Christoph at 60

A landmark at Rails Farm – Christoph celebrated his 6oth! Students, friends and family enjoyed a splendid spread of vegetables and salads grown on the farm. The highlight was the arrival of the Sarah Hedrin’s cake, presented in style to the accompaniment of Ode To Joy  on the harmonica. As Christoph’s students will know, each […]

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August 8, 2024

Summer 24

So far this summer has brought some extraordinary weather patterns. At times the same week has seen record high AND low temperatures.  Dorset has already received 120% of the average rainfall for July. Those who believe that if it rains on St Swithin’s Day, it will rain for the next 40 days, may well be […]

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July 29, 2024

Hello I am Isla the new primary teacher

After 25 years as a primary school teacher, I have finally decided to leave school teaching in order to focus completely on tutoring. I tutor in person and, increasingly, online. Tutoring allows me to focus on the needs of individual children and small groups, tailoring my support to their specific needs and interests which, with […]

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July 9, 2024

Spring 2024

I started writing this blog almost two months ago, and just one day short of May I will finally finish it. Hurray it is finally spring 2024, even though the temperatures are rather like winter. What is on the to-do list and what is new at Rails Farm? New expertise on the farm New is […]

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May 7, 2024

Autumn/winter 2023 at Rails Farm

And again three months passed by and no new blog from us. However, always looking on the bright side of life, lots of things happened since then. Not to mention the highest carbon dioxide emissions worldwide since 2015. The hosts of Cop28 are actually there to sell their oil, because they are building the most […]

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December 25, 2023

August 2023 at Rails Farm

The last three months must have passed at warp speed so that I did not manage to write any lines about our small enterprise. Having mentioned last time what Gaby planted, it is now already time to look back at the soft fruit harvest which was slightly disappointing compared to last year. No white currants […]

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August 25, 2023

Spring 2023 at Rails Farm

This is the first new blog which will not be published anymore in our local parish magazine, to which I have contributed since January 2019. I cannot continue because the editors of the White Heart Vale decided to cut an essential paragraph out of my last article just because I criticised breeding of pheasants linked […]

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April 9, 2023

Wet Winter At Rails Farm

The rain stopped only for a short time in December with a very cold spell, never experienced in the 10 years we are living in Dorset.  The lowest temperature was about 10 degrees below zero and the landscape looked beautiful. However, for a smallholder the beauty brings worries, our livestock need to drink. At those […]

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February 7, 2023

Dorset Monsoon at Rails Farm

Since the drought finished the rainy season seems to be endless. As we did not have enough water we now have far too much to cope with. Hey ho, we shouldn’t complain and rather adapt to the situation. It can only get worse. Looking at the lack of commitment of all nations to reduce CO2 […]

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November 12, 2022

The arrival of autumn at Rails Farm

Two days before I wrote this article, we all lost a remarkable human being who took her duty for this nation as seriously as nobody before, her majesty Queen Elisabeth II. I wish our new King Charles III that he continues that incredibly important task and leads this nation into a healing process of the […]

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September 14, 2022