Life At Swinton Green With Hannah Russell, Little Alf & Friends

September is one of my favourite months because the Yorkshire Dales slightly quietens down after the hustle and bustle of the busy summer season.

I love to see the onset of autumn as it is when I start getting into Christmas mode with work and finalising the last few ideas for marketing.

What I especially love about this time of year is getting crafty; I have been thinking about making some feather baubles as the nights start to draw in.

As always, life has been busy. In my last article I wrote about moving house which is now over a month ago and I am pleased that we have now settled in to our new home at Swinton Green on the Swinton Estate in Masham. Having more land around allows me to grow the business and work on ideas that I’ve only dreamed about the last few years.

Izzy & Ida the Valais Blacknose sheep have been loving lots of attention especially enjoying all the extra fuss and cuddles from a visiting camera crew and media team. Valais Blacknose sheep are known for their gentle characteristics and Izzy and Ida have stolen the hearts of many.

We are starting to think about winter with new hard standing areas being installed for the animals and field shelters going up.

One of the things I have been enjoying on weekends is the tail end of the summer sunshine as we head into autumn.

I’ve been heading up to the moors to join a team for days beating, walking across upland terrain in all weather conditions, driving grouse.

Beating for me has always been something I’ve embraced living in the countryside and being part of a rural community. The people one meets are always lovely and I’ve always kept in touch and see them every year when we head back out to the moor.

In the weeks ahead I’ll be welcoming two new arrivals to Swinton Green. I have been looking to grow my flock of Valais and recently purchased an extra two who are called ‘Jim Jam & Jelly’; these two are Izzy and Ida’s younger sisters and due to arrive at the end of September. I can’t wait to share their adventures.

Talking of sheep it’s Masham Sheep Fair this month which is always a thriving event in Masham and over the years has developed into a top tourist attraction. I’ll be heading along across at the weekend and maybe in future years will be taking my own flock of sheep to show at the event.

All in all, I’m very happy to be settled on the beautiful Swinton Estate, and I’ll be working with them over the next few months on some exciting projects, so keep your eyes open!