Liz Shankland has some enterprising thoughts on sorting out her new smallholding
Almost a year ago, I set myself a challenge – to have a massive de-clutter of unwanted items, either loading them in the trailer and dropping them off at the skip, or giving them a bit of pampering and tidying up and selling them off to other compulsive hoarders.
Yet here I am, getting ready to tackle another year on this smallholding, and I’m still surrounded by what I affectionately refer to as ‘useful items which might come in handy’.
In fairness, I had a big, concerted effort at clearing out stuff last spring. I spent days washing, cleaning, polishing, and painting things and then even more precious time staging photoshoots, positioning each piece in a suitable place around the farm yard or in the house, so that everything could be photographed in the perfect setting.
I managed to shift quite a lot of items on eBay and on the ever-increasing number of local Facebook pages catering for people with smallholdings and farms. Facebook was once regarded by many as a place to waste time, a site for sharing happy snaps with family and friends, where you could have a good old moan about your life and the state of the world, brag about your latest exotic holiday or new relationship, or boast about the achievements of your amazing children.
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Esta historia es de la edición January 2018 de Country Smallholding.
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Tip the light fantastic
The latest offering from Ifor Williams Trailers is the Single Axle Tipper, which is simply perfect for small-scale farmers
The legacy of The Good Life
The Good Life captured the public’s imagination when it first aired in 1975. On Country Smallholding’s 45th birthday, Jeremy Hobson looks at this and other programmes with a self-sufficiency slant that have captivated urban and rural dwellers alike over nearly half a century
‘The hens took shelter under the pig trailer in the paddock'
A tree Armageddon frightens poultry diarist Julian Hammer’s flock and leaves him with a mammoth clear-up job
Tools of the trade
In the second part of his mini-series on tools that are useful around the holding, Kevin Alviti takes an in-depth look at the iconic scythe, a thistle paddle and forks that were once virtually indispensable to small-scale farmers
The nightclub bouncer of the sheep world
Adam Henson waxes lyrical about the Texel, which boasts such a stocky body that it resembles a box of muscle on four legs
Buying on a tight budget
As demand for smallholdings increases and prices continue to rise, is there a way to achieve your dream without forking out a fortune? In the first part of a new mini-series, Liz Shankland explores the possibilities
Crazy for crafts
In an ordinary back garden and single paddock near Kidderminster, Kay Dalloway has created both a thriving smallholding and a successful fibre business — all while working full time for the NHS. Helen Babbs drops by to find out about her ventures
Game on
A little preparation in the autumn months will help to make the transition into winter smoother and put your garden and tools on a better footing come the spring, says Stephanie Bateman
1975 And All That
Country Smallholding is 45 this month. To celebrate, Jeremy Hobson takes a look at some of the changes — both good and bad — to small-scale farming over that near half-century
