News from Skeffling Lavender Farm

Hi all
At the risk of cross/duplicate posting which is irritating, I have great news.....

The farm is no longer for sale. We had an offer this past week after we had 90% decided to stay, sever and build. It was wierd, last Sunday we were extracting honey in the kitchen and our old hay guy was here baling and an old van came up and the people wanted eggs and a quick look round the barn and gardens etc Nathan did the honors and they said they were interested, they contacted our realtor next day, got the info on the house (never even looked at the house) and submitted an offer. Anyway upshot is, we are staying. We have been going round and round pros and cons all week, deciding what to do.

Nathan is enjoying the new relaxed pace here, and the new reliable tractor. He loves the land too, even if the house is old and draughty! We want to build in a few years about where my bees are in the second field out of view of the house and barn. We want to sever but will work something out anyways, and may even do holiday rentals if we have to as we do have a pretty good location, 2 lakes within 4 km of here. We have looked at houses and land for months and can't find anything as beautiful as we have here. So tonight we've told the people that want it, that we aren't leaving.

We just got an old 31' camper trailer and are going to spend weekends at our future building site looking at the beautiful view and getting a break from the old house! I am going to be spending less time working away and more time writing. We are happy about this and relieved, but I can't believe this ordeal is over!

I am excited as the long weekend is approaching and I can clean and scrub my new trailer when I get home. We already mowed a new area in the hay field for the trailer on top of the hill! We have a new tiny Kubota with loader and backhoe so I feel like a farmer again!

I have been working a lot this summer and it looks set to continue but I will book mark this my home page now and stop in more often.

I am so happy to hear this Claire. It seems that the new slower pace is just what you needed. Your yard had so much of your work in it, and reading some of your posts about the birds you kept just made we wonder why you would leave it.
I am glad for your new tractor as well, it always seems if things are always going wrong it is the equipment to blame.
It just warms my heart to hear you decided to stay and that you will soon build your dream home on your perfect property.

Such wonderful news Claire!! I'm glad you two will be able to slow down a bit (ha ha) and enjoy life more!

So glad to see you settled. Life in limbo is lost time, I am looking forward to reading your posts again.

Thanks. We had both decided, because we couldn't carry on as we were. I have been grieving all winter the though of leaving but knowing life would be better with a big change. Our house is old, draughty, laid out spectacularly wrong for us, we don't use 80% f the upstairs as it is 5 beds and it is just me and Nathan, It has the worst windows of anywhere we have lived (wind blows the plastic right off in winter within a week or two () and that is saying something so we are putting new ones in now. Getting a used hot tub for our aching backs as we have both had problems this year with them! We will work smarter not harder! I don't think I can ever slow down, my sister is the same. The mind is always going, thinking up new things to do! But enjoying the little things that make my heart sing and soar and make me happy are top of the list, I have started writing articles in homesteading etc this year and I am loving that too!

I guess the thought of actually selling and moving rather than revamping started with Nathan hating his work and needing to move, then the big boss was causing the stress was asked to retire in January, and things are improving for him. We have totally put ourselves through all this and I feel stupid in a way, but I think we needed to as well, to truly appreciate what we have. I feel like we have just bought our farm from ourselves! We couldn't find anything as nice and it just took changing the fixed idea of where we would build (which was too close for me to have neighbours so close if we severed) to a different part of the farm where we would not see even the barn or silo.

Thanks Nuthatch been nearly a whole year of limbo, I am happy to be back!

That is great news for sure. I bet it feels wonderful to have reached a decision and not be in limbo anymore. And no need for moving boxes, yay!

Thanks Flickerchick! We have a full to the ceiling 22x8 foot lockup full of rubbermaid totes of clutter and extras`we packed to show the house! I did get rid of lots of stuff, but I am not relishing the thought if unpacking it all, but there are a few things in there we need out, cookbooks, the odd appliance-Microwave was packed in Jan and I dont miss it but hubby does! lol! My sister just sold her house and bought the house behind in less than a week (hìghly desirable area of Ottawa) and when i sent here a recipe she was complaining her rolled oats are in storage!!!! What a nut!

Skeffling I am glad you decided to stay. Even your posts sound lighter. I am happy for you. Lou

Yeah, I feel pretty happy. I have felt like I was going crazy this year and the last week or two was nigh unbearable my brain is tired thinking of all the arguments for and against. I have a heavy work schedule for the rest of this summer, but am looking forward to really playing this fall, but will relax as much as possible on the weekends and no more spotless house! That's the best bit! tee hee!

What great news, been thinking of you and wondering where you would end up, I couldn't imagine you having to leave, nice to hear from you and know all is well.

Thanks CM. We thought it was for the best, but though the head said move and the heart said no for so long, even the head arguments dissolved once we realised a few things and everything fell into place. We had pretty well decided to stay before we got the sudden asking price offer, then it messed things up and confused us. I had a feeling something like that would happen.

BTW your beautiful little partridge chanty roo that came from last years eggs is about to be a father! I accidentally on purpose left him in with 2 hens after one of them raised a brood already! The one hen is sitting on their eggs and there was only one clear out of 16 or so!

Oh Skeffling, I'm so happy for you! What a relief it must be and yes, perhaps you had to go through all that you did to get clear on what you really wanted. Good to know we'll be seeing more of you here now too.

Good to hear you chose to stay. Once you move and realize you made a huge mistake there's no going back. It's horrible pining away for property you can never get back.

Oh girl, what a year for you. I know the preparations that must be made for house showing, we had over 70 of them in a year and a half, know EXACTLY where you were coming from. Phew. That part of your page has been now turned. You and your Husband have been through the mill and back again. Now, since this decision, your life will become much different. Each day you will go through with new plans. Not plans of moving away, but plans of moving to a different part of your property. Enjoy your little trailer on the hill. You have a most beautiful piece of property, you are very fortunate, and I am glad that you decided to end the story and stick around, there is no place like home. Nice to hear that Claire. Nice to hear that you can enjoy your land that you so love. And the honeybees, harvesting honey already -- cool and so wonderful. Mine each swarmed, such bad weather, couldn't get out to inspect them soon enough. First nice day, gone....lots of bees left behind, but set back now by almost a month, but doubt there will be much honey, sigh...have a beautiful and awesome day, CynthiaM.

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I am so glad you decided to stay, it is a beautiful place. You must feel releaved and excited looking into the future!

Soo glad to hear you have finally found "home" even though it is where you are right now. It is great to know you will be able to keep everything you want to. Hope the unpacking does not take as long as mine did!! LOL

Thanks everyone. I am relieved and excited. I am dying to get back home this weekend, more than ever, after being away. And it's a long weekend coming up! I will be driving up to cottage country in Holiday traffic, but they will be driving away from home, I will be driving towards it.

Sorry about your bees Cynthia, how ungrateful, they would have had a lovely time there with you! I was late again with honey supers, so 2 deep boxes of honey , but this summer has been so cold rainy and poor up until just over a month ago, mine would have swarmed, then we have had hot and sunny and 25 degrees plus the past 5 weeks with maybe only 3 rainfalls. The bees are in heaven, and I never cut any lavender this year so they have a good 500+ big plants flowering (I want to video them in there-it is hypnotic and peaceful) and they did have 70 acres of alfalfa til they hayed it a few weeks ago. I planted hyssop for them from your bee flower list and they have found it and Mexican Mint (forgotten the Latin name). I am looking forward to putting in my hippie bee garden or Medicine garden maybe next year.

We had 15 pounds of honey left from last year so hubby just started some mead!

I just put another brood box on the 2-er and the other combined hive will need to be split (maybe next year) but I am not sure how to do it yet I think they will be fine this year! But what a huge hive! maybe you will find some more bees there. I hope your weather is improving!