Introducing our correspondent…
I live in rural Shropshire with my husband Martin. We have about four acres of land and keep horses, a donkey, two ancient tups and half a dozen hens. Alongside these we have two dogs, and a rescue cat called Nellie. Nellie has been the inspiration for our business - Nellie's Patch – where we grow our own herbs and flowers that we use in our palm oil free soaps, and for wedding work.
Julie Lyons, 2012
Julie writes:
We started the New Year with friends here to celebrate.
I feel very fortunate that we have such a great community, and many friends who are similar in outlook, and enjoy the same pastimes as we do.
Riding is one such activity. My New Year’s resolution (apart from cut down on the chocolate intake!) is to get out and about more with my horse. My friends and I used to belong to a local riding club, do fun rides and generally get out with our horses in the trailers. The last couple of years we just haven’t had the time. So this year we intend to try and make it happen.
This morning, three of us took our horses out for a nice hack, the weather was actually really pleasant, and my Irish draft cross was full of New Year’s vavavoom. Why he doesn’t have the same energy levels when I school him I don’t know!
Daisy our cocker spaniel has now recovered from being spayed. She has boundless energy, which she likes to use up chasing around the fields. However because she is a working breed, that needs plenty of stimulation, I have decided to try her out as a potential gun dog. A friend has offered to bring his gun and see how she reacts. He tells me she is the right age, being just over 12 months. We left it far too late with our lab, and at four years old he was terrified. There will be updates on Daisy’s progress.
Due to the very mild, if very wet weather, husband Martin has been out on the “patch”. It looks so different from this time last year, and as of yet we haven’t needed to cover the herbs with fleece. We took the precaution of buying plenty, as we lost nearly all of our rosemary last winter. The rosemary and other herbs are used in our soap making.
The new speckeldy hens have started laying, they don’t seem to have taken on board the notion of not producing in the winter, I am pleased to say. They are really enjoying complete freedom of the land, until we need to restrict them in the summer, so they don’t eat all our flowers and herbs.
I am looking forward to 2012, with plans for business, enjoying our animals, and as always appreciate living in the countryside.
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