The farmhouse is no longer available because Claire and Will finally have a home of their own, and the business has a lovely new office! It was a hard decision to withdraw the property but one we think will have a great impact on family life and we hope you will all come and stay in the lodge!

We are making great progress in green technology on the farm, with the introduction of a biomass boiler to warm us all and 2 windmills to capture the energy from those windy days on the hill top! Moreover, the barn will be converted to replace the farmhouse this year, creating a 3 bedroom barn conversion with amazing views of the Wark forest. Susan in finally getting a large laundry room!

Sadly once again, we had to say goodbye to one of our equine family members this year, Kerry left us after a very quick and peaceful end. We never want to let them go, but we are safe in the knowledge that they had a happy and long life with us, she will be missed.

We also send our best wishes to our local celebrity event rider Charlotte who suffered a very nasty fall a few weeks ago, reminding us all just how dangerous our four legged friends can be.

In shop news, the new Fenwick counter is doing very well and after a very productive Christmas period we are all enjoying a quiter few months with the butchers off on holiday (we are not jealous…) and lots of new sausages and haggis making (not fun let me tell you…). We hope to expand even more this year, with new shop plans, new contracts and online sales, watch this space!

The weather seems to have been kind this year, the fact that we have not drowned in snow and actually seen a little sunshine in January has been a welcome change. We are all hoping its a sign of a hot and sunny summer heading our way starting with a trouble free sunny lambing season… well one can hope…..

Best wishes for the new year!

Team Roses Bower x

Had some great guests already. Fabulous 70th birthday part with Tom and Joan at Langley Castle! What a treat! People being so kind as we are all lambed out!

Lewis had a new knee last week and is hobbling on sticks and frantically excercising in his posh white socks! Seems to have gone really well and he is supervising us all! All those nurses doing him a power of good.

Have not sorted pictures yet. Promise it is on my list, after garden, stock take and guest paperwork!

In other news, we now have a listing on tripadvisor and we are desperate to get off the ground with a review! If you have stayed with us we’d be very grateful if you could write a review, good or bad we appreciate your honesty!

http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Hotel_Review-g1115244-d2042431-Reviews-Roses_Bower_Farm-Wark_Northumberland_England.html

More soon

Cx

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=330537729945&ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT

Lodge 26th March-2nd April http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=330537732823&ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT

Our new company!

Ryan staying at the farm helping with the sheep and finishing his upland farming apprenticeship, good to get some extra helping hands.

Snowdrops popping up all over the farm, a sure sign spring is arriving and the hare is a common site now, along with the badgers and deer.

Horses ready to hit the fields, that will be a fun day!!

Lewis well and away in Africa on business, Will working hard and newly qualified with his apprenticeship!

The shop is busy again after a quiet January and has recently celebrated the lanch of its new company the Northumberland Sausage Company.

Speak soon, over and out!

Our first Christmas with a log fire in the lodge, Roses Bower lambs in the butchers and all is well.  The Xmas period in the shop was manic but thanks to a lot of hard work by the staff, we made it to a euphoric Xmas break! New Year and Xmas , was spent quietly with guests and family thoroughly chilling out and enjoying a few lie ins and the peace and quiet that prolonged snow brings. All fit and well here, apart from Susan and a cough to end all coughs!

The sheep have demanded more food (new hay feeders everywhere) and the horses have cosied in the barn. James from the Ash presented us with our first pheasants home bred and the cats and dogs have made the most of the log fire. We have all appreciated the advantages of four wheel driving and abandoned any car that tries to survive without it. Garden birds seem to be doing well with a nuthatch taking up residence this year. The two hares have taken up residence in the tumbledown tup barn, but sadly the barn owl at Craigshield has visited but  not returned to her nesting  box.

Will finishes his apprenticeship soon and has plans to add butchering to his skills as well as running the farm in the Spring. Who knows he may even start to build a house for Claire and himself in his spare time. Lewis is fit and well with his new pacemaker and planning a few trips to Zimbabwe this year. Susan and Claire continue to learn the farm shop trade, adding haggis and card machines to the skills list. Never a dull moment!

I have some new pictures for the site! My new years resolution is to learn to get them on line before 2012!

Still waiting in anticipation for a comment I can publish! I live in hope!

Best wishes to you all for 2011 and look forward to seeing some of you here this year in Wild Northumberland.

Lewis fit and well thank goodness and looking forward to getting Will sorted with his knee before we up the anti on flock and maybe cows. Our meat will soon be on sale in the butchers and we are excited and nervous. Wish us luck.

Great support for the shop from our customers and Claire has never worked so hard in all her life. Alan, Alan and Maureen are working hard to make it work and I make a reasonable delivery person! We are finding it very hard work but an exciting  journey!

New suite in farmhouse looking good and obviously more comfortable than the last one. Looking forward to the christmas decorations. Got the shop to add to the list this year. Roses Bower Customers appreciating the 10% offer at the shop and supporting us. It’s looking good at present with Halloween decs. and pumpkin sausages. If it doesn’t move and it’s topical and edible it’s in the sausages!

Sadly we lost Razzy and are still missing her. Yearling doing well if a tad boisterous and trying Moses’ patience.  The three mares are bouncing after lots of freedom this Summer. Meg has been for sheepdog training with Will and she is a star, working beautifully with Fly and impressing us all.

Hope  you  are all well out in the ether and looking forward to a super Autumn and Winter. I will try to return before 2011!

Claire has been finalised for the If we can you can Hexham Courant challenge 2010. 

Basically, this means she is poised on the brink of becoming  the next face of North East entrepreneurship. She will tell you all about it later on, and meanwhile,  we need you to vote for her by texting  ‘vote’ and her name(Claire Watson-Laney) to 07624803199  or e mail ‘vote’ and her name in the subject heading box to Stephen@entrepreneursforum.net Thanks so much and may the best person win! You can find out more at www.ifwecanyoucan.co.uk/challenge

The butchers shop is a bit of a challenge. We rush around buying meat, fruit and veg, booze, bread, cakes, biscuits, eggs, herbs etc. etc. Then we deliver to customers and try to keep a very low profile in the shop incase anyone asks us to do anything connected with the till or the meat cleaver! Then there is the paperwork!!! Hitting the retail sector is a challenge and we are very grateful to the staff Alan and Maureen, and the customers whose patience knows no bounds. On the bright side we are travelling with a different view and it feels exciting!

Work in the Lodge is complete apart from an extra cupboard to be fitted and a mystery leak near the front door! It looks great as you can see. Sadly in adding the pictures the website has taken a nose dive with errors! Apologies! Time to seek expert help again! It has been a real team effort and the guests are now flooding in. Well done Lewis, Will, Claire and me! I have never done so much shopping since we first set the two units up. Next project, already underway, is the 2nd bedroom in the cottage, as Claire and Will are fed up with a bed in the lounge.

Lewis has been poorly, resulting in extreme tiredness and a mini stroke. Fortunately no damage shown on the mri scan and fotified by a daily asprin, a statin tablet and a higher thyroxin dose he is firing on all cylinders once more. He gave us all a turn, but happily he has bounced back and is about to jet off to Zimbabwe to revisit his business side. He does an amazing ammount with the mobile, but they need him in the flesh! One positive outcome is that we all discovered skills we did not know we had. Claire on the tractor, me on paperwork and Will chopping apples!! Makes you think!

Another huge change in the Watson-Laney household is the acquisition of Wark Village Butchers. We have purchased the shop as an addition to our meat sale plans, hoping to use it as a base for our Internet sales and farmers market visits, in addition to keeping this wonderful shop open for the local community and visitors. our website www.warkvillagebutchers.co.uk is up and running and will develop soon.

The lambs will soon be arriving at the farm, the ewes are looking ready to pop and rather cross. The annual walk from Craigshields to Roses Bower caused little disturbance on the road but took some considerable effort for the heavily pregnant mothers to be! They are now happily installed in their new fields awaiting the white bundles of fun that will keep us occupied for the next 2 months, eating, sleeping and washing will be a luxury, we will keep you all updated on their progress!

Cx