Pig Sign

Writing an article each issue for Woodcarving Magazine means I'm often trying to think of things to carve. And often something I wouldn't give myself the time to do otherwise. I think I've had nearly 40 articles in Woodcarving Magazine alone! 

This pig sign is a case of that. I had fun carving it though. 

Sets off the pig pen quite nicely.  

Carved in oak, all by hand. 

If you ever have ideas for future projects I could carve then let me know! 

Pizza Oven 5 Years On

We built the pizza oven 5 years ago now, back in 2021. It was a lot of work a the time, especially as we built the whole thing out of cob (the mix of clay, straw and sand). We spent many, muddy, happy hours together building it. 

When we built it we were told it would only last about 2 years before it would need rebuilding. This I thought was fine as we have the materials here, and it's quite a fun job. 

We built a shelter over it to keep the rain off but have never sheeted it over like we have seen some do. Five years later it's still here, as good to cook on as the day we built it. 

 There are a few cracks (and they get a lot bigger when the oven is hot), and each year the children make a few repairs with clay (the white you can see above is some of their modelling clay rather than what's in the sib soil here that we built it from). Bit it's needed no matentance other than that. 

I do get the children to light a few fires in it in winter, and when we start to use it in spring I never do a big firing straight away, instead I'll do a few smaller fires first. 

It's looking very much like it has a few good years in it left yet as well. 

Anyone else built an oven from cob? How long did yours last?

Back From A Week "Up North"

Just got back from a week up north. We were really unsure of where to go this year, none of us really loving the heat and France looking a little too hot (where we had thought about going), so we were discussing this over tea a few nights ago and our youngest said "I've always wanted to go to Hadrian's Wall." So we did! 

We went for a week of traveling around up north, some on the wall, and some up in Scotland (the wife and children have never been), then back down to see friends who live near York. A lovely fun holiday with loads of learning about history, loads of walking and lots of good food! 

August Hive Inspection

 It's been a hard year for everything I think, with the heat and lack of rain. The bees have either thrived or not done well, as you can see from this inspection video! 

Big Little Job

I honestly try not to take on too many jobs away from the homestead these days. I find I can find enough work from here to make the money I need to survive, I have accepted I'll never be rich, but I have a good life balance I think. 

I do take on work with my mate Brian though, he's fun to work with an the projects are normally unusual, which I enjoy. 

This house is no exception. We needed to rebuild the shed, that was part of the roof. and then the whole house needs cladding. 

Homestead Fitness

This is my latest article in The Harrowing Times - 

I lay there out of breath on the straw, a lamb lay unnaturally at my feet. The sheep turned her head away from me and I shifted my head from looking at her.

The night air hit me then, I realised that the wind was blowing icy, it would be a heavy frost, I could see that already in the moonlight, from the makeshift shed I sometimes used for tricky lambings. It was four in the morning and I started to chill quickly, I’d been sweating without realising it, I’d layered up my clothes to keep warm, but I hadn’t had time to strip down before trying to help this ewe.

I’d found her down by the brook, she was struggling, pushing and groaning as she did so. She needed my help, but if I took a step towards her she’d bolt, so I had to be tactical. I headed her towards the shed, where I had the gates set like a funnel for just this occasion. I’d got her in easily, and shut the gate behind her. I’d grabbed the gloves, the lube, and set to my work. Never a nice job, but I’d grown up doing this.

There is a moment, when it’s four in the morning and everyone else is fast asleep in bed, when you question what you’re doing with free time. But you carry on, as that’s what you’ve always done.

The lamb had a leg back, it wasn’t going to be easy, in the end too much time passed, I had to us string, the lamb was dead before I started. It was never going to be a story to tell over the dinner table.

But it was after I’d failed this sheep that I realised I’d done worse than that. I shifted my body once I’d got my breath back, I lent over to give the girl a rub and tell her it’s okay and not her fault, and then I realised. I’d done something to my back. I could barely move without shooting pains going up my whole body.

To get out of that pen, I had to roll full onto my front, into the straw and climb up on the gate, then shuffle my way back to the house. I got into bed full clothed, saying nothing to wake my wife or the children.

When I woke in the morning and the three children came rushing in, I was quick to tell them not to jump on me. I rang a chiropractor, nearly in tears, telling him I’d do anything for an appointment (it was a bank holiday as well). He said I could either rest up, or keep moving, and with more sheep to tend I chose the latter.

I think looking back that was probably a tipping point for me. I’ve always been really strong. It’s not an idle boast, I’m a carpenter by trade, and grew up on a farm, you just have to be strong to do what I did on a daily basis. Whole body fitness on the other hand has come and gone in waves, I did a lot of martial arts when I was younger. But it’s quite intense and injury never seems far away, something that is quite important to be mindful of when you’ve always been self-employed. And having children seemed to stop that for a while especially when they were really young. I’d also had an accident fitting a flight of stair in France in my mid 20s as well, which had hurt my back, I’d kept working and probably made things worse.

My dad’s mantra of “You don’t need to exercise if you’re working hard enough,” would always be in my head. And if you ever spend time with my father, who has just turned 70, you can soon see why people mistake him for a much younger man. But I’ve taken a different approach, I wanted to make sure my whole body was as fit as possible, I enjoy this lifestyle and what I do, but I also understand it’s very dependant on my health and fitness.

My chiropractor had said that my core was the most important, and I wanted something fairly low impact. At the time my three children were having swimming lessons. Growing up we never had much money and the only lessons I’d ever had were at school. This meant I could swim, but not very well. So, I enrolled myself as an adult into swimming lessons.

I turned up, as nervous as a child starting school, stood there in my trunks as dozens of people swam lengths up and down. The teacher, Kate, looked me up and down, “you’re a big guy, you can swim?”

I nodded, “yeah, I can swim…” I trailed off.

“Do a length up and down, we’ll probably start you in intermediate,”

I slipped into the pool and somehow got to the other end, then made it back, more by the waves of the others than my own swimming.

She lent down to me, in a low voice, “I think we’ll probably start you in beginners…”

That was 7 years ago, I still have lessons every week, but now I’m not struggling to swim a length, I’m swimming 80. I’m now the one the teacher uses as an example of good technique, and when I see someone learning to swim as an adult I go and say how bad I was when I started.

I also run, I’m not going to be doing any marathons, and I don’t want to, but just a little bit every few days. The Couch to 5k app was the way this became easy. During covid, I’d run 5km every other day, my wife would do the same and we’d call it “running from the ‘rona.” This is a short amount of time to invest, far easier than driving to our local town for a swim.

I also visit the chiropractor regularly, not just when I have a problem. He has become part of the system I use to keep my body healthy. He spots things I might not notice, gives me exercises and stretches to keep me standing tall, especially as a lot of my day is spent hunched over a workbench.

They’re just little things that, along with eating well, keep me healthy and keep me working, at my job and on the smallholding.

I also like to think we’re setting good examples for our children. They emulate what they see, it’s why I have a 14-year-old who hangs out in the greenhouse as much as she does in her room, or a 12-year-old who thinks knocking up some sourdough is easier than driving to town to buy processed bread. I’m hoping that as they get older, they’ll see that a bit of exercise, even if it may be a little reluctant sometimes, is essential to living a healthy happy life.

Pigs on Film...

 A little video of the pigs in all their glory! 

They seem very happy, although already they have proven themselves as escape artists....

Old Meat Safe

I looked around a house for some family the other day, it was gorgeous, but far too big of a project for the money. These days it seems that fixer-uppers are almost as much money as one done up, which is a real shame. 

 It had some great features, an old stable and 3.5 acres! But my favourite feature was the old meat safe, I love seeing these out in the wild.

Not sure they'd be much good in the heat we've been having though! But then again there are flies everywhere at the moment. I have made one in the past to sell, and it's often something I think about making again.

Do you think you'd find use for a meat safe?

Repairing A Chicken Coop I Built - Part 1

So in 2013 I built a chicken coop for a load of ex battery hens we had at the time. It was a great coop, mobile and perfect for ten hens to lay in. 

A few years later I converted it to use as a broody coop for raising chicks when we had lots of young meat birds. We would keep them in here for 4 weeks or so, until they were off the heat. 

But 13 years later and the coop is a little worse for wear. 

Parenting Sweet Spot

Eldest asked if she could use the strimmer the other day. Well I wasn't going to say no! 

 Although I do favour the scythe, the strimmer still has it's place. 

She used it until the batteries ran down. I used to have to do lots of strimming on the farm when I was her age, always knocking down nettles! 

Make A Simple Garden Bench - video how-to

So this is a follow on from the bench I made a month or so ago, with a simple how to video to go with it. It's also in the latest issue of woodworking crafts as well. 

Really happy with this bench, it comfortable, dead easy to make and used easy materials. I still want a few more benches dotted around the place though - maybe one up by the pigs! 

 

We Got Some PIGS!!!

So I think this is the longest I've gone without posting on the blog in the 14 years it's been running! Life has just been so busy. We sat down and worked out that last night was the first night in 3 weeks where we all sat and ate as a family, without someone being somewhere else, or all of us being somewhere else! 

Hopefully the summer holidays will be a chance for us to reset a little bit and enjoy being at home.

Of course that doesn't mean we're planning on taking things easy - to make things a little harder for ourselves we got some pigs! These are the first four legged animals (other than the cat) since the sheep. So a few years ago now. 

They were bred at one of the local private schools, I'm friends with the head there. They were born about 8 - 9 weeks ago and are already friendly. 

 The breed is Oxford Sandy and Black, they are pure bred, but aren't breed standard in their colouring, so won't ever be good for breeding. Instead they will come here for a few months before their final destination. 

I'm already in love with them and find myself wondering over to the pig pen to see what they're doing - which is generally sleeping to be honest! 

Should be a fun little adventure. 

All Wales Scout Camp 2026

 So last weekend was a busy one! I took my scouts to the all Wales scout camp. I must admit that this was mostly planned by the cub leader Andrew, who is superb at this sort of thing. But we took most of our scouts, along with a few leaders and helpers, plus a few cubs as well. All five of us went so that was really nice, I plan on taking my wife on more scout camps in the future! 

We were quite a small group, but all my scouts are so well behaved that managing them become quite easy. The harder bit was that leaders have to man "bases" for the activites for the scouts all weekend, if you get on a bad one you are stuck there! And I picked a bad one I think - badge making. I'm not exaggerating when I say I think we made a thousand badges that weekend, my hand was bruised afterwards!

The scouts had a great time, the weekend was split into 6 areas like world, skills, adventure, STEM, etc, and then they'd move between them all weekend. They got to do things like driving a real car, air rifles, cook different foods, rock climbing, caving. We kept them fed and fuelled up the whole time, no scout goes hungry on one of our camps - there's always seconds!

I also let them go to the disco on their own (it's a safe site), leaving the older ones in charge, and giving them a curfew, they were back on time and full of smiles and laughter when they returned, great to give them that bit of independance. 

I think I've spent the whole week just trying to catch up on sleep now though! Quite a noisy site with 2000 scouts! 

Not the usual type of camp, our next one should be a bit calmer! 

Gained A Beekeeper

The other night the girls were at dance practice and I needed to do a few jobs with the bees. I mentioned to my son I'd be going out. Previously he's always been dead against the bees, said he wanted nothing more than the honey! But that night he seemed keen, asked if he could borrow a suit and came straight out with me. 

 Like the girls he took to it straight away, didn't seem scared at all and was really keen. 

He got straight into doing jobs and asking lots of questions - not all of them I could answer!

A week later I had all three of them helping me. Was a great moment to be managing the apiary together - I just need to convince my wife to come out with us now! 

A Long Beautiful Weekend

The may bank holiday we went away with some friends to Newquay Wales. 

I always think they have to be good friends to go away with, and these guys fit the bill. They have four children and along with our three they make quite the wolf pack. Wendy (their mum) and I have spent a lot of time together over the years - we joke it's a good job we don't have jealous partners, I've no doubt we caused many a rumour in the village. We ran the village playgroup together for 5 years when the children were younger, but would also swap children constantly, helping each other with childcare when it was needed. We also did the beekeeping course together a few years ago and swim together quite a bit, and just meet up loads. 

So the children have grown up really close. It's nice as they all get on so well, the ages clash a little as the older boys of theirs's are the same age as our older girls and their young girls are similar age to our boy, but it's never bothered them at all. They do split boys and girls a bit (normally for D&D), but they're never long before they are all together playing board games or something crazy they've invented. I joke they're a bit like cousins. 

Painted Scythe Miniatures

 We are a family of board game players. I think I've mentioned this before. But we all love it. That extends to my brother and sister as well and their families. 

A couple of years ago I got my brother-in-law the game scythe. It's quite complicated, but each time he's down we try to get together to play it. It's fun, and never seems to play the same twice. We all love it. for his birthday this year I thought I'd get him the expansion so more people could play. 

I also thought it would be fun to paint up the miniatures the set uses as well. 

Mini Cucumbers

One of our children's favourite things to eat is cucumbers. They eat them like apples when allowed. So it's always something we try to grow loads of. 

The mini cucumbers are even better, they all seem to like to take them to school in their lunch boxes. Saves a sandwich going soggy apparently! 

 It's a shame these are F1s though, so no saving the seed. We tried a "heirloom" mini cuc last year and it was bitter and didn't grow so well, so for now we'll have to buy our seed each year for these! 

What's your favourite cucumber to grow?

A Small Swarm - Landing On A Cross

The other day I had my evening planned to perfection. I had a talk quite far away (the other side of stroud) and I always like to leave in good time so I'm not rushing and I'm there nice and early. 

Then I got a knock at the door, our neighbour looks after the church, locking and unlocking it each day. He'd seen a swarm of bees. Now really I'm not next in line to get the bees from the church, having already had some and my friend who normally gets them currently being out of bees. So we, Eldest and I, walked over and had a look, all the while I tried to ring my friend. 

Simple Garden Bench

 I think I was in my late 30s when I put a stool in my workshop and it changed my working day. Getting older I think I need to sit and think occasionally! 

I wanted something for the garden for the same reason. It's good to have somewhere to park your bum and with my eldest spending so much time down there I thought it would be good for her as well. 

I've been reading Aldo Leopold, falling into his mediative essays, and you don't have to do much research about the man before you'll stumble upon one of his benches. 

Simple and quick to make with materials that are easy to find or buy. I had to build one for the veg garden. A few hours is all that's needed for this project. I will post a how-to video in a few days, but honestly even looking at it, it's obvious how to make it, only the angles and lengths need thinking over. The original is meant to be sat either way, backwards so you can rest your elbow to steady your binoculars, but I wasn't too worried about that and opted for a bigger back rest, it also kept all the materials the same. 

I loved building this and I can feel the need for a few more before the spring is out! Maybe even a single seater. 

What type of bench do you like? 

Carved Wooden Attendance Awards

 My wife told me that the award they use for the best attendance had fallen apart. 

Now in all honesty I'm not a massive fan of attendance awards, I feel that a lot of luck is needed to be well all the time, and I doubly think this when we have a a child with a disability. But the schools have targets to hit and I don't think it would be unfair of me to say that some parents let their child have a day off for anything. Growing up it felt like we would have to loose a foot to get a day off school! 

But I said I'd make her a new one, and then once I made one she said that the other half of the school would be sad theirs didn't look so nice - I should have known to make 2 from the start.

But I think as a pair they look really nice, they're both made from 50mm sycamore (so they can't be used as throwing stars) and I hand carved the wording and the design around the outside. Then treated with Briwax to help pick out the detail on the small letters. 

What do you think?

April Homestead Tour

A quick walk around the homestead while everything is bathed in the spring sunshine! 

 It's just glorious at the moment outside. 

How is your plot looking? Did you miss as many winter jobs as I did?

A Nice Day With My Son

Last week my girls and my wife had to go back to school on the Monday, but the youngest got an extra day off. 

I had planned to get some jobs done, as I had only realised he'd be with me the day before! But the jobs would work well together. 

Long May It Last

Just two girls sat sewing their ballet pointe shoes in our messy living room. 

 And long may it last! 

Compost From the Compost Bins

I'm fairly lazy when it comes to compost. I'd rather leave it an extra year than turn it over! But the one bay of my big compost bin was ready to harvest. Some round the edges needs to go on another run, but the middle was absolutely beautiful! 

I had my young garden apprentice helping me. We dug out all we could and put it in the greenhouses. Hopefully this will give us some good crops in each of those this year.  

It's bene lovely having my eldest in the garden with me. It feels very natural to have her just doing stuff. On Saturday she spent time in the garden, then picked dandelions to make a preserve, and then went and picked wild garlic and made pesto! I joke I don't know where she gets it from, but I think I have a fair idea...

Thai Cooking Course

 Today I went on a cookery course with my brother. Both of us are really into our cooking, and this was a present from mum. 

It was at Harts Barn Cookery School, where we've both been to a few different classes now. They've always been really good and I feel I learn lots. 

This one was no exception. the teacher was great and really knew her stuff. We started with Pork toast - which I will be cooking this week for the family! It was delicious! And surprisingly easy. Like most Thai food though it does need a few ingredients I might not normally keep in the house. Luckily the children are very adventurous when it comes to food, so we can try a few different things. 

We then made Pad Thai (no pictures for that one sorry). I love Pad Thai, and realised that I'd been cooking rice noodles wrong my whole life! Apparently I should buy the dried noodles and soak them in cold water for an hour or so before cooking, not buy the ready soft ones like I have been - it's tips like that that make it worth while. 

Lastly we made Thai green curry, making the curry paste from scratch. A bit of work but well worth it. I'll be making it again. 

Like the other courses I've done there, I was well fed, and came home full of ideas for meals to cook - I'll certainly be going to more courses in the future. 

What world food do you like cooking?

Leather Workshop

 A few weeks back I went on a leather workshop for a morning with my mum. 

Each year she buys a course that we go on together. It's been a great thing to do and I have so many fun memories of doing different things over the years. This one was brilliant. 

It was a beginners one, just making a leather belt. 

This involved cutting the leather, skiving it, and stitching it together.

Funny as my old belt had broke just the week before - it must have known! But the lady taking the course repaired that one for me as well. 

I always love learning about different crafts, and having a bit of a go is a great way to learn. Many transferable skills from what I already do each day in the cutting and shaping of the leather. I was surprised I found the stitching so easy, I really enjoyed that part of it. 

I have a feeling it won't be the only bit of leather work I do, and a big part of me would love to take the children (and my wife) on a similar course to this one, I think they'd love it. 

Ever made much with leather?

Beehive inspection - first of the year

So we did our first inspection at the start of the month, on a nice warm Monday evening. 

 We filmed it, but I've only just got it edited and up on YouTube. It's more for our records and my memories, but some might like to watch it, 

Wooden Potting Tray - Metal bottom - for Soil Blocking

 I had a customer ask me about making a tray for their soil blocking. It's something I've always been interested in, basically making compost blocks that you grow your seedlings in instead of using pots. 

I knew it would encounter more moisture so I suggested adding a glavanisied steel bottom to it. I said I wouldn't leave the wet compost in there too long, but this should certainly help it see many years of use. 

I think the metal bottom also looks really smart and I love my customers potting shed - looks a great place to be. 

It might be something I offer off-the-shelf in the future, but currently I can make them to order and get the steel in for it. Find my currently range of trays here on my Etsy store or send me an email (in my contacts page) and I can create the tray that's right for you. 

First Hive Inspection Of The Year

With the sun shining we decided to get our suits on and inspect the hives. Always a little nervous after the winter as never sure how they've done. 

We were really pleased to see all three hives had survived the winter! And all three in good health.

I was a little worried as the one hive we had merged with another at the end of the summer (early autumn really) and I hadn't managed to get the second brood box off. But they had sorted themselves out. There was a tiny bit of mould in that hive on a few frames of honey, but only because some of the newspaper we had left between the two brood boxes remained and I think this stopped the airflow.

 It was great to see that my girls were just as enthusiastic as they were before, both keen to get into each hive and not showing any fear at all. 

I'm looking forward to a fun bee keeping season again this year!

Seeds in

I always feel behind in March, but stuff soon catches up.

 Got lots of Tomatoes in, the following varieties - 

Primabella

Milliefleur

True Black

Hungarian pink

Indigo rose

Cherokee Purple

Shimmer

Tiger Tom

Black Opal

Little Tanyana 

Plus a few other bits and pieces. Also have a cool hydrophonic growing thing in the kitchen which I'lll share with you all later (for growing salad and herbs). 

What tomatoes have you got growing this year?

Carved Phone Stand

 Sometimes I just make something because I think it's a good idea. Or in this case because my daughter thought it would be a good idea. 

Made these simple phone stands with my scout a few weeks back and decided it would make a great magazine article. So set to making one last week. Didn't take long, although it does have a bit of short grain so there is a need to be careful. 

Full set by step should be in woodcarving magazine soon. 

I have a feeling my daughter might take this one from me!