For those of you who read my little article last month, I am pleased to say that my economic sanctions are still in place and the practice of cooking toast on the Aga has been perfected….no more noisy smoke alarms going off every morning! Moving forward with new “lockdown” initiatives at Yellingham Farm, the thought of “job share”, now so prominent in many businesses, sprung quickly to mind. The farmhouse is a fair size to clean and even without B and B guests, the dust still arrives, muddy boots still appear, cobwebs decorate every room, …
[Read more...]

The one thing that all this self-isolation has brought home to me is just how beautiful our Devon lanes are in springtime with the banks bursting with a colourful profusion of wild flowers. Walking the Upton loop has been delightful – swathes of Red Campion merge with drifts of white Stitchwort and Cow Parsley, all combined with the blue of the sweet scented English Bluebells and Bird’s Eye Speedwell. Should we perhaps name this walk the Patriot’s Loop? There has also been a profusion of Vetches, Violets, wild Geraniums, Wood Anemones, a small …
[Read more...]

At a time when there is so much pain and negativity in the world, I have reflected on some of the positives in our household which have made me smile, as I surged into my normal role as head of household when there is a crisis. Life at Yellingham has had to change and I leapt at the opportunity to set some new “economic operating rules” for the household. With my Sergeant Major hat firmly in place, the new rules just kept coming and coming. Poor Edward really did think I was losing the plot. These are just but a few: “Right Edward……... turn …
[Read more...]

In the face of all this global misery the world keeps turning, the seasons come and go and we are entering one of the most magical times of the year. The dawn chorus has started - and there is nothing finer than to be woken up to the sweet song of a blackbird. Nest building will soon be in full sway. For me this is a truly uplifting time of year and one I always look forwards to with great anticipation. As with so many others I have been self-isolating, except for one occasion when I walked the lane to Upton and back. Imagine my surprise to …
[Read more...]

I have a new mission in life, which is try to cheer everyone up. First we had endless Brexit, then came the winter of unrelenting rainfall and now we have to endure coronavirus – all this negativity is having an adverse effect on us all, so now seems an excellent time to get closer to nature. I am saddened to report the death of a young male Sparrowhawk in early March. It had chased a pigeon twice its size into the shop’s annex and broken its neck when it crashed into the wall. It came as a great surprise to me just how small and light the …
[Read more...]

I have just come indoors and lit a lovely log fire, after a productive morning (which started in the wee hours) down in my lambing yard, sorting out ewes and lambs, moving new-borns and their mums into individual pens to mother up and generally appreciating the wonder of new life – even if it is just sheep. As I write, I am fully aware that there is so much grief and turmoil in the world, but for me I make it my mission every morning to be positive, to smile, not to tell Edward off too much and, as we all used to say at Brownies,…”to do my …
[Read more...]

We have enjoyed a second awe-inspiring trip to Colombia, returning with so many wonderful memories: hummingbirds galore, magnificent mountain scenery, Bogota with its fantastic street art and Gold Museum and most remarkable of all incredible numbers of macaws and parrots all around us in the Amazonian jungles of Mitu. One day we were at 4,000 meters above sea level in the high Paramo with its beautiful vegetation and Andean Ducks, the next at sea level in intense heat and humidity alive with colourful birds all around us. All hummingbirds are …
[Read more...]