Nanplough Farm Country House & Cottages

11/02/2025

Update 😬 it’s resting still and doesn’t seem to want to leave, I’ll keep an eye on it and see if it wants to leave in the morning .

Found this little bee upturned this morning on my way to feed the chickens. It’s very chilly and has been for the past few days . Made some sugar water up and placed it gently on the table while I carried on feeding the horses, sheep and chickens but when I came back it had rolled over again . I’ve brought it indoors into the warm in hope it gets some strength back to fly off home again and hoping that the little creature hasn’t succumbed to some poisonous substances sprayed around the area, there is a load of pollen on its legs so it’s been busy gathering . Fingers crossed it survives to buzz away.🤞🐝

05/02/2025

With arrival of our new girls who are settling in to our feathered family we will , hopefully, have our free range eggs available again for sale soon.
Unfortunately due to the huge increase in feed costs ( we have never raised our prices in 9 years) we shall have to increase the price to cover the hike in costs.
Watch out for the sign which will be displayed at the top of the lane when the eggs are available for sale again.
£2.00 for 6 🥚
£3.80 for 12 🥚

03/02/2025

Our new ladies are settling in well and some have ventured outdoors, exploring their new surroundings. We are delighted to see them make themselves at home .

28/01/2025

How’s everyone coping with these past few days of stormy weather? It’s been sum bad!
I came across this today and thought I’d share.
The Blue Anchor is a hostelry in nearby Helston, its famous Spingo Ale is brewed onsite and is renowned for all over.
A must visit if you are in the area as is The Inn & Still just a few doors away, warm cosy fires, tasty local sourced food and spirits brewed onsite site .
Stay warm and safe or if you a must venture out take care or you may just be unlucky to catch that gust of wind and be blown in to the nearest pub! Cheers 🍻

28/01/2025

26/01/2025

Anyone else planned to take part in today?
I opted for the Sunday session, an hour to myself ☺️, hot chocolate in hand to relax and watch the birdies….. how wrong was I!
Yesterday was a chilly but bright day here and perfect for a visit to our capital Truro which I made the most of , home in time to make our Burns Night feast….. today the rain is horizontal, and suprise surprise it’s a bit blustery too 🌧️ 🌬️ . Hopefully it clears and the birds can venture out to feed . Stay safe and warm everyone, today is not an outdoors day, it’s definitely one for the fireside.

24/01/2025

The 10 Rules of Biscuits

From my latest book, ‘Britain According to Very British Problems’

1 When opening a packet, any broken biscuits must be consumed immediately.

2 Never dunk a biscuit for too long; you will ruin both your biscuit and your tea. Double sadness.

3 Always offer biscuits to guests, even if they claim they’re not interested (they’re probably fibbing).

4 Don’t be the person who snatches the last
biscuit of a kind unless you’re prepared to face the consequences – i.e., a new enemy.

5 Always offer a hot drink with biscuits, obviously.

6 Bring out a posh selection of biscuits (metal tin, two layers separated by a sheet of springy purple cardboard, usually called a ‘selection’) for special occasions.

7 Always pretend you haven’t seen a plate of biscuits being passed around until they’re offered to you, then act pleasantly surprised.

8 Utilise the phrases ‘I really mustn’t’, ‘Ooh, go on then’ and ‘If you’re having one’.

9 Wrap biscuits up when not in use, either by pushing the open packet up against a wall, or by using a jar, tin or box.

10 Always have more biscuits in stock than you think you need. Never run out. Running out of biscuits is like running out of air: not ideal.

21/01/2025

This week has seen bright blue skies and the promise of warmer days ahead but with a nip of frost in the air to remind us we are still deep in winters embrace. A bit of a break from the rainy deluge allows us to catch up on outdoor tasks that call for dry days. One of these is a deep clean of the chicken house in readiness for some eagerly awaited new residents . Our feathered lovelies have declined in numbers , leaving us heartbroken as one by one age catches up with them or the opportunistic fox has snatched at the chance of a meal while they were free ranging in the field when they snuck from the safety of the orchard. We say “that’s it… no more….. “ but inevitably give in when hearing of more hens who need rescued and given a new lease of life.
In the photo is one of these brave souls who turned out to be the strongest character. Houdini came to us with barely a feather on her skeletal frame , so weak and listless. The others picked on her so we separated them and put her in with a rooster who was a gentle giant but was separated as he had a problem with his leg. They became best buddies and she flourished, she grew feathers , gained weight and a whole new confidence. We had named her Bess but soon changed that to Houdini. On clean out duty I saw she wasn’t in the aviary, panic set in and the search was on but we couldn’t figure out what happened as it is a secure area. No feathers anywhere, a sure sign of a struggle , nothing at all, then I saw her over by the apple tree having a drink and pecking around ! relieved I walked her back in and bolted the aviary gate.
That was the beginning . Every day she’d get out , we still don’t know how! she’d happily free range, wander everywhere, even into the cottages if the guests let her , scold me if I was late with the snacks and as the photo shows , she’d supervise with the distillation of our lavender oil, she’d come by and keep us company while we worked and each night she’d go back to Godzilla in their home. We miss her dearly.
So in just over a week we will be collecting our new rescues, I wonder what stories they will share .
Thank you Houdini, one in a billion . 🧡

10/01/2025

Get creepy with the kids tonight 😀

10/01/2025

We have lots of lovely lambs in the fields and there are many other expectant mothers too. Please be considerate and follow the countryside rules.🐑 🐑🐑🐑🐑🐑🐑🐑🐑🐑🐑🐑
Please keep your dogs on leads when walking them down the footpath and driveway and clear up after them, taking the poo bag with you .Thank you .

06/01/2025

Well I never!
Was chatting with Paul Green Lizard Gardening this morning , he does an amazing job looking after the garden for us here and we talked about today’s plans for the levels/terraces. I mentioned 2 kiwi plants which have never bloomed or bourne fruit in 9 years and agreed thinking they were both male or female, you need one of each for fruit bearing . A wee while later , took him a coffee and he shows me this ! It’s a kiwi!! Tiny I grant you but it’s a fruit 🥝 🙌 🥳 mid winter instead of summer but I’m made up with it 🥰 fruit salad for breakfast?

06/01/2025

The Chickens dont want to be outdoors this weather and who can blame them .

31/12/2024

Wishing you all
a healthy and happy New Year.

29/12/2024

Sharing some skygazing dates for your calendar .
We are blessed with dark skies over Nanplough because we have very low light pollution, being nestled down in the valley, and on clear nights the skies make for a spectacular show. If night photography or star gazing is your thing then we have the perfect holiday location for you to stay and while away the dark hours then explore the beauty of the Lizard coastline and countryside during the day . Visit our page www.nanplough.co.uk for more details .

24/12/2024

20/12/2024