Well, I have been away for a while. I have found some inspiration to begin blogging about my experiences, in the form of Willow Grove.
Willow Grove. It is many things to many people in my clan. Some foster the land as their own children and work together to produce wondrous pet creatures (and their products), fruits, vegetables, herbs, spices, medicines, natural dye materials, fuel, building materials, fodder crops, the list could continue on forever. Some see it as a sanctuary in a world with an uncertain future. Our world's environment is changing in the likes that humankind have never seen. In the corner of the greenest island viewable from space, there's a wacky family who have their cob outdoor hot tub and the fire pit with jamming music. Some, see it as their retirement. A place to live out the rest of our days as coworkers, family, friends, anam cara as the Irish say.
The 22.5 acres that comprise Willow Grove is located in Gurteenroe, Ballydehob, County Cork, West Cork, Ireland. It's ridges create several unique microclimates, each different geologically from one another. These ridges provide easy access to wind energy sequestration and breathtaking views of the Irish rural countryside (pictures coming!)
So, today is the 18th of March. So far, we have had access since our offer was initially accepted (before the official closing) which was mid-late January. So, we have accomplished a lot already that I will do my best to recall in following entries. The following areas are what has been the focus of the farmers:
- The Annual Vegetable Garden: Lauren and Jerilyn, with contributions from local friends, have begun the execution of their garden plan which has been developed over the last 4 years, which largely consists of a concrete plan by plant family and a calendar form planting schedule. We plan to grow enough veg, once the cycle completes, so (between root cellar storage and fermented products) we don't have to purchase anything from shops. Ideally, we'd have some surplus to sell to Cafe Cois Cuan, owned by Brittany and Kevin. Stay tuned, we are getting our seed starting greenhouse constructed on Saturday by Peppermint Farm and Garden!
- Acquiring livestock: We have decided most of our desired breeds. We already have a dialogue with a Gloucestershire Old Spot pig breeder in Yorkshire, England. We're investigating the shipping of his unrelated on-farm bred stock. By using these pigs as pedigree breeding groups, the endangered breed is expanded. Their chance of long term survival increase.
- Ummm, we bought some horses: So, a couple of weeks ago, we head to my chiropractor in Ballincollig, Cork and decide, "Hey, why not drop by Caroline's farm in Kilbarry, Sure, she's got a few interesting horses to look at but mostly we wanted to start a dialogue. We saw a lot of beautiful Irish cobs. The horses were full of variety, from the red and b&w of Fox & Glove, to the adorable beauty of Starry Night, and many more. The last horses of the day, were Blaze and Star. Star (today, known as Jim) was a bit hesitant at first, borderline skittish. But once you put yourself out there, he showed he was cuddly, obediant with a touch of defiance to see what he can get away with. He's a beautiful horse and still has a year of growing, currently at 14.2 hands. Blaze (today, known as Mac) was a very low-key horse when we saw him first. He was VERY interested in the grain but once Caroline put the bucket down, he just hung his head and stood perfectly still, as if planted in the ground. Mom was very attracted to that calmness and centered personality. Mac has surprised us but I might wait for another entry to tell that story ;) Lastly, Mac and Jim's name have some familial significance for my clan. We have family, on my mother's side, that came from Ireland. We have not been able to trace whereto. MacShane, is one of the surnames of our ancestors. Mac was also Marilyn Ingram's nickname, my grandmother & Jerilyn's mama. Jim was Pop's name, my great grandfather, Jerilyn's grandpa; as well as Jerilyn's cousin and quite a few of the Irish ancestors on that side. As I said, we didn't go to the farm with the intention of buying, but after seeing these two boys, we were taken. They're slightly older which is very hard to find, benefits being generally calmer disposition and perfectly ready to be trained and able to pull and drive. We found ourselves writing to Caroline the next morning and reserving them for additions to our farmily. They're being boarded at Jimmy O'Donovan's farm until we are ready to move them onto the land at Willow Grove. He's a fabulous horseman (oh, and we found a new raw milk source!) who's more than willing to help us train the boys and get the hang of riding again. We've met quite a few cool local people in owning the horses. Yesterday they were fitted for their tack, but I'll get to that later.
- Flock Expansion: When the land was bought, we owned 5 chickens, Lucky and his lady Smokey + Nugget with Goujon and Coq Au Vin. We collected some eggs and hatched them from the Dorking clan last month. I hear the chick's peeping from my room, incidently they're staying in the guest room! ;) We got a 75% hatch rate, ending up with 4 new arrivals. Now we've got eggs in the incubator collected from the Dorking clan AND the Wyandottes. Besides our own breeding, we picked up quite a few hens coming into lay from Ger O'Leary. These hens are such an interesting combinations of birds, from Blue Bells to Sussexs and a Leghorn or a Buff Barred thrown in there. We've got our compost processing foragers started!
- Shed Construction: Under the agricultural exemption, we can put up a very large shed for storage, a few animal stalls for grooming in the rain, etc. We met a great guy to do this, Tim who has business ties with Connie, the digger. These men are so knowledgeable and ready to help in any way they can. It's wonderful to have someone looking in from the outside and get an educated opinion. Connie has already finished his first job, the road! This glorious road means we don't have to trudge in through the mud from the vehicle entrance. Anything that we need can just be kept in Lucy, our farm jeep until we have a shed for storage.
Phew, I know that those are some of the biggest focuses, but the list is monumental! It's been so good to get such an incredible amount of work done in one day. I hope to share our journey here, come join us for the wild ride <3
With the help of my friend, Jerome, the caravan's hob, grill and mini fridge are operating off of a gas drum. I live with a few changes of clothes, enough food for the next couple of days, and my sweet little dog. I wake up and start my day by making coffee in my French press. I find this to be an important step in my morning. If you've used a French press, you know that there's a certain way to brew. Coffee first, pour water evenly over the grounds, and wait. The next step is the most centering part of my day. While lightly pushing the knob down from the top, the plunger pushes the coffee grounds to the bottom. If done slowly and perfectly even, you shouldn't get any grounds pushing through the screen. It's a moment of quiet intention to be even tempered and present in each moment.
