Hello fellow Shire folk. Welcome to Old Man Willow Farm!
Are you tired of the 8 to 5 daily grind and overwhelmed by the noise, hustle, and bustle of city life? Do you dream of your own little hobbit hole in the country where you can enjoy “peace and quiet, and good tilled earth”?
Two years ago, my husband, Ian, and I decided to take the plunge and buy our own hobbit sized plot of land in the fertile Williamite Valley. Although I spent my childhood in the country, I was never one of those kids who raised livestock for 4-H or spent their summers helping bring the hay in. My experience of country life was confined to owning a competition barn. And living in South Africa meant that we had grooms to take care of the mucking out and other less savory barn chores. Ian didn’t even have the little experience of country life I had. His idea of an escape from the city was a neat house in the suburbs with a large well manicured garden.
As Bilbo said, “It’s a dangerous business, Frodo, going out of your front door. You step into the road, and if you don’t keep your feet, there is no knowing where you might be swept off too.”
This is the story of our journey down an unknown road. We invite you to come along with us. We'll celebrate our successes and share our joys as well as our failures and hopefully learn from our mistakes. But most importantly, we hope that our story will inspire you to step into your own adventure that is owning and stewarding a small parcel of land.