A horsey little place
Campbellville, Ontario, Canada
Since 2005, when Hillesum Farm became Hillesum Farm, it has been a place for four-legged critters, mostly of the equine persuasion.
But not only that. It has also been a place for learning how to live on the land, in a place where fields seem to grow giant limestone boulders, where the vegetables grown are to be shared with rabbits, raccoons and deer, and where lush flower gardens are quickly overgrown with what grows naturally as soon as you take your eyes off them.
Learning to see what makes sense in such a place, and what is just foolishness takes time. So some of the fancy gardens have been rewilded, and the little vineyard has sprouted trees between the rows. The old farmhouse still has no right angles, and the old bank barn has grown older still.
That’s how it goes. We still try to do right by the land and the animals, even if many of the latter have moved on, or live only in our hearts.
Some of What We Are
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Horses
Like showboat Sundance with his medicine hat markings. Always wanted all the attention!
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Old Things
Like the bank barn built sometime around 1900, showing its age, but enduring still
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Critters
Like barn cats, or Molly (pictured), who took up residence when she was 15.
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Added Things
Like this garden hut built by enterprising students, with a deck for enjoying the scenery