Wednesday, December 20, 2006


Christmas is coming and so are lots of Woolly Shepherd Courses! For example.....
15th Jan Hedgelaying for beginners 2 places left on the course with expert hedgelayer and qualified instructor Pete Grainger. 10 - 4 £35
18th Jan Dyeing for the terrified! Come and learn how to dye wool with natural and chemical dyes in the microwave, on the stove and in the oven! 2 places available. 10 - 4 £40
20th Jan Lambing and care of ewes and lambs, Get involved with lambing on the Blackdown Hills at the farm of Nick and Ruth Strange, especially aimed at beginners. 3 places available .10 - 4 £35
27th Jan Hedgelaying for ladies, an introduction to hedgelaying with a qualified LANTRA lady instructor!Come on girls show'em what your made of! 5 places available. 10 - 4 £35
Also courses in peg loom rug making, sausage making, permaculture, green woodwork, coppicing etc
Check out the website for more details
I was recently featured in Permaculture magazine in an article called 'Not so woolly thinking' written by Stuart Anderson of Permaculture in Brittany blog fame. Check out the article at the link on the blog and keep an eye on Stuarts blog......its very interesting!
We are spending New Year at the house in Brittany where the shutters will be going on and I will be taking a load more photos to put on the houses very own blog
It is now available to book for the spring and summer, its got all mod cons, having been beautifilly and sympathetically restored by a craftsman and has lime plaster walls, comfy sofa, lovely beds, amazing little shower room, and is situated 50 metres from the worlds best boulangerie and about 5km from the nicest restaurant in the area. Its £20 per night per group to book and sleeps up to 4........thats better rates than camping! Easter and witsun weeks are £250 per week and Summer £300 per week..........bargain!

Saturday, December 09, 2006


Well its been wet and very windy and even the sheep are looking soggy!
We have had a garden wall taken down after part collapsed and this was done by our latest Wwoofer Mohammad from Birmingham who widened our cultural awareness being a devout muslim
I have been painting at my house in France
and had a very rough crossing both there and back when the journey took 20 hours! We spent the night using the Brittany ferries ferry 'Bretagne' as a floating hotel but whilst in Brittany visited some lovely people called Jenny and Mick Joseph who have a farm at Plouye called Le Coty
We also finished painting the walls and took delivery of a cord of firewood from a very nice local farmer. We will now be warm for our new year break.
Courses are booking up fast for the new year with hedgelaying for beginners and lambing for beginner shepherds proving very popular, check the website for more details of Woolly shepherd courses.