Bluehouse Kennels

26/12/2024

Merry Christmas all.

As a Greyhound Retirement Scheme kennels, we receive retired racing greyhounds from trainers and find them forever homes

To match each dog to the wonderful people who wish to share their homes with the best dogs in the world means that I need to assess the personality of each greyhound.

What do you think is important to know before you choose?

16/12/2024

Jasper says Merry Christmas from Bluehouse Kennels

13/12/2024

HIBERNACLUM LOGPILE FOR CRITTERS - STEP BY STEP - It’s 6 metres long and stands 1 mete tall - so far.

25/11/2024

Logpile big day!!

The freezing weather has “knocked down” all the wild flowers - they will be left to shed their seeds and provide cover - no bare soil here. It’s revealed the 2 metre-long logpile which I built in 2023.

The idea is to create an environment for critters - which I continually top-up. It is a wild permanent compost heap that is damp, it rots down gently creating habitat and food for fungi, insects, amphibians, reptiles etc.

This encourages diversity and because it’s warm - it enables critters like rodents and hedgehogs to stay comfortable when the freezing weather comes.

The stems of the brash wood encourages overwintering bees and other important insects and spiders to make their home there.

I cut the Jerusalem Artichokes stems to 1 metre and left them in the ground - to provide cover. i also reduced the butter fly bush to 1 metre for winter cover. The brash wood has been cut into 10 cm lengths and put on top of the logpile.

I’ll be adding lots of more “green” stuff to put a thatch on it all, throughout the winter.

Cosy critters

23/11/2024

Orchard - Rare Heritage Apples
Dog's Snout, Yorkshire Aromatic & Cat's Head

It is very depressing that the leaders of the world are making a mess, again at COP, the annual United Nations (UN) climate change conference.

In our hearts, we all know that the solution starts at home, literally where we live and how we behave. My grandson asked me what I was actually doing to take my responsibilities seriously.

He called me out!

So we formed a Community Interest Company and now, we have started to get on with everything that we can do to protect the land, by improving soil health, reducing our reliance on chemicals, increasing diversity and educating the young.

It’s not easy!

The first step was to dig a pond to provide for the needs of hedgehogs.

Now, 2 years later, we are caring for 12.5 acres of land in the North East of England but it’s a baby step towards a better future.

Orchard - Rare Heritage Apples

Our latest project is to plant an orchard of rare heritage variety apples - you know the old varieties that our grandparents loved so much, those apples that tasted so good - the ones you can’t buy at the shops anymore. Varieties like Yorkshire Aromatic, Dog’s Snout and Cat’s Head.

Our not-for-profit CIC is skint and I’m reaching out today offering you the opportunity to buy a tree for us to plant.

So if your business has actual, real Corporate Social Responsibility (not just lip-service) then put you hand in your pocket. You buy the tree and our volunteers - schoolchildren, students and scouts will plant it in the half an acre we’ve set aside

Please share this post

Nuff said

16/11/2024

NEW LOG-PILE FOR CRITTERS

We have been saving logs for a year now and today we moved them to the ideal site.

So 5 cubic metres of big tree logs - lots of different types - all with bark~on - it is providing a 3 metre long base for a log pile - we added brash wood and hay and straw and soil.

Creating a massive amount of organic material which will decay, gently assisted by slugs, beetles and fungi- it will then the best possible cover and habitat for hedgehogs, rabbits, birds and amphibians.

This is so satisfying

30/10/2024

Here on the farm there’s a diverse population of species, especially hedgehogs.

At this time of year we keep our eyes open for youngsters and we give them a helping hand into our wildlife garden which is designed as a safe place, especially for hibernating hedgehogs.

We welcome donations especially “hog boxes”....

30/10/2024

New wildflowers are opening every day - here are today’s!

28/10/2024

I am very pleased to say that thanks to KIRKLEATHAM WALLED GARDEN, we have rehomed 48 plants and they have been planted to provide a 25 metre long hedge.

This hedge will provide cover and habitat for the critters here and will deliver protection from the ravages of the north wind that we enjoy here in winter time.

Thank you to the team at Kirkleatham Walked garden and to our volunteers that made this happen.

This is an important, small step forward - the first of many!

If you would like to join our team here - message me!!

28/10/2024

ACORNS & CONKERS
WANTED FOR PLANTING

Please help us plant trees

If you’re collecting conkers and acorns - we will plant them as part of our rewilding

Message me and I’ll collect them from you

26/10/2024

24/10/2024

Wow …..

22/10/2024

Our whirlygig is ready for schooling puppies

15/10/2024

SPIDERS FIELD AT SUNSET

Here’s an amazing picture of thousands of spider’s webs at sunset.

We snapped this while surveying the 10 acre ridge and furrow paddock to understand the condition of the sward after taking hay at the end of summer.

There is a a diverse selection of grasses with some fungi making the most of the environment

We will start preparing for and introducing more grass species and native grassland perennials.

As we get closer to spring we will be inviting local schools and colleges to make and throw wildflower seed bombs in the field. If you’d like to be part of this - please message us!!!

06/10/2024

A cold, beautiful start to our day here on the farm at Bluehouse Kennels

05/10/2024

BUMPER CROP THIS YEAR

We take pride in our soil here at Bluehouse Kennels and have grown everything organically.

Soon we will have horticultural students on work placement here!

Behind our wildflowers is a potato plot - I said that we would take some potatoes from there once the sunshine arrived after the storm.

So we have just spent 15 minutes harvesting 3 potato plants to gauge whether we’d done good.

My conclusion - a very healthy crop of potatoes (with another 30 plants, ready) which means we will be self sufficient until the spring 2025

The apples are almost ready too

25/09/2024

This wildflower patch at the front of the cottage has responded to the torrential rain we had in the storms on Monday and Tuesday.

This patch will last through to the snows with new flowers opening every day.

Just behind it is my mega patch of potatoes - hopefully enough to see us through to spring next year.