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Becky Sherman, The Squire Farm, Chapel Lawn, Bucknell, Shropshire. SY7 0BW

Tel/Fax - 01547 530530 E-mail - becky@squirefarm.co.uk


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Shropshire, South Shropshire, Clun, Ludlow, Knighton, Offas Dyke, Marches, Leominster, Presteigne, Bucknell, Long Mynd, Craven Arms, Bishops Castle, Chapel Lawn, Bucknell, Brampton Bryan, Leintwardine, Newcastle, Anchor, Kington

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Cottages for you, country retreat, beautiful landscape, hills, AONB, area of outstanding natural beauty, forgotten countryside, trees, grassland, sheep, horses, cattle, forestry, natural woodland, small fields, hedges, ancient woodland, ancient oaks, river, stream, crayfish, buzzards, kites, rolling hills

Traditional, low beams, farm cottage, open fire, inglenook, hot tub,

Redlake Valley

THE SQUIRE FARM

The Squire Farm, Chapel Lawn, Bucknell, Shropshire SY7 0BW

Tel/Fax - 01547 530530 E-mail - becky@squirefarm.co.uk


FARM NEWS

For Sale

Eggs from our own hens  are for sale at £1.25 per half dozen.

(Subject to availability and when we can find them)

***

Home Grown Mutton

Follow the link for details or ask me, Becky on

01547 530530 or e-mail

This page is a sort of ‘blog’ I suppose, but I prefer to call it ‘News’ and try to keep it up to date with what is going on on the farm and property.  If you are interested in anything in particular, please ask!

Previous Year’s News

2019

Squire Cottage in the sunshine Looking to Chapel Lawn from Squire Farm

November 2018

18/11/18

The pond in Xidong garden is coming on a treat.  Peter has been hard at work this last week as the cottage was empty and has finally finished filling the old part of the pond.  He reckoned he has shovelled and barrowed about 7 tons of ‘filler’ - stone and old tarmac.  Now comes the fun part where he starts laying stones and pebbles, lining the new part of the pond and designing and building our mini waterfall.  It will be so pretty when it is finished!

New pond layout filled with fresh fallen leaves! 'This stone will go there... and that stone - there...' Taking time out to sweep leaves from around the hot tub And Skollie doesn't want to miss out!

January

31/1/19

Peter and I had a long overdue break for three weeks during January.  We left the farm and cottages in the willing and capable hands of Jodie and her son Jake.  They say they had a lovely time and there were no major disasters like burst pipes or animal accidents, except for another hen being killed by a fox (mid afternoon in broad daylight).

As for our three weeks away… we sought the sun in South Africa; some of time was staying with family and some was exploring the Kruger National Park and the Drakensburg Mountains.  I know these pictures are not of Squire Farm, but I’m just brightening up some dreary British winter days!

at Knysner Elephant Sactuary waiting to be fed fruit and vegetables

These elephants are all rescued and rehabilitated at Knysner Elephant Sanctuary.  Here they are waiting to be fed on fruit and vegetables supplied to the tourists.  After feeding them, you can walk up to and touch them and have your photo taken with them.

We're considering keeping elephants next year! Possibly my favourite picture... A panorama of the Klein Karoo from the Swartburg Pass From largest to smallest - a chameleon Lioness and cubs Wildebeest and calf Giraffe and calf

It is Summer now in the Kruger and the rainy season, which means there is more vegetation and more to eat for everyone, so also it is the time of new life and that was in abundance.  We saw baby elephants, baboons, zebra, warthogs, monkeys, impala, water buffalo and young hippos as well as the three pictured above.  We were also fortunate enough to watch a lion mating in the road right in front of us.  It was the most fantastic visit to a great country.  

March

17th March.

While I was away learning how to mess about with chocolate - a Christmas present from my loved one - my loved one had the delightful surprise of our first lambs!  These are Perry Badgerface lambs and already you know they are, not because they have white stripes down their faces (they don’t), but because their ears are so small!  

Chocolate making course at Harts Barn Cookery School near Mitcheldean in Gloucestershire.  

These were an experiment with orange flavouring and pretty edible transfers. Not the most elegant chocolate I’ve made!

April

From 17th March to 13th April; we now have 18 healthy lambs, some white, some ‘badger faced’.  All of them adorable!  The weather has not been too bad for them.  The snow we had a week or so ago only lasted for a few days and even then there was no wind  and therefore not that cold.

June

Spot the bird!

(Hover over the image)

He is quite a frequent visitor to our cherry tree - has to fight the squirrel for the unripe cherries, which leave us with none!

Jack looking quilty for digging Digging foundations for the new greenhouse

Jack and Peter are digging up the vegetable garden currently.  Jack is looking for possible moles and Peter is preparing the ground for my new greenhouse - or is it glasshouse?  

When I explained that we were having a greenhouse to my Grandson, he asked where the redhouse was?  Which is why I thought that I ought to call it a glasshouse!

Perky, the first sheep to be shorn.

Shearing took place one Sunday at the end of June.  The first group of sheep came in, no problem.  The ewes and lambs however, having seen what was going on, decided to be difficult - most of them doubled back down the track and a ewe with 6 lambs in tow refused to come out of the field at all!  Much puffing, panting and swearing later, we got them into the barn, where they were divested of their woolly vests.  I have no doubt they would be eternally grateful if they knew what gratitude was!

July

Water Feature Update

From next week (8th July), Xidong will be closed to visitors for two weeks so that Peter can finally get to the new water feature and pond to finish it.  I know some of our guests have been disappointed that it is only half done, but we have been so busy that there has not been time to do anything.  I don’t think that guests would appreciate Peter mixing cement, barrowing stone and tramping around barefooted while they are trying to have a relaxing break!!

New greenhouse

Meanwhile; the sheep have been shorn and my greenhouse is nearly finished.  A friend came to stay at the weekend and quickly spun up a hank of fleece from one of my cheviot wethers (castrated male). Check out Fiona Nisbet’s website, it is full of interesting information about spinning, weaving and dying.  

She has left the wool for me to make into something - not sure what yet.

Newly hand-spun home-grown cheviot wool
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August

Fishpond and ‘Stream’


Our beautiful new fishpond with it’s accompanying waterfall is now finished.  It has been stocked with goldfish (5) and a few water plants and lilies.   

~The pond is even overlooked by it’s own Philippine bhudda.

New garden fishpond with hot tub to the left Open the concertina doors and sit inside listening to the gentle tinkling of the water falling over rocks More Fishpond

Spot the difference!

Inside, looking out, with atmospheric smoky background!! From the top

Where the ash tree came down over the old sheep wash in the stream, water was washing over the track instead of going underneath it.  A new stream formed, down an old sunken road!

October

Flooding!

This was the extent to which our own fields flooded, thanks to the hills,

 but (below), the river flowed out over the road and took a different route through our neighbour’s field…

… and his yard!

December

A very Merry Christmas and a Happy 2020 to all our guests, old and new!

We have decided, reluctantly, to give up keeping sheep ourselves.  There will still be sheep in the fields, but in the next few months we will be selling our own stock and renting the land to a local young shepherd.  Neither of us is getting younger and are finding it more and more difficult to handle the dear things (the sheep, not the local young shepherds!).  I have been keeping sheep for about 35 years, so it will be a bit of a wrench.