Our second Autumn at Greencliff Farm and I can’t believe we have been here a year. Our windows still don’t close properly and the barn roofs are still leaking, but we have agreed an excellent design with the planners for the house and have our builders ready for disruption in the new year. The barn …
On The Land The willows have made the most of the the warm wet spring and summer and loads of them are sprouting out of their tubes, they are loving the wet ground in our Boatlake field. My vegetable patch has also had some fast growth, mostly weeds, I’m overrun with teasels (think triffids), however …
We thought we were doing well with our tree planting last month when we were offered another 900 saplings by Andy Bell from the North Devon Biosphere for Lay Field. We were delighted to complete another part of our regeneration for the farmland especially as the woodland takes years to mature and I can’t wait …
We have loved Spring!! So many daffodils arrived unexpected and joyful, our plum tree is in blossom and multicoloured poses of primroses are nestled in the grassy banks around the garden. All the birds are extra noisy trying to impress – the bluetits are coupling up and checking out their nesting options. Although one pair …
The data’s not out yet, but I’m sure January has been a record breaking wet month, in Devon anyway it feels like we only had two dry days. We have been squelching through the muddy clay fields, dealing with over flowing drains, paw prints all through the house (and on the sofa, and bed – …
Wishing you all a safe happy and Covid free 2021 As we thankfully say goodbye to 2020 and wish for new beginnings in 2021 we have had a quiet but lovely first Christmas and new year with the boys and Ollie in our farm house home. Although we missed our wider family we did enjoy …
It has been a joy watching the garden birds pecking the apples left on the tree and the many windfalls, the blackbirds particularly enjoy the apples, we have also seen thrushes and a beautiful fieldfare. The bird feeders I am constantly topping up attract blue tits, great tits, robins, long tailed tits, flocks of goldfinches, …
Earlier in the month, while the weather was still autumnal Alex Worsley from The Bumblebee Conservation Trust kindly came to visit us and brought all his knowledge and enthusiasm for bees. Our farm is in the middle of a coastal patch around Bideford Bay where Alex and the Trust are working hard to encourage and …
September 2020 We took advantage of a glorious afternoon (and a helpful drop off) to enjoy the coastline walk from Peppercombe Beach to Greencliff. The whole of the beach from the high to low water mark in Bideford Bay is a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) due to it’s fabulous geology and intertidal rock …
August Earlier in the month we took advantage of a beautiful early evening to take the paddle board down to the beach, the tide was coming in and it was dead calm. You could see the jagged rocks beneath you as you paddled out and it was quite spooky how the underwater landscaped changed and …