May 2025

A door and a window

Since we started getting the windows installed, I’ve had an earworm of a football chant about having “a door and a window”, and it finally came true! The song is about comparing opposition grounds to garden sheds, which isn’t relevant here. And it’s also not the actual door because they sent one 10cm narrower than it should have been, but it was installed with some timber fillers, so it’s functional and will be replaced at a later date. Which is important because the barn swallows were convinced we had gone to all this trouble to build them a perfect nesting spot, and they had to be shooed out of the house regularly.

In other significant work that the builders wrapped up before leaving us, the drains were installed and connected to the new septic tank. And the electrician did the first fix electrics and brought the power supply into the house. Nothing is on yet, but it means the walls can be insulated and plasterboarded.

Drainage was a big job, taking the rain water to the soak away and the waste water to the septic tank.

Cables everywhere, all coming to the new fuseboard.

Getting Involved

We have been getting stuck in now there’s a water-tight building. Lou’s dad came and helped frame out the bathroom and toilet, and bought some furniture. Lou put in the pipes for the radiators upstairs, and we did the very first bits of plasterboard.

If anyone fancies progressing their DIY skills, we are taking bookings for working visits (you can also visit and not work, that’s fine).

Babies, babies, babies

This month has seen a bumper crop of youngsters appear around us. Our neighbour had turned his cows out in our field once the weather had improved, and it turns out one was pregnant. I saw the mother-to-be running around in the field when I was feeding the chickens one morning, and I thought she had cow zoomies, but it turns out she was in labour and gave birth to her calf an hour later. He’s a beauty.

There is a huge flock of baby sparrows hanging out at the bird feeder outside the caravan, they go through a suet block every other day! The parents feed the young birds, but they are starting to master getting the food themselves. The ponies and geese are on our popular dog walking routes at the nearby canal and at a farm near our place.

Garden

The hot weather, followed by a lot of rain, has produced a bumper crop of strawberries and the artichokes, which have been grown from seed, are starting to produce flowers.

We were hoping to have our heating installed this month, but they are advising to have more insulation in place, so that will be the main focus.

Thanks for reading, love from Hillside Farm x

PS Avvy would like it to be known that it’s not acceptable to be in the garden without her, and she will stare at you until she’s allowed to join in.

A door and a window

Getting Involved

Babies, babies, babies

Garden

April 2025