Farm Friends - new hens at Poltarrow Farm

Recently here at Poltarrow we have had a delivery of some new friends; Miss Moneypenny, Lady GaGa and Beyonce are Pekin Bantams.

The first Pekins are said to have been stolen from a private collection held by the emperor of China in Peking around 1860. Another story states they were imported from China around 1830-1840 and were presented to Queen Victoria. These imported birds were then crossed with other breeds and are now know today as Pekin Bantams .

 

Initially Miss Moneypenny, Lady GaGa and Beyonce were rather shy, trying to hide in the corner.  The Pekin is a very gentle bird. They are good layers of small eggs but are broody, making them great mums. They make excellent pets for children as they are tame.

The resident ex-battery hens have made sure the new arrivals know who rules the roost! Peter has let the hens have the run of the vegetable patch so they will clear it of weeds in preparation for the new growing season.

Resident Silkie Bantams, Snowball and Fuzz are not so confidant about the new arrivals and take to hiding in an opposite corner.  No matter though in a few hours everyone had made friends and settled down.

Jobs at Poltarrow - Red Deer

The winter months offer the opportunity to update the accommodation here at Poltarrow and lately Red Deer has been undergoing something of a transformation.  Firstly the master bedroom has had a built in wardrobe added offering plenty of hanging space and the little used exterior door has been replaced with a window and a smart window seat from which to enjoy the views across the fields to the fishing lake and duck pond.

However it is in Red Deer's bathroom that most of the work has taken place; tongue and groove panelling has been removed to make way for chic, tiling that Trev the builder has quipped is "very Dubai"!

The old wall of the shower has been replaced with a glass screen meaning the bathroom feels more light and spacious.  No steps into the shower means that Red Deer continues to be suitable for the less able visitor.

 Titus inspects Trev's grouting - all looks good!

Days Out - magical St Michael's Mount

A wedding in West Cornwall this weekend allowed time for a bracing walk along the beach at Marazion on Sunday afternoon.  After a lovely lunch at the Goldolphin Arms we worked off the calories walking to Long Rock and back.  The beach was busy with walkers and their dogs enjoying the sunshine and the kite surfers were also out, taking advantage of the keen wind!

The magical sometime island of St Michael's Mount dominates the horizon.  The legend of the mount is that it was once home to the giant Cormoran who used to wade ashore and steal cows and sheep from the villagers to feed his gargantuan appetite. One night, a local boy called Jack rowed out to the island and dug a deep pit while the giant was asleep. As the sun rose, Jack blew a horn to wake the angry giant who staggered down from the summit and – blinded by the sunlight – fell into the pit and died.

To add to the enchantment of the mount, getting there takes a bit of careful planning.  At low tide you can walk along the cobbled causeway however at high tide you will need to catch one of the motorboats back to the mainland.  The mount today is still a family home and the St Aubyn family invite guests to visit the castle and gardens.  I noticed that it is open for February half term, reopening regularly for the summer season at the end of March.

Jobs at Poltarrow - swimming pool

Here at Poltarrow we've taken advantage of the quieter winter months to do some work on the swimming pool.  At the end of the season last year we noticed that some of the small, square mosaic tiles on the steps had become loose. Whilst the pool was empty the side walls were given a lick of paint.

Titus inspecting the newly tiled steps.

With the work done the pool is refilled.

It's a slow process taking almost a week.

Signs of Spring

As I was refilling the bird feeders this weekend I noticed that spring is slowly arriving on the farm, with each evening seeming to eek out a extra minute or two of sunlight it really is around the corner.

Snowdrops in the farmhouse car park.

Seeing these snowdrops reminded me to look up the date for Pencarrow House's snowdrop Sunday where they open the gardens so the public are able to enjoy the displays of snowdrops as well as primroses too.

Won't be long now, these are also in the farmhouse car park.

Primroses, these are in the garden but before long the hedges of the country lanes will be full of these.

Spring may be on the way but at the moment Timmy is still in need of his warm rug.

Jobs at Poltarrow - firewood

The avenue of horse chestnut trees that line the drive here at Poltarrow have been badly in need of a haircut for some time.  Recently Peter got to work on them, trimming some of the lower branches and this weekend he and Spencer cut the branches up to replenish the logstore.

Long overdue the horse chestnut trees recently had some of their lower branches trimmed.

Spencer cuts the branches into woodburner sized logs.

The tractor Peter and Spencer are using is over 40 years old but still runs well.

Peter has the more tiring job, ferrying the logs to the logstore and stacking them neatly.

The end result - toasty.

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