What a welcome change in the weather. Thought it would never stop raining long enough to get the Christmas lights up. We normally get them up on the first weekend in December, but have only managed two trees to date due to the weather! One of the hens fell off its perch this week so now we're down to 4. Will probably wait until next spring now to replace her. Pinky & Perky????????.............Pork chops anyone !!!!!!!

Saturday 14th November 2009

At last, the hide is almost complete. Windows are in, just need a bit of insulation to stop the draughts, and it will be ready and waiting for all you twitchers. The whooper swans have been arriving in their thousands in the last month. The sight & sound as they pass overhead is amazing as they make their way to Martin Mere.
Trying to get my head around this 'Twitter' business. If anyone is interested in following my 'tweets' you will find them on Twitter / Martin Lane Farm   Our home made jam & chutney is going well and, fortunately, the hens are still laying. Pinky & Perky continue to eat us out of house & home, I'm sure they must be fat enough by now for..........

Sunday 1st November 2009

What a difference a day makes! After a beautiful day yesterday when the geese were enjoying the warm, autumn sunshine, woke up this morning to a howling gail and the rain beating against the windows. It then hit me that I had forgotton to bring in all the washing from the changeover yesterday. To make matters worse, I then discovered that the washing line had broken and so all the bedding (from 8 beds) had to be rewashed....hey ho !!!!

Sunday 4th October 2009

What a week. Alan has been away in Stutgart for the beer festival so I have been here on my own. Pinky & Perky are lucky that they aren't bacon !! On Friday evening, when I went to feed them, they had got out into the field and had made a right mess ! I eventually got them back into their pen and settled them down for the night. Saturday morning all was well, fed the beasts and then went off for a round of golf with my friends. Returned Saturday evening ( loooooooooooong game !) only to find that the porkers (no longer sweet little piggie wiggies) had, once more, escaped from their pen.  Not satisfied with just digging up the paddock they had rampaged through the potato patch and devastated it. All our  potato crop eaten in one day. (Roast pork & apple sauce now has a distinctive appeal!)
Still busy in the cottages, only a few days vacant up to the end of October. Seem to be very popular with Germans in two of the cottages this week and next week all our visitors are from New Zealand.
Played golf again today.....absolute rubbish....think I'll stick to watching it on the telly

Tuesday 15th September

Still holding onto the summer weather thanks goodness! Pinky & Perky are growing really fast, they really love being out in the field and digging up the earth. They don't like the rain however and soon scurry into their sty at the slightest drop!
Last Saturday we saw a red squirrel running across the garden and up the oak tree. It stayed up the tree for quite a while and we could see it leaping across the branches then it just disappeared amongst the foliage and we haven't seen it since.
Diane, who stayed here last week, spent hours trying to get a photo of the little owl. It would sit on the roof of the shed watching her but, as soon as she got near enough to get a good picture, it popped down out of sight.

Friday 31st July 2009

Introducing you to the latest additions to Martin Lane Farm. Pinky & Perky (not very imaginative I know!!!) have now taken up residence. They are living in the shed at the moment but, when they get a bit bigger they will be going out into the field.

All the cottages are full this week. Yvonne & Val are here once again from Ipswich. This must be their 5th visit. They have come up to watch the Ladies Golf Open at Lytham St Annes and they have already booked with us for next year when the same event takes place at Royal Birkdale.

The weather hasn't been too bad, we seem to have escaped alot of the rain so I'm keeping my fingers crossed about August.

I completed the Race for Life on Sunday 19th July. Was very pleased with myself as I completed the 5k in 40 minutes and have so far raised £405 for cancer research with some more promised. If you would care to add to my total, its very easy to do via the 'Just Giving' link on this blog

Monday July 6th 2009

What a difference a week makes!! Last week we were sweltering as the temperature soared ever higher but yesterday & today the rain has come down in torrents. The garden looks better for it and the geese are delighted but the poor hens are looking a bit bedraggled.
Have been very busy getting the 'Welcome Walkers & Cyclists' accreditation so, now we've got that,
we're working to get the 'Green Tourism' award. We want to be as 'environmentally friendly' as we possibly can so there's quite a few things we need to change, but I was surprised at just how many things we were doing right already.
Our free range farm eggs are proving very popular with our guests so the 'chucks' are earning their keep at last.
Work has finally started on our fourth cottage which, when finished will be suitable for wheelchair users and guests with other mobility problems.
I'm running in the 'Race for Life' in two weeks so, if you would care to sponsor me for Cancer Research, its very easy to do via the link to the left of this article.

Thursday June 11th 2009

The last few weeks have been delightful with all the warm sunshine. The sun umbrellas have been brought out of hibernation at last and now it feels as if summer is nearly here!
Mr & Mrs Galbraith are here from New Zealand visiting family. They have been on a coach tour for the last 21 days touring the whole of the United Kingdom so they are really enjoying the rest here and taking full advantage of the peace & quiet.
Went to see 'The Dream', at Sutton Manor in St Helens. For those of you who didn't see the Channel 4 programme 'The Big Art Show', its a sixty metre high sculpture of a girls head erected on top of a former coal mine. It is fabulous, well worth a visit and set to become as famous as the Angel of the North in Gateshead.

Wednesday May 13th 2009

Spring is well and truly here. We have a blackbird nesting in the clematis that grows around our back door. Alan has fixed a tiny camera up so that we can watch the 'comings & goings' via our tv, ....its really fascinating. There appears to be two 'babies' who keep mum & dad very busy as they seem to need feeding constantly!

The new hens have settled in and are laying fairly well so our visitors can now enjoy a new laid egg for their breakfast.

Ron & Annie from Devon are here for their second visit and love the changes to the Dairy. Ron has doubled up as shepherd & poutry man already. We were away for a few days and the sheep managed to find their way out of the field and into the lane. Fortunately, Ron was just returning from a day trip to Windermere and was able to get them back into the field, then the hens decided that the grass was greener in our garden than in their pen so made their 'great escape'!...

I'm also entering the 'Race for Life' to raise funds for cancer research. If you would like to sponsor me you can do so online at www.raceforlifesponsorme.org/elainestubbs1 . I am hoping to raise around £500

Wednesday April 29th 2009

The reaction to the refurbishment of the Dairy has been great. Everyone loves it and its so easy to keep clean & tidy.

With hindsight, my claim that our visitors would have new laid eggs in their welcome baskets was a bit rash, some would say 'tempting fate'! .....Our two lovely little hens are 'no more'. Don't think it was the fox that took them this time, Alan seems to think it may have been a sparrow hawk because all we found was their feathers. Anyway, we've now purchased five new brown hens which should start laying soon so, hopefully I will be able to fulfill my promise.

Monday 23rd March 2009

The refurbishment in the Dairy is finished at last and is really fab. Could live in there myself! Its been alot of hard work and expense but well worth it in the end

The lounge area looks much better since we removed the sofa bed and have put in a nice comfortable setee and sideboard.

The kitchen is a real triumph. Trying to fit everything into such a small space was really difficult and took ages to plan but I think, in the end, we have succeeded magnificently. I can't wait to see the reaction of our first guests this weekend. They have been coming here for the last 15 years so they will see a tremendous difference

We had our annual inspection on Thursday by the Tourist Board and passed with flying colours.

The hens are laying regularly now so our guests will be treated to a couple of newlaid eggs in their welcome basket!

18th January 2009

Can't believe that I haven't posted a blog since NOVEMBER !! Where does the time go ??? Christmas was hectic with the Shippon and the Dairy both having families in from Christmas Eve to Boxing Day then more families from Boxing Day to New Years day. Couldn't ask Sue, my cleaner, to come on Boxing Day so had to do both cottages myself. Fortunately the Granary had the same family in right over the Christmas & New Year so that was great.

It was really nice having the boys home for a full week but, no sooner had they gone back to the big smoke than my youngest brother arrived with his family for a few days. I seemed to spend the whole holiday cooking & cleaning........I'm sure lots of you can relate to this !!

Work on the 'hide' has started again so, with a bit of luck, that should be up and running by next month.

We're also planning big alterations to the Dairy and intend to make a start in February. The kitchen area is to be completely re-fitted and we are going to put an oak floor down in the lounge as its impossible to keep a carpet clean. The Granary is due for re-carpeting....such a hassle as we have to take all the furniture out, but it will be well worth the trouble when its finished. There's actually nothing physically wrong with the carpet that's in there it just looks a little 'old fashioned' now. We will have to replace the cooker in the Granary as someone has been too vigorous with a Brillo pad and made a real mess of the top surface. I have tried re-painting it with special paint but it hasn't worked. Anyway, this should all be finished by March when we start to get busy again