Spring-ing into action

We have just spent our half term holiday visiting my mum in Edinburgh and, since it was in this city that life began for me, it seemed an appropriate place to start this blog.

Edinburgh never ceases to amaze me, it is bustling , yet full of quiet places. It is one of Scotland’s biggest cities, yet everything in the city centre is only 20 minutes walk away, and it is constantly changing – every time I visit I discover something new – this time, the counter on the canal just next to the Leamington lift bridge, love it.

Mum’s flat overlooks the Meadows – the view from the windows are a great source of entertainment for the kids. They enjoy the continual procession of fire engines, ambulances, police cars, bikes, runners, people on their way to work, and, even, one day a man being towed along on a skateboard by two huskies, it couldn’t be more different from home. For me, I appreciate being able to open the door and having the world of Edinburgh at our feet, and most especially the endless rainy day activities.

Back home, the story of Lochaber farm starts when we moved to rural Fife in 2006, a couple of years before we were married. We met in Australia in 2005 where we lived and worked in the Barossa Valley, South Australia, for nearly a year before deciding to make the move back to Scotland – mainly based on a desire to be closer to our families. We have now lived in Fife for 11 years, had three kids, moved house 6 times, and in 2015, we bought Lochaber farm – the start of the next chapter.

When we first took the farm on there was one muddy track and the ruinous remains of the original cottage, which was last lived in around 60 years ago. A blank canvas and certainly a long way from being the productive, efficient and rounded small holding we dream of. The good life, this is not…well, not yet anyway. The soil is heavy and the farm is quite high above sea level for the area, which can mean a little harsher and cooler weather. Over the years the land has been used, for the most part, to grow grass and feed livestock. In recent times little if any tender loving care has been lavished upon the place, and as a result we now have an established but very unwelcome population of rushes. These are known to be very persistent visitors and can be tricky to get rid of… watch this space.

During 2016 we crafted out the new farm roads and yard area and erected two pole barns; one to house the cattle and the other as a tractor shed and workshop. We’ve done some drain repairs (although haven’t really scratched the surface here), laid water pipes and repaired the holes along the original roadside wall. As I write the cattle are safely billeted in their shed and the sheep are heads down, filling up on the grass preparing for market around Easter time. The yard site would benefit from an electricity supply too but this is set to be a much bigger mountain to climb and not one for right now. For now, having a road and a tap with running water feels like an achievement.

With three young kids at home, I currently spend a large part of my day hustling people from one thing to the next, making sure that everyone leaves the house with what they need for the day and trying to keep the house from drowning in laundry. Weekdays are a haze of school runs, after school clubs and the continual movement of child related ‘stuff’ between the car and the house. 2017 will be the year that I stop marching around the house, five minutes before the school bell and 25 minutes after everyone has confirmed they’re ‘ready to go’, armed with three primed toothbrushes – pleading, begging, cajoling or even bribing reluctant kids to, ‘teeth, brush your teeth!’

Of late, when the madness of the week is done we have enjoyed spending a few hours pottering around the farm and planning for what’s to come. And… in August this year, we will reach the end of an era – our youngest daughter starts nursery and there will be just a little child-free (breathing) space in the daily routine. I am excited to have more time to dedicate to the farm. We are looking forward to learning, growing and sharing the experience of Lochaber Farm.