Saturday 22 December 2007

Children and hens

This blog is about us - for family as well as anyone who is interested in what we consider a lovely life on a farm in the Peak Distict, so apologies if this proud grandmother puts rather too many pictures on of our grandchildren at times.Our first grandson, William Joseph Harry Broadhurst with his little cousin from America Nicolas Adam Woodall. William was absolutely lovely with Nicolas and even now goes all sweet and tender when we get up pictures from their visit on the computer. We can't have everything in life and feel very blessed that we have William and Nicole living at the farm but, of course, would love to see Alison, Adam and Nicolas more than once a year.
William is just 3 and he loves diggers, dumpers and trains so is perfect for his father and grandfather.
Nicolas and Alison visited Nic's Uncle Bill and Aunt Anne while they were over from Atlanta and this was such a cute moment - the 87 year old great-great uncle with the youngest member of the family. Anne and Bill have always been more like an older sister and brother to us and we keep in close touch. Mind you in this picture Nicolas had decided to get back to playing and was wriggling madly!
Nicole and William regressing with their cousin.
Nic opening the field gate to go and feed his hens. This new batch of hens have been a great success- they are very pretty and lay an egg each a day, which is good going for free range hens. We try to put 6 new laid eggs into each cottage as a treat for new arrivals and Nic gives away as many as he can to older Church friends who really love the freshness of them. The hens get very excited when they see liberation is at hand and cluck away madly. Nic keeps them in until about 10am when the fox danger has passed and when they have laid in the henhouse rather than in the nettles and rushes.Excitement as Farmer Nic opens the pop hole and the hens and cockerel tumble out.
Nic gives them hen corn in their hen house but they also love my left over bread crusts soaked and thrown out on the grass for them - I suppose it is akin to cake for them.


Friday 21 December 2007

The front garden at Cote Bank farmhouse

Anyone who knows me knows how much I love gardening and our milder winters have let me grow a lot of super plants.


The first view of the farmyard with Cherry Tree cottage and the Roberts family's Cote Bank Cottage on the left. It was our first holiday cottage conversion and we felt an initial sadness to sell it but our neighbours are a great addition to the Cote Bank hamlet - no wild parties (yet!) and a good "green" outlook.
General views of the front part of the farmhouse garden.
Our farmhouse from the footpath.
Honesty and catmint and the rather wild shrubbery - my new hip has allowed me to garden again which is real bliss after 2 years when the garden rather went to wrack and ruin.
The historic Old House - the Tudor wing of our house with a profusion of hydrangeas - the endless rain this year has really suited them. I was given a host of new plants from a Church friend with an incredible garden that he still maintains without help and so I am busy re-organising this area.
My rockery made in 2000 has really taken off this year.
Nicole - our grand daughter in the garden with my Cape Town thatched gazebo in the background -my 60th birthday present from the family which has the best view of all over the valley and hills.
There used to be a henhouse on the site of the gazebo but mercifully it blew down in a gale and was moved to a field at the back of the house and I took over the prime site.
The way through to the footpath.
The concessionary footpath down through the garden. Nicole and William love to come and select flowers for posies for their Mum - great care is always taken in their selection.

And of course we have to fly the flag!

Back up the lane to Cote Bank on a lovely summers day

The walk up the lane always looks so different as you walk back and I love it as we round Windy Bend and see the far view over to the Goyt Valley.
The sheep sheds at Stubbins hamlet at the Chinley end of the farm lane.
Looking over towards Stubbins Piece on the skyline.
The hill in the distance is Little Eccles.
And here is Eccles Pike.
Past the hawthorns and hollies where the pheasants hide.
Jess and Nicole playing just beyond the cattle grid - Jess is passionate about sticks!
Looking down across the Big Meadow.
More peeps into the Big Meadow.
Jess patiently waiting for someone to throw her stick up Windy Bend for her.
The best view in the world?

And at last we are nearly home - Cote Bank farmhouse is just visible.
Even Jess is tired after the walk but the fresh Derbyshire air is so wonderful and the views just lift the spirits.














A walk down our farm lane towards Chinley village

Chinley is such a friendly village with friendly people and good shops and the mile walk down is very pleasant with views to lift the spirits - coming back up Stubbins Lane hill is less pleasant!Jess, our farm dog, just loves a walk and so do our little grandchildren, especially if the horses come up to see them.

Round Windy Bend with Eccles Pike in view.
View of Buxworth from the stile leading down Splash Lane footpath - one of the many lovely footpath walks that criss-cross the farm.
Through the narrow where the trees overhang the walls - and cause poor farmer Nic great problems when the sap rises in Spring and the roots push up the drystone walls which then collapse and have to be rebuilt.
A well built wall on stable ground will last a hundred years or more -Nic's old aunt always said he was building his own memorial when he built a good gap and there is great satisfaction in building a good bit of wall.Over the cattle grid and past our neighbours at Tithe Barn and Yew Tree Cottage - there are a few houses along our farm lane which confuses our guests, who have been known to knock at Yew Tree and think that they have arrived at the farmhouse.
Past the Tea Pot WellAnd the hawthorns and holly trees where our secretive badgers cross the road at night and we pick holly at Christmas.The last part of our farm lane is at our buildings at Stubbins hamlet where we lamb the twins in Spring, shear the sheep and store our winter fodder. Our farm lane now becomes Stubbins Lane and goes downhill to Chinley.

Views from the top of our farm's hill

Most of our visitors set off from the farmhouse or cottages and take the scenic route up Stubbins Piece, over Hare Holes and, if they still have breathe left and energy, go up the road a few hundred yards and onto the best footpath of all - over Scotland Pieces to the Big Stone and round the old slate quarries on Cracken Edge and back to the farm.

The view from Scotland Pieces over the heather to Kinder Scout is simply beautiful and worth the pull uphill from 800 feet at the farmhouse to 1400 feet at the top. Made it to Hare Holes - now we can enjoy the panoramic views and catch our breath!
On Hare Holes with Todd Brook reservoir in the distance. Todd Brook is the feeder for the historic Buxworth basin and the Peak Forest canal system. When the locks are open the water flows downstream all the way to Liverpool!
Eccles Pike in the centre of the picture is the hill that we see from the farm and which looks so high viewed from there but, as you climb the hill, it seems quite small.
Looking across to Chapel-en-le-Frith from the Lench field- such lovely names for the fields that go back hundreds of years.
Cote Bank Farm seen from Hare Holes with the Goyt Valley hills in the distance on the right - Hare Holes is above the snow line - not that we get that much snow now in winter.