Friday 20 April 2012

Spring news from the Blackdown Hills

Spring has made a welcome return now! The orchard's full of primroses, and bluebells are coming out in the woodland. Every year it's a surprise how beautiful it looks. Some of our guests over the Easter break enjoyed badger watching and all have been lucky with the weather, many heading to the beaches and coastlines where the sun seems to have been out almost every day.

There are ewes and their lambs in the field in front of Luggs Barn, and our younger guests have loved watching them from the garden. Monty and Ted remain a huge hit with visitors and have adored all their new playmates over the Easter holidays! The hens and ducks are laying well and behaving beautifully, but the geese are still in the last chance saloon (the top field behind the farmhouse). Their attitude isn't improving with age, so their days may be numbered!

We had a few days away recently at Saunton Sands in North Devon - our girls' first ever holiday and they adored being able to stay at the beach rather than visiting for day trips! Wetsuits were needed but we all had great fun bodyboarding - except Willow, who decided she was happier playing on the sand dunes with her friends.

Back home, we've sown some grass seed to try to repair the builders' legacy, but as yet it hasn't germinated. We've had several April showers now, so fingers crossed for some more warm sunshine to get things started! We've also had confirmation that our plants for Luggs Barn's garden have arrived, many from Holland. Dan our gardening guru has arranged to come and help us plant up the beds in about 10 days' time. He assures us it'll all look fabulous in no time, so watch this space for photos!

I've taken several video tours of Luggs Barn but can't seem to get them uploaded either on here or YouTube - if any readers are technically minded, I'd be grateful for any advice!

Check back soon for more photos and details of the great planting scheme! We'll also be announcing some great deals in May very soon...