Of Flowers, Wildlife and Harvests

It has been the usual busy summer period here at The Secret Acre, since enjoying the first produce of spring, punctuated by the sadness of having to say goodbye to a beloved elderly member of the family.

Continue reading

Farewell gentle Noodle

Very sad to post that our beloved Noodle left us this weekend after a short illness.

Noodle came to The Secret Acre two and half years ago through unexpected serendipity, just a few weeks after the heartbreak of losing our long-term family companion, Ruby.

Continue reading

Happy Beltane from The Secret Acre

Here we are again, about midway between the spring equinox and summer solstice, at least in the northern hemisphere, with the garden once again bursting back into full life.

We may have to visit a Henge today to celebrate!

At least the Asparagus has been enjoying our wet spring weather, even if the seedlings have been suffering from the unseasonal cold.

Continue reading

Wake up now, this is the time you’ve waited for

The start of February marks the traditional Druid festival of Imbolc, celebrating the beginning of spring, being about halfway between the winter solstice and the spring equinox.

Of course these days, Imbolc is some six weeks ahead of what we now tend to think of as the official start of spring in March, but nonetheless, this is the time when the first earliest signs of the garden waking up start to appear.

Continue reading

Meet the new Barn, same as the old Barn – Part 5, Little Red Roofer

As Christmas edged ever closer, and with the British Larch cladding and roofing membrane now on, it was time to battle November’s almost constant rain and wind to get water tight before the snow.

Continue reading

Meet the new Barn, same as the old Barn – Part 4, Larch Cladding

With the structural frame of walls and roof safely constructed, it was time for the cladding and roofing membrane.

Like the pig sties, we again used British Larch cladding supplied by Vastern Timber, which had recently arrived across the fields.

Continue reading

Meet the new Barn, same as the old Barn – Part 2, Second Foundation

Having safely demolished the old barn, and removed the asbestos, before it fell down, it was time to start preparing the foundations.

Since preparation is key, the first act was actually to install a new field gate in the paddock to allow access to get materials deliver to site.

Continue reading