We've got a Winner!

Ruth has taken over the Blog for this edition. During the few months we have been asking our Holt Farm guests to complete a Feedback Form. Many guests did just that and we have had great ideas and comments as we seek to give you the best holiday ever! Each entry was put in a draw to win a weekend for 2 in Holt Stable.
Now we have held the draw to select a winner. Christine Hope [above with Ruth] as the Chair of our local Golden Valley and Black Mountains tourism group drew the winner at her shop, Hope's of Longtown.
The winner is Carolyn Hill from Birmingham. Our thanks go to all who have helped us by completing the feedback form. We will be contacting each one of you this week with a special offer.

Feeding the birds next winter.

We have a good population of small birds at Holt Farm and we wonder how much the numbers have been depleted by the harsh weather. We found one of our resident robins dead near the cottages. Hopefully the survivors will have a good breeding season in the next few months. As part of our organic stewardship scheme we plan to plant some areas of wild bird seed in the next few months - it will provide a field crop for the birds next winter.



The private road into Holt Farm was substantially upgraded in 1960 and stood up to all the farm and building renovation traffic really well until the recent hard winter weather. As a result of the harsh freezing days and nights and then the thawing of the snowfalls the clay subsoil broke through the stone road foundations and we ended up with a very uneven road surface. Yesterday we excavated the damaged areas and replaced the foundation stone and compacted that into place. In a few days after more compaction we will resurface the road with new clean scalpings. I now have more sympathy with the local councils in charge of pothole repairs!

Yesterday Ruth was in a department store in Hereford. She was looking after Thomas (one of our twin grandsons) who was seated in the pushchair. As she passed a full length mirror Thomas called out " Rory" in a loud voice. Obviously he was finding it difficult to distinguish between his own image and that of his brother. Talking of reflected glory.......

The carrion crows are beginning to pair up and soon we will have the annual Spring problem at Holt Farm Holiday Cottages. The crows examine their images in the windows and much impressed by the beauty of what they see they peck at their reflection.
The downside of their activity is that they remove much of the sealant from around the bottom of the double glazing units. They do not clean their beaks or their feet before making contact with the glass so leave impressive smudges on the panes. Also they have not been toilet trained!
It seems as if freshly cleaned windows are best for this exercise as the image they see is much clearer and more attractive. They also are early risers and can on occassion peck loudly at the windows long before our guests in the cottage wish to be woken. I have tried to persuade Ruth to cease window cleaning but my suggestion has been vetoed.
The carrion crows have a warning system whereby one or more is always on duty as "callers". If someone with a crow deterrent(shotgun) arrives the "caller" persistently announces the new visitors approach. Whilst they are very clever they do not seem to have realised that if the gun is in my hands they are perfectly safe!

Rooks are already nesting in their colonies nearby but they cause us no harm and indeed help control lots of insect pests.

I guess the moral of the story is to be careful about what you identify when you look in the mirror !

Fishing in the Escley brook

In February 2009 the work commenced at our home farm Rhydunnog to fence off the Escley brook from livestock.
The work schedule was drawn up and overseen by the Monnow Fisheries Association who had previously carried out a survey on the Escley.
From that survey within the valley they were able to identify the work that was required to improve the habitat for trout and salmon production. The alder trees were re-coppiced to allow more light into the river which is already increasing the vegetation on the banks and in the brook. Livestock are prevented from damaging the banks by new fences. Strategically placed woody debris provides cover and further spawning gravel areas are encouraged. The positive impact of all this work is that the trout have more cover and food, and the river banks are stabilised.

We are confident that the area will become popular with those who wish to fish for Wild Brown Trout. There are three beats on the Escley and three other beats close to Holt Farm Holiday Cottages.

If you need more information about the work of the Monnow Fisheries Association please look up their website www.monnow.org

The exciting part of the project from my point of view has been the speed with which the fishing has improved and the positive feedback from those who are now visiting the Escley.