Spring has sprung over the last few days in Aberdeenshire, we had a wee episode of “lambing snow” a week ago but now the days are beautifully sunny, the daffodils are looking cheerful and the birdsong is amazing. I have been busy planting late Spring flowers into the cottage planters, installing new metal outdoor art at East Cottage and making sure the outdoor furniture is ready for our guests. The BBQs have been checked and the Firepits are ready to be used. We just love to sit out under the huge Aberdeenshire skies with a glass at the end of the day, Scottish beef on the BBQ and the fire pit quietly burning wood harvested from the farm’s forestry. Even our Laura Thomas products in the Cottages are the Flowers and Wood fragrance which sits so well together with life at Kilblean.
I wanted to share with everyone a bit about the farm and our surroundings where the cottages snuggle into the landscape. Kilblean is an arable farm – that means no animals only crops – and sits in the Garioch (pronounced geery as in cheery) which is the land which lies around the market town of Inverurie. It is farmed by a neighbour and you will see Andrew driving his tractor with various large pieces of agricultural machinery attached, do give him a wave. We grow Winter and Spring Crops, with harvesting in the Summer months. The crops are used locally to feed farm animals or be processed for the food industry.
The farm has a network of field margins, you are welcome to walk on the grass edges and of course take your dogs, they are mostly round fields of Barley, Wheat and Oil Seed Rape crops with pretty views of the surrounding countryside. There are many hedges and small woods which are home to a myriad of insect species, birds and animals.
We have an ongoing plan to add to the natural diversity of our farm and this year we have planted Birch trees and Crab Apple trees, all added to the Queen’s Green Canopy website to celebrate HM Platinum Jubilee. We are monitoring our Wild Roses, planted last year, they seem to be coming along pretty well and in a couple of years from now will be blooming in the hedgerows. The burn – called the Gattes Burn – is on the South Side of the farm and we have been known to dip our toes in for a paddle on a hot Summers day, the dogs love to paddle there. We are at home a lot of the time, do drop by or chat if you see us about, we are identifiable by our 3 dogs, Ginger, Jodie and Ava, Jack Russell, Spaniel and Black Lab! We are very happy to hear your holiday stories or offer recommendations of where to walk, places to visit and Aberdeenshire road trips and treats. Mostly we cannot recommend highly enough a walk round Kilblean early morning or evening on the magical long light days – almost 18 hours of daylight in June – which the North of Scotland is famed for, superb for the soul and a welcome break from the bustle of everyday life.
Come to our cottages and relax, breathe the country air, watch wildlife and leave recharged!
