Play.Eat.Laugh.Sleep..Pickwell: Baby rabbits, clearing out, another super wedding and sandcastles

Sunday 3 July 2011

Baby rabbits, clearing out, another super wedding and sandcastles

Our action packed weekend started with me and the girls trauling the internet to work out when we can cuddle the new baby rabbits without causing the mummy rabbit to reject them. A clear plan came to light: washing hands, cuddling the mummy rabbit, handling the bedding and then then after all of that you can cuddle the babies (to stop us from transfering our scent). So the girls embarked upon their first baby bunny cuddle and this scent reducing regime has now become 'the law', Molly in particular loves there to be some rules and then makes everyone adhere to them with great diligence.

How cute!

Their eyes haven't quite opened yet.

Early saturday morning we then set about clearing our back roof area to make way for a secluded seating area outside our lounge french doors. As we moved the huge wood and rubble pile left over from house renovations 3 toads and a clutch of very ransid eggs were revealed.

This is our new found toad family. Just out of the picture is a clutch of 8 eggs. The chickens often sneak about and lay their eggs in all sorts of weird places, I haven't been able to bring myself to move them yet incase they explode on contact, grim!

This weekend has also been Laura and Carl's wedding. It has been a really magical wedding weekend full of beautiful flowers, fun, relaxation, walks, surfing, lots of croquet,friendship, family and super food. Highlights have been a cream tea on the terrace after the ceremony (in Lee and Kris's beautiful mismatched vintage tea set, I so wish I had taken a photo), Carl's beautiful and emotional speech and the fun of the Kalea in the evening. I forgot to take very many photographs but this is the rose arbour all set up for the otside ceremony as it was glorious sunshine all weekend. Happy days!

Today after I had waved good bye to Laura and Carl and their cling film wrapped and shaving foamed car, Rich me and the girls headed down in beautiful sunshine to Woolacombe to meet with Paul, Emma, Gracie and Theo to....

check out the National sand castle competition in aid of North Devon Hospice (where I work 2 days a week as a specialist nurse). Here are some of our favourites.

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Our Story

Many people have asked what the story is, how did the Bakers and Elliotts come to be at Pickwell?

Are you sitting comfortably?

Tracey and Susannah became friends at 6th form college. Steve and Tracey lived in the same village in Sussex. Steve's dad was the vicar and Tracey's dad was Steve's scout leader. Even more wierd, Susannah's dad (also a church minister) and Steve's dad were friends, but Steve and Sus never met.

One summer Tracey took Susannah along to a youth summer camp. Steve was one of the leaders (read : heightened attraction) and a little later Steve and Sus got together. During their 6 on/off years they met Richard, a blue eyed boy from Guildford.

At a club night run by Steve, somehow through the dark and crowded room, Tracey and Richard bumped into eachother (if you have seen the shapes they pull on the dancefloor you would know how easily this happened)..

In the year 2000 they all got married. Tracey and Susannah were eachother's bridesmaids. They have remained firm friends ever since.

When Steve and Susannah came across Pickwell Manor, they knew they couldn't manage such a project on their own. They asked the Elliotts if they would give up their house, their jobs and their community to come and live and work with them and own the project together. They knew there weren't many people they could ask to do such a thing knowing they would still love each other by the end. So they all left everything in Sussex and came to Devon.

They moved on the same day in August 2008. It has been a crazy, wonderful, scary, emotional and beautiful experience so far. All of them would say they feel very ALIVE!

Since they moved they have run 51 successful and wonderful weddings (with more to come), many, many holidays, built or totally refurbished 6 apartments from scratch, updated carpets, painted white throughout, put in quite a few kitchens and bathrooms (including 2 baths on concrete plinths), changed much of the furniture, converted a laundry and have started to convert the chapel. Every year they also have a bonfire gathering in October, an Easter Eggstravaganza fundraising event, and anything else that is not-for-profit that they can fit in. Tracey has completed a dissertation and gone back to nursing for 2 days a week, Steve has started up a new company in London, Richard has mastered a lot of the running of the house as well as training as a coach, specialising in stress management, Sus has taken on the interiors and Tracey and Susannah have learnt weddings in at the deep end! All with 4 young Pickwellians by their sides.

"Our passion is for making life count. Our values lie in
friendship, celebration, valuing others, and social justice. We see Pickwell as a reflection of these things but also a place for rest, recouperation, laughter and conversation. We want to support charities and social enterprises to fufil their dreams and make a difference."

"We love Devon, we love the community here, we love seeing our children grow with nature and discovering the great outdoors. We have to pinch ourselves sometimes when we think about our life here, it is amazing".