Where we began, and why we're here
Let me start by introducing myself, because there's definitely only going to be one of us writing, collating and releasing these updates. I'm Jess, I enjoy anything that is a visual form of design or art, from graphic design to photography, web design to pretty things. I'm not a "girly girl" at all, I have absolutely no social life, and I'm happiest ankle-deep in mud tending to animals. I own and run businesses, alongside Dan who quit his "proper" job in 2021 to come help me grow them, and I'm probably best known for teaching pet photography on the internet.
Just before I hit the big three-O (30), we got the keys to my dream - our very own farm. Absolutely none of this is standard, normal or simple, but the best things never are. We couldn't afford to have Tuna, our 10-year-old PRE mare, at home back in Yorkshire, as the property prices are crazy on the hills. We couldn't afford a finished property either, or even one that mortgage lenders deemed "habitable", so we ended up here, at the dilapidated former beef-come-dairy farm. Or what's left of it, anyway!
The farm used to extend to 350+ acres as far as we know, but just 21 of that was left by the time we found her. She's been tenanted for generations by a family who clearly cared well for their livestock, but the buildings have certainly seen better days after water ingress, roof damage and mould had taken hold.
There is an overwhelming feeling of utter peace when you're on-site, especially coming back from working in London or abroad, and that's the feeling we fell in love with. Despite the decay, damage and general state of repair, the bones of this place cannot be missed - it is home.
Because the property as a whole was unmortgageable, and difficult to split into lots because of centralised utilities, we struck a deal with the seller and have exactly 2-years from the date of entry to secure finance and pay him out. If we don't secure finance in that window, we lose the whole lot, everything we've put into the project, and we'll end up bankrupt.
Our day-to-day priorities here fall into a very simple list, that I'll share below for the avoidance of doubt, and to clarify why posting here will be sporadic rather than on-schedule. In order of priority from top to bottom we have:
Animal welfare - they come first, always.
The businesses - I adore my work, and it must be my main focus 100% of the time
The farm project - We have a ticking clock on a high-risk situation, it goes here
Personal welfare - At some point we have to eat, shower, sleep etc
Friends, family, obligations, events - these fill the rest of the steps for a fair chunk of the way
All other items that need to be done - there are many
Things Dan and I (or Dan or I, because we like different things) do for fun, which for me, is these updates
Animal-wise, at the time of writing (Jan 2025 technically, though I will backdate this so it sits neatly in order) we actually have 776 legs on site, which equates to 194 animals. Not all of them are ours, and most are temporary additions in winter housing, but we do have our own critters that are our main focus.
These include 4 dogs, 2 cats (excluding Cat, the OG farm cat who was already here when we moved in) and 3 horses. There simply isn't enough land left here to hold our own stock, and horses have been a huge part of my life, so that's our focus moving forward.
I like to write, shoot (photos) and create stuff, to get my brain out onto a page and then let the emotion sit there. That's kinda what I think this will be - a journal of the good, the bad and the ugly, because nothing in life is simple, and this project certainly isn't.
Ground rules for the journal are here:
Anyone can read these, watch the videos that live inside, and view the images, but they exist for people we know. If you're a kind human and you just fancy a nosey, stay! You're welcome here.
If you don't know us personally and you are the kind of person who HAS to put their opinion on everything, even if it doesn't concern you in any way: You don't need to be here. I promise you, this is not the place. Read the room.
If you're a hardline vegan, that's cool with me. This is a farm on a hill in Scotland, the area rarely grows crops because it simply can't - the land isn't right for that. It grows animals and country pursuits are part of daily life. Our viewpoints may differ and you might not like some posts - you will need to self-regulate your viewing and choose not to consume the content.
We work damn hard for what we have, what we do, and where we are, and it's also OK for us to be overwhelmed, exhausted and feeling a bit defeated. That doesn't make us entitled, or spoilt, or whatever other word you may want to throw in. None of this happened overnight, and yes, 9 years ago I was broke living back with my parents.
We swear. You must self-regulate your viewing and choose not to consume the content if you don't like that.
Things look shit (see point 5) most of the time, we're not going to dress rooms and make things spotless if they don't need to be. Things will look worse before they look better!
Don't spread shit. In 2024 numerous people we'd never met started a set of baseless rumours about us, our marriage, our animals and our financial situation. Aside from being incredibly damaging to the project, these fires are ones that we really don't need adding to our fire-fighting plate right now, so leave it alone. Use your time more productively instead.
I think that's it but I'll add more to the list if anyone has any they'd like to add!
For those who support us in any way, we appreciate you to the ends of the earth. Let's get stuck in and see where we end up, because it can only go two ways, and whatever happens will certainly happen!