Dalraddy Cottage Articles

GOLD award again

2012-01-23T19:30:00.000Z

Hi

Oops - It's been a while since my last blog. A lot has happened over the last year too. We have just been awarded 4 star GOLD again (for the third time) by Visit Britain. This accolade is only awarded to the top few percent each year..... We are justifiably proud of this achievement.

A lot of things are taken into account when we have an assessment - the standards book is almost as thick as a certain phone directory! It's quality and attention to detail that makes the difference, and trying to provide all the extras that you would need at home. Still every year we manage to come up with a list of potential improvements, even though our guests already class us as "Excellent"........It can be something as simple as providing kitchen foil, cling film and freezer bags in the kitchen drawer to us being there when a guest's shopping is delivered.

Keep an eye on the website for new photographs of the interior and exterior too.......

Sonia

http://www.dalraddycottage.com/

Sad News - Millie

2010-08-06T18:39:00.000+01:00

Hi

Sad news to report. Our beloved German Shepherd dog "Millie" died today at the ripe old age of 11. She had been diagnosed with arthritis and cushings syndrome in March and although we had that under control with tablets, we knew deep down that it was only a matter of time. Her back and muscles had become too weak with this degenerative disease and so today we had to make the decision every pet owner dreads.

She is buried in our garden along with numerous goats, and our previous dogs Sheeba and Jet.

Even though we still have three dogs (Portia, Jovi and Amber) the house is suddenly very empty.

Time heals - and at least she is at peace now.

Rest in Peace Millie (1999 - 2010)

Sonia

Hens at Dalraddy Cottage

2010-04-18T12:29:00.001+01:00

Hi

Our long awaited hens have arrived at Dalraddy Cottage. We took delivery of 19 (should have been 20 but the farmer obviously can't count!) point of lay hens on Saturday. They are settling in to their new environment quite well. We don't think they had seen daylight before because they kept running in to the shed at first.
They are now eating a healthy variety of organic layers pellets, mixed corn and kitchen scraps plus whatever it is they dig up in their pen!
So when our guests visit our beautiful 4star GOLD self-catering cottage for their holidays they should shortly be also enjoying fresh free range eggs!

Sonia

x

Gold Award for Dalraddy Cottage

2010-03-24T11:23:00.000Z

Hi

We had our annual assessment on Friday 19th March 2010 for Dalraddy Cottage and are excited to report that we have now been awarded 4 Star GOLD. This is in recognition of the improvements and upgrades that we have been doing to our self-catering cottage on Cannock Chase over the last 12 months and was very well received. The assessor said "The property has been upgraded since the last visit at considerable cost and effort and the owner should be congratulated. The property offers a very comfortable level of accomodation for guests to this popular location". Yippee!!!

I'm still beaming!

Sonia

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Snow again

2010-02-10T22:44:00.005Z

Hi

10th February 2010

Dalraddy cottage has seen more snow again today - another inch. Not as much as Germany had last week I know but still more than we usually get this time of year. Bookings are going well for the cottage - we are 50% booked for this year already. So don't delay if you're thinking of staying in the beautiful Staffordshire countryside on a self-catering basis. Book now!

We are also taking bookings for next year - check out the prices and availability. Go to www.dalraddycottage.com/availability.htm and then click on the "go" button next to 2011.

Sonia

New Arrivals at Dalraddy Cottage

2010-01-30T22:46:00.000Z

Hi

After the sad news of my last post, Sam our other rescued goat was lonely, so we have taken delivery of two young (under 12 months old) billy goats to keep him company. They are Tockenburgs and very cute. Our bike mad son has named them "Day" and "Tona" after his Triumph motorbike. Day is the fawn one, and Tona the black one.

I haven't managed to get a good picture of them yet but when I do I'll post it on here for you to see. The vet has given them their first vaccines and a clean bill of health, and they have settled in really well. They are currently in the winter shelter in the yard, but once Spring arrives, they'll all move back up to the paddock at the rear of Dalraddy Cottage.

Sonia

www.dalraddycottage.com

Tina Passes Away at Dalraddy Cottage

2010-01-29T22:40:00.001Z

Sad news - our last rescued pygmy goat "Tina" passed away recently. She had been with us just 12 months and had finally got over her fear of people. Her life until we had her was very hard - she was used to have kids and very neglected by her owners - we estimated that she was about 8 years old and her hooves had never been clipped until she came to us - then it took two of us to hold her as she was so scared.

The vet was surprised that she had lasted another 12 months so we must have been doing something right - at least she died in a nice environment.

Amber arrives at Dalraddy Cottage

2010-01-28T22:26:00.003Z

If you've seen the website at http://www.dalraddycottage.com/ you'll already be familiar with our German Shepherd Dogs, Millie, Portia and Jovi. Well on 20th December we had a new arrival "Amber" born on 25th October 2009. She has settled in well at Pottal Pool and Dalraddy, teasing the life out of the older dogs and trying to push them a little further each time! Millie the oldest and matriarch of the "pack" keeps out of the way most of the time unless she needs to step in to give correction to Amber or the others. Portia the second oldest has sulked on a daily basis since Amber arrived - she treats her with disdain as though she is above playing with a puppy. Jovi the youngest til now has surprised everyone and although previously a very shy nervous dog, she has taken Amber under her wing and never seems to tire of playing and play-fighting with her.

As I write this I can hear Amber throwing her dish around the kitchen! Seems to be her new game. She will have had all her injections by the end of March and will then be able to meet cottage guests with the others.

Our dogs are part of the family here but we understand that some of our guests in our self-catering cottage here may be nervous of big dogs, and if that is the case we simply keep them away from you!

Here is a picture taken shortly after she arrived (altogether now aaaaaahhhhhh!)

Dalraddy Cottage update 12 June 2009

2009-06-12T19:41:00.003+01:00

Hi
Sam thankfully appears to be over the worst of his attempt to poison himself and all the goats have been spoilt rotten by our cottage guests. They have learnt very quickly that if they stand by the fence and bleat at the cottage, someone will come out and give them treats!

The cottage is currently undergoing a spruce up outside - new paint on the render and wood varnish on the cedar cladding and soffits. The mahogany windows will get a new coat of varnish later in the month when there no-one in. The hanging baskets are now flourishing and will be hung this weekend. I have also planted new "non-toxic to goats" plants in the tubs at the rear of the cottage "just in case".

The geese have decided that they intend to keep building and sitting on nests, even though they have stopped laying eggs - I think they are having some sort of "mid-life crisis"! We still let them out to have a wander but have to keep an eye on them because they've also taken to wandering down the road.....

If you would like to meet our menagerie, check out the availability on www.dalraddycottage.com and go to the availability page.

Sonia

Sad News

2009-05-18T18:11:00.002+01:00

Hi

I am sorry to have to tell you that Clyde (our white goat) passed away on Thursday 14th May in the night. We didn't even know he was ill, it was that sudden. Apparently one of the gates came open and all 4 goats decided to have a wander into the chase for a snack. They were all rounded up within a few minutes and put back in their pen but the damage had already been done, although we didn't know at the time.

The first we realised it may have been something they ate was when Sam our younger male goat looked ill on Friday evening and started to vomit. He wouldn't eat or drink anything and so as it was after normal Vet opening hours, we called the emergency vet and trundled Sam off to the clinic. He looked really poorley and when we described his symptoms to the vet and explained about Clyde, the vet said he didn't hold out much hope for Sam either. His odds were less than 50:50.

The vet decided it was probably a couple of Rhododendron leaves that would have been to blame for Clyde's death and Sam's illness. He pumped him full of antibiotics, painkillers, something to stop him vomiting, and some vitamins before leaving him for the night and hoping for the best. He told us not to build our hopes up and so we left the Vet's Friday evening thinking we may soon lose another goat.

Saturday morning came and the phone call from the Vet - Sam had survived against the odds and we could pick him up, but he explained this didn't mean he would be ok. We just had to hope and wait.

We kept checking on Sam throughout Saturday and little by little he started to become more like himself, first taking a few sips of water, then a few crumbs of goat mix, then a little barley straw and hay. Saturday night he was still not himself and so we just hoped he'd make it through the night.

Luckily he is obviously made of stronger stuff and when I went to his pen this morning he was bleating at me as normal and his little tail wagging.

The older pygmy goats had obviously escaped the poisoning because they couldn't reach whatever had poisoned the other two. Sometimes it's an advantage to be short.

Needless to say, the latch on the gate is being upgraded to ensure they can't get out again.

Sonia

Goats update 15th April 2009

2009-04-15T19:20:00.003+01:00

Hi

As the worst of the cold weather has apparently gone now, we have moved our goats up to the rear paddock at the back of the cottage. Here they have 3 separate sections to run about in and a nice roomy shed to shelter from the weather.

It was a bit of a game getting them from their winter shelter down in the yard, up the steps and into their new home as none of them (apart from Clyde) had had a collar on before. John and I took Clyde and Sam up first and they were just excited to get there - we had to run to keep up with them. John then took Susie up. She is the older of the two pygmies and has a slight limp on one leg after years of neglect before we had her. She is fine now but still limps, more out of habit than anything.

It was my task to take Tina (or the Damien goat as we call her - she just stands and stares!). As her collar is a little big for her and she didn't want to go forwards at any cost, she managed to wriggle out of it. For such a small goat with very short legs, she can run fast. We then spent the next 10 minutes trying to catch her!

Eventually, we cornered her and rather than risk the collar again, John carried her into the new pen.

So after half an hour we had managed to move 4 goats 100 yds! It was worth it though - Sam and Clyde immediately started running around and playing - Tina and Susie just watched.

Sonia

Beat the Credit Crunch

2009-03-20T19:08:00.003Z

Beat the credit crunch!

If you're in the UK why not beat the credit crunch and the weak pound and book a break in the beautiful Staffordshire countryside. With the Euro at almost equal to a pound it makes holidays in Europe very expensive. At Dalraddy Cottage, our domestic bookings are up on last year as many people realise now is the time to see the beautiful Staffordshire countryside, and with many local attractions such as Alton Towers, Drayton manor Park, Cosford Air Museum, Shugborough and West Park all within easy reach, Dalraddy Cottage is the ideal choice.

If however you're in Europe or the USA, holidays in the Uk have never looked more favourable. The pound won't be this low for ever......... Our bookings from outside the UK are already up on last year - there's obviously some canny folk out there. So far this year we have had guests from Europe, Canada and Australia taking advantage of the great (for them) exchange rates.

Goats

2009-02-10T15:48:00.000Z

This morning at our request, the vet arrived and gave our new goats an inspection to check they were ok. At the same time he gave each of them an injection and took the opportunity to trim their hooves. Tina and Susie, the two new pygmy goats were very nervous as I would say it has been a long time since their hooves were trimmed by their previous owner - they were very overgrown. We will need to keep an eye on these and trim them probably every month to keep them in check. Sam and Clyde took it all in their stride and were very well behaved. Theirs just need checking every month and probably trimming every 2 months.

Sonia