Here are some pictures

that give a flavour of our smallholder world.

Living in the countryside and on a hill means that we get great views of Fife and Central Scotland, as well as affording us the opportunity to share our smallholding with all manner of wildlife and nature.  Here we try to adopt permaculture principles.

Our views change with the seasons

 

Our smallholding has several garden rooms

as well as woodland walks.

We enjoy these with our dogs and the wildlife that live in this ecosystem.  There is a rich biodiversity in the 10 acres of woodland and rough grazing.

We have a large south facing garden

that is stuffed with bee-friendly plants and shrubs.

There is always something in flower.  Living is the countryside and all its ‘smells’ – I make sure there is plenty of sweet scents to balance these out. The insects love them too.

Sitting at 200 metres above sea level we get wonderful scenic views across Dunfermline and West Fife over to Edinburgh, as well as the Forth Road Bridge.  The view and it’s colours change with the seasons.   Fife has a large geodiversity and we are within easy access to much that Fife has to offer.

Edinburgh skyline

Big Sky

We have wide views south, east and west.  The sky is big and the clouds, stars, and colours are a picture in themselves.  They change with the seasons, weather, and time of day.

 

autumn sunrise

 One of the good things about being a smallholder is that you are out and about to catch views like these,  sometimes they are only fleeting.  I call this a perk of the job, one of those moments when you stop and enjoy what is unfolding before your eyes.  If I am lucky I have the camera with me .

 Photographic opportunities are endless on our smallholding.  See our flickr pages for lots more pictures.

Things To Do

We have benches strategically placed throughout the smallholding to catch the sun, avoid the wind, or enjoy the best views. One seat is a favourite spot looking over towards Edinburgh and Arthurs seat and is also a favourite to watch all the sports cars going home after a Knockhill event.

Hogmany is a time of celebration for we Scots and our position affords us a free view of the fireworks over Edinburgh Castle, we are only half an hour away from the big city and within easy distance to the M90 motorway, airport, and major bus and rail routes.  The Edinburgh fringe festival, T in the Park, and The Big Tent are good local summer festivals.

Our Feathered Friends

We have a range of feathered friends on the smallholding, some are tame, some are wild.  Some live here all the time and some are just visitors.  Check out our poultry page for more details.

Swallows fly all the way from Africa to come and raise their young on our smallholding.’ One swallow doesn’t make a summer’ as the saying goes, but the sight of the first swallow does warm the heart indicating that it is getting closer.

 

 

Our Woolly Lawnmowers

A smallholder has to work to their strengths, interests, and the specific nature of the land they have access to.  One size does not fit all and each smallholder will do well with different things.  We particularly do well with poultry and  sheep, and below is a picture that sums up spring for us – lambs. 

We have a range of breeds of sheep, a new addition in 2011 was some Herdwicks.  They are a very hardy breed from the Cumbrian mountains.

It’s All About Teamwork

On the smallholding everyone has a part to play, below are some important members of our team.

Our cat is a good hunter and plays her part in vermin control.

Dogs are a big part of our lives here at Fifesmallholder and our ground lends itself to providing a dog friendly playground.  From our large south-facing garden, to our woodland walk.  There is plenty of room to run and explore.

Pond and wet area

We have a large pond that is home to some koi and goldfish, they share this habitat with other wild creatures such as frogs, toads, and newts.  This is a work in progress but the amphibians insects and fish seem to prefer the wilder look so perhaps it might just stay that way.  The damp clay soil provides opportunities to grow plants that prefer the moisture, and our pond lilly continues to spread every year.

Top Bunk

There’s a theme here, can you guess it?