Welcome to Bulstone Springs Farm
I am currently at Bulstone Springs Farm in East Devon. Woke up on Sunday morning feeling homesick, but it always takes some time to settle in. And I had such a lovely Christmas that it makes sense to feel sad now that I've left you all behind.
The valley is very quiet, apart from the sound of the springs which give the farm its name. I arrived on Saturday evening and immediately went to a dinner party attended by all 20 of the left-wingers in east devon. They were an incredibly interesting bunch: politicians, lawyers, folk in the film and arts industries, practically all of them working to make the world better.
Since then I have learned the ropes: feeding the chickens, letting them out and shutting them in, collecting eggs, cleaning the houses etc.
Introduction time. Laura and Jon own the farm. We talk a lot about politics, getting back to the land, london and bristol, and the environment. Esme is their daughter, she is 7, funny and naughty and intelligent (perhaps too intelligent for her own good!). Rieke and Thorge are from Bremen, Germany and are also working on the farm, they are efficient and hardworking and interesting (I don't wanna stereotype but I love working with germans).
There is, of course, a dog. She is an 8 month old welsh sheepdog called Ira, and her sole joy and purpose in life is to retrieve sticks. Only sticks truly matter. There are also lots of chickens, 6 Guinea fowl, runner ducks and 2 very sassy alpacas called Alan and Dukey.
The work is hard on my muscles, particularly since I haven't done much physical work recently. But although I'm not very strong I've realised that my stamina is pretty good and I recover quickly. I'll be on this farm for the next 3 months and I've got a very good feeling about it.
P.S. Please bare in mind when reading my blog or instagram posts that I am working on a farm which produces meat and eggs, and therefore many of the chickens are killed to be eaten. But also bare in mind that they spend almost every day of their lives outside, hanging around with other chickens of both sexes, and although they don't live very long they live a hell of a lot longer than chickens that you buy in the supermarket or from take away restaurants or even many high class restaurants. They are not killed when their egg production drops like the chickens that laid the eggs for sainsburys, or for the cakes in many cafes.
This is a small-scale organic farm and Jon and Lau are working super hard to keep chickens ethically and rear them as slowly and happily as possible. Thanks for reading.
The view from my caravan
The valley is very quiet, apart from the sound of the springs which give the farm its name. I arrived on Saturday evening and immediately went to a dinner party attended by all 20 of the left-wingers in east devon. They were an incredibly interesting bunch: politicians, lawyers, folk in the film and arts industries, practically all of them working to make the world better.
Since then I have learned the ropes: feeding the chickens, letting them out and shutting them in, collecting eggs, cleaning the houses etc.
Young chickens. The wet weather and steep slopes has washed away most of their grass so half of them will be moved to a new enclosure soon
Introduction time. Laura and Jon own the farm. We talk a lot about politics, getting back to the land, london and bristol, and the environment. Esme is their daughter, she is 7, funny and naughty and intelligent (perhaps too intelligent for her own good!). Rieke and Thorge are from Bremen, Germany and are also working on the farm, they are efficient and hardworking and interesting (I don't wanna stereotype but I love working with germans).
The shower block and workers kitchen. It's pretty rough and ready, but feels like luxury when you need some space or a cup of tea
There is, of course, a dog. She is an 8 month old welsh sheepdog called Ira, and her sole joy and purpose in life is to retrieve sticks. Only sticks truly matter. There are also lots of chickens, 6 Guinea fowl, runner ducks and 2 very sassy alpacas called Alan and Dukey.
The laying chickens
The work is hard on my muscles, particularly since I haven't done much physical work recently. But although I'm not very strong I've realised that my stamina is pretty good and I recover quickly. I'll be on this farm for the next 3 months and I've got a very good feeling about it.
Loo with a view
P.S. Please bare in mind when reading my blog or instagram posts that I am working on a farm which produces meat and eggs, and therefore many of the chickens are killed to be eaten. But also bare in mind that they spend almost every day of their lives outside, hanging around with other chickens of both sexes, and although they don't live very long they live a hell of a lot longer than chickens that you buy in the supermarket or from take away restaurants or even many high class restaurants. They are not killed when their egg production drops like the chickens that laid the eggs for sainsburys, or for the cakes in many cafes.
This is a small-scale organic farm and Jon and Lau are working super hard to keep chickens ethically and rear them as slowly and happily as possible. Thanks for reading.
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