Daydream thread continues.....

lostinrates

Hello ferret keeper, big welcome from our corner of the day dream.

We have birds and horses and garden. For us the dream element has been sputtering a bit recently, but the business side for us is going ok.


So, guys, I am finally feeling better. Not just from what ever it is that has made me not pleasant to be around and dehydrated for the last week but I felt just generally amazing last night. It was like a fog cleared, and I felt up for anything and everything. I started scouring emails to see which of our London friends were having parties this weekend and found a few and at eleven o clock I was trying to get dh out of bed to come in the car to London to dance (I actually said I want to dance until I sweat and then keep dancing till I cannot stand up....dh raised an eyebrow and asked if the long drive and no sleep to get back to the animals was worth it for ten minutes of dancing). Anyway, he was right to say no as within an hour left eye stopped working again and then I fell fast, fast asleep. Rofl.

But it was good to feel so vibrant even for a couple of hours.
This morning I still feel much better than have, and finally got the dogs out for a decent run and have done half the summer electric fencing...ironically, in the snow!

We have a one night visiting paying guest in the field next week so I need to decide where I am putting everyone for that night too. We won't integrate for one night here, not worth the stress to the old ones.

ferretkeeper

COOLTRIKERCHICK wrote: »

Thanks Davesnave:beer: just let me know how much it is..

Glad you found us Ferret Keeper.:beer:

are you upper or lower ????

We live about 5 - 10 miles away from you, depending in which property we are in:rotfl:

are you from the area originally?

Did you say you had tamworths? They are not that popular around here, the last time we went to market, they wern't fetching much. which I was suprised at,


Re- the butcher's thread, Even though I like sheep, I don't want to keep them, We had this discussion on here, they can be a pain to look after, plus all the rig-ma-roll of all the things you need to do etc.

I'm upper, stones throw from the national park/black mountain!

I bet I've walked past you at the one of the auctions, I go to several, although not regularly.

No, we're not locals, we moved here when hubby was in RAF, stationed in Wiltshire but no way could afford to buy there, and had too many pets for a married quarter! This was commutable on a weekly basis, but we really like the area and well settled now.

I do have Tamworths, very pretty girls, I think pig prices are all low atm, I know someone who took Oxford Sandys to market and didn't get much, they don't really care about being rare breeds. Plus pig food is so expensive, a cheap animal to buy will still cost loads to keep.

In fact I'm going to the market Friday to see what's there - taking the trailer just in case, it's pay day Thursday, must set a budget!!! I'm looking at selling my pork further afield - as you say not much appreciation of the tasty rare breeds sadly.

Yes sheep are a bit more work, although I've been lucky, all I've had to do is the odd dose of wormer in food and shearing, Shetlands are tough little sheep and pretty low maintenance, same goes for the alpacas, they like to browse as much as graze, my "pasture" is rubbish!

Looking forward to lambing this year, and indeed kidding, my goats should be preggers too.

I was thinking about setting up some sort of local smallholders group, buy in bulk, share/hire machinery etc etc do you know if anything like that exists already? There's a fair few of us around here.

Time to wrap up and off to work in my little digger for the day!
x

Davesnave

Rummer wrote: »

Today I had high hopes of going out into the garden and clearing some beds however it has started again with the little whisps of snow and I can't face being frozen to the core while working :eek: Oh I am such a wimp!

You're not a wimp. Nobody will be doing much outside today which involves digging frozen ground. We'll go into the polytunnel here if it warms up a bit more.

Later, we might go out to a garden known for crocuses, which is opening today for the first time, but that only involves driving a few miles. It's supposed to be sunny this afternoon. We'll see!

Good to know you are feeling lively lir,:j but don't go and overdo it now.;)

Rummer

ferretkeeper wrote: »

Hi Rummer, I have 4 boy alpacas and 8 shetland ewes, two are in lamb (v excited!) as I love all things crafty and wanted my own wool that was as eco as possible ie not full of weird dyes, manmade fibres and from halfway round the world, and still affordable.

I don't know whether the alpacas in particular will ever make me money, costs a lot to process fleeces and keep them fed etc, as I'm not breeding with them. But they are a pleasure to have around, help keep foxes away from chickens/lambs/piglets. I've got loads of fleeces to send away, so I'll sell what I don't need, should bring in a few pennies.

Keep an eye out on eBay and even freecycle for fleeces in the summer, most people with small flocks don't do anything with the fleeces and they're bulky to store so they usually want rid!

Great to hear you are making the most of your own fleeces, the satisfaction of wearing something that has come from your own flock must be amazing and personal aim of mine

I have been lucky to source some fabulous raw fleeces in the last year through friends of friends and some animal charities so that I feel I am giving something back.

Dave sounds like you have a lovely day planned, we have some gorgeous local gardens that I visit through out the seasons and they never fail to inspire and motivate me In that could be a plan for the day!

Those of you with building/decorating projects how do you keep motivated? We have been woking on our home for 5-6 years and we are so close to finishing so many parts of it but we just can't face it.

COOLTRIKERCHICK

Ferret keeper,

There is nothing that I know of smallholder group wise around here,

We went last month to the pig auction, and the prices were on the floor, we are waiting for our fencers to finish off 2 more piggie pens.

there are contracters and do work all over the country, so they use us when they have a free day, and no work for his boys....they have started, so on their next free day, they will come up and do a bit more.

I don't mind this arrangement, as for one thing they are friends, they are local, and the main thing they do an excellent job...

Plus Rome wasn't built in a day,

TBH unless you get an upmarket place who does want to buy rare breed pork, then you will get the same price for your pork whatever it is, breed or cross, its all about being local, and how its been reared.

We made sure we bought a 'ranch' local to us, as this is the area our children have been brought up in, plus we are local and know alot of people...

When we were in the auction yesturday, people who we haven't seen in a few year's knew we had bought xxxxx old place:rotfl:

alfie_1

morning all and welcome ferret...:D

iv been here 9 years and its still a work in progress...albeit at a standstill at mo...:o

it is absolutely nut freezing weather here !!!!:eek:

LIR...glad you are back up on your pins ....:D

I HAVE LOST SOME PANTO PROPS.....PUT THEM SOME WHERE SAFE ...SAY NO MORE !!

too many places to be safe here...
ive turned the place upside down but no luck !!
found lots for bay tho

right ,ive given mabel a bale of straw to play with... ive fed all my animogs and now the hoss's...
im supposed to be at the hall with panto props at 1pm...:o

re sheep. we had 5. all crossbreds that look like bob marley when fully coated...:rotfl:
ok but lost 2 to fly strike although grandma was ancient..:(
i get them sheared twice a year and worm and fly spray them regularly. we got them to keep grass down for minis :rotfl::rotfl::rotfl: they lay like giant bean bags in the field deciding wether to move any time this year.....

Itismehonest

Another lousy night & feeling rough but just wanted to say "Welcome" to ferretkeeper. I'll catch up with you when my sinuses stop hammering my head, jaw, teeth & ears

Don't freeze unless it's necessary, Rummer. The idea is that things should be enjoyable not a drudge. It's not a competition to see who can work themselves to death the fastest. Health comes first.

COOLTRIKERCHICK

ooooo bloody billhooks to it, We have just signed up to sky sports for a month to watch the swans at wembley in the final

Alexelisey

Rummer wrote: »

That looks great Alex are you going to go with a patchwork approach or all the same colour?

I have to confess I am yet to take my loom out the box I had such good intentions but I am a bit intimidated by the whole thing so I am currently crocheting up a storm. Not even been spinning

Those of you with building/decorating projects how do you keep motivated? We have been working on our home for 5-6 years and we are so close to finishing so many parts of it but we just can't face it.

Rummer - patchwork definitely! I don't have enough of any one colour to do the whole thing (it's a big bed), besides in my eyes that would be boring :rotfl:This way some will be done in chunky wool and some in tops.

You spin too? PM coming your way shortly...

Regarding the motivation, it seems you make no progress for absolutely MONTHS (in our case 6 years) and then it all starts coming together at once. But even then it can drag on. We managed to find sufficient motivation once we'd set the date for the wedding and said "it must be done by x because the whole family are coming to see it" so the final six months was a bit hectic.

I think you must keep in the front of your mind WHY you're doing it. Is it to achieve a comfortable home? To finish a project which is a stepping stone? Whatever your reasons, try writing them down as that can help you focus. And don't stress about the time frame, it'll all come together at some point.

We were only meant to be here two years. The actual main part of the renovation took that amount of time... but it was 5 years before we were able to get properly started. We've just passed the 9th anniversary of our auction purchase. I think these things always take longer than you expect and that can be a real bu**er. But don't give up!

ferretkeeper

COOLTRIKERCHICK wrote: »

ooooo bloody billhooks to it, We have just signed up to sky sports for a month to watch the swans at wembley in the final

Yay go swans! I'll have to listen on the radio or summat, should have Sky by now (got MSE deal) but man wouldn't go up a ladder to put the dish up!

Agree that it's worth waiting for the right people, luckily a local farmer has been able to do ditch digging and fencing this past week, if it had rained he'd never have managed, and he's lambing soon so I'd have been stuck til god knows when with dodgy fences and wet paddocks.

I don't know how everyone manages to juggle work, family, renovation projects and livestock, I guess multi-tasking! And I have so much respect for anyone living in a caravan, in this weather, short term pain for long term gain?!

I also suffer with low motivation Rummer, it's difficult when you can't see any real progress. I've got a handy friend who just gets jobs done, he's working full time but has promised me a day a week in the spring. I'm really looking forward to it because you can see when he's been here. We can't really afford to pay for lots of help all the time but in this case we can't afford not to, if you get my drift.

Good advice from Alexelisey, deadlines work for me too, And will write reasons on a Post It, put in digger window to remind me why I'm there and not snuggled up on the sofa!!!

:T