Hamsey House Swap

17 Days to go.

Johnny Denis — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 19:55:28 +0000

One year house swap is coming to an end. Jane and Nick and family are coming back to Hamsey , and we are returning to Lewes, on the 26th February.

We have definitely got the bug and are actively looking for home and land (2-4 acres) near Lewes, East Sussex.

Massive Monster Cock!

Johnny Denis — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 17:26:27 +0000

5 Kilos! Want Some! He’s in my freezer and needs a new home.

Duckgone – Again

Johnny Denis — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 17:22:17 +0000

No more worrying about finding homes for our lovely white (Jemima Puddle-) ducks. Foxes ate well. Too well.

They will remember the year of the townies. It’ll be written up in Hamsey Fox Legend. The fine feasts! the open all night buffets, never-ending fast and slow food. Well we’ll miss you ducks and we’ll remember you foxes. Grrr.

New Cock on the Block

Johnny Denis — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 19:20:08 +0000

Cheap has started Cockerdoodledoohing.

Pigs Gone

Johnny Denis — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 19:14:31 +0000

Our second batch of pigs have been killed, butchered and been sold.
Our second batch of pigs, mostly Saddleback from Owena wet off to Tottingworth last Monday. Again Frank Richards butchers of Western Road, Lewes cut them up for us. Orders were not so forthcoming as last time though the sausages sold out pretty quickly and we did get two order for half a pig which meant we had fewer trips to customers. We have already had some of the sausages – lovely. Meeting customers who have already had some and are coming back for more is a blast. And for those who are trying our meat for the first time I am so full of anticipation that they love it!

New Year Snows

Johnny Denis — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 17:12:07 +0000

We saw more snow this side of Christmas. Schools returning for 1 day before shutting for a week and then returning part-time. Most unusual, watching pigs tip-toe around in their high heels – They do so prefer mud! They stay in bed much longer too.

The ducks almost invisible on the snow are bemused. Nothing to swim in. Ice broken for them too drink. Took to filling up watering cans indoors to give them something to splash about in.

Chickens, hovering on one leg at a time to minimise frozen ground contact.

Yule!

Johnny Denis — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 20:30:19 +0000

Zoe led the way with all the festive cooking and planning.

She cooked our lovely turkey – the best ever, one of our hams fabulous, our parsnips and leeks picked that morning – the rest from Ashurst Organics – for whom we are truly grateful for fulfilling our order at late notice.
Loads of other bits provided by family members. What a spread.

I was really proud of Zoe, and me and what we had achieved in this super learning curve shaped year.

Merry Christmas from Hamsey Holdings

Festive Queue

Johnny Denis — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 20:17:11 +0000

Chrismas Eve – went to F Richards to collect our birds. The queue went along the street. I arrived at 10 and while I was waiting the queue reached the public toilets in Western Road. And the nicest queue I have been in for years. What bonhomie, what camaraderie. I had a great time and then it was my turn. My birds were colelcted. The duck for Tina weighed in at 3Kg and the Turkey at 3.6 Kg. They had dressed them beautifully and they looked perfect. Thanks Boys! i gave them my token of goodwill – another 4 pack from Harveys. They seemed happy and I left them to their mammoth queue.

I dropped of the duck with Alan and headed home with my old bird.

AGA

Johnny Denis — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 20:09:16 +0000

Unable to rouse Team Energy, we contact Paynes to get the Aga serviced as the heat has been falling and sometimes struggles to reach 200C.

So the bloke from Paynes turnes up on Wednesday before Christmas to see if he can breath a little more life into the 30+ year old Aga. He fiddles around and leaves telling Zoe that he may have to come back on Christmas eve as he’s not sure he’s fixed it.

Damn right!. Its knackered by the time he’s gone and in the morning as good as out. He comes back at 2pm fiddles some more – mutters aboiut electrics and thermostats and leaves having reduced it to off. This is Christmas eve. We have our turkey to cook and family coming on Christmas day for Lunch.

In desperation we call Team Energy. A few calls back and forward. Then an engineer arrives at 5pm on Christmas Eve. Would you Adam and Eve it. This brilliant man who had already got home and packed up for the holiday had put on ihis overalls and headed out to save us. He fiddled – and he fixed!!. Hooray. We were wondering which of us would have to have sex with him , but settled on giving him Derek’s Christmas present a multipack from Harveys. God we were grateful. Well done lovely Engineer whose name we don’t know.

Merry Christmas to you and Team Energy – if you have and Aga or Oil Central heating we recommend them.

Paynes, Meanwhile, If you use them, we suggest you change. No clue. Left our aga in worse shape than when they arrived.

Our Lovely Butcher

Johnny Denis — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 20:41:41 +0000

Our butcher is called Peter of Frank Richards, Western Road, Lewes. we asked himand his fine fellows to butcher our pigs, on recommendation, and so it seemed right to ask them for help when I became incapable of completing the processing of our Christmas poultry/fowl.

He generously offered to hang our turkey and duck until Christmas eve. I will collect and deliver duck to Tina and take Mrs gobble to Dinah’s for cooking on her aga (ours is unlikely to warm her through) though the Aga man is nobly coming on wednesday to fix it.