Wheatacre Hall Barns Blog

LOCAL FOOD DIRECT

2010-02-06T08:25:00.004Z

We are very please to offer a new service to Wheatacre. A delivery service of locally produced food which can be delivered to your barn for your stay. Submit an order from the website www.welovelocalfood.co.uk tell them your arrival date and the food will be awaiting your arrival. Working on the same delivery principals as the supermarkets this service offers only locally produced food from Norfolk & Suffolk. Tasty food without the food miles what could be better or fresher!
As farmers and producers of food we are very excited about this new service, and love the idea that our guests can share in quality food from the local area.

CHRISTMAS 2009

2009-12-17T11:05:00.002Z

Wishing all past, present and future guests of Wheatacre Hall Barns a very Merry Christmas and a very Prosperous, Healthy and Happy New Year for 2010.

2009-08-11T09:58:00.002Z

Summer 2009

At last I think hopefully we have seen the last of the heavy rain which we experienced during mid July. The weather in August so far has been very good with only an occasional shower. So BBQ's are lit and my office is often filled with great BBQ smells during the summer evenings.

Harvest is at last well under way Barley and Wheat crops are now being harvested and the straw baled for the livestock on the farm. We also buy in quite a lot of straw from other farms to help over the winter months. Today we hope to cut the grass silage for the last time this year this is winter forage for the cows and is kept in a clamp to mix with maize and a few other crops for the cows.

Some of the cows have been exhibited at the Suffolk, East of England and Royal Norfolk Agricultural Shows in the past few weeks and we have the last show of the season coming up in September the National Dairy Event at Stoneleigh, Warwickshire. The show team have again does us proud at the events this is also due to a lot of hard work from our herdsman, Robert. All cows have to be trained to walk on the halter not an easy task, although some do take to it more easily than others. One of our more successful cows always has an aversion to walking around a show ring on one of the four sides, and has been known to take out the whole floral display at the Dairy Event a slightly embarrassing situation for my husband! All of the family are involved on show days a very exhausting experience!

The ducks which I wrote about in my previous blog are all now fully grown and are all seen regularly walking through the yard and quacking whilst swimming on the ponds! Two new born Egyptian geese were a surprise about three weeks ago as I thought they had finished breeding this year!

The school holidays are now fully upon us and the barns are very busy with children and their families. I look forward to my younger guests coming to the office and telling me of their adventures of the day. Popular place to visit remain Africa Alive and the wonderful Bewilderwood, Framlingham Castle, Pettitts and of course trips to the seaside. The crabbing equipment has been at full use with trips regularly to Walberswick - I wonder just how many crabs the lines have caught in total! Day cruisers, canoes and dingies can be hired from the nearby Waveney River Centre if you prefer a day messing about on the river.

Plans are now well underway for the new Pet's Corner and I hope soon to report the delivery of some Pygmy Goats, Piglets, Chickens and perhaps Guinea Pigs.................Please watch this space!

2009-05-12T14:26:00.003Z

May 2009

I am writing this blog mid May endeavouring to remember to update my blog more frequently!

We have had a prolonged period of dry weather really since Easter at Wheatacre, great for my guests not so great for the farm. I am at present having to wear two hats one in my office enjoying the good weather with guests discussing great places to visit and the enjoyment of the coast for fine sunny days and the other hat indoors sympathising with my husband on how badly we need the rain for the crops, in fact desperate for the sugar beet which has been laying

dormant now for a few weeks since drilling. It was never said a farmers wife has an easy life!

The fine weather though has certainly help the huge numbers of baby ducks born this spring. All ponds on the farm have great numbers of ducklings enjoying their swim with mum. For our recent visitors all of the mummy ducks sitting near my office hatched off safely - the duck under the car shelter behind Snipe & Woodcock had 5 ducklings and the one in the old tank near the new plants had 11 ducklings. All soon after hatching waddled off to the ponds. For guests who have stayed in Mallard Barn and others that have seen the Egyptian geese at the farm the goslings which are daily visitors to Mallard are now nearly as big as Mum & Dad!

Hopefully you might just maybe able to see the newly hatched ducklings in this picture!

At the barns we are now heading towards the second bank holiday of the month a very busy one! On the farm the maize has now been drilled, last week the first cut of grass silage (winter forage for the cows) was cut and put into clamps and there is the continuation of crop spraying for weeds and ultimately the lead up to harvest. At the end of the month our first county agricultural show takes place - the Suffolk Show so the cows and calves are now being prepared this entails training to walk on a halter, clipped and washed and beautified all ready for the judges. The show team has been selected and grooming starts a cow beauty pageant! On a serious note the cows are judged for their ability to be as near as perfect for their breed type, but as always this is in the eye of the judge on the day!

Well I must do some other work and remember to blog again soon!

TV UPGRADE

2009-03-24T09:53:00.001Z

We are pleased to inform all guests that all TV's have been upgraded to 32" LCD Freeview sets from mid March.

2009 AT WHEATACRE

2009-01-30T11:17:00.002Z

Firstly how quickly time flies - is it really so long since I posted my last blog. My obvious New Year resolution should be to 'blog' more often.

On writing this on nearly the last day of the first month of 2009 it only seems like yesterday we were celebrating Christmas and New Year at Wheatacre. Although Christmas was without a seasonal flurry of white stuff, snow did appear earlier in 2008 in November. I believe the forecast for the next few days could bring some more snow. Hopefully this year as Easter is a bit later we will not be building Easter bunnies in the snow as last year!

2008 has been a successful year for bookings at Wheatacre with many guests returning and again in 2009 - many thanks to all of our guests in 2008 and we hope you had an enjoyable stay in our barns. We have plans for two further barns in 2009 at Wheatacre - two smaller barns, luxurious bolt holes for couples! Lets hope the current gloom and doom that the country seems to be draped in lifts and 2009 will be better economically than expected.

Farming life is always busy especially where livestock are concerned. Our dairy herd goes from strength to strength and our cow numbers in the herd are increasing. There are always new calves for our guests to enjoy, and perhaps the opportunity when visiting the dairy to spot a new calf being born. Work on the land is in full swing when the weather allows, ploughing, and soon Spring drilling of new crops. At present we are coming close to the end of the Sugar Beet harvesting, all of our Sugar Beet goes to the local factory at Cantley to be processed into sugar, this is home produced sugar not cane sugar as many supermarkets only seem to stock now. In the next few weeks our chickens will make way for the new flock which will soon be in full production. Many guests soon get hooked on the beautiful fresh flavour of fresh eggs, and return home with supplies. The two saddleback pigs which live at our other farm in the village recently produced two litters so our pig numbers are growing. I am hoping in the Spring to have the opportunity to bring some more animals up to the barns for children to meet! Watch this space!

Speaking of Spring it is on its way although perhaps you would wonder looking out of my office window today. I will hopefully keep my resolution to 'blog' more often in 2009. See you soon with a new update.

Spring At Wheatacre

2008-04-18T19:10:00.002Z

As the months quickly roll by Spring is in the air at Wheatacre. Many of the ducks are now laying and sitting tight on their eggs so soon many duckings are expected to be seen on the pond. The weather on the other hand has not quite been as expected. At present we are having our share of April showers but luckily between the showers the sun has been shining. A very busy Easter period has now passed with many children now returning to school. Easter brought us snow. Plenty of snowmen suddenly sprung up on Easter morning around the yard. It was Easter not Christmas wasn't it??

The Games room which opened in October has become a firm favourite along with the Hot Tub which was used throughout the Winter months - a quick dash back to the warm interiors of the barns after a long lingering relax has been a popular activity.

A new service has just been launched at Wheatacre. A local caterer and friend has produced a menu to suit all tastes, meals produced locally from fresh local ingredients can await guests on their arrival or be ordered during their stay. No more worries for your first meal just relax and open a bottle of wine and your meal awaits. Country Cuisine menus are sent to guests before their arrival and meals can be ordered in advance.

On the farm many new calves continue to arrive and are soon moved up to the barns site where they enjoy their visits from guests. Milking still proves a popular afternoon activity, many children getting their first encounter up close with the cows!

On the land work has been very slow due to the excess rain we have had in the area over the past few weeks, once weather permits sugar beet drilling will be in full swing, fertilizing and spraying jobs are all mounting. Although everything always seems to get done in the end!

Bookings are very pleasing over the coming months and I look forward to meeting many new faces from all over the country in the weeks ahead. Lets hope for a sunny, warm and long lasting Summer!!

Games Room Opens

2007-10-27T09:36:00.001Z

At last I am pleased to report the Games Room at Wheatacre Hall barns is open. The half-term break at the barns has been very busy with the new games room proving to be a big hit with our younger and older guests!!

We have a pool table, table tennis and football table and to view a large projector screen. Many family tournaments have been played over the last week with mostly the younger guests getting the upper hand over their parents!! With only a few outside jobs to complete on our latest project it will be time to reflect before a new idea takes shape. Perhaps a pool...............or their are two more barns I wish to convert.........in time.

On the farm the weather has been very kind for a change and drilling is nearly complete most of the winter corns are now in the ground and sugar beet is starting to be lifted. As we are now calving our cows all the year round there is usally a calving during the week for our vistors to see, the new born calves are a joy for the younger guests.

As well reported in the press Blue Tongue has come to our area, all our cattle have been blood tested by DEFRA who are now just plotting the cases and no direct action is taken. With an insect bore disease and low laying marshes with wetlands I believe it is a disease that will be here to stay in the UK and we will learn to live with it in the future.

Christmas is rapidly coming and it is now time to plan for the festive period for our first Christmas at Wheatacre Barns bookings are very good and I look forward to meeting some new friends over this period.

Summer At Last

2007-08-04T15:50:00.000Z

As I am writing this on a Saturday the sun is at last shining, the weather for the last few days has become settled and hopefully we have seen the last of the heavy showers for a few days.

My guests at the barns are making the most of the improved weather and heading for the coast to enjoy the great beaches. Africa Alive and Fritton Lake are also proving very popular, and for the under 5's Pettitts is a must.

On the farm harvest has begun, the Oilseed Rape and Winter Barley has been harvested and now the Wheat is in full swing. The straw is being baled for forage and bedding for the winter months, we have to bring straw in from other farms also to enable us to have sufficient stocks for the winter. The grass silage was at last cut and placed in the large Ag-bags, another crop for the winter months for the cows.

Work on the games room has at last begun, a delay in obtaining the builders services was caused due to the wet weather. The walls have now been sand blasted and a new floor laid, hopefully work on the roof should commence next week. At present I am busy hunting down pool, football and table tennis tables for everyone's enjoyment. I am also looking at a large projector screen for films, music and sport.

August is proving to be a busy month at the barns almost fully booked for the whole month, for a new project very encouraging - the hot tub is proving to be a great hit and the grass area very good for outside games and a very large connect 4 and other garden size games great for the hot weather.

Hopefully next time I can report on the opening of the games room.................very soon.

Photo's

2007-06-29T20:26:00.001Z

Hot Tub

Exterior Mallard

Photo's

2007-06-29T20:24:00.000Z

Exterior Woodcock and Snipe

Photo's of Woodcock and Snipe

2007-06-29T20:07:00.001Z

Interior Woodcock/Snipe

Twin room in Woodcock/Snipe

Double king-size bedroom Woodcock/Snipe

Snipe & Woodcock Open

2007-06-23T15:40:00.000Z

At last the site at Wheatacre is builder free!! The last few weeks have been very hectic and therefore no blog additions, Snipe and Woodcock(pictures very soon) are now completed and up and running, our first guests in these two properties seemed very impressed. Although smaller than the other holiday barns, Snipe and Woodcock do not lack any character, a careful restoration from the old granary ensured our 'smiley' barn stayed very much the same from the exterior.
The opening of Snipe and Woodcock coincided with the start of the show season for our cows, the first show being the Suffolk Show. A very busy week of travelling up and down the A12 enabled the barn to be fully kitted out and I was able to help with the show preparation of the cows. Not much sleep but a surprisingly successful show, the 'girls' excelled their selves beyond or hopes as this year as most of the herd is calving later and therefore not able to go to the shows - a reserve team headed to Ipswich and gained Champion British Friesian, Reserve Champion Holstein and Reserve Interbreed Champion. Last week we headed off to the East of England Show at Peterborough, a lull in bookings meant I could stay at the show all weekend phew! saving the travelling. Dairy numbers are significantly down at this show but the organisers are trying to encourage the dairy industry back - we had a few successes and a few surprises with our calves a good sign for the future! Next week we head off to our local show the Royal Norfolk at Norwich. The Royal Norfolk seems to hold numbers in competitors quite steady and competition is always hot! Although the beef breeds have risen sharply over the years - this is a certain sign of the times with decreasing numbers of dairy herds in the county. Hopefully the 'girls' will strut their stuff! All of the family are now home from University so its all hands on deck for the show.
On the farm rain has delayed the spraying programme but our vining Peas for Birds Eye were harvested between heavy showers. Before we know it harvest will be upon us, lets hope for a sunny few weeks for us to get in the harvest and my new visitors to enjoy our Farm in the sunshine.

FIVE STARS

2007-04-20T17:06:00.000Z

Following are visit on Thursday, 19th April from the Quality in Tourism officer we are pleased to announce that Wheatacre Hall Barns has obtained a 5 Star grading.

We believe there is only a few 5 Star self-catering accommodation in the area, and are very proud of our achievement.

EASTER OPENING

2007-04-09T11:08:00.000Z

Snaps of TEAL BARN

Just some home snaps of new holiday lets, professional pictures for the web site will follow soon.

2007-04-09T11:02:00.000Z

COOT BARN

2007-04-09T10:54:00.000Z

WIDGEON BARN

EASTER OPENING

2007-04-09T10:41:00.000Z

Some snaps of MALLARD BARN

Easter at Wheatacre

2007-04-07T17:01:00.000Z

At last the building work and finished and our first guests have moved in. After many hectic weeks and therefore no time for blog entries Mallard, Coot, Widgeon and Teal have been completed. Long days and nights in the past few weeks have produced four luxury barns for holiday lets. The new arriving guests were all very complimentary which has made all the hard work fade into the distance.

Work now begins in earnest on barns 5 & 6, Woodcock and Snipe for completion in late May.

Photographs will soon be available, for everyone to see.

Meanwhile work continues on the farm, the past few days of wonderful weather has at last bought the drill out of the shed and sugar beet drilling has commenced. There is always spraying to catch up on and my husband is taking advantage of the fine weather clearing the backlog of spraying. A very busy Easter weekend is in store.

The cows are milking well and I am sure looking forward to getting out to pasture, although the nights are still very cool. Milking has proved to be a big attraction for our guests who are looking forward to seeing and showing the children where milk comes from.

Monday, 26th February 2007

2007-02-26T22:21:00.000Z

Work continues on barn conversions. Mallard and Coot are now nearing completion, decorating, kitchen fitting , bathroom fitting all in full swing. Teal and Widgeon following close behind. Woodcock and Snipe have at present be delayed for a few days due to the constant rainfall we seem to have at present, ground works are being hampered but perhaps we can hope for blue skies soon.

The rain also continues to upset the land work on the farm. Our vining peas for Birds Eye are due to be drilled on the 1st March, lets hope for a fine day. Ploughing has had to come to an abrupt stop at present.

Our cows are milking well, if only a decent price could be obtained from our excellent quality milk produced. The supermarkets at present are not helping the dairy farmer with average prices of 16p - 18p per litre being paid to the farmer. I am sure that the consumer is aware to buy milk is considerably more expensive. This fact is having a dramatic effect on the counties dairy farmers, milking cow herds being sold almost on a daily basis. The farmers request is only a fair price for a quality product.

As Spring approaches are animals are looking forward to the warmer days, to be able to be out on the picturesque pastures enjoying the lush new grass - as the rain falls that at present seems a long time away!!

2007-02-16T18:55:00.000Z

Finally Woodcock and Snipe which will be completed during Spring.

2007-02-16T18:50:00.000Z

Further pictures

this to this, ready for Easter bookings

2007-02-16T18:30:00.000Z

The conversions continue and good progress has been made in the last fortnight. Internal workings in Mallard, Coot, Widgeon and Teal are now developing rapidly Plumbing, heating, electrics are all now nearly installed. Plastering continues as walls permit, decorating not far behind. I include pictures to show the development.

from this to this

Welcome

2007-02-15T22:30:00.000Z

Welcome everyone to my new website and new blog.

It is hoped to record over the next few weeks the concluding part to the new build to convert two barns into six self-catering holiday units. Also to give an incite into the working of our farm.

The conversions started in late September, and units 1-4 named Mallard, Coot, Widgeon and Teal will be completed ready for Easter 2007. The remaining two units Woodcock and Snipe will follow late May early June.

On the farm the weather is beginning to take its toll, the wet has prevented most land work to cease. Once a dry spell is here land preparations for spring drilled crops will begin. Livestock on the farm continue to demand attention. All of the dairy herd is housed during the winter months inside, so not to spoil fresh spring pasture. Calves are still being born at regular intervals.