SOLD

FOR SALE: BOWTOP GYPSY CARAVAN

1930s and of Irish origin. Restored and painted in 2005/6 by Nick Dow of Ingham and Fallon

A particularly pretty wagon. I bought it intending to use it to rent out with the self-catering cottage, but it's too special for that, with many unique features like the lovely stained glass windows above the bedspot.

It is in very good order for its age, and is totally weather-proof. The canvas roof is in good condition. The stove is in good working order and draws very well. The top lid can be raised for cooking.

There is a bird-print three-part mattress on the bed (which is unusually large and can be used as a single bed or pulled out to make a double)

We feel privileged to have had the use of the wagon for a couple of years, but we can't justify keeping it for a bit of camping in the summer. The wagon was stored in a dry shed all last winter (October 06 to July 07!) and, if the wagon isn't sold within the next few weeks, it will be stored again this winter and put up for sale next spring at an increased price. The price for buying now is £6,000 plus VAT. Please telephone (01598) 752310 or e-mail eveleigh@westilkerton.co.uk for further information or to arrange a viewing.

Haymaking in Square Piece
As promised, here are some photos of haymaking this August. Many thanks to Victor, Michele, Natasha and Genevieve Mallet, who thought they were coming on holiday! Victor e-mailed from his usual (paid!) job as Asian editor for the Financial Times to say that he's now muscle-bound and super-fit, which made me think perhaps we're missing a marketing trick here. Could West Ilkerton be the perfect open-air fitness gym? Worth a thought. Haymaking tea in Marleycombe

Anyway, thanks to all the Mallet family, Sam Smyth, James Holtom, Richard Leworthy and Jack Chapman-Walker for their help. Sarah was also a great help throughout.

The final load in Church Close

Sarah has just passed her driving test with full marks. Perhaps it pays to be incredibly nervous beforehand!

I'm in the process of re-designing our website to include direct sales of beef and lamb to anywhere in the UK. Lamb is going to be sold in half lamb or whole lamb packs (cut and packaged to order) at £4.80 / kg plus p&p. Lamb orders can be taken now. There will be a delay of about two weeks between an order and delivery because lambs will be sent to the local abbatoir in Combe Martin and the meat will be hung in the traditional manner for about a week before being packed and dispatched by courier. Beef will be available from December onwards. Please contact me for further details:

Tortie Eveleigh, West Ilkerton farm, Lynton EX35 6QA. Tel (01598) 752310 e-mail eveleigh@westilkerton.co.uk

The Exmoor Horn Sheep Colouring Book which Chris and I worked on last winter was published this summer, with the help of DEFRA and ENPA funding for the Exmoor Horn Sheep Breeders' Society.
The book follows the farming year of a fictitious Exmoor farmer called Mr Ridd of Worthy Farm, with a picture for each month and accompanying text on the opposite page. It's designed to be 'educational and fun'. Well, we had fun doing it, and several people (including farmers) have said they've been educated! Relations of all ages who stayed here during the summer spent hours colouring in the pictures, which probably only proves what terrible weather we had. Here is a sample of the book, from the month of October:

The colouring books can be bought from us for £3 each with free UK P&P (cheques or cash): West Ilkerton Farm, Lynton, North Devon EX35 6QA Tel: (01598) 752310 eveleigh@westilkerton.co.uk

Other news on the literary front is that we're going to be busy this year at the Porlock Arts Festival. We're speaking at a local authors' afternoon in Porlock Village Hall on Friday 21st September, and then on Sunday 23rd September we are hosting an afternoon for children at West Ilkerton. Full details of the Arts Festival can be seen on the website http://www.porlockfestival.org/ I've just realised that's not very far away now, so I'd better get to work composing the talk!

West Ilkerton Farmhouse in sunshine!

It's official; the Met. Office has just announced that summer of '07 was the wettest since records began. We could have told them that using our sophisticated puddleometer called Beetle. Many thanks to all our guests for their unfailing good spirits! At least Exmoor was drier than the Midlands and we weren't flooded.

We've just managed to get the hay harvested. The last bales were carted on 31st August, so Chris is very smug because he won the bet that we'd get the harvest in by September. There'll be some photos of haymaking in the next news blog.

Sarah has been a great help on the farm this summer. She's re-built the back yard, done lots of walling and fencing and spent hours driving the tractor. (Yes, she's open to offers of marriage from farmers. However, they must be rich, good-looking and horse-friendly, which narrows down the field a bit!)

Mike, the bull, appeared to have a problem which could have been cured by a much-advertised blue pill. However, we were too embarrassed to order 'enough for a bull' from one of those annoying e-mailers who promise fireworks in the bedroom and similar terrifying experiences, so we took the easier (but more expensive) option of buying a new bull. He's a two-year-old called Lee Manor Winston, and he's got very good bloodlines. The cows seem to approve, which is the main thing.

Luckily, Winston arrived at West Ilkerton the day before foot and mouth disease was discovered in Surrey and all livestock movements were banned, but that's meant we've had two bulls on the farm for most of the summer because we haven't been able to move Mike.

On the subject of breeding, the Exmoor pony foals had a DNA test two weeks ago to see whether Ziggy or Swift fathered them. Here is a photo of the ponies running past the farmhouse to freedom afterwards.
I've decided to sell the gypsy caravan, if anyone is interested. It has been lovely to own it and enjoy it, but I can't afford to keep it. Originally, I bought it to let as an optional extra with the holiday cottage, but it's too nice to be used as a play-house by children. It was made in the 1930s and it's in very good condition inside and out, with lovely stained-glass windows. There will be a full advertisement for the vardo, with lots of photos, on our website http://www.westilkerton.co.uk/. Please e-mail eveleigh@westilkerton.co.uk for further details or ring 01598 752310.