november is proving to be beautiful and still, and the monk jack deer are visiting bluebell farm once more 🦌🦌❣️.  they delight our guests, and the illumination in our applet trees makes the evenings really magical.  after the excitement of halloween and  bonfire night we are bunkering down with a plentiful supply of kiln dried firewood from our favourite supplier sandpits, plus a stack of good books.  we love to share our books with our guests, and our cottages each have a book case stacked with our favourite reads. there’s nothing better than a walk around our local footpaths followed by a cup of tea and a good book in front of the fire 🫖❤️‍🔥.  holly tree barn has a brand new boiler this autumn too, keeping our guests toasty warm.  we’re slowly introducing fairy lights around bluebell farm, and loving their gentle glow in the still evenings.

 

this weekend we popped up to bristol to everyman cinema to see paddington bear.  the audience clapped at the end 🎥🤗! a wonderful, happy film and we could definitely recommend. everyman is our favourite cinema with plush sofas, and food delivered to your seat 🎞️💗. the atmosphere is amazing.

 

there’s lots to look forward to this november! november is a favourite month of ours; the lull before the oncoming festivities.  a perfect time for a visit to the country 

we hosted a mother’s day get together at bluebell farm this week, and it was a wonderful celebration of the onset of spring!  annie and will popped in for lunch, and it was so good to see them both.  it’s three years ago, almost to the day, that the country locked down, and I remember the spring tulips heralding the new season then as they are doing now 🌷this year we have all waited so long for the season to change, and the winter seems to have gone on for ever.  mind you, we’ve had some cosy nights in front of the log burner with dogs on lap!  🐾 we’ve caught up with our reading too, the most recent book club choice being ‘the beekeeper of allepo’. a cracking read, and extremely thought provoking.  that one will certainly be finding its way into our cottages, only the best of our book club reads make it onto the shelves! 📕 

🌷happy springtime! enjoy the lighter evenings and don’t forget to give us a wave when you see us out and about in the garden. Paul’s already been out on his lawn tractor, 🚜 and I’ve done my first strim of the season.  the magnolia tree is resplendent in its white blossom, and the spring bulbs are putting on quite a show. happy days! 🌸🌷💕

it’s been all go this week at bluebell farm.  we ordered some wonderful bulbs from farmer gracy, he never fails to disappoint!  🌷tulips, narcissi, grape hyacinths, allium and (of course!) bluebells (in hues of white and blue) arrived in october ready for november planting.  after popping a few into annie’s new borders at bramblefield, we began on the task of deciding where to plant back at bluebell farm.  guests love to wander the grounds, and we have been developing different areas in which to dwell.  springtime is a particularly beautiful time in somerset, and we can’t wait to see what next year’s crop will bring.

⛳️ on sunday paul travelled over to cardiff to join friends for a golfing break.  his usual haunt is our golf club here in wedmore, five minutes from bluebell farm and overlooking the somerset levels with views all the way to cheddar gorge.  he’s honing his handicap and delighted to be back into his favourite sport after many years away from the game as the family and business grew 🏌️‍♂️

sunday also saw me taking the road to bristol to meet with a friend. we treated ourselves to brunch at the ivy in clifton. 🌱what a beautiful venue, with delicious food and excellent service.  we were last there for annie’s graduation celebration, and often go there for a christmas shopping day treat. clifton is a beautiful village next to the iconic suspension bridge and we highly recommend a visit. I picked up a sweet little holly jug for holly tree barn from pod.  one of my favourite shops for present buying!

I then headed over to bedminster as there are big changes afoot in the nash family! sophie is eagerly anticipating her move to dubai before christmas.  She’s been offered a role within her current company to work on some amazing projects and she’s looking forward to an exciting change. harry moved there on January 1st to work on some challenging engineering projects, and it will be nice for them to be together.  but we will miss her!  I think that a trip over there is definitely on the cards for the spring ✈️

📚 it's been school all week for me, as the seasons  change on the millfield campus and the trees change colour, the autumn flowers bloom and the backdrop of woods give way to glastonbury tor, I often think of how lucky I am to work there? I now do supply teaching in a variety of departments, which means I can fit in my cottage commitments at peak times of the year.  

📚 it was my turn to host book club, and bluebell farm was the scene on thursday of much debate, catch ups and prosecco!  we’ve been reading ‘miss benson’s beetle’ by rachel joyce and that was unanimously acclaimed to be a winner!  a lovely, positive book set mainly in warmer climes, a super autumn read.  our next book is ‘ the island of missing trees by elif shafak,  a poignant book with strong themes of love, place, conflict and history. a happy prospect of reading in front of the log fire beacons as the nights draw in… 🔥

🍂🍁🍂 catching the beautiful sunshine & autumn colours up at tyntesfield this week, lola and fly loved their trip 🐕🐕 pumpkins galore, the house was so atmospheric on halloween🫣 it’s such a treat to be able to nip up to our favourite national trust property, and we love to go up there in the different seasons.

when sophie came to stay this weekend we visited the george, the coaching inn in the heart of wedmore, fully refurbished and becoming renowned already for its warm welcome and delicious food.  we can recommend!  it’s dog friendly too, confirming our position once more as a very dog friendly village.

annie, cam and lola had lunch in the swan this sunday.  a gentle walk from their new home on the outskirts of the village, they say that they can highly recommend sunday lunch.  as lola can go too they enjoy nothing more than spending time in front of the log burner at this time of year, or in the garden on the sheepskin lined seats in the autumn sun.  annie enjoys the gluten free options, always plentiful in the swan 🦢 

⏰ the clocks changed last weekend, and our runs in the early morning light have been a joy.  The darker evenings are definitely a good excuse to curl up in front of the log burner with a book – this week it’s book club, always an enjoyable local get together 📕 

🎄 the cottages and bertie are already booked up for christmas, but there’s still availability around the big day, and new years eve too.  if you fancy some peace and tranquility why not book a stay?  or book one as a treat for a loved one? we’d love to welcome you to our little corner of somerset!

the season of mists and mellow fruitfulness is with us once more, one of my absolute favourite times of the year! I’m in and out of school covering a variety of lessons from chemistry to business, which I love, but the opportunity to run and walk with lola on the sunny autumn mornings is one that I relish. 🐕 lola runs with annie most mornings during the week, but tuesday and wednesday are our mornings as annie is in the office for meetings. we’re off to support annie in her bristol half marathon this weekend, and the weather is looking good!🏃‍♀️

guests to bluebell farm are greeted with some stunning sunsets at this time of the year, and wake up to a view over the misty somerset levels, with mark church poking up through the mist. 

🍎 we encourage our guests to take a plentiful supply of apples from our orchard, and I’ve taken some up to bristol friends too.  much apple sauce, crumble and jam is being made!  

🔥the log burners in rose cottage and magnolia cottage are coming into their own now, and the plentiful supply of logs are much appreciated by all.  the smell of woodsmoke around stoughton is so evocative of this time of year, don’t you think?

🌾 as the seasons change it’s such a treat to embrace the early autumn and appreciate the change in the hedgerows and the last of the summer blooms. blackberry picking this week has led to a freezer full which will see us through to the spring.  happy days!

🚲🐄on my cycle ride back from the somerset levels last sunday morning, I came across a friend from stoughton who was holding up a newly born calf on the lane just near to blackford.  the sweet little girl had just been born, and had slipped through the hedge above and onto the lane.  I’m so happy to say that calf and mum were safely & swiftly reunited by the farmer.  over the last month I’ve reported three cows in the rhines on the levels to the farmers. I feel that as dog walkers and cyclists we really are the eyes and ears of the local community!

 🌿 our geraniums are loving the sunshine this week here at bluebell farm. what a summer it’s shaping up to be! our guests are enjoying the shaded seating under the apple trees, and we’re all treated to some spectacular sunsets 🌱

☀️ we’ve been enjoying getting our cottages and campers all spruced and ready to go, welcoming guests from all over the uk and helping them set off on their very own adventures into the somerset countryside 🌿

🦢 this week I’ve been walking two lovely dogs early in the morning for a friend. I hop over there on the e-bike and it takes the same amount of time as driving. it’s so much more fun, and cooler too. our route, from the bottom of the garden and through the orchard, takes us straight onto the somerset levels. miles of tranquil walks beckon and I’ve had the opportunity to totally immerse myself in nature. swans love the levels and this morning a beautiful young family with three cygnets glided past on the rhyne 🦢

🌿 we’ve had an exciting development on the family front with our daughter annie finding her first home in a perfect location in wedmore, overlooking the cricket pitch to one side and a beautiful old orchard to the other. it’s a new build home (we love a building site! the potential! the thrill of seeing new homes emerge day by day…) all being well she should be in by the end of september. annie works for edf and she starts her new role as a commercial manager in september, perfect timing for her move. she works from home three days a week at the moment with one day in the bridgwater office and one in bristol, so wedmore is perfectly situated for both. she has lived in wedmore all of her life and absolutely loves the village, and she’s thrilled to find a home here. there’s plenty of room for lola too, and their new home is on the route of their usual 6k morning run 🏃‍♀️🐕🌿

☀️ the sun is set to shine for the foreseeable future, & all three cottages have new fans. we’ve arranged for a visiting miniature dachshund to borrow our doggy paddling pool this weekend too! 💦☀️

🌿 here’s to another week of sunshine, but hopefully interspaced with some good rain showers at night too! ☀️💦

☀️ it’s been another week of glorious sunshine and we’ve welcomed lots of lovely guests to bluebell farm. we had one of our v.i.p. return visitors, teddy the bernese mountain dog. he’s a gentle giant and this was his second visit to somerset. this time he brought mum, dad and granny. he was keen to tell us all about his trip to crufts and his second place rosette. a very proud boy. his mum & dad have become a friend of bluebell farm so they can receive news and offers. it’s easy to do, just go to

www.bluebellfarmsomerset.co.uk and click on the link. 

🎾 will came to stay midweek and he enjoyed a game of tennis with paul on the grass court followed by supper outside - doesn’t food always taste better in the open air? as we sat there under the pergola overlooking the ‘grounds’ (formerly our pony paddock and, before that, cattle field and, before that - according to our map from 1850, an orchard), i asked will if he could remember the field when it was all dug up, and the ground source heat pump was being installed.  i mentioned that it was such a lot of work, the whole project, and he said ‘yes mum, but you loved it didn’t you.’ that’s so true! every  time the family visited they had to have the obligatory tour to see the progress, and they did their best to try to match the enthusiasm that we exuded👷‍♀️👷‍♂️😁

👷‍♀️ we popped up to stamford in lincolnshire to visit sophie’s godmother helen, to catch up, enjoy seeing the sites in stamford once more, and to see her building project. a visit that’s right down our street! we heard all about it at christmas, poured over the plans, and imparted some of the learnings from our own build at bluebell farm. our present to helen was a subscription to ‘build it’ magazine and she’s as enthusiastic as we were about our build (which takes some going!) it’s so good to have the opportunity to catch up with friends, isn’t it, even if it’s only for a short time. this is our busiest time of year so we don’t tend to go too far, and try to remind ourselves to take the odd day off! our trip was so worth it, and we came home refreshed and raring to go 🌿

✈️ on sunday we welcomed harry back to the uk with lunch at bluebell farm. he’d been working in abu dhabi since the new year and has come home for the month of august to catch up with family and friends and to escape the heat for a little while. he’s lucky that he can work from home while he’s here although the 5.30am starts sound a little challenging. it was so good to catch up, to hear all of the news first hand, and to gain more of an insight into the middle east. paul used to travel to the united arab emerates during his time at reckitt & coleman and I’ve taught lots of arab students at millfield 🇦🇪 

🌿 another week of sunshine beacons - just performed the month of august ☀️

 🌹the roses are blooming at bluebell farm this week. this rose sits in the terrace by rose cottage & in front of the reclaimed sleepers we used in our hard landscaping back in 2018. our clever ground workers suggested that we cut the sleepers to varying lengths and sat them vertically to keep back the raised grass area. they work brilliantly and offer a rather special backdrop for our roses 🌹 ⛵️on friday we met up with the family in bristol to celebrate my birthday 🥂 our (joint) favourite spot to be in Bristol is by the harbourside and this year on the 15th of july the bristol harbour festival was in full swing ⛵️⛵️⛵️⛵️⛵️ the weather was positively mediterranean and we had a delicious meal at harbour house. our other favourite spot in the city is clifton village although bedminster, with its tobacco factory, street art & independent shopping heaven in north street is coming a close run third! 

🚙 the forty minute trip up the road to bristol 🎈 seems to go in a flash and we love getting our city buzz as often as we can. the peaceful haven at bluebell farm never fails to lure us back, however! 

🌿somerset offers such a wide variety of things to do and see, from beach to hills to quant villages, glastonbury and it’s tor, wells and it’s cathedral plus the heritage cities of bath & bristol. our guests invariably wish they’d stayed for longer and many return to continue their adventure 🌿⛵️🌹

💐 it’s been all go for the bluebell farm team this week. first stop a visit to bristol & our apartment in flour house in the general, a development of the famous hospital by city & country, situated right next to the harbour side. ⛵️ we took the opportunity to stay there for the first time since we bought back in 2020, as we are between tenants and conducting the audit and deep clean (it was left immaculate). the apartment has all the buzz of city life but it’s incredibly peaceful, which we love. ted & betty accompanied us as we strolled all the way around the harbour on tuesday morning. they said that their favourite bit was the sausage they tasted at breakfast time watching the world (and boats) go by! 🚤🚤🚤

🛳 on our journey we came across miss conduct,  a super yacht moored permanently next to whopping wharf. originally built in 1987 in florida, miss conduct is now owned by two entrepreneurial businessmen & she hosts some amazing charity events, as well as bringing an air of glamour to the quayside. sitting proudly alongside the tall ships (the matthew, the ss great britain and more), she boasts a helicopter pad and reminisces on her time in new york where she hosted lunches for ‘the great and the good’.  we think she sits very happily now in our (adopted) home city. 

🐕 we have our good friend fly here to stay with us this week while her parents are on holiday. hartley was our much loved collie, and he was around long before the children.  fly fits in so well and lola, annie’s dog, loves nothing more then taking fly around her usual haunts and showing her the very best smells. with amazing walks from the door along country lanes and tracks, across fields and onto the levels, our early morning walks are a real treat. as the weather heats up we make sure to go out before the temperature rises, and in our view it’s the very best part of the day (the sunsets in the evening coming in a very close second!)🌿🌱🍃

💐 it’s been a pleasure this week to create a birthday treat for one of our lovely guests. bubbles on ice and flowers sourced from wells and bluebell farm are on the agenda, and we love to be given the opportunity to go the extra mile. in soft pinks and vintage whites, they sit so happily in holly tree barn, our cottage in the heart of wedmore. converted from an old barn, this atmospheric retreat offers a real taste of the heritage on offer in our historic village. it’s cool in summer with its wide stone walls, and cosy in winter. the terrace really comes into its own in this time of year 🌱🌿🍃🌸  

🌼📚 book club this week was held outside in the setting sun, and a lively discussion was had.  ‘the wall’ by john lanchester was very much liked by all bar one, and scored an overall 7.5 out of 10.  next up is ‘braiding sweetgrass’ by robin wall kimmer about ‘indigenous wisdoms, scientific knowledge and the teachings of plants.’ I shall report back on that one in september! 📚🌼 

🎾☀️blue skies & wimbledon have sent paul out onto his beloved grass tennis court. our field for ponies has transformed into a court that rivals the best (paul tells me 😉). our guests are encouraged to borrow our rackets and enjoy. rose cottage 🌹& magnolia cottage 🌸 are in the grounds of bluebell farm, and holly tree barn is a five minute drive of twenty minute walk away in the heart of wedmore☀️🎾

🌿🍃🌱🌼🌱🌿🍃 our wildflower meadow has been cut this week and the local cows are in for a winter treat, with all the wild flowers and herbs in their bluebell farm haylage. there’s still time for the meadow to grow once more this year, and paul will be sure to keep the path cut for our canine guests. keeping the meadow cut once a year means that the nettles and brambles are kept at bay and the wildflowers and many varieties of grasses flourish 🌱🌿🍃🌼🌿🍃

🎭 tonight we’re off to wedmore village hall to see the bristol old vic theatre company’s production of ‘vanity fair’. we always try to get along to the annual student tour and the energy and talent on display never fails to amaze. it’s fun seeing the next generation of actors coming through and we feel so lucky that they visit our village! 🎭

🎖we heard this week that we are superhosts once more! we thoroughly enjoy welcoming guests through airbnb and, over the years, have welcomed folks from over 30 countries.  we aim to offer a peaceful retreat from the hurly-burly of everyday life, a chance to recharge and reenergise. with wide open spaces and historic wedmore on our doorstep, we feel so happy to be able to share this oasis with guests🎖

 🚲 this week has been an exciting one with cycling around appledore with friends on eddy the trusty ebike, and then a jaunt to salcombe with bertie & the chi’s ⛵️

☀️ the sun shone (mostly) and it really put into focus for us the benefit of taking time out of the daily routine.  we like to regularly use bertie to make sure he’s in tip top working order, and to allow us to do the very best hand over we can (his technical side never fails to impress).  bertie arrived home from glastonbury in pristine condition, a combination of great festival weather (no mud, no dust), delightful guests, and a valet before delivery home.  🎪 an amazing time was had by all, and our guests are keen to book bertie for next year’s festival too.  he’s going out with them for a jaunt later this summer, they are some of his biggest fans!

🐕 as bertie welcomes canine companions, he thought it best to take along ted & betty for the ride to salcombe.  ⛺️ we stayed in higher rew campsite on our trip there last year, returned this week, and we will definitely be back later on this summer.  situated in a beautiful position overlooking the estuary, it’s an easy cycle down the hill to the town, and a relatively easy one back up on the ebikes.  we’re putting together a list of tried and tested campsites for our bluebell & bertie, and if you have any recommendations please do let us know!⛺️

🌿 this weekend is set aside for gardening (nibbles the robot mower keeps on top of things as best as he can while we are away), and perhaps an overdue trip up to tyntesfield on the outskirts of bristol.  we are very keen national trust members and love to visit properties whenever we can, and tyntesfield is our favourite.  we’ve been to a murder mystery, shakespheare’s macbeth,  & winter lights there, and always keep our eyes open for what is coming up. 

🌿 here’s to a weekend packed with national trust treasures, gardening, & welcoming guests to bluebell farm☀️

🌼 this week has seen glorious sunshine 

once more in somerset and we’ve enjoyed getting out and about with lola 🐕.  the wild flower meadow in our dog walking field is ablaze with colour, with poppies, daisies, clover, orchids and a whole variety of grasses waving in the gentle breeze.  the path meanders around but lola loves nothing more than jumping through the long grass to find the best possible smells! 🌾

🚲 cycling has also been on the agenda as I’m off this weekend to devon with friends - an annual trip which we all look forward to very much. cycling in somerset is particularly attractive as you can plan your route for maximum enjoyment. flat? try the somerset levels, the cheddar reservoir path, or the disused strawberry railway line. hills? it doesn’t get more iconic than cheddar gorge! the gorge is a breeze on our ebikes (we hire these out to guests) 🚲

🎾 the grass tennis court at bluebell farm came into good use at the weekend when we had the family around for father’s day. will had really got into tennis again and sophie is looking to get some lessons from paul ahead of her move to dubai in the autumn.  he’s delighted to oblige, with happy memories of winning the parent and child tournament at wedmore tennis club! wedmore tennis club is open to guests for a small donation and their newly built courts are amazing 🎾

🌅 the sunsets this week have been absolutely amazing and we had to keep popping outside the other night to take photos.  instagram was packed with images of the evening, and the late rainbow took the breath away ☀️

🚙 bertie is heading into glastonbury festival this weekend and is very  much looking forward to his time there, offering relaxation and comfort after a day on site. the forecast is good and the line up excellent 🎪

🌼 here’s to a weekend packed with sun, cycling, friendship and good food.  with a smattering of glastonbury festival thrown in.



🌺 what a glorious week it’s been here in somerset. after the rain the sun has shone, and the grounds of bluebell farm are ablaze with colour, and full of birdsong. ☀️ the local bees are doing what they love best, and their current favourite destinations are the foxgloves and cat mint.  they love a bit of catmint!🐝

🐕 lola has recovered well from her spay last week, and ventured out once more with her good friend lily to explore the fields and tracks that are accessible directly from bluebell farm.  🌿 We cross one quiet lane when we set off on our mission, which takes us down from the isle of wedmore and onto the somerset levels.  early morning walks have been the order of the day as the temperatures rise.

🌹 it’s so nice to see the roses in full bloom as we travel around wedmore, and the bluebell farm blooms are arranged and placed into our cottages to welcome guests this weekend.  we’re loving the opportunity to host once more, to offer peaceful retreats from which to launch into somerset adventures.  bluebell our classic vw campervan has been out and about for a total surprise birthday celebration, and the weather has been just perfect.🚙



🌿this week the poppies have really taken off here at bluebell farm and they perfectly complement the foxgloves which are putting on their bravest show ever this year🌱  our hornbeam trees, planted in 2018, have doubled in size and now dwarf the fence providing the green screen that we hoped for.  june is shaping up to be a perfect month - night time rain, sunny days, & beautiful gardens. i’m just back from holly tree barn after a spot of gardening 🍃 tomorrow our lovely neighbour is having a garden party in aid of st. margaret’s hospice & a batch of gluten free scones will be in the aga in the morning! 

🚙 bluebell returned from her dorset wedding jaunt on monday looking very cheerful. she brought that vintage look to the proceedings and was the backdrop for many a photograph ⛪️. she’s off again with some lovely guests next week for a birthday surprise 🎊

🚲 cycling along the beautiful somerset lanes is a complete joy, and i’ve managed to get out on one of our ebikes a couple of times this week.  i often cycle into the village rather than taking the car, as it’s just as quick and far more fun! a cycling tour in devon with friends this month is fast approaching, and i need to get some miles under my belt first. 🚲 our ebikes take the strain out of the hills, but still give a work out on the flat in eco mode, which i love. another ride around the levels beckons 🌿 



🌹📚👑 roses, books & jubilee celebrations were the highlights here at bluebell farm this week.  

we took the opportunity to pop up to the hay festival in bertie 🚙 and had an amazing time. he gives us a super base and it’s just like home from home.  ashbrook campsite 🏕 is over the hill from the festival site down a quiet track, and from there it’s a gentle walk into town. we will be back!  📚we have wanted to go to this festival for many years and were not disappointed! 

we’ve welcomed some lovely guests to bluebell farm into rose cottage, magnolia cottage & holly tree barn giving us the opportunity to gather flowers from our country garden. 🌹the roses here are just starting to bloom and herald the start of summer! we found out all about bees at the hay festival with jim al-khalili and it makes us so happy to see them popping in and out of our flowers. the cat mint and foxgloves are particular favourites 🐝

🚙 bluebell our classic vw campervan set out on his travels dorset bound on friday to bring his vintage charm to a long awaited wedding. We can’t wait to see his photographs! 

our new zappi electric car charger has had his first run out with one of our guests this weekend, which was pretty exciting 🚘we’re lucky to have the room at bluebell farm to charge at home. otherwise it’s off to wells or burnham on sea to charge up!  how life is going to change over the next few years. ☀️ we have solar panels on the roof, a ground source heat pump with piping fitted throughout our field, and we’re looking into getting a wind turbine. 

🔥 on thursday the wedmore beacon was lit at 9.45pm, and from bluebell farm we could also see the beacons on crook peak and brent knoll. wedmore is all spruced up and ready for the jubilee celebrations. we wandered down quab lane and into the village with annie & lola to visit the swan 🦢 for a relaxing lunch in their garden. lola is always welcomed with open arms and we feel very at home there. 🐕 the food is pretty delicious too and gluten free options are always available. 

👑 happy jubilee weekend to all! how wonderful to be able to celebrate once more.

🍃 wildflowers & gardening were the highlights of the week here at bluebell farm!🌱 we are avid watchers of the chelsea flower, and love to see how the garden designers seek inspiration in the countryside. foxgloves, poppies, cow parsley, daisies, irises, grasses & even buttercups are carefully transported and planted into the show gardens 🌿 we have them here at bluebell farm in abundance! our dog walking field is growing space with a whole variety of wild flowers & grasses 🌾☘️🌾and the butterflies 🦋 & bees 🐝 are loving their meanderings! with a path mown by paul creating a figure of 8, lola loves to show her friends her best game of hide & seek! the country walks from the door from the isle of wedmore onto the somerset levels are resplendent with such a wide variety of flora & fauna too, we are frequently stopped in our tracks by an ever changing display 🌿

the foxgloves are growing apace here at bluebell farm this week, with the warmth, the sun and the overnight rain really encouraging growth all round! nibbles our robot lawn mower has been gently doing what he’s best at and this week we’ve finally got the perimeter sorted so that he doesn’t get stuck (most of the time!). with such a wide expanse of grass it really helps us to keep the grounds in shape for wandering and ball games.  paul mows a winding path around our wildflower meadow and we are starting to see the wide array of flowers springing to life.  lola loves to play hide and seek in there with her friends! cut in july to encourage growth for a second flowering, the butterflies are starting to flutter and we are keeping a count of the varieties to be seen.

may is an excellent month to get out and about in our local country lanes, and lola, ted & betty very much approve.  our all time favourite walk from bluebell farm is down beautiful quab lane - the small lane that links west stoughton to the heart of wedmore. quab means ‘unfledged bird’ - a baby bird that doesn’t yet have feathers and can’t fly or leave the nest. the hedgerows and trees that line this lane are the perfect site for a many a bird’s nest! over the years i’ve run up and down this lane so many times - first of all with our golden retrievers ruby and em, and our cairn terrier oscar.  i always ran with them before school, & in the winter i had a head torch to lead the way.  teddy & betty the chi’s say ‘yes’ to a stroll down here. ‘no’ to a run. lola loves a stroll with her chi’s, or a run with annie. annie & lola do quab lane as part of their 6k or 8k morning run. this is the very best time of the year for this beautiful country lane, with the cow parsley and new leaves and spring birdsong creating what I think of as quite a spiritual walk.

irises and van gogh were the highlights this week at bluebell farm. when we moved in to our barn at the end of 2018 we were really keen to make the most of the views and to frame the landscape. this is our view from the sitting room over to crook peak in the mendips.  will planted these irises in our first autumn here and they’re going from strength to strength. the ground workers dug flowerbeds to our plan so that our barn sat more comfortably in the landscape.

they gave us a roundabout too, which we absolutely love! 

🎨irises took centre stage at the van gogh immersive experience up in bristol this week. a forty minute hop up the a38 takes you to the heart of this historic city, and the venue lies just behind temple meads 🎨 will had recommended that we go, and he gave it a 10/10.  we were bowled over, it went far beyond our expectations! 🌻 the vr experience at the end of the tour was absolutely amazing.  my first vr, and what an introduction!

bluebells and art are the flavour of the week here at bluebell farm. the birds are in full chorus.

springtime song and welcome us every morning with their very best the bluebells are in full bloom, and their delicate scent greets us as the wander up the drive. the hornbeam and red robin 🍃 are flourishing on what was our stable yard, and the bluebells sit on the site of the cattle sheds. our amazing ground workers worked wonders during the final stage of our build in 2018 to put in place the basics for our garden. 🌱 the concrete was dug up and broken into small pieces for the base of the driveway (no waste was removed to landfill from our site - we repurposed it all) and top soil was moved from our field, and fencing erected. we bought the hornbeam and red robin from our local chew valley trees and had them planted with the mini digger - so much easier for us in the long run and it’s given us the chance to have a relatively mature garden just three years in! it’s good to be able to sit back with a glass of wine and watch the sunset on the terrace and think about how far we’ve come.

we’re great dog lovers and we were keen to manage muddy paws 🐾 and these are kept at bay with the terraces and gravel- our old farmhouse front door came straight off the field. we have two outside taps for paws and plants, although lola prefers a quick shower after her morning run. annie’s keen to put a dog shower into her new house (which is still at the concept stage) and it shows that’s there’s always room for improvement!

🐕 the forecast for this weekend is warmth and sunshine and we’re looking forward to sampling some art at the wedmore arts festival. lola has her dear friend monty coming and she can’t wait to wander down into wedmore to enjoy a coffee at the swan 🦢and art in the lerburne 🖼 🌿☀️

wedmore really is a village with a very big heart!.

apple blossom and country walks have been the flavour of the week here at bluebellfarm 🌸 located in the heart of west stoughton, a mile from wedmore, bluebell farm is a typical example of the small holdings that have traditionally been dotted around the county of somerset.  country walks abound and we love taking lola our cockapoo down the medieval cart way which is just a stones throw  from our hamlet. magnolia cottage and rose cottage overlook our old apple trees with a vista through to our dog walking field with crook peak  and the mendip hills on the horizon.  

our apple blossom makes me think of times gone by when this whole area was dotted with orchards and cider barns. when we first moved to the area in 1996 we lived in cider house farm in blackford, just down the road. the old (gigantic!) cider press was still in situ in what became the playroom. annie is our bristol born baby (of which she is very proud!) while will (scotland) and sophie (yorkshire) tell a tale of our early travels.  we still know joyce who used to live here at bluebell farm and she is a fascinating font of local knowledge. she had a very successful business called ‘knee cracker cider’ when she lived in stoughton and she made her cider exactly where i’m sitting now. when we moved in in 2007 the pipes were all around our barns.  the old map of the area shows some interesting features  (including  medieval ridge and furrow fields and our own extensive orchard). we have plans to plant more trees this year and are researching the most appropriate old apple varieties to choose. we planted a ‘william’s pear’ tree when we moved into the barn in 2018, and it too is resplendent in white blossom. i think it’s going to be a bumper crop! 🍃🍎🍃