Enjoying these fresh, crisp, frosty mornings – Some plants look gorgeous in the frost!
Frosty grass and ewes
The rams are still with the ewes, so with a gestation period of 21 weeks lambing will take place between the 25th March and throughout the 2018 #Easter holidays – Always such a lovely time of year when the lambs are here!
Jacob ram with ewes
Huxtable Farm Jacob wool products – Christmas and 7th (wool) Anniversary gifts
Please remember, if you’re looking for a unique Christmas or 7th (wool) Anniversary gift or just want to wrap up warm this winter please do have a look at Huxtable Farm B&B’s Jacob Wool products for sale; 100% wool throws, knee rugs, cushions, scarves, knitting kits, hand knitted hats and cowls. We also have 100gm balls of Jacob sheep wool in three different colours, cream, grey & dark brown.
Happy Halloween, enjoy the festive fun of dressing up and having a laugh 🙂
Jacob ram with ewes
The rams have now joined the ewes, so with a gestation period of 21 weeks we should have the first lambs around the 25th March and be #lambing during the 2018 #Easter holidays
Ram with ewes
Huxtable Farm Jacob wool products – Christmas and 7th (wool) Anniversary gifts
Please remember, if you’re looking for a unique Christmas or 7th (wool) Anniversary gift or just want to wrap up warm this winter please do have a look at Huxtable Farm B&B’s Jacob Wool products for sale; 100% wool throws, knee rugs, cushions, scarves, knitting kits, hand knitted hats and cowls. We also have 100gm balls of Jacob sheep wool in three different colours, cream, grey & dark brown.
So much happening in North Devon this October. . . .
Autumn conkers, North Devon
‘Things you can do for free at Huxtable Farm B&B, North Devon’ – Feed the hens and collect their eggs, identify bats at dusk, enjoy the beautiful colours of the leaves in the woodland whilst taking a braising walk around Huxtable Farm’s Devon Wildlife Farm Trail, pick apples, collect conkers, see how many different fungi you can find and more . . . .
Autumn leaves (Autumn walks in North Devon)
A variety of fungi in the woodland at B&B near Barnstaple
Pumpkin Face at RHS Rosemoor Gardens
To see what else is happening in North Devon this October please click on the following links;
RHS Rosemoor in October, 7th & 8th October Apple Festival, 13th -15th October Wood Festival, 21st & 22nd Antiques & Collectors Fair, 28th & 29th Pumpkin Weekend.
19th – 29th October Exmoor’s first Dark Skies Festival, celebrating Exmoor National Park’s status as Europe’s first International Dark Sky Reserve. The Festival will appeal to families and children as well as those more experienced in watching the stars.
September and here at Huxtable Farm B&B, we are busy harvesting natures delicious, natural food from the hedgerows and trees, blackberries, elderberries, sloes, hazelnuts and a wide variety of apples from small crab apples to pippins. – You are welcome to pick your own too and do some fungi spotting whilst staying at Huxtable Farm B&B!
The forbidden fruit – Apples, are well used in Devon to produce delicious apple juice and Devon Cider/Scrumpy! You can sample local apple juice at Huxtable Farms’ breakfast. Two of Devon’s Cider makers are situated within 10 miles of Huxtable Farm; Hancocks Cider, Clapworthy Mill, established over 50 yrs ago uses 35 tons of Devon apples to produce about 5,000 gallons of Cider a year. Ostlers Scrumpy Cider is based at Goodleigh near Barnstaple.
Autumn leaves at Huxtable Farm B&B North Devon
There is still so much to do in North Devon during September, from enjoying autumnal walks from Huxtable Farm, through woods amongst the glorious golden colours of the tree canopy, to tasting delicious west country food at food festivals, book and craft fairs, or enjoying all the fun & excitement of Barnstaple and South Molton Carnivals & Fun Fairs.
RHS Rosemoor Gardens – 17th September Autumn Food Fair. 23-24th September Autumn Plant Fair. 29th September – 1st October Real Ale, Wine & Cider Weekend.
We’ve seen quite a few different butterflies this year enjoying the insect loving plants at Huxtable Farm, all majestic but this is one of my favourites, the small Tortoiseshell butterfly.
Saw quite a few butterflies at this years RHS Rosemoor Flower Show. Here are some photographs of the show for you to enjoy, the date for next years Flower Show will be the 17th, 18th & 19th August 2018
Visit North Devon Gardens including RHS Rosemoor
RHS Rosemoor Flower Show 2017
Other events & things to do during August and September in North Devon ; –
September – I have entered this year’s Art Trek 2017 – North Devon Open Studios, so that you and others can view Huxtable Farm’s Jacob wool products. We will be open on the 16th, 17th, 19th, 26th & 30th September & 1st October 11am – 4pm.
Blackberries
With September approaching, foraging and harvesting fruit from the wild will begin; The elderberries are ripening and we’ve already pick a few blackberries – You are welcome to pick your own too and do some fungi spotting whilst staying at Huxtable Farm B&B!
I love seeing these fields of thatching straw drying out in the summer sunshine – An ancient craft still maintained.
With the North Devon Show taking place on the 2nd August– at Umberleigh EX37 9DX (Sadly CANCELLED due to wet conditions under foot) you’ll be able to see many other North Devon crafts, horticultural, farm animals, machinery, displays, exhibitors, food & drink local to the area. A great day out for everyone. You’ll probably need some wellies though!
Other things to do during August in North Devon ; –
September – I have entered this year’s Art Trek 2017 – North Devon Open Studios, so that you and others can view Huxtable Farm’s Jacob wool products. We will be open on the 16th, 17th, 19th, 26th & 30th September & 1st October 11am – 4pm.
We’ve done the 2017 Butterfly count , have you? Here’s some of the butterflies we spotted at Huxtable Farm B&B.
Butterfly Peacock
Butterfly Red Admiral
Butterfly Speckled Wood
Butterfly Meadow Brown
Butterfly Green Veined White
Butterfly Gatekeeper
It’s National Parks Week from 24th to 30th July and we’re so lucky to have Exmoor National Park just up the road from Huxtable Farm B&B. Exmoor National Park boasts the highest sea cliffs in England and some of the most stunning sea views, making this part of the South West Coast path dramatic and stunning!
Exmoor is home to an amazing variety of habitats & wildlife, including historic Exmoor ponies and Red deer. There’s vast open moorland to deep wooded valleys with rambling rivers & waterfalls e.g. at Watersmeet. There’s so much to explore on Exmoor.
Things to do during July & August in North Devon ; –
The abundance of fruit (gooseberries, rhubarb, red currants, black currants, loganberries & raspberries) has kept us busy picking fresh fruit for the breakfast table and making a variety of preserve jams also for the breakfast table to enjoy with warm butted toast or croissants.
Raspberry picking
Raspberry picking
Thank you to my little helps ! 🙂
Hampton Court Flower Show Roses
Having been to Hampton Court Flower Show 2017 and loving the roses purchased there,
Hampton Court Flower Show, Monty Don and Joe Swift
makes me so grateful that we have RHS Rosemoor so close to visit at anytime of year, so special at the moment as it’s RHS Rosemoor’s Rose Festival until 30th July, the roses and their scent are amazing as is the gorgeous ‘Hot garden’.
RHS Rosemoor Gardens, rose festival and hot garden
Mean while here at Huxtable Farm B&B the newly created ‘Wild Flower’ patch is looking lovely and is a great hit with insects and butterflies, as is the wildlife pond too!
Wild Flower patch at Huxtable Farm B&B, North Devon
Wildlife pond at Huxtable Farm B&B, West Buckland, Devon
Recently caught on camera, whilst on the Devon Wildlife Farm Trail at Huxtable Farm a ‘Funnel-web spider’ with it’s prey, a grass hopper.
The French Toulouse Goslings are now fully grown
Things to do this July;
RHS Rosemoor Rose Festival has 2000 roses on display now 17th June – 30th July – The largest rose gardens in the South West. Pick up your free Rose Trail Garden Map when you get there.
Looks like there’s going to be a bumper crop of blackberries this Autumn. However, there’s plenty of fruit to pick for the breakfast table at the moment to eat fresh or to make jam with – Fresh raspberries, ‘Gooseberry & Elderflower’ and Loganberry jams.
July fruit
Things to do this July;
RHS Rosemoor Rose Festival has 2000 roses on display now 17th June – 30th July – The largest rose gardens in the South West. Pick up your free Rose Trail Garden Map when you get there.
