iPaulyPaul

@ipaulypaul.bsky.social

790 Followers 621 Following

Working the land. Watching the data. Off-grid Lancashire since 2018. Five acres, veteran oaks, woodland I won't live to walk in. The numbers are not reassuring. Bring compost. Born at 333 ppm.

A raised bed running the length of a productive kitchen garden, densely planted with peas climbing a wire and cane support structure. Pods visible throughout. Greenhouse in background. Lancashire, June 2026.
Close-up of a single borage flower face-on, vivid blue-purple star-shaped petals, dark fused stamen cone at centre, bristly hairy green stems and unopened buds below, dappled tree canopy bokeh behind.
Overhead view of a small wildlife pond edged with moss-covered sandstone rocks and driftwood branches. Bright green ferns and a copper tiered bird bath surround it. A dry stone wall forms the back edge, beyond which woodland trees rise. The pond sits on the lip of a quarry drop. Lancashire.
Overhead view from a summerhouse doorway of a bare mud garden on a quarry edge in Lancashire. Multiple plants in black plastic pots are arranged across flagstone stepping stones awaiting planting. A bamboo measuring cane lies across the ground. Bird feeders hang in trees to the right. Early spring, bare branches.
A mature Japanese acer in deep burgundy leaf, growing from pallet collar raised beds against a dark timber barn wall. Greenhouse visible to the right. Gravel yard.
Two photographs of the same Cedar of Lebanon tree on a Lancashire smallholding, three years apart. June 2023: a slender young Cedar, roughly two metres tall, standing alone in a neatly mown grass meadow on a gentle slope. Behind it, a dense woodland with mixed deciduous trees in full early summer leaf, with hawthorn in white flower visible.
A row of freshly pushed willow whips in a narrow trench of disturbed dark soil. Each cutting pencil-thin, a few inches above ground, cut ends visible at the top. Autumn leaves scattered around. Looks indistinguishable from a row of sticks.
A rough overgrown site in late summer. Exposed Lancashire clay bank in the foreground, bramble, hawthorn and elder scrub to the left and background. A cleared patch of bare dark soil in the centre. General site chaos with a blue tarp visible to the right.
The same barn and steps from the same angle in evening light. A freshly dug curved border along the base contains dark bare soil with small newly planted lavender and a few early perennials. The bed is clearly just established.
Base of a mature hawthorn trunk showing surface roots partially exposed at ground level, cleared soil around the base. Dark timber shed behind, trailer visible to the right. Lancashire smallholding.
Grass-covered soil mound surrounding the base of a bare hawthorn tree in early leaf. Gravel surround, dark timber shed behind. Lancashire smallholding.
Four chilli pepper plants in black pots on the upper shelf of a greenhouse staging unit, labelled vindaloo and jalapeño varieties. Two cape gooseberry plants in green pots on the lower shelf. Tomato plants visible either side. Trees visible through the greenhouse glass. Lancashire smallholding.
Galvanised steel raised bed containing climbing peas on a wire and bamboo trellis, with dill, celery and mixed seedlings establishing in dark soil mulched with wood chip. Further raised beds visible in background. Lancashire smallholding.
Two cheap long-handled edging tools lying broken on a woodchip path, both snapped within two minutes of starting work. A Sneeboer hand fork sits nearby, entirely unaffected. Tattooed ankles and muddy boots in the foreground.
A woodchip path running down toward a vintage caravan, nestled under old oak trees. The grass on the right grows over the path edge, looking scruffy. An empty ton bag sits on the grass, waiting to be filled after edging.
15 metres of 110mm drain pipe laid through a workshop at night. Freshly dug trench, spoil bags either side, manhole cover in the foreground. Off-grid infrastructure built by hand.
A dense bed of potato plants growing in dark soil, with green netting cloches visible behind. A wooden barn and mature trees stand in the background under a cloudy sky.
The base of a veteran oak trunk emerging from layered sandstone, with surface roots threading through rock and moss. Dense woodland understorey of fern and bramble.
A tall veteran oak in full early summer leaf, photographed from below looking up. The trunk rises straight and moss-covered through dense woodland understorey, with spreading branches and bright fresh green foliage against a clear blue sky.
A male ring-necked pheasant photographed head-on at close range, red wattles and white collar vivid against rich chestnut plumage. Standing on a stone ledge with grain scattered nearby, woodland behind him. He is entirely unbothered.
The low horizontal trunk of a veteran oak, moss-covered along its entire length, reaching out over ferns and woodland floor. She grew this way when there was open sky here. That was before the quarry.
A raised soil mound in a gravel yard, densely covered with mixed weeds and volunteer plants including dandelions, dock and grass. A mature hawthorn tree in full white blossom rises from the centre. A white van is parked to the left, a light blue Mini to the right. Blue sky visible through the canopy.
A row of repurposed storage crates completely overtaken by weeds, grass and past season's regrowth, including dock and nettles. Willow fedge stems rising behind.
Raised beds on a Lancashire smallholding in spring evening light, receding up a gentle slope toward a greenhouse and timber barn. Fresh soil in the foreground, early seedlings emerging in the middle beds, blue sky with scattered clouds above.
Panoramic elevated view across a five acre Lancashire smallholding in evening light. Multiple raised vegetable beds in wood and galvanised steel are arranged across a gently sloping lawn. A cold frame sits bottom left, a netted growing tunnel and polytunnel are visible mid-ground, with open fields and oak woodland stretching to the horizon under a clear blue sky.
A dry-stone wall on Lancashire moorland, moss and lichen on the stones, slightly crumbling at the top, overcast sky and rough grassland behind it. Bold white text reads: #CollapseAwareLancashire - Find your people. Build what lasts.
New raised beds filled with compost on a productive off-grid smallholding in Lancashire, with greenhouse, cold frames, and established vegetable plots visible across a large kitchen garden in spring.
Ground level view across a smallholding growing area mid-task. A spade rests on freshly cut turf in the foreground. Two aluminium greenhouses and established raised beds sit in the soft-focus background under an overcast Lancashire sky.
Elevated view down wooden steps across a Lancashire smallholding in evening light. Two aluminium greenhouses sit mid-ground surrounded by ornamental and productive planting. The land opens to fields and oak woodland beyond under a blue sky with a single contrail. The raised beds are visible to the right.
Ground level view across a productive smallholding growing area at dusk. A new galvanised steel raised bed dominates the foreground filled with inverted turf. An established wooden raised bed with emerging seedlings sits mid-ground alongside a long netted growing tunnel. Further galvanised beds are visible beyond. Mature oak trees line the horizon under an evening sky.
A productive smallholding garden in Lancashire viewed from above. Two greenhouses sit mid-ground - one established and full of plants, one newly built on a raised timber base. Ornamental beds with purple and pink flowering plants fill the foreground. Mature trees form a dense canopy backdrop.
A large productive smallholding vegetable garden viewed from above. Multiple raised beds in various sizes are arranged across a gently sloping lawn. Four new galvanised steel raised beds are visible alongside established wooden framed beds, some with low polytunnel covers. Mature oak trees line the boundary with open countryside beyond.
Two greenhouses side by side in a productive smallholding garden. The original greenhouse on the left is fully established and filled with plants. The newly built second greenhouse on the right stands on a raised timber base with a pallet deck floor. Two clipped box ball topiaries flank the new structure. Mature trees and flowering shrubs in the background.
A partially assembled greenhouse frame lies in sections on the grass. Timber pallets and base materials are stacked nearby, ready for construction. An established greenhouse full of plants is visible to the left. A productive smallholding garden with mature trees in the background.
Wooden raised beds arranged across a gently sloping green lawn on a Lancashire smallholding, photographed in warm late evening spring light. Mature oak trees frame the scene on both sides, their canopies just breaking into early leaf. A small greenhouse sits in the mid-ground. Rolling wooded hills visible in the distance under a clear blue sky.
A green wheelbarrow on a gravel path, loaded with potted saplings and a spade, ready for planting. Behind it, a border of bright tulips in red, orange and purple. Beyond, a lawned garden with raised beds, bird feeders, and mature oaks against a blue spring sky.
An ancient oak tree, estimated 150-200 years old, photographed at dusk in Lancashire. The trunk is broad and deeply furrowed, heavily colonised by moss and lichen, splitting into multiple large limbs that reach upward and outward against a pale blue sky. The crown is just coming into leaf, the fresh growth sparse and bright against the dark bark. A wooden nest box is fixed to one of the lower limbs. At the base, a weathered fallen branch lies among emerging ground vegetation. The overall form suggests great age and structural permanence.