Kirkhouse Dairy, Kirkbean, Dumfries-shire
In January 2001 Andy took on the dairy at Kirkhouse Farm, Kirkbean where Betty and I moved with him to our present home, Kirkhouse Cottage. We are very lucky having beautiful views over the Solway Coast to Cumbria and the mountains of the Lake District.
Andy started with a herd of M.R.I cows and I milked the cows with him for almost four years which I really enjoyed as I had been dairy farming all my life until our move to Auchengray. I always enjoyed milking and at this time was seventy two years old but still felt fit despite having aches and pains in my legs.
Me in milking parlour
Me milking cows and feeding below
Sadly like many farmers during the tragic foot and mouth outbreak Andy lost his first herd in April 2001. This was devastating but Andy decided to restock and bought a lovely herd that came from down south. We worked away well with help from Anne and Gavin, Jamie Shennen for a period and Scott whose parents own The Steamboat Inn at Carsethorn worked for a long time before going off to New Zealand to work in a big dairy farm. I paid him a visit when I was in New Zealand on holiday and he was milking a big herd of cattle and doing very well, he seemed very happy with life there. .
Andy’s cows grazing
View of sea from our house
Me in our garden
Me playing my accordion
Andy finally decided in December 2004 to give up the dairy and concentrate on his haulage business which he had initially started at Auchengray selling stock feed and expand on this. He currently has six lorries including two tippers and milk tankers which collect milk on a regular basis and the others do haulage all over the country keeping him very busy and his drivers in employment. Andy still keeps and has a keen interest in his cows.
Willie remained at Auchengray farming and doing haulage also. He still keeps sheep, the original highland cow herd and longhorn cattle as well as a large stock of pigs that started off with one pet pig. Willie married his wife Becky in September 2006 at Mabie House Hotel. It was a beautiful sunny day and we had a lovely meal and disco dance in the evening. Frazer Graham was born to Willie and Becky at Dumfries Maternity Unit on 7th February 2010 coincidentally one day after my birthday, at one point it looked like it was going to be the same day.
The last few years when Andy finished the dairy I walked all round the nearby countryside to keep fit and visited people down in the village at Carsthorn where I became quite well known and was invited in for a coffee and chat.
I also went for days away with Betty, Liz, Anne and Graham and we would stay in a guest house or hotel, we visited a lot of nice places. We also took a drive up to see Kepplehill Farm but found it was no longer there which was sad and another time we visited Gree Farm to see how it looked. We also visited relatives back in Armadale and drove past Woodend Farm and surrounding places bringing back memories of my childhood and early years all which are in my story. Liz took me one day to visit the graves of my grandmother, mother, father and brother George at Shottsburn. I was pleased to have managed to go there and see it was well kept.
Betty and Me in Ansthruther
Liz and me in St. Andrews
Betty and Me on day trip to Beamish, old fashioned village near Newcastle with Liz, Anne and Graham
Andy bought a chocolate Labrador pup who we called Sam as Joe was getting on at almost fifteen years old. Andy thought it would be good to have another dog in the event of losing Joe. Sam was quite a handful and ran off if we did not keep an eye on him. Betty used to take him a walk down the beach and he would run like the clappers and Betty had a job getting him back. Sam would pester old Joe too as he wanted to play with him but Joe couldn’t be bothered so in the end we thought he was too difficult to handle and we found someone in Dumfries who gave him a good home.
Me with Sam chocolate Lab
A funny story about Joe one time he had wandered down to Kirkbean village and someone had took him in then called the police as she did not know who he belonged to, the police came and took him into the station at Dumfries! Fortunately the woman had relayed the story to someone who knows us and said ‘that’s Mrs Graham’s dog’! Gavin Murray then went in to pick him up at the police station. Poor old Joe was none the worse for his adventure and the police said he had been quite happy in there. Joe became arthritic and unable to walk far so before he got any worse I took him for a final drive up to Auchengray in the jeep and drove round all the places where he used to go when he came round with me, he sat up in the front seat and it looked like he could remember where he was. Sadly not long after that Joe passed away and we buried him in the garden at Auchengray at the spot where he always used to sit and we planted a small tree there for him. So Joe ended back at the same place as his old friends Ed and Patch, also buried there at a different part of the garden. It was so sad like we had lost a family member.
I managed to get about with my two walking sticks quite well for a while however I was diagnosed with COPD lung disorder and the breathing difficulties got the better of me. Gradually I was having trouble walking too far then my next hip got smashed up in July 2009 after I fell in the kitchen and I ended up in hospital where I was for a wee while, came home and then ended back in hospital due to a blood clot on my lung and was lucky to have survived. After this I could walk aided by my zimmer frame but gradually my legs have failed me and I am unable to walk now. I subsequently have had small strokes which can happen without you even knowing but they become debilitating. It is very frustrating as I was always such an active person throughout my life and find it difficult not being able to go and meet people as I am a very sociable person and like to get to know everyone around as there are many interesting people and places nearby to walk to.
Me out a walk at nearby Polwilimont Beach
Kirkbean has a lot of history which I found very interesting and got plenty of information from John McMynn our neighbour whose family have been here many years and talking to the many people I met on my walks. Kirkbean church is very beautiful and its cemetery backs on to Kirkhouse Farm, there are some very old gravestones in there. Kirkhouse Farm has a fishing lake with trout and can be viewed from our house with Carsthorn and the sea beyond which everyone admires when they visit us. Carsthorn’s harbour is famous for being the place where lots of boats left for Australia many years ago and lots of families emigrated there.
Betty and I never tire of the view and are lucky to have such a lovely place to live along with Andy with our family visiting daily to keep an eye on us.