By tom.heaney
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May 11, 2020
Somehow we are now into our 8th week of lockdown, I think? Eight weeks of "homeschooling", eight weeks of working from home, eight weeks of exploring our local area and eight weeks without any guests. The bookings calendar for April and May was the busiest since our "launch", and the months were set to whizz by with us manically spinning all the plates for work and home; cleaning, washing and prepping for all our guests around Tom's teaching, childcare, school runs, book-keeping, marketing (the list goes on...) Unfortunately that hasn't been the case, but we continue to count our blessings and remain pragmatic about our situation. For a start, Emily has been able to experience the phenomenon known as "relaxing on the sofa" and, more significantly, we have been granted precious time to make some plans for the future, as follows: 1 - Our play barn is set to be completely refurbished. Our aim is to make it a warmer, cleaner and smarter space. Some structural work, updating electrics, fresh paint and upgrading a lot of the toys will hopefully bring the best out of this invaluable facility for poor weather and relaxing evenings. 2 - Hens - The exciting arrival of a flock of feathered friends. Once fencing is secured and the space cleared, a number of lovely ladies (a mix of ex-battery rescue birds and a few other breeds for interest) will be housed in a sheltered spot behind the play barn. Here they can scratch, dust bathe and peck their way around a large - and currently underutilised - area of coppice. To enable guests to make the most of their clucking good company, we will be providing pathways around their enclosure and a secluded natural seating area for kids or adults to escape and enjoy the amazing views down to Thor's cave. Guests will also benefit from the freshest and the free-est of free-range eggs in their welcome hampers. We are also sure that, as a poultry enthusiast since she could walk, our eldest daughter will be more than happy to give passionate demonstrations of the inner workings of the hen house! She's asked for a cockerel too, but I'm not sure guests will be too grateful for the 4am wake up calls; watch this space though as she can be very persuasive... 3 - Play area - As the henhouse will be taking over the barked outdoor play space, we will be building a new play area for with climbing frame for older kids or those missing the gym, stepping stones and an outdoor eating area in a different part of the guest gardens. 4 - Garden furniture - Some of our current plastic furniture didn't make it through the worst of the storms earlier this year (lesson learned as to just how much weighing down is required up here!). In their wake, we are going to add some reclaimed wooden furniture for Manifold and Thor's and couples seating area outside Dovedale. Perfect for watching the sun go down (or up if we lose the cockerel argument...) We will update you with our progress on our Instagram and Facebook pages so please keep an eye out and let us know your thoughts! Hopefully when this all goes away and we get back to our 'new' normal we'll have an even better Hall Farm to share with our guests. Until then we remain alert, but closed. Stay safe and stay home!