With Christmas on the very near horizon, at home we have our fire lit and I now seem to spend a huge amount of time drying off the dogs after a walk and mopping. I have to say I do love the seasons. It has been a wet autumn but it’s also been a beautiful one. Woodland walks are always a favourite of mine at this time of year.
The first guests to The Old Railway Cottage arrived in September and we had a busy start to the business. It was so lovely to really get into the swing of running our little family business. Everything went well and we’ve already met some lovely people. We still have things to think about for the cottage, there will always be maintence and improvements to make.
One of my big plans for 2020 is the garden! There isn’t a huge amount wrong with the garden other than the fact it’s very plain. During the summer our lavender plant outside the front door was visited by several different types of bumble bees, and there were butterflies and birds in the meadow behind the cottages. With the climate crisis on everyone’s mind, I ‘ve decided to put in some wild flower meadow boarders. The grass and flower mix provide habitat to moths, butterflies, honey and bumble bees and an array of beetles and other insects. My hope is as well as creating a habitat, it will also look lovely and provide a beautiful outside space for our guests to enjoy. I have also brought some extra cornflower and poppy seeds for my meadow boarders as they are my favourite.
We have an established goat willow in the garden and I plan to add Hazel trees as part of the Woodland Trust one million tree pledge. So big plans for the new year.
I feel every business, big or small needs to be climate conscious and we will be making steps to reduce waste, reduce use of plastic and promote wildlife as much as possible.
So with that I’m going to enjoy the winter and look ahead to possibly the best season on Dartmoor- Spring Time!
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