We left the rat race of the city and started our new country lifestyle back in october 2004. 
We purchased a smallholding with around 3.5 acres of land with 3 stables and plenty of rubbish and derelict buildings to be torn down and some to be replaced. There was no proper fencing or field shelters just a large array of gates and wire tied together with baling twine. Brambles and rubbish covered 2 thirds of the land and buried amongst this was discarded agricultural machinery and general building rubbish.

IMPORTANT MILE STONES:

October 2004  -  Moving into property with the first of our animals (which moved with us) these include 2 ponies 2 donkeys 2 dogs (jack russles for the pest control) and menagerie of other pets

November 2004 - We started the clearance of the land. We used 2 2.5 tonne diggers to clear trees, brambles and other vegetation. The vegetation was so dense that 1 of the diggers hydraulic pump burnt out and got buried in the quigmyre land we had just purchased.

January 2005  -  Today we purchased the first of our poultry, we chose a hybrid to start with, called the red rocket these are settling nicely although they are temporarily housed in a dissussed shed.

March 2005  - Applied for planning permission to build barn with feedstore and a roadway to give better access ( fed up of vehicles sinking in the mud)
Barn construction was of a traditonal feather edge boarding with a hay loft on the upper level ( to deter rat infestation and to prevent hay from sitting on a damp floor to go moldy or stale)

April 2005 - Fencing going up this month ready for the better weather so the horses and donkeys can pasture on it.

April 2005 -  Garden fenced off and second hand rotavator was purchased ( a star buy as the gear box seized shortly after ).
A greenhouse was donated by a work colleague this was erected in a hurry for the start of the growing season.

May 2005 -  Finnaly the planning application is approved so work can start on the new barn/feedstore by this time the nights are drawing out and we are working 12 to 15 hour days to get the building completed.

July  2005  - Purchase of first piglets (1 boar 1 gilt). These are temporarily housed in 1 of the old turkey sheds that we converted to suit their needs. (mum calls them her little mice)

September  2005  -  Cutting grass for hay not a very good harvest as this is our first time with sycles and scythes (will try to mechanize this before next year)

October  2005  -  Started building proper pig stys as the pigs are growing rapidly on fresh vegetables. They are great escape artists.