Ahead of the day that we all celebrate love around the world and ahead of our 2021 Spring Sessions, I thought that it would be a good idea to introduce the Jackson clan to our new followers by telling you all about five things that we, as a family, love...
1. What better to be number one than... We LOVE farming! We love the livestock, the sunny days, the wet days (the snow days a little less!) And feel lucky to live the lifestyle we do - yes, it is hard graft but it is equally as rewarding- I don’t think either Fenwick or I would call it ‘work’. We are second generation farmers at Kersheugh Farm and tenants of the Kerr family's Lothian Estate. The farm sits close to Ferniehirst Castle which is steeped in local history and has been in the possession of the Kerr family since the 14th century! You can read more about the Castle on their website. 2. We have a big family and we LOVE it. Step families are one quick way to get to a full household, and between us we share 6 children. Life certainly isn’t without its challenges but a table full of kids, friends and family on a Sunday is what we enjoy the most. We started Jacksons at Jedburgh so we could both work from home at the farm. We can switch with ease from looking after the kids to checking the lambing fields and welcoming visitors to the farm. 3. We LOVE Jacksons at Jedburgh. A small flicker of an idea that we had in 2019 has grown faster than we ever expected. Since opening we have been fortunate to meet so many wonderful people visiting the farm. Beginning 2021 might be daunting with a pandemic over our heads but it is also very exciting for us as we look forward to hosting many more visits to the farm this year. 4. We LOVE local. There are so many fantastic businesses in Jedburgh and the surrounding area. We support as many of these as we can personally but to be able to bring people to the area and then let them know about all the other places they can visit near to us is brilliant. To name but a few - there’s Briggsy’s Quality Butchers, Ferniehirst Castle, Bairnkine Holiday Cottages, The Capon Tree Town House and Border Meringues. All places to stay, visit or eat in the local area. 5. We LOVE the Borders Although Fenwick and I have travelled and enjoyed other parts of the world, we belong forever to the Borders. Fenwick was born and raised here at Kersheugh Farm and went to school in Jedburgh and I grew up and went to school in Earlston. The landscape here is something that could never become dull- the farm itself looks across to Ruberslaw and the Waterloo Monument (commonly referred to locally as Peniel Heugh). The sunsets from the top of the farm are a reason in themselves to get up and take to the fields on a summer’s evening. A happy Valentine's Day from all of us at Jacksons at Jedburgh, we hope you get to do the things you love and spend time with the ones that you love today, whether that's digitally or in person!
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No we're not panicking at all !!! ... HONEST
It's now the countdown to our 4 Christmas wreath workshops, 2 days of photoshoots and the 2 'Magic on the Farm' days that we are hosting in the month of December (as if being a parent in the run up to Christmas isn't already hard enough!!). Despite the 'new adventure nerves' frequently adding themselves to my mega TO DO list and saying 'but nobody will come' I am feeling incredibly festive and excited about the events ahead. Now, inside the venue, many of my crazy ideas are about to come together and the 'Jacksons at Jedburgh winter wonderland' 2019 shall be born! News from the farm: Cattle are now being moved to different areas for the winter, both on our farm and elsewhere. The fields are too wet and muddy for them to stand in and the grass has stopped growing- they are however still outside- lets see how many of you can figure that one out... To add to things unfortunately Fenwick was injured last week which hasn't helped the smooth running of the farm or our project. He's been in and out of the BGH for antibiotics but is on the mend. Thank goodness for that- I need my handyman to carry out all those crazy ideas I talked about :D THE. WORK. NEVER. STOPS!! Luckily being parents and with the youngest still in toddlerhood it means we're used to getting no sleep so we wont notice the difference over the next few weeks at all... I'm sure ... I'm really sure ... ask again in January Jas x We are two months into our diversification adventure. The whole process predates a lot more than 8 weeks worth of thinking, time and work but 2 months ago we commissioned the logo, built the website and put us live on social media for the world to see! What a great couple of months it has been. We have cleared and washed our venue, made our first ticket sales, gathered a following online in excess of 500 people and are currently (and a little frantically!!) prepping for the festive season. I cannot wait to welcome lots of people to our farm and our new venue in the month of December. Think sparkling fairy lights, ivy entwined beams, festive chandeliers and warm, marshmallow topped hot chocolates warming winter hands- How could anyone not be excited!! I’ve been asked...WHAT EXACTLY ARE WE PLANNING??? Well: we are a brand new diversification project in our very early stages meaning we have so many ideas- where do we start?
To try and sum it up - our plans are to open an on farm venue to use for many activities to benefit and enrich the lives of those around us including ourselves- we love people!! From blogging regularly here on Faceook to craft groups, parties, days out with the kids and farm tours. We are passionate about educating people about farming and why our business and way of life is important. Soon to be volunteering for a scheme with RHET we hope local schools can benefit from coming to the farm in the future to learn all about farm to fork and what we do on a daily and seasonal basis. Roll on the future! |
Jas JacksonMother, Farmer's Wife, Life-Juggler & Business Owner of Jacksons at Jedburgh Archives
February 2021
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