Since our last newsletter, Harvest has been and gone and the sheds are once again full of grain. The yields were not as good as the previous year, but as is often the case, the price is better  a knock on effect of a weak sterling I imagine. Since then there has been the usual deliberation about what to sow, what might prove to be most profitable and whether there is some niche market we can tap into. As always though the weather tends to decide for us, and encourages us to stick with what we know works best, so no seismic changes on that front.
Whilst all this is going happening, spurred on by the success of our new shower rooms in the Byre and the Old Dairy, we are now replacing the old shower room in the Turnip House, repainting the interior and exterior of Hinds cottage and thinking about replacing the kitchen in the Old Dairy. As you can imagine, we're working against the clock to be ready for spring.
We try to operate as sustainably as possible with everything we do on the farm, so much so that the bulk of the bricks used in all our restorations and refurbishments have been individually removed, cleaned and stored, sourced from previous buildings on the farm in order that they can be re-used. Likewise many of the timbers are salvaged, as the quality and 'look' of old wood is difficult to replicate. All the roof tiles are originals as are many of the pieces of sandstone used on the roofs and garden walls.
To further boost the eco-credentials of Garden Cottage and the Turnip House we have now begun to lay the piping for a ground-source heat pump in the paddock at the bottom of the garden, which will harness natural heat from underground and reduce the carbon footprint for the two cottages. Our guesstimate for the completion of the work for Garden Cottage is this Summer, Turnip by Easter, but things are moving ahead quickly, with re- building taking shape, the external walls almost finished and the roof due next.
Away from the farm things seem to have been very busy in the area, with a big focus on Hull City of Culture 2017 across the county. We travelled down for the light installations that showed for the first week, and they were very impressive, and have now made a pledge that we will try to get down to Hull at least once a month, as there is such a variety of things to see. Bridlington Spa is also a venue for many concerts and shows as part of the City of Culture Year and we have already attended a brilliant Sunday concert there, which had a full house. An old industrial unit is currently showing a 'pop up' art exhibition in Bridlington - it's a quirky venue, but it works well. We're confident it's going to be a very exciting year.