We’ll, we’ve been here two weeks now. The farm is totally overgrown and uncared for. We love it!! Everyday, as well as unpacking, hanging curtains, trying to find things, put things away; we are chipping at the jungle.

Our first job was to clean up the driveway, where the people come for farm gate sales, and it looks tons better. We’ve planted some busy lizzies and begonias in some old water troughs that were outside.

Everyday we have had a huge bonfire, burning packing boxes and bits of hedge.

The 50 chickens we inherited looked very sad for themselves. They have red mite. Hopefully it is now under control. They didn’t look as though they had been cleaned out for a month, and there wasn’t any fresh water around. I think the people moved out weeks before we moved in not on the same day.

The chickens have been my personal battle. For the last 25 years I have been petrified of birds. I mean rigid with fear. From the moment we decided to move to a smallholding I have been conditioning myself to get a grip with this fear. I desperately did not want to pass this fear on to the children, especially as the haven’t noticed yet (a pushchair is great to move pigeons out of the way!!)

On the day as we moved in I slipped off, with my hat pulled down hard, and praying quietly and entered the hen house. I managed to collect the eggs out of all the nest boxes. The feeling of achievement has yet to beaten. I’ve since been able to go in everyday.

Three days ago, about 10 in the morning, I was about to cut Christopher’s’ hair (5) when we looked up and noticed a fox in the chicken run. We ran out but we were too late. It had already killed 15 chickens, biting the head off 8. About two hours later it came back again but we scared it off before it killed any again. We think we’ve found out were it came in and fenced it better. The others seam all right.

On a lighter note, we have ordered the new eggmobile hen house and have built the new duck house. The khaki cambells arrive next week. The very overgrown vegetable patch has finally been cleared and made ready to become the soft fruit garden. We have moved 5 caravans, pushing by hand, which is quite hard. The tractor arrives on Monday. I’ve picked and processed 6lb of blackcurrants, which we only discovered when we got rid of the weeds.

Sorry this has gone on so long but I feel so pleased with what we’ve achieved this week and I know you’ll know what I mean.

God bless you

Alison

-- Alison Homa (alison@mullacottfarm.co.uk), July 13, 2001

Answers

Alison -

Congrats on overcoming the fears!! I used to have a thing about things fluttering near my face. Took a while, but I'm mostly over it. Great feeling, isn't it?!

Congrats also on the currants!! Its always great when a property contains those special little surprises like fresh fruit you don't have to wait years to sample!

Good luck on all the rest of the work - you seem to have things well under control!!

-- Sue Diederich (willow666@rocketmail.com), July 13, 2001.

How very cool!!! Thanks for the update, I was thinking about you just the other day and wondering how things were over the puddle. The first thing I harvested from my homestead was God planted as well. I thought that was very appropriate and fun! Dewberries...oh they are good!

-- Doreen (bisquit@here.com), July 13, 2001.

Good for you! and sorry about your chicken loss, we lost 15 at one time a couple years ago, that's hearbreaking.

Lots of reward for that work. God Bless.

-- Cindy (S.E.IN) (atilrthehony_1@yahoo.com), July 13, 2001.

Alison, thanks for writing and letting us know how it's going. I, too, had been wondering about you and the beginning of your homesteading. I always enjoy reading other people's stories so please keep us posted!

-- Deena in GA (dsmj55@aol.com), July 14, 2001.

Alison, congratulations! Loved hearing about your adventures! I know how you feel about the chickens. I too have a fear of them. I'm conquering that fear some. I can go in the chicken house now and feed them and gather their eggs and let them come up to my feet but I've still to get brave enough to pick one up!!! My husband thinks it's hilarious! I remember as a kid an old mean rooster chasing me so I think that is where this fear came from but I was determined to have chickens. What are busy lizzies? I'm assuming they are flowers, just curious what they look like! I love flowers. Isn't it a great feeling to accomplish all these things?

-- Barb (bjconthefarm@yahoo.com), July 14, 2001.

Busy Lizzies are called impatiens in my book. They grow very quickly and are very pretty in different colours. We use them in planters and hanging bastkets as well.

Alison

-- Alison Homa (alison@mullacottfarm.co.uk), July 14, 2001.

Thanks Alison. I have impatiens but never heard them called busy lizzies! That must be an English term. Hope you're having more success with your chickens.

-- Barb (bjconthefarm@yahoo.com), July 16, 2001.