After Tuesday’s trip down memory lane—thinking about the dining room, those cheese selections, and my mum—I ended up diving deep into the digital archives. Today’s photos are pulled from an album simply called “Home Farm.” Reflecting on these Home Farm memories, I realise how much they shape my perspective today.
If I could go back and live there again, I would do it in a heartbeat. A lot of my dreams are still spent there, usually riding around on the single-track roads before you hit the B-road into town. It was a completely unique upbringing, and looking back, a time of absolute innocence. These are the kinds of Home Farm memories that stay with you for life.
The 16th-Century House and The Great Roof Chaos of ’97
The farm was built in the 16th century, though we suspect it could be even older. Up until 1997, it still had a tar roof. I vividly remember the absolute mess of getting it replaced with slate. I actually helped out by punching the holes in the slate tiles so the roofers could get the job done faster.
For a couple of weeks during the chaos, we all essentially lived in the dining room and the downstairs gun room. I was also on crawling duty, dragging cables under the floors to finally put the electrics in.
Decantae Mineral Water and The Sausage Roll Commute
The farm sat on around 70 acres of land and housed a water production factory that pulled fresh water straight from the hills. You might have heard of it: Decantae Mineral Water. My mum and dad ran the place from 1990 until 2014.
During the school holidays, my brother and I would pack bottles of water just to earn some money to live on. It was hard, painfully repetitive work. My only reprieve was break time. I could walk less than a minute from the factory floor back to the house, sit in front of the TV, and grab a snack. My snack of choice? A microwave-heated sausage roll so I could peel the pastry off. Yes, I am odd.
Quad Bikes, Zero Light Pollution, and 4 AM Walks
The land was beautifully spread out. We had a quad bike to get out and about across the fields and up into the hills. I used to spend hours just sitting at the highest point. You could see for miles, and the only sound was a passing sheep or cow. No traffic, no smog, and certainly no close neighbours. There is something special about these Home Farm memories that brings the past vividly to life.
My mum used to pick my friends up so they could stay over for 24-hour gaming sessions, messing about on the quad bike, or taking the factory forklift trucks for a spin. I actually found some old photos of my bedroom from back then—books, figures, photos. Come to think of it, nothing has really changed.
The hills and the valley were incredible at night. Because there was zero light pollution, it was pitch black. If I couldn’t sleep, I would regularly go for walks up the hills at 4 AM.
Freezing Farm Winters and the Magic of a Thermostat
Winter on the farm was always enjoyable—until the power went out. Which happened a lot.
It was always freezing in winter. We had an old Rayburn stove that we constantly fed with wood and coal just to keep the house semi-warm. Long after I moved out, my parents finally got a new heating oil system installed, though I still thought it was freezing. I will never forget moving into my first house in the “real world” and discovering a thermostat. I was absolutely blown away.
That “real world” move was a shock in other ways, too. On the farm, keys to the cars were just left in the ignition. The factory, the office, and the house were never locked up. It took some serious adjustment after moving out to realise that thieves actually existed.
Family Quirks and The End of an Era
We had animals, a vegetable plot, and plenty of character. At one point, my brother even converted an old stone shed into a grow room for a few years. I will leave what he was growing to your imagination. My mum, being Dutch, was quite liberal with things like that and knew exactly what was going on. My dad, being Scottish and prone to shouting a lot, did not. If he had known, he would have burned the shed down.
Decantae was eventually bought out after we left. My mum and dad moved to another house near the sea. In 2014, my mum retired, and just three or four weeks later, she tragically passed away from lung cancer. My dad managed four years without her, but he lost the will to live and passed in 2018.
It was the end of a very specific era, but I will always have these Home Farm memories. Indeed, Home Farm memories will forever remain precious and close to my heart.
