http://www.blackmountainsyurts.co.uk en-gb blackmountainsyurts.co.uk 2012-1-16T00:00:00Z blackmountainsyurts.co.uk http://www.blackmountainsyurts.co.uk/page11.htm#110505 I am starting this for the second time We have a new reconditioned laptop and I have not quite learned that not all of the buttons are in quite the same place I hope that you all have had a lovely Christmas and New Year it already seems like it was a lifetime ago a lot of hustle and bustle to be forgotten so quickly S We have had a warmer start to the New Year than previously which has made looking after the animals on the smallholding much easier no ice rink for a yard no need to deice the waters and there are even greens growing in the hedge to feed the tortoise so he does not have to rely on what vegetables I have in the fridge Nobody seems to have told the strawberry flowers that are growing down our lane that it is only January We have had movement on the smallholding the piglets or should that be pigs now they are 18 months old have been sold via market and so we are now left with the original 3. Egg production is down now due to shortened nights so apologies go out to ne... 2012-1-16 20:20:10 http://www.blackmountainsyurts.co.uk/page11.htm#108617 Hello all It is blustering a gale outside we have been given a severe weather warning for tonight for strong winds although I doubt it will be anything like that that hit the Scottish Highlands last week. Christmas is coming ever closer it seems to be galloping towards us this year although touch wood we all seem to be fairly well organised this year. I wish I could say the same for organising baby items nursery the list goes on The smallholding is fairly quiet at the moment George has gone or have I already mentioned that last time and the pigs will be off at the end of January leaving us with just the 3 pets. The resident fox has eaten 1 of my best laying ducks and he ate my mothers pet duck which we were supposed to be ducksitting a couple of weeks ago instead of feasting on my two useless drakes But the chickens are finally coming back into lay so hope that the weather does not draw too cold too quickly and put them off again. We have had some bacon back form the pigs that ... 2011-12-12 19:26:15 http://www.blackmountainsyurts.co.uk/page11.htm#103909 The end of the season is already here. The field is looking very bare now that the yurts are down and we are missing the sounds of laughter and singing drifting down the field. It has been a successful season thanks to all of you who have visited and enjoyed yourselves and I cannot believe just how many bookings we have already got for next year. There are some things we will improve upon over the winter which we will keep you updated with and we are pleased to formally announce that we will be adding to our field with a bell tent suitable for couples situated in the yurt field in the pig paddock however we promise it will not feel like you are tucked up with the pigs. We have set the dates prices etc for next year but they will not go live on the website until we have returned from holiday. Look for them from end of October. The house however will continue with bookings for the winter period please get in touch if you wish to stay with us. For those of you interested in dates f... 2011-10-4 20:49:07 http://www.blackmountainsyurts.co.uk/page11.htm#101125 It has been some time since I last updated this blog and at a wedding that we attended on Saturday just gone I was told off by our local vicar for this omission he claims it is the only way he can keep up with the ongoings. I will apologise to you all it has been such a busy time for us here with a far better summer than we ever expected. Indeed to all of you enquiring after the bank holiday weekend I am very sorry but we are completely chock a block with people staying no room even on the campsite. We have decided to shut the campsite from September 05 so that we can dismantle all of the facilities before the yurts come down on September 26 and with Dragon Furntiure at a show in Earls Court the following weekend we are really cutting it fine Determined to do it we are though as our holiday commences on 06 October and there is no way I am coming back to lots of yurt dismantling On the farm we have had a decline in pig numbers. Our 2 giant kune kunes and Ladys offspirng have now ... 2011-8-24 18:48:14 http://www.blackmountainsyurts.co.uk/page11.htm#94903 The last time I blogged I talked about getting our campsite ready. It is now finished and am planning to take some pictures tomorrow to upload on the website. I am hoping that people will like staying with us it is not like the yurts field for starters it is offgrid so there is no electric point for your ipod or hairdryer The showers are quirky you collect your own water for them but they are lovely and warm and plenty of room in there for 2 The toilets are based on our tree bog idea that we have used in the yurt field they have been hugely popular there so are hoping that the modified design will still work so well. We also have a campfire in the middle with wood available to either collect from the wood or buy from the shop. The shop is growing slowly we have added new lines this weekend including a new recipe of one of my homemade jams rhubarb and vanilla. Gwilym is gutted that I only kept half of a small jar for him gave his mother one and put the rest in the shop Our duc... 2011-5-27 20:15:11 http://www.blackmountainsyurts.co.uk/page11.htm#93681 Hello all. Just a quick blog this time I am on lunch in work to say that our campsite is well on its way now the tree bog and showering facilities are coming on a treat and all being well will start to be put in situ from this weekend. After threatening for many months we are now on Twitter although tweets are slow at the moment. Now that I know I can access Twitter from my phone that is set to change Please follow us and get real live updates on what is going on on the smallholding as it happens We can be found at Bmyurts Depsite all of the thunderstorms and heavy rain of the last couple of weeks we have been getting our customers are still having a fab time I am now looking out of the window at the beautiful sunshine we had hail about an hour ago dont let anyone tell you it only rains in Wales Speak soon Annabelle 2011-5-11 13:05:56 http://www.blackmountainsyurts.co.uk/page11.htm#92088 I see it is a month since I last blogged and boy what a lot has happened since then We have opened our doors on the yurt site for the new 2011 season along with some changes for the better we hope to the site and yurts. We had quite a todo with the yurts before opening with leaks adn wind damage galore but thankfully they are now completely restored and we have picked up some new tasks to do each winter to make sure they last So I hear you ask What changes have you made Well to the facilities we now have a shelter next to the kitchen which is not made out of scaffolding poles as well as a long table benches and solar lights. The kitchen has had some items removed why did I think any of you would want to bake cakes and some items included we now supply a roll of kitchen foil cling film and kitchen towel. The tree bog has been changed slightly to make it easier for me to clean and we should have by Easter a powerful solar light in there for those night time strolls We now have a... 2011-4-19 21:35:44 http://www.blackmountainsyurts.co.uk/page11.htm#89560 So I have just come in from being outside all day it has been a glorious spring day very sunny warm and pleasant. We are doing well with the yurt site a very different experience to last year when it was a manic panic to get everything finished this year we have been tootling along very calmly and look set to finish all improvements and maintenance in plenty of time for our opening weekend. We are making subtle improvements to the facilities and adapting the yurts to suit our wetter climate and have just started putting the furniture pieces back in them ready to start putting together tomorrow. On the farm the piglets are all still with us and are growing very fat. They have been moved into the paddocks that were going to be my veg patch so I am now nagging Gwilym to sort me out a new one The goats have finally gone free to a good home. I miss their characters around the place during the winter I had let them roam free but that would have been toally impractical when we had peop... 2011-3-19 18:18:36 http://www.blackmountainsyurts.co.uk/page11.htm#83926 Hello all and welcome to 2011 Christmas is now out of the way for another year and as beautiful as the snow looked over December it has now thankfully cleared and we can now resume our normal lives We took only one casualty during the bad weather my car struggled to make it home over the snow drifts and is currently in a garage awaiting its fate On the farm the animals are relieved not to be walking on sheets of ice and the 2 new pigs that we acquired just before the Christmas break are really settling in and loving their new found space. This now brings the pig total to 15 which includes 8 of the very cutest piglets just about ready for sale. The 2 goats have been terrors over the cole period constantly jumping out over the fences from their paddock and living on the wall outside the house. I wish we could just let them roam freely around the place like the chickens do but their raisinlike droppings are all over the ground by the 1000 The dog cats and tortoise are all keeping w... 2011-1-5 12:12:20 http://www.blackmountainsyurts.co.uk/page11.htm#77512 The end of the season is finally here with our last group of 2010 leaving on the nicest day of the weekend I am sitting here at the computer waiting for Onion to gve birth to piglets although she is obstinately crossing her legs On the smallholding our only difference so far is the addition of a new puppy an English Springer Spaniel who is called Fearne. She has been with us now for 3 weeks and is 12 weeks old. We are currently house training which has put me off children and potty training for life I have been doing some maths to see how the year has gone and am amazed to find that we hit over 50 occupancy for the whole season without advertising. Of course a huge thanks must go to the gang at Hidden Valley who passed a lot of custom to us whenever they were full. So how do we think it went overall It was a race to get finished on time which we didnt but we all had good fun trying even in the snow It has been very tough at times as we are both still working full time and ... 2010-10-10 16:11:50 http://www.blackmountainsyurts.co.uk/page11.htm#73060 WOW I cant believe we are already halfway through August the time and Summer just seems to be flying by so quickly. After all that beautiful weather we had at the beginning of the season there has been 3 weeks now of unsettled typical Welsh weather which looks like it is set to continue. If you are coming to stay I suggest you pack your waterproofs and lots of thin layers one minute it is windy and rainy the next sunny blue skies and sweat Despite this mix we have lots of bookings for the summer keeping the both of us out of trouble We have managed to erect a permanent shelter now no longer putting the marquee up and waiting for it to escape in the wind It is not the most attractive thing at the moment Im afraid we had to cobble it together using what we could find lying around about but it has plenty of space underneath to fit large groups and keep them all dry I am hoping that by next season this will look a little more in keeping with the rest of the site along with all of ... 2010-8-17 11:07:25 http://www.blackmountainsyurts.co.uk/page11.htm#72237 2010-8-6 14:06:47 http://www.blackmountainsyurts.co.uk/page11.htm#69341 The first of July what should usually be well into the Summer season and we have downpours And the night before we have a big youth group in who are doing most of their activities outdoors I had intended getting on to the blog sooner than this however the local exchange is being upgraded and this has resulted in poor internet connection. This does mean that papework has been slow going out but I have now caught up and will undoubtedly be inundated with emails for the next few days You would think that I would be better organised by now Anyway instead of waffling I should really be giving you all the latest on what is happening here...the pigs are up in the field well 4 of them are anyway Onion is still with Brad Pig in Hereford all loved up and we do still have Ladys 2 piglets although these will be joinng Mum in piggyheaven before the month is out. We also have 2 billy goats who have been with us now for about 3 weeks. The little beggars kept getting out of their shed and the ... 2010-7-1 21:51:40 http://www.blackmountainsyurts.co.uk/page11.htm#66747 I have tonight uploaded some more pictures for you all to look at. Check out some more photos of the farmouse accommodation as well as a description of the house how could I have not put that on there some more pictures on the smallholding and the faciltes pages. Also check out my artistic creativity on the first photo of yurt 3 where I found the macro button on my camera 2010-6-1 22:19:16 http://www.blackmountainsyurts.co.uk/page11.htm#66364 It has been a little over 5 weeks since I last updated our blog and already it seems that so much has happened. Firstly lets take a look at changes in the smallholding...we acquired 3 new Kune Kune pigs about 3 weeks ago from a lady in Worestershire and Onion has already been sent off to Brad Pig a superstar in the Kune Kune pig world. When she arrived Wendy who is a lady in the know in the Kune Kune world said that Onion was one of the nicest sows she had come across this has given us high hopes for breeding from her. We are due to have her back in about 2 months hopefully expecting little piglets of her own. Her 2 sisters Rita and LittlePig have been moved up in to the field with the yurts in we have fenced off from the gate to the top hedge just the other side of the tree bog. This means that they can have as much fuss as any of the guests wish to give them they are very friendly and Rita if you scratch her belly rolls over onto the floor with her legs in the air They will ... 2010-5-28 21:48:51 http://www.blackmountainsyurts.co.uk/page11.htm#63477 Easter has come and gone along with its snow on April Fools Day We have in the main finished the facilities and yurts for the time being the work being undertaken now is improvements and planting. We have had in couples families and big groups all of whom seem to have really enjoyed themselves and we have really enjoyed having people around again. The campfire was christened this weekend with some hardy fools even staying up throughout the night to witness the sun rise Although to be fair the sunrises are pretty stunning over the mountains. The ground has dried up remarkably it was quite boggy when we were trying to finish everything off and the grass is coming up nicely really greening the place up. I have tried uploading some more photos recently although I am half ashamed to say that I broke the laptop 2 nights ago in a spat with the internet crashing on me after 2 hours work. I am since checking my emails at work so please bear with me if I do not get back to you for a coupl... 2010-4-21 09:01:26 http://www.blackmountainsyurts.co.uk/page11.htm#61225 March has seen a number of lambs being put into the field next to the yurts and this warmer weather has meant that they have been enoying themselves frolicking in the sunshine. The last couple of days has seen some heavy rain showers but this does not seem to have dampened their spirits. We have also noticed that some hedgerow bushes have started to come into leaf and our daffodils are looking like they will be open in time for Easter. On the smallholding front there has been no change since the last blog. All of our spare time has gone on putting the yurt site together that I have not even had time to go lookng for bees for sale or getting Lady to the boar in time for summer piglets. Once Easter has passed hopefully this will free up some more time to put into the livestock side of the project Easter is racing towards us at a rate of knots and the poor weather that we have had the last few days has really slowed some of our work on the yurt site but dont worry if you are comin... 2010-3-23 20:07:01 http://www.blackmountainsyurts.co.uk/page11.htm#59718 Well March has started in a very Spring like manner and we have foud that in our new garden we have got snowdrops as well as more daffodil than we planted coming up which is lovely This also means that work on the yurt facilities and field has been almost unstoppable and we have completed a lot more than we expected to already. Take a look at the gallery of some pictures. There is no change on the animal front we still have our 2 piglets despite my half hearted attempt a advertising them once on my work Classifieds Gwilym did announce this evening that he is getting some more chickens and an incubator before Easter little does he know I already have plans for bees With the yurts we were able to put the decks up in the field although the sheer size and weight of them proved some problems moving the first but once we had a plan we were able to get them in place in half the time Over the weekend we also had an apprentice local lad Lloyd lock up your teenage daughters who is ... 2010-3-3 21:22:31 http://www.blackmountainsyurts.co.uk/page11.htm#59147 Many thanks to those of you who got in touch about our missing gallery this has now been rectified and pictures can once again be viewed 2010-2-24 20:21:32 http://www.blackmountainsyurts.co.uk/page11.htm#58638 So what have we been getting up to since the last blog Well during the crisp dry weather we made strides in making the bases in the fields for the decks to stand on and the decks are ready in the barn to be put on when we can borrow fatherinlaws massey tractor The facilities are under way although they are still shelllike. Looking at them you could never tell what they were supposed to be Shortly will be the fun and expensive bit of kitting out all of the yurts and facilities Take a look at the pictures in the gallery. We still have not sold our piglets. I am very attached to them which is probably why I am dragging my heels. We will need to get Lady to the boar soon as well which will be very exciting preparing for the babies We let them all loose in the paddock about a month ago and they have created a real mess Noodle is permanently covered in our clay dirt As to new animal additions we have none yet although am working very hard on being allowed a donkey We are als... 2010-2-17 17:56:37 http://www.blackmountainsyurts.co.uk/page11.htm#57407 Well it is a New Year with new challenges and we started these as a married couple following our Christmas wedding on 28th December. We honeymooned in Norway left snow here in Britain for lots of snow over there and arrived back in the second wave of bad snow to hit Britain Nevertheless we got back to Pwllycwrw safely pigs and chickens all safe and sound and have hit the ground running with work. Dragon Furniture has still not moved the workshop and showroom as planned but is instead taking on a shop unit in nearby Trecastle with plans to move over by Easter. The yurt facilities are in the process of being made we will take pictures shortly and we have collected the yurts currently stored in our barns. Bookings are being taken for the summer period and we do not sit down to watch tele until about 930pm what a way to start married life but I dont think either of us would change it for the world I am trying to persade Gwilym to let me get some bees and a donkey but I do ne... 2010-1-31 19:02:12 http://www.blackmountainsyurts.co.uk/page11.htm#46837 Welcome to our blog where we are going to record the trials and tribulations of taking on and running a smallholding as well as preparing our BampB and yurts site for the holidaying season next April 2010. It would be prudent here to give a big thanks to Amanda at Hidden Valley Yurts who has filled us with inspiration gave us confidence and was free with her advice regarding our ideas. Thank you We are due to move in on 10 September so we are getting ready by packing and getting our current house rented out. We are both very excited and cannot wait 2009-8-12 20:21:40