating beautiful products who you might never have come across.

So what else is happening? The weather has been very changeable which is making a few jobs challenging to get done or finished and outside jobs are getting shoe horned into increasingly smaller pieces of time. Family are coming over to help paint the outbuildings , and look after the horses. I've concreted the floor in the kennel which means when Leia and Jet do have a bit of time outside not only are they safely contained but they are also in a really neat and washable space. jet particularly has a habit of caking his rear end in mud so having a space to wash him down is exactly what I needed. We plan to concrete the outdoor yard to The Van, the outdoor building that has most recently been given windows and a new gate.

Check out my new bright yellow windows!

I do love the little touches to the place...

Then there is the confession, one I have been wanting to not talk about... Cats and more precisely kittens.

The group of sleeping kittens

Last year we should have got three girls neutered, but with the hubby working away and me catching covid it didn't happen, plus lets just chuck in the fact that we got comfortable that we didn't even see the neighbours cats on our land! Well as the weather from winter broke suddenly there was a cat on our driveway. It was a boy. And of course it was too late.

All three girls produced kittens within 8 days of each other. They have all now been neutered but that was after they launched a lot of chaos on us. Its no fun and already helping out a cat charity I already have a ton of guilt that we've allowed through our own lack of ability to get organised last year to have more cats added to the world.

So here we are, one kitten stopped growing and I did my best staying up all night, night after night trying to get it to feed. It died as I should have known it would, one was found upside down in the bed, I don't know what happened, maybe it was smothered. Either way with life comes death. Just these last few days one now has an injury to its eye ball which now needs to be removed. UGH. Never ending, but then thats what life is. You can try your best all the time and stuff will still happen. So little, soon to be, one eyed Milo is still heading to his forever home. Named early and his arrival still very much anticipated I will enjoy seeing him live his life on top of the mountain with a yet to be chosen sibling.

A kitten heading off to a new home very soon.

4 others all going as a pairs are due to leave soon also. Everyone is going to a hand picked home. I haven't shared them on social on media as I didn't want to deal with lots of people I don't know being interested in taking them. Hand picked homes, as rural as we can find, two going together to each home. We have a few to stay with us because of course it's really easy to bond with such beautiful creatures.

Meet Jodie - She will be staying with us

So have a great week ahead, remember there is a 10% discount code for anyone booking a holiday with Brook Cottage Shepherds Huts from the last blog post, and on the 12th August I'll be introducing you to Sarah from Sarahs Gardens on Anglesey. A florist who has chosen to grown her own flowers to supply locally. The August post will be a lovely look back over summer to give you some ideas for next year in the garden. Don't forget winter time is a perfect time for doing those landscaping jobs and re-arranging before next years growing season is upon us.

So don't forget to sign up if you haven't already and of course share the blog posts with anyone you know would be interested in learning about a rural life and the businesses within it.

So until mid August take my advice make sure you take time to think about each project before you start you may find it gives you a better outcome and of course, always neuter your pet cats!

Emma