Homestead Hub.

Hello.

I've been leafing through my latest old copies of Country Smallholding magazine given to me by a friend. A couple of articles really appealed to me; one written by Debbie Kingsley of South Yeo Farm and one an interview with Mandy Colbourne, owner of pedigree Anglo Nubian goats and breeder of rare breed Berkshire pigs and Longwool sheep.

They talked about things they loved or what was important to them on their smallholdings and this has inspired this new post.

Our kitchen is just about my very favourite room in the house. Because my life is the home and garden, along with the Airbnb listings, this is command central for me!

I sit with my Household Notebook in the same spot at the end of the bench and table, made by Jon when we first moved into the house. From here I can see out of the front kitchen window. At various times of the day I sit whilst replying to room bookings, doing social media bits and bobs, writing my blog and letters (yes I still write letters) and looking out for the postman and generally seeing people coming and going through the village.

We don't own a dog but our elderly friend and sheep-farming neighbour's dog, Meg, often finds her way into the kitchen if the door to the conservatory is open. She always gets a treat of some ham from the fridge! Other animals we have in the kitchen are the orphan lambs for the last couple of years and the Rayburn has been used, as with a lot of farming people, to keep small lambs warm in the throws of Winter.

Talking of the Rayburn, I love it; the original one which came with the house sold the place to me! It now heats our water, heats the radiators and helps cook our food. Because my spot at the table is directly in front of the fire box I'm always toasty warm, a bit too warm in the Spring and Summer when we also have it lit! The dolly airer above dries the smalls - I need to take care if I have visitors - and hats n gloves go on the top ready for when the boys leave for school in the colder months. Nothing makes me smile more than it being in full action throughout the day; breakfast cooked on the top, frozen things defrosting, a bread loaf and a cake baking and something on low and slow for tea.

Autumn and Winter are my favourite months and when I have the fairly lights on the Welsh dresser plus the side lights my eldest says it make it feel like Christmas!

My husband has been know on a number of occasions to carry out tool maintenance on said table. I turn my back for two minutes and the runner has been folded back and the chainsaw is right there in bits. Parts for the quad bike have been cleaned, greased etc right there, too!

I dreamed forever of having a kitchen like ours; slate flags, no fitted cupboards, a solid fuel beast of some sort and an island, also made my Jon when we first arrived, and a big table I could scrub which could be used for everything by everybody. At the time of writing this my youngest is in front of me doing his homework and Jon is taking out links and refurbishing a couple of watches for the boys.

Debbie's article really made me laugh out loud when she said about banning wellies from the kitchen. We often slip and make it into the hall then the living room as we have the kitchen and hall flags then laminate in the living room. I, too, properly sweep then mop using a galvanised bucket. This was my plan to stop Jon mixing cement in previous plastic buckets. I love the floor when freshly mopped but will it ever be properly clean?....

I consider myself extremely lucky to have the kitchen, and house, I love so very much.

The kitchen is the hub of our happy homestead!

Bye for now,

Lou.x