Henry’s story…
I have been involved with farming all my life. My earliest memory of farm
work, is of cold winter mornings when I had to get up extra early with my
Dad, to defrost the pipes on the milking parlour before we could start milking.
There have been a few changes since then – bringing total transformation
of the agricultural industry, and some radical changes to our own business
too.
Here at Dove Farm, it’s me who handles most of the major farming operations we carry out, and there’s not much chance to delegate in a small business environment! So that’s everything from feeding cows, to muck spreading, from ploughing, to harvesting and doing contract work on other farms too. These days, I can also be seen on ‘domestic duties’ of helping to prepare the cottages for our next guests arriving.
Making a living from the countryside is not all blue skies and green fields.
The down side about being a farmer (apart from all the paperwork!) is that
it’s very difficult to take time away, and virtually impossible to ‘switch
off.’ On the up side, I know it’s a real privilege, that I don’t
have to endure the rush hours and road rage, faced by thousands of commuters
every day – and I do get to drive around in tractors and the occasional
combine harvester for a living!
Jane’s story….
I am the townie who married a farmer, and came to live at Dove Farm.
I love living in the countryside, walking the dog, collecting fresh eggs – in fact, the whole ‘nature on the doorstep’ experience. Since living here, I have moved from full time work, away from the farm, to full time working on our business here.
My professional background ranges across business and education, and I have worked in private, public and voluntary sectors. My own interest in marketing has certainly helped us to develop our business in line with what our customers want.
I am the main contact for guests staying at Dove Farm, and handle the whole
process from enquiry, to departure, including cleaning and making beds! Farm
work for me, outside the office, includes the sheep, alpacas and poultry.
Like any other mum, I find it quite hard to balance work and family life,
let alone anything else - but Henry and I have made a lifestyle choice, which
brings with it benefits and compromises. The best part is being able to live
here, so come and stay with us at Dove Farm and share in that too…
…and a word from Celine, Joshua and Natalie
We are the kids, and mum says we bring ‘a sharp sense of reality to any notion of rural paradise!’ – whatever that means.
We like living here at Dove Farm, because we have lots of space outside, to play, ride our bikes and go for walks. (We would prefer not to go on so many walks, but mum makes us go with her.) We like having the animals, and we enjoy being at home in our bit of the world.
It’s good that mum and dad are around, but they are usually busy doing something. Sometimes we don’t see Dad much, when certain farming jobs have to be done, like combining or ploughing. The bad thing about our farm business, is that we don’t get to go on holiday very much, and when we do, it’s never for very long.
We also like watching TV, movies, going on the computer and playstation,
and all the usual stuff that parents moan about!