Sunday, 8 January 2012

New Vehicles


We've just bought two new vehicles, a Daimler Ferret and an Eager Beaver forklift. The Eager Beaver is one of only about 20 that had a cab fitted and was probably used in the Falkland Islands during the conflict there. The photograh above shows one unloading a supply boat in the Falklands.

Below is the one we've just bought. We hope to have it running very quickly - just need to find it a new starter motor! Then it will be used to move the other vehicles and chicken houses about!



The Ferret is an armoured scout car made by Daimler in the 1960's, and it needs a new engine - which is a Rolls Royce engine. It also needs a gearbox and a few other bits and pieces, so won't be going for a little while yet. Here is a site where you can find out more about Ferrets... http://www.ferret-fv701.co.uk/

Sunday, 1 January 2012

Happy New Year!












































Happy New Year to the helpers who've stayed with me during 2011, and those to come in 2012!

This year I will be looking for helpers who might be able to paint pictures or illustrate old vehicles, or even help to renovate them. Experience is not needed for renovating - but PATIENCE and CARE are. A love of historic vehicles and handworking are also essential, and some knowledge of how cars work would be good! And if you like the look of the jeep in the first two pictures, please bear in mind that they start off looking like the one in the last picture... It's a long job! The first two pictures were taken at a show, the red tractor and jeep are ours.

Thursday, 7 July 2011

Shanie























Large but friendly, our German Shepherd dog lives in, and will quickly get to know you. Her favourite pastimes are blocking doorways, shedding hair, being first in the car and guarding chicks and ducklings!

The Humans!

The Humans are friendly! You are assured of a warm welcome, and patience if your English isn't good. We are an untidy lot though - be warned of that. Too much work and not enough hours in the day? Or perhaps it is simply the way we are...

There are usually two of us in the house, both in our 50's. Richard, who speaks Italian and Portugese as well as English, is often away, having business and family in Brazil, Italy and New Zealand. When he's here we try to take a little time off, and he spends quite a time on the computer dealing with his own business. He also writes, plays keyboard and guitar, and is always keen to find a partner for squash, badminton and chess.

My own main concern right now is the smallholding, which has a long way to go before it becomes established - so don't expect the beautiful, organised setting that I see on many of the other host's pages! My eventual plan is to use the produce from the smallholding to create textile art, so that fleece is spun and sold as wool for knitting and weaving, or to teach others to spin and knit, and so on. I also run a children's wildlife club, and hope to one day be able to hold educational activities on the smallholding. My hobbies centre around art, craft, writing, and avoiding having to play squash, badminton or chess! :)























Other people you are likely to spend time with... my son, Simon who is 22. He doesn't live with us, but is in regular contact. He spends much of his time restoring old tractors and jeeps. There's a chance to spend a bit of time helping him if you like trying to make a heap of scrap metal look like a vehicle once more, and move along under it's own power! The one in the photo below is just about completed. With him is Lottie, his fiancee. They are at a show, or exhibition, of old vehicles, the ones in the background do not belong to us.


Monday, 27 June 2011

Help Needed

The sorts of jobs that are waiting to be done...
Wooden window frames to be rubbed down and treated.
Chicken sheds to be brushed and treated or painted.
Painting of walls and woodwork inside house.
Pond and tiny stream and waterfall to be dug and made in garden.
Trees to be staked.
Fencing.
Lawn to be cut.
General gardening.
Housework, cooking, etc.
Trees to be watered.
Chicken to be fed and looked after.
Ponies to be halter trained and groomed.

Geese





Chicken

We keep a variety of rare or traditional breeds of chicken and bantams (miniature chicken). This year numbers are low because so much of my time is being taken up with other things. Eggs are hatched in the house in incubators, and chicks kept there until they reach a large enough size to live outside. Here are some photo's of some of them: