Latest on what’s been happening on our smallholding at Chilcotts Farm.
We have now sold out of Pumpkins for 2020
Moving toward Halloween, we have started selling our own grown Halloween pumpkins. These have been picked and are £1 each.
Buy from the honesty stall. Find us at Chilcotts Farm in Bickington, Barnstaple.
Sorry, we do not offer pumpkin picking or pick your own.
We have done a lot of work to the house and the out buildings. Moving a lot of stone, roof tiles and bricks we have discovered all sorts of things, including little pockets of history.
Most of the bricks and roof tiles which were stacked up appeared to have been from outbuildings that had fallen into ruin. Most of the bricks and tiles were unmarked or branded. Interestingly we have found a batch of roof tiles & the odd brick stamped with Lauder & Smith Brick & Tile Works, Barnstaple.
It turns out this tile works was about 3 miles away from Chilcotts Farm in an area of Barnstaple called Pottington. The pottery was in business for 38 years from 1876 to 1914.
I am guessing the start of the First World War in 1914, was the reason for the demise of the company.
We haven’t researched the age of the property, but we thought it was mid 1800s. The farm house, isn’t built of bricks, but rather a rubble construction with render. I am guessing the Lauder & Smith bricks and tiles were brought in at a later date and used for an outbuilding.
Even though we are in lockdown, it could be worse! The weather is fantastic! The sun and warmth maybe shining in through the windows, or you have the opportunity to sit outside ….. it could be worse ….. it could be raining!
This morning we sat outside and had a lovely breakfast with homemade jam made with homegrown fruit!
The mornings over the past few days have been crisp, bright and warm!
Letting the animals out is even more of a joy when the weather is so gorgeous. You forget what is going on in the world.
After all, they don’t have a clue and every new day is another adventure.
Last year (2019) we had our first goose egg of the season on 25th February 2019, this year it was today, 26th February!
It’s amazing how nature’s clock is so accurate. It won’t be long before we have a goose eggs for sale (sorry, still local collection only).
I know what I am having for breakfast this weekend! Goose egg and soldiers….. delicious.
Quite beautiful this morning. Everything covered in frost glinting in the early morning sunlight. This Witch Hazel looked like a little glimmering jewel.
While landscaping our gardens we have dug up many things including old tools, farm implements, water pumps, tyres, bones and scrap metal.
However, one of the most delicate and lovely things we have found are antique bottles.
Varied and obviously old, quite often the writing on them tells a story.
One bottle reads:
WHEELER
LONDON
TRADE MARK
SOFT WHITE HANDS
Another reads:
MRS WIINSLOW’S
SOOTHING SYRUP
CURTIS & PERKINS
PROPRIETORS
My favourite is:
SAMPLE BOTTLE
DR.KILMER’S
SWAMP ROOT
KIDNEY CURE
LONDON.E.C
Described as a Wolf Moon, the moon certainly had a presence this evening! I don’t think the picture does it justice.
A new year has begun, and the garden is already showing signs of life. Apart from the daffodils and snowdrops poking up through the ground, this beautiful and fragrant Viburnum flower is putting on a beautiful show!
It would appear we have a mouse problem in our store! After carefully picking and storing our apple crop, It would appear a little mouse family has come along and taken a bite out of nearly every apple!
Even worse, it would appear that we have had rat visitors too with big toothy bites out of some of the store squashes.
