Had a great evening last night. Some farming friends came up from the West Country and we had an uproarious evening of tall tales, Dartmoor ghost stories, reminiscences of growing up in and around the village of Chagford high upon Dartmoor. Fuelled by a couple of bottles of wine, a good dinner of our own roasted free range chicken, crispy roasted potatoes & onions laced with chopped rosemary from the rockery by the back door and vegetables freshly picked from the kitchen garden.

One of the highlights of the evening was the story of the bumptious DEFRA representative who called at the farm, flashed his DEFRA identity card and demanded to inspect all aspects of the land. The farmer said he could go everywhere except the top field. The DEFRA rep said that he was legally entitled to go anywhere he wanted on the farm. 15 minutes later the farmer heard screaming from the top field and looked over the gate to see the DEFRA rep running across the grass with his best bull in hot pursuit.

The farmer shouted over the gate "Show him your card!"

The Carmarthenshire hills and mountains are very similar to Dartmoor and so are the respective farming communities. They are resilient, incredibly hard working and have a sense of humour that sees them through adversity and uncertain times. it's like being a member of a private club that you can only join through shared experiences. http://www.walesholidaycottages.com/