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Coombe Mill Blog
"Tales from the farmers wife" shares the funny and interesting happenings on our lovely holiday farm with Farmer Nick and our 6 children. A behind the scenes look on balancing family, farming, the holiday business and cooking for all.
Farm News April 2020 under Lockdown
We may be under lockdown but farm life goes on. See what's new on the farm and how your holiday is being handled with us. ... Read More
Jana Reinhardt Hummingbird Necklace Gift
The Humingbird Necklace from Jana Reinhardt Jewellery is a delicate stirling silver piece on a classic curb chain. A beautiful gift. ... Read More
March Events in Cornwall & Holiday Farm News
March Events in Cornwall for families looking for days out and all the latest developments on our holiday farm from the animals to the prope... Read More
The Surprising Lives of Animals Book from Quarto Kids by Anna Claybourne and Stef Murphy is a delightful look at similarities with humans fo... Read More
I wasn’t going to post this month, after all, who wants to hear from me when you are worrying about day to day life under the strange lockdown rules we all find ourselves affected by. But then I decided, those who don’t want to hear can pass on by, and for those who want to keep up with news from the farm here it is. I make no secret of the fact spring is my favourite time of year here, I am simply sad that we are spending it alone.
Your Holiday this year.
If you are holidaying with us this year please don’t worry, we have been in regular contact with everyone as their holidays have approached. The first wave affected in March and April have had more than their fair share of correspondence from me as we have grappled with a fast changing list of rules and regulations. I think we finally have a formula going forward that should work for everyone. Essentially hold tight if you haven’t yet heard from us, you will from the time your balance is due. In essence we are delaying the time to pay balances till we know if your holiday will take place this year. If the government is still banning all holidays, then we are offering to move your holiday, up to 12 months ahead. If you choose to cancel your money will be lost unless the ban is lifted and your week re-lets. Don’t worry you will all be emailed.
If you are not yet part of our Facebook group I strongly recommend you join, it is where all the information goes first and there are some great ideas coming back from those in there too.
The Lockdown Feed run with just me and Farmer Nick
Someone in our Facebook group suggested that it would be lovely if we could live stream on Facebook or Instagram from the farm, sadly our WiFi doesn’t extent to the farm and mobile data in the valley is very limited. However I record a morning animal feed and upload it to Facebook which frankly blew me away in popularity. It will now hopefully be the first of many while this situation lasts. The kids and Nick are already bored of me filming them everywhere about their daily chores!
Administration Overload
While Nick has been busy on the farm, I have been snowed under trying to keep pace with questions coming in from phone, email and all forms of social media concerning your holidays. Hopefully we now have it sorted. I’d like to say a huge thank you to many of our regular guests who went out of their way to say some lovely things in the face of a few tricky public messages. These are hard times for us all and no one wants to get back to normal and open the farm to visitors again more than we do.
Spring on the Farm
Twin lambs
We now have 3 sets of twin lambs. Our best ever lambing season and no one here, it’s like nature is laughing at us. The dry weather arrived just in times for our lambs and all are yet to experience rain. We had a very near miss with one of our first twins were some walkers with a dog scared it onto our lake. Thankfully they told us straight away and Clio and I rushed over. I grabbed a stick to beat back the brambles it was trying to paddle through but the poor lamb was losing strength, Clio took the only option left and jumped in, scoped him up and handed him to me on the bank. We were just in time as he was giving up with his brave doggy paddle.
I do like a happy ending, after a worrying morning on our patio wrapped in towels he was up and about and taken back to Mum. We had a worrying 24 hours of him being accepted back but all ended well and they are a lovely family unit again. We should have 8 ewes still to lamb before the end of May.
Out guinea Pigs are also in spring mode and we have 2 adorable little ones already running around their home. I only discovered then when cleaning out their house and opening their bedroom.
We sadly lost our mature stag to a stomach abscess in February and were worried for the future of the heard. However we have a wild fallow deer running round the perimeter of the fields. We have named him Norman, and hope that by feeding him daily we will be able to attract him inside the gate at some point without letting our girls out.
Sally has gone to her boyfriend
Sally is currently away with her boyfriend so it is just piglet with us on the farm for now. We are hopeful for piglets in July. Fingers crossed we will be open again then and that you’ll be able to meet them.
Goosey Goosey Gander
Our goose is happily sitting on a clutch of eggs. We’ve yet to see if they come to anything, she as already rejected one. Last year both she and the turkey took turns to sit on the eggs, only one hatched, it was a goose, but we had to wait to the end to see who the mother was. This year we have moved the turkeys, hopefully now we will have at least one of each.
Business learning
Finally, just before the virus lockdown took a grip, I had a lovely couple of days up in Birmingham for the annual Small Business Event run by Theo Paphitis. It is something I go to each year having won the award back in 2012. This year was as inspiring as ever with guest speaker and fellow Dragon’s Den member Sara Davies. I am full of enthusiasm to carry us through the next 12 months, though much of it for now is preparation for when you can finally visit us again.
What’s Not on in April!
Unusually I’m not going to add an events section for April as we all know too well there are no events taking place. That said I hope you have all stocked up on Easter Eggs and can manage an Easter egg hunt around your house or garden. I am really going to miss the annual Coombe Mill Easter Egg hunt this year followed by the junk model river sailing. Fingers crossed it will all be possible again soon. For now I’m leaving you with a beautiful photo from Bodmin Moor. This is within cycling range for me, always open, and an hour of solitude and exercise I value most days.
To you and your families, keep safe under lockdown, stay tuned for our news and we really hope to see you back on the farm before too long.
Every now and then something rather special comes my way. Discovering Jana Reinhardt jewellery is one of those moments. Jana is a goldsmith specialising in beautiful wildlife themes at her family studio in Worthing. I have received the most delightful hummingbird necklace to share my thoughts with you and offer a chance to win one of these delicate necklaces for yourself or a gift to someone special.
More about Jana Reinhardt Jewellery
From the packaging to the craftsmanship, this jewellery oozes care and attention to detail. Jana includes a wonderful booklet with her jewellery covering their history in goldsmithing, care for your jewellery and their green policy. Furthermore, you can’t fail to be enticed with a selection of the beautiful pieces they produce. Engraving and commissioned jewellery is also an option, perfect for a wedding, engagement, anniversary or special birthday.
The Hummingbird Necklace
The dear little hummingbird necklace is one of the favourites in the range; it is not hard to see why. Hummingbirds are believed to represent joy coming into your life and rescilliance, a perfect symbol to wear everyday or for an evening out.
As a mother myself I would love to receive a gift like this hummingbird necklace on my birthday, mother’s day or as an anniversary present. We are actually 25 years married this summer which is our silver anniversary (Hint hint Farmer Nick). However from the moment my daughter set eyes on it she wants one too, it is her 16th birthday next month so clearly this is a winner across the age groups. If you like chunky statement jewellery, this is probably not for you, but if you like understated, dainty and delicate this is perfect.
Win your hummingbird necklace with Jana Reinhardt jewellery and Coombe Mill
For your chance to win this delightful sterling silver necklace simply follow the instructions below. Good luck to all taking part.
It is officially spring this month and we couldn’t be happier. Hopefully we can say good riddance to storms and cold and hello to a little spring warmth. I hope you can take a minute to catch up on the upcoming March Events in Cornwall together with the latest holiday farm news from us.
Spring holiday availability
If you are thinking of coming away for the Easter break we are now full on week commencing 4th April but have a few spaces still in the weeks either side of this if you are quick. The same is true of the May half term week from 23rd May. We have just 2 properties still available then. If you miss out on these, remember we still offer weekend’s right through to the last week of June for a little farm escape.
February Half Term
Half term saw our first busy week of the year. It was lovely to see the farm buzzing with laughter and children running freely here. We had some lovely feed runs with Farmer Nick and myself as Farmer Fi. Later in the week Farmer Theo who took over from us while we took our triplets away to catch up with family in Sussex. It’s fair to say the weather was not always in our favour. Frequent showers meant wet weather gear was needed by everyone. That said, I congratulate all the children and adults who regularly joined the morning feed run regardless of the rain.
The train is up and running
The train has taken its first passengers on the new line this half term. The line isn’t quite complete, but we managed to get enough track laid down to give it a good test. It is now a door to door service from your lodge to the tractor and trailer in the morning, with a return trip for those completing the feed run.
More creativity for the Fairy Garden
Last month I shared the newly painted stones. This month has been all about fairy log houses. I’m so pleased with how these have turned out I think I will undercoat some smaller logs and let the children loose to create their own with poster paint here in activity hour this season.
Spring grass
The animals are enjoying the new season grass already and the lawnmowers have been out a couple of times already in the past month keeping the garden lawns in shape. All we need now are the first spring lambs and I’ll really feel the new season is with us.
Was that a tornado?
In contrast to the generally benign winter weather this year, Storm Ciara left her mark. We had an easy time of her apart from a freak tornado that ripped through the valley on the afternoon of the 10th February. Our chicken house was uprooted from its concrete base along with a wheelbarrow and hurled over the 8ft Jurassic park fencing. A whole line of trees came down up the ravine knocking out 2 lines of electric cable and leaving us without power until late in to the night. Thankfully we were between guest visits and only had to worry about lighting our own log burner for warmth, light and cooking. Western Electric had us back on line late evening and we spent the next day clearing debris. Thankfully the chickens were all in their indoor quarters, where they will be staying until Farmer Nick rebuilds their summer shelter. Fingers crossed for no more drama and a smooth ride into spring.
Nb: I have not been paid or sponsored to mention these places, they are just the March Events Cornwall 2020 that I feel would be of interest to Coombe Mill Guests.
There are a fascinating collection of creatures living alongside us in our urban areas. Nature has a remarkable way of adapting to the environment we have created. For the benefits of young minds, who better than Lonely Planet Kids to uncover the wild side of cities around the world. Do you know someone who would enjoy Wild in the City? Read on to discover more about this lovely book and for your chance to win a copy.
About Wild in the City
Animals from all over the world have learnt to adapt to the growing urbanisation of our planet. In Wild in the City some surprising animals, together with their clever behaviour are uncovered. Did you know that the friendly English fox likes to hop on the capital’s busses and tubes? While their natural diet is berries and small mammals, they have learned to rummage through the city bins for our throw away food scraps too. We are not the only city with animals prowling the street at night; discover the leopards in Mumbai, mountain Lions in Los Angeles and deer in Japan. This lovely book looks at how they survive and how you can help them, it also covers bugs, birds and reptiles, so there is plenty to explore wherever you live or travel.
What we Love
Educational: the book is packed with fascinating facts in child friendly small chunks.
Engaging: From paw prints to poo kids will be taken by the animal kingdom living next door to us.
Beautifully illustrated: Every bite sized section has an accompanying image
Logical lay out: Sectioned by Mammals, birds, reptiles and bugs. Also contains a helpful glossary, Index and double spread on how you can help or city friends.
Win your copy of Wild in the City with Lonely Planet Kids and Coombe Mill
For your chance to win this delightful non- fiction book for a young animal enthusiast with an interest in travel, simply follow the instructions below. Good luck to all taking part.
We were sent a copy of the Wild in the City book for the purpose of this review, however all thoughts and opinions expressed here are my own. Our copy of the book is available to borrow from the Coombe Mill Games Room for our holiday guests.
If you have a young budding animal lover in your house, I may have found the perfect book. Aimed at Age 6 plus “The Surprising Lives of Animals” is a wonderful insight into animal behaviour, their environment and the characteristics they have in common with us humans. Pitched at young learners the book aims to educate and delight young minds whilst capturing their imagination. Do you know someone who would enjoy this book? Read on to discover more and for your chance to win a copy.
About The Surprising Lives of Animals
Animals from all over the world are brought to you in this wonderful book of discovery. See which baby animals enjoy a little play time just like us from chase to tobogganing! Find out about the love they share, the baths they enjoy, the clever ones and the sneaky characters. There are so many comparisons to draw with humans; it will captivate any youngster with an animal connection.
Taster video of The Surprising Lives of Animals Book
Win your copy of The Surprising Lives of Animals with Quarto Kids and Coombe Mill
For your chance to win this delightful non- fiction book for the young animal enthusiast in your live, simply follow the instructions below. Good luck to all taking part.
We were sent a copy of the Surprising Lives of Animals book for the purpose of this review, however all thoughts and opinions expressed here are my own. Our copy of the book is available to borrow from the Coombe Mill Games Room for our holiday guests.
“Tales from the farmers wife” shares life on our lovely holiday farm with Farmer Nick and our 6 children. Step into our beautiful 30 acres and experience nature close up with farming and educational crafts in stunning North Cornwall. Family, fun and adventure start here.
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