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Bramble's Cottage | Mini Homestead
Великобритания
Добавлен 3 окт 2024
Welcome to our new home and lifestyle in rural Scotland.
After years of moving around, living in 8 different towns and cities across the UK and Sweden, and more homes and rentals than we can count, we finally got the chance to work towards the more sustainable rural life we’d always dreamed of, full of plants, animals, food forests, making, crafting, and basic self-sufficiency.
In 2024, we were lucky enough to buy a small 0.2 acre piece of land with a cottage and a few outhouses on it.
It’s not much space for self-sufficient living, but it’s more than we could ever have hoped to call home. So that’s what we’re hoping to try and do: create a tiny backyard homestead.
It’s going to be a challenge, but we’re really looking forward to it. Join us for the adventure!
After years of moving around, living in 8 different towns and cities across the UK and Sweden, and more homes and rentals than we can count, we finally got the chance to work towards the more sustainable rural life we’d always dreamed of, full of plants, animals, food forests, making, crafting, and basic self-sufficiency.
In 2024, we were lucky enough to buy a small 0.2 acre piece of land with a cottage and a few outhouses on it.
It’s not much space for self-sufficient living, but it’s more than we could ever have hoped to call home. So that’s what we’re hoping to try and do: create a tiny backyard homestead.
It’s going to be a challenge, but we’re really looking forward to it. Join us for the adventure!
Excited for Our FIRST Christmas & 4 NEW Fruit Trees!
Christmas is closing in fast, so Cameron has been spending every spare minute in the kitchen preparing dishes for our hybrid British-Swedish Christmas celebrations. We'll be enjoying a traditional Swedish "julbuffet" on Christmas Eve, and then a lavish British lunch on Christmas Day, with the addition of Cameron's customary pork pies. Meanwhile, Stina was excited to finally receive our first order of bareroot fruit trees to be planted around the site. These will be the foundation of the Food Forest - full of potential for the New Year.
Shout out to www.youtube.com/@LifeOnTheCroft for their very sensible slug management suggestion, and here is also a link to Alan Carter, the Aberdeen Food F...
Shout out to www.youtube.com/@LifeOnTheCroft for their very sensible slug management suggestion, and here is also a link to Alan Carter, the Aberdeen Food F...
Просмотров: 1 761
Видео
Testing 5 Eco OVEN CLEANING Methods
Просмотров 1,3 тыс.28 дней назад
Cameron has been testing out 5 different eco oven cleaning methods on our utterly disgusting oven to see which ones actually work. The results surprised us! When we moved in, we inherited a truly filthy and barely functioning old oven, which we've frankly been avoiding using (or touching). We've been debating whether to refurbish or replace, but with Christmas fast approaching we're suddenly go...
Starting Designing my DREAM Food Forest to Replace the Lawn
Просмотров 1,5 тыс.Месяц назад
The weather's really turned in the last two weeks and it's VERY "November" in Scotland right now. We've been taking what opportunities we can to go out and begin surveying the main garden area of the Bramble Cottage site. This is so that Stina can draw up and then use accurate scale plans to begin designing a Food Forest, making maximum use of the available space and also finding out how many t...
Banishing BUNNIES! What We’re Doing to Keep the Rabbits Out, Humanely
Просмотров 2,6 тыс.Месяц назад
The local rabbits are very excited about the new garden we're trying to establish here at Bramble Cottage. They've been boldly lounging on our lawn since we moved in, but now they're even digging burrows right next to Stina's new planting areas. We've been doing our best with makeshift fixes to protect the plants so far, but we badly need more permanent solutions! The primary plan is to complet...
How Will We Keep Warm This Winter?
Просмотров 24 тыс.Месяц назад
As we inch ever closer to winter, our boiler is suddenly losing pressure! Consequently, Cameron has spent the week trying to fix this, but we're also super grateful that he'd already restored our bigger wood stove ... we just need more kindling! At least we now have something to help keep the cold at bay when we need it. Chapters: 00:00 Intro 00:23 Boiler problems (part 1) 00:58 Stove restorati...
Our Race to Grow MORE FOOD Before Winter Takes Hold
Просмотров 8 тыс.2 месяца назад
This week we've been racing to make room for our new veggie patch because there's not an awful lot to eat from the garden so far. Cameron had a go at baking some fennel bread for tasting at the end, and Stina did our first "Food Forest Challenge" (i.e. went around to see how many plants could be eaten) to determine what new plants need to be added right now. So it's a rush to get the green stuf...
We Found 10 YEARS of Birds' Nests in our Cottage Chimney
Просмотров 13 тыс.2 месяца назад
Autumn has arrived and it's starting to get chilly here in Southwest Scotland. There were two old stoves in this cottage when we arrived, but we have no idea when they were last used and both contained birds' nests. A chimney sweep removed a small bird's nest from the bigger chimney for us, and it looked easy enough, so we said we'd do the second one ourselves. Little did we know! Anyway, with ...
Our First Food Forest Harvest from our Tiny New Homestead
Просмотров 3,5 тыс.2 месяца назад
We've moved into a cottage with an established Flowering Quince (Chaenomeles sp.) in the hedge that has been producing a few flowers and fruit this year. I've wanted one of these in my Food Forest for years, but this was my first opportunity to actually harvest and try the fruit. (Exciting!) I'm also gradually planting up my new garden (a Food Forest to be) with plants that I'm salvaging from t...
Literally Me Just Sorting Wood for 5 Minutes
Просмотров 1,3 тыс.2 месяца назад
A short relaxing vid this time, as Cameron spends some time clearing up and sorting the scrapwood on a sunny day. We've been at Bramble Cottage about 3 months now, and we've made a mess!! First we attacked the rotten decking, then we dismantled the Wendy house, and then Cameron demolished one of the sheds - it was semi-derelict and taking up valuable space. Now we have this huge pile of half-ro...
Our Escape to Rural Scotland: First 3 months at Bramble Cottage
Просмотров 39 тыс.2 месяца назад
This is a recap of the start of our new adventure: Buying our new rural home, and what we've done in our first 3 months living here. We hope to establish a tiny homestead and food forest and we'll be doing lots of DIY projects to restore the cottage too. Chapters: 00:00 Intro to us and our dream 01:06 Finding Bramble Cottage 02:23 July - Moving in, "The Kittens" & Squatters! 03:53 Bath & Shower...
Very good video. Thank you and bonnes fêtes. Btw, I live in France
I am only disappointed that you didn’t show us adding the stock (with added gelatine).
Great video. So satisfying to plant your first trees and will be exciting to see them grow. Interesting dishes for Xmas.
Isn't it. I can't wait for spring to see everything, including the new trees, coming into leaf. So exciting and heart-warming to watch things develop.
For your slugs you could try the Ashes from your Fire's. Just a thought as the slugs don't like it.
Thanks, that's a new one for me. I will try that in my broadbean bucket for Science!
Your voice is perfect for narrating documentaries! Or ASMR vids.
Humm narrating could be fun, wouldn't know where to start with ASMR vids though lol
Merry Christmas and a happy new year to you all. ❤
Same to you and hope for a great 2025!
God Jul to you! Lucia buns looked delicious and the ham !
Happy Christmus, God Jul och Gott nytt år 🎄
Tack detsamma - God Jul och Gott Nytt år!
God Jule to you to, reminds me of visiting my Swedish pen friend back in the. 80s and learning all about Tomte x
Oh, the Tomte are great, and a very important part of Christmas too. I'm sure we have a couple living here that keep hiding our socks and scissors.
I am glad to see you don't fear your oven anymore 😊 The saffron biscuits look delicious. I will give this recipe a go 😊
Thankyou both for such a lovely and informative video. My mouth has been watering at your cooking Cameron. I remember making a pork pie in my ‘Home Economics’ lesson at school , dare l say it 50 years ago😱. When you cut it open it looked absolutely delicious, unlike the shop bought ones! So nice to see these traditional recipes being made. It will be a good Christmas in your house! Wishing you both a very Happy Christmas and new year and look forward to the harvest from your fruit trees ( and more recipes) next year .
Thank you!! These aren't the best batch I've made as the jelly seemed to have vanished, but they taste wonderful, just can't beat making them yourself and it's actually pretty easy. All the best for Christmas and happy new year.
Wishing everyone a happy christmasx
Happy Christmas Everyone🎄🎄!! We love our odd mixed Christmas but we’d love to hear your favourite Christmas foods too! Let us know if you’d like any of the recipes used in this video and I’ll do my best to write them up - Cameron
That was WILD! I loved Bramble and Suki in front of the fireplace. They *really* wanted that jackdaw! LOL Hope you two have a beautiful holiday season
It's the closest they've ever got to a real bird so they were super interested. All the best for the holidays to you too!
"Socks in the compost and pajamas in the shrubbery" HA!HA! Sounds like you bought a party house!
Hah, yes. Judging by some of the stories we've heard from neighbours in the village, we think it might have been, though they also seem a bit reluctant to tell us TOO much about what went on here. -Stina
Cameron, kiddo. Next time try half rye and half white flour. Also did you add salt? Did you add a little sugar? What yeast did you use? I love making bread--I have this great no knead method that is so easy.
I'll be honest, I'm pretty new to using rye flour so I have a whole lot to learn. I did use a little sugar to activate the yeast and the flour had a bit of salt in for the flavour. I think I really just need to get used to rye and mix it down with some normal strong flour. Every day is a school day lol - Cameron
Mr muscle lifts grease then use your more eco friendly stuff for future 👍
I might resort to that in the end, just needs something to get it back to square one then it'll be easy to maintain - Cameron
Going forward the best thing to keep the oven clean is wiping it over whenever you cook, it's baking it on that's the problem, I have a lining sheet in mine it saves so much work. As yours is an existing cooker just give it a go over and in time you can get it done, it's worth the effort as range style cookers are really nice. ❤
I'm going to just keep at it, now the worst is away it doesn't feel so bad. I think slow and steady will win this race in the end. - Cameron
Half a lemon used to scrub salt onto the bottom of the oven can be an effective method, the acidity from the lemon combined with the abrasiveness of the salt works together to lift dirt, but I can't say I've ever tried it with an oven in the same state as yours!
I will be giving this a try, I'll have a go while the oven is still hot and I bet it'll get the worst off, then eventually I'll have a nice clean oven lol
So much still to learn from others. We are just starting our journey later on in life and this is great inspiration. Greetings from Ireland 🇮🇪 Grand job! Best of luck
I tried the dishwasher tablet in an ovenproof container of water, left in a hot oven for two hours, that I saw on the internet…..didn’t work for me!
lol I bet the water container was nice and clean though
Good video. One thing jumps out regarding your stove having been over fired. It looks like the rear of the stove stove is butted up hard against the back of the fireplace - I assume it's a masonry wall since the house is still standing :-) This really isn't a good idea. Download the installation guide for your stove and have a look at the manufacturers recommended minimum distances to side and rear for non-combustable surfaces. Most stoves have an absolute minimum of 10cm, others even more more, for the rear. Minimum distances to combustable surfaces are fairly obvious but the minimum distances to non-combustable are important and maybe not so well understood. The stove is designed to deal with a certain thermal load and to be able to dissipate that heat effectively and at a certain minimum rate. To do that safely and to protect the integrity of the stove itself, it needs to have free airflow on all sides so the cooler air of the room can help keep the temperature of the stove within design limits. It's also not too good for the masonry to reach very high temperatures. Stoves run hotter than open fires and the flue is more restricted with less airflow so if there are bricks in the wall behind the stove they may not be entirely happy with temperatures seen now. In the current setup you have a stove that doesn't have as much airflow around it as it would like and a fireback that may also not have as much airflow as it would like either. I suspect that over time the temperature at the rear of stove has been allowed to build up hotter than is wise because of the lack of airflow at the rear. I'd advise getting a 90 degree T piece and moving the flue exit to rear if possible or get a 45/45 degree offset flue piece to allow you to move the entire stove 15cm to 20cm away from the wall . It'll move the stove into the room a bit and that will make it more effective at pushing the heat into the living space. It's a really deep fireplace you have there and a lot of the radiating heat will be loitering in the recess and warming up the closure/register plate instead of warming to room. Your stove will work better and your baffle plate will last longer.
Wow, fantastic advice. funnily enough I did download the installation guide before making the video and noted the need for air space all around but I just kind of figured it'd been installed as it was for a reason. I had been tempted to move the stove forward and add in a new bit of pipe, but your advice has galvanised that feeling. Thank you!
@@BramblesCottage No problem. We're in D&G too!
I use the vinegar and bicarbonate of soda, undiluted, while my oven is still warm. Obviously, it never gets as dirty as yours. Have you tried citric acid or percarbonate of soda with hot water ?
I've tried a lot of things. I think I just need to knock it back to square one with a bit of brute force (hot water and a scraper) and once that's done I think the lemon method would probably be enough to keep it nice.
Have a great week. I would love to see some of your Christmas recipes
Aw thank you!
Lemon water method is best to clean a microwave. Water alone will do it, the lemon is for making it smell nice
Good to know
Or tip nr 6, which is a bit messy, but efficient. Water and wood ash from the fireplace. When we clean the glass in our wood stove, we use kitchen towels dipped in water and then dip in the ash. This creates lye, but not as strong it will burn your hands. Use gloves anyway, it can be messy.
Yes, I do the same. Works for windows as well.
I like this tip! we have plenty of ash from the fire.
How can someone even let the oven get that nasty and sell the house like that. Thank you for showing all these methods and explaining each one.
It's quite easy. I am disabled and I just can not get down to that level to clean my oven. I have tried to pay someone to do it for me, but no one is interested.
To be honest most of the property is showing a lot of neglect, it spent a long time as a rental property and I don't feel that the property management company was staying on top of anything really. In truth, we could never have afforded to buy a place like this if it had been in a better state. It's what made it possible for us.
Yes, there's a few reasons things might get like this so I try not to judge too harshly and just deal with the issue. I did have a look around for people who might be able to clean it and found a few local small companies on facebook who can do these things, good luck.
@@Scotty7268 read your ovens hand book if its a newer one you can put them.on high temp and it will ' self clean'. i put oven liner sheets in the bottom of the grill and oven which cuts down on the mess. Try home bargains/ aldi/b &m. Hope this helps
You should be wearing protective gloves!
Most of the point of using these methods is that they don't contain any harmful compounds, so there's no real need for gloves that just add more waste to the world.
If you have any eco methods for cleaning that work well for you, let me know I might even try them out. Don't forget to drop us subscribe if you want to see a bit more on what we'll be making for our Swedish and English Christmas.
How about trying the dishwasher tablet + hot water inside the oven? you can also heat the oven slightly. I also think the baking soda + vinegar (or lemon juice instead) with hot water should be good too (or lukewarm water, but heat the oven with the mixture for some time, making sure it doesn't dry out). I have had some decent results with cleaning the oven after the tenants left my apartment, it wasn't as bad as yours but quite close :) Also scrapers dedicated for induction should be safer (not scratch the surface so much).
I wish you blessings upon blessings for you and yours!
Surprised that you would put up feeders for the birds so near the house if you have cats that you allow outside. Natural for them to hunt the birds.
The cats are not yet allowed outside freely, nor do we intend to allow them out unsupervised or during vulnerable times for birds. If we're out with the cats and disturbing the birds, then the cats won't have much of a chance. We like to find a compromise between allowing our cats to enjoy life, whilst also being responsible owners and protecting the local wildlife as best we can.
@BramblesCottage I appreciate your response. I'd love to know how you supervise a cat. They are naturally curious . I never could do it with mine. A cat's a cat! If you let them go out, then you must let them be.
Hahaha... touché. I forget what cats are supposed to be like and my cats of old could never be managed this way as you say. Our current two (and one previous) are Siberians because I'm very allergic to cats and this breed is hypoallergenic (game changer!). Siberians are also described as the most "dog like" breed of domestic cat - which is true. They're incredibly sociable and human-orientated. They play fetch, they follow us everywhere, and they're unlikely to stray very far if we're out with them. Having said that, Suki is our Naughty Tortie, so she's got a fair bit more "Cat" in her than Bramble, as well as the attention span of a flea, so we're taking it slow until we know how she's likely to behave. -Stina
@BramblesCottage My family had a few cats over the years . One was always out and had been in a few fights. He was a great mouser. Since he was well fed, he didn't eat his catch. Preferred to hide it under the carpet edge. Never a bird but mice. Another was a house cat. The furthest he went was onto a window sill where he watched the birds. Never attempted to catch one. Every cat has its' unique personality. So good luck with yours.
Looks like a lovely design. Seems to be a lot of paths compared to the size of the growing area.
I agree - too much pathage at present! But I have a habit of over-cramming the garden with plants, to the extent that Cameron said he found parts of our last garden claustrophobic. So I'm trying to leave the paths [theoretically] wide for now to allow enough space for enjoyable access, but on the private assumption that my plants will invade all spaces eventually! ;) - Stina
Very nice plan, this is a perfect time to check if you have any frost pocket areas, also check where the sun hits in winter and if you remember where it is in summer. It can make a big difference to what you can overwinter in the ground. What are your plans for the side with the oil tank? Good luck with the garden and the house. What is the plan for the catio ? Sorry for so many questions, ❤
Completely agree. It's something I'm keeping an eye on as best I can and I already have the rough aspects mapped. Disappointingly, the first frost of any significance that we had this year seemed to hit everything pretty equally, including spaces I'd expected might be useful warm pockets. My current suspicion is that the huge amount of gravel and concrete that adorns this site is probably having something of a cooling effect and making the small number of plants I've put in more vulnerable than they would be if surrounded by mulch and greenery. So, all in good time. Once we have most of that removed, and the ecosystem here more in balance, I think it might even up the temperature extremes a bit too. Re. the oil tank area - I haven't begun to think about that yet. There's an old apple tree there already, but the seller said it was planted from a pip, which explains why it doesn't look happy (or taste good) - not on a suitable rootstock for the available space. I was going to watch and wait on that one until we have other parts of the site more developed. - Stina
Can you get a bag attachment for your lawn mower to collect grass clippings? That material is so good mixed with brown leaves for composting.
We do have a mower bag for clippings somewhere, but we prefer to let the clippings mulch the lawn itself. Otherwise we're removing nutrients from that area every time we cut, without ever replacing them.
🐝 Thanks for the great video 🌻 subscribed
Very interesting. going to be wonderful.
wow how amazingly detailed your mapping method is - i think i would be overwhelmed by all those numbers. it takes patience
Stina is very patient thankfully, it's going to be great once it's all done.
I commend your patience with drawing up your plans! With every garden I have designed the rough drawing had to suffice as I was too impatient to draw up a detailed plan! If I was anywhere near the soil and I had a spade nearby, then I just set off and got cracking with planting! Plants are forgiving and rewarding and I would say each garden turned out better than I planned, so I am sure you are going to be richly rewarded for your endeavours. Best wishes.
Thanks! The site it's so tight we just want to be sure we're getting the most from every inch
I liked your vlog but…. the way you are filming with the blurred sections is really had to watch😊
No problems, this was really just for the areas and times we didn't have any footage.
good jobs , by the way in case you haven't all fireplaces need to be hetas certified and you must by law have a carbon monoxide monitor in the room, they are like £20 and could literally save you life.
No worries, we got the monoxide monitor a while back, better to be sure and all that.
i love the idea of victorian walled garden elegance 😂
We have a long way to go before we're on that level
How clever to use jeans for fabric hinges ❤❤❤❤ - they don’t need to be perfect to work the best you can for now it actually looks pretty. i love the mathematical calculations as well 😊
How clever to use jeans for fabric hinges ❤❤❤❤ - they don’t need to be perfect to work the best you can for now it actually looks pretty
It's surprisingly solid for being made from scrap wood and old jeans 😂
Love your channel! Don’t change a thing unless you want to! Can’t wait to share your journey.
Thank you! We're always trying slightly different things but hopefully you're still enjoying what we're making.
Good vid and hi from north lakes. I love my wood burner and find my central heating doesn’t need to kick in as much bar really cold days or in the morning. Ive also replaced most my old rads, bar 3 to the new type which has made them way more efficient. I’ll probably replace the remaining 3 next summer. I get my local sweep to brush out the chimney once a year. But ther is always things needing to be done with properties. Looks like tour rads need a flush.
The radiators absolutely need some attention, some of them are just single sides and some are too small for the rooms. One of the first things I did was to remove all the radiators and give each one a flush, really tiring work but when you see what comes out you know you've done the right thing.
I cloche all my favs, but leave herbs and more for the bunnies and I have no issues BUT squirrels and chipmunks will eat all my fruit. Lovely weather.
Thankfully the worst thing we have to contend with are bunnies (for now) hoping that once the whole garden is fenced in we'll be fine and safe from their terror!