Since moving to Leitrim, I have turned my hand to toy making. My inspiration has been the fruitful imagination of my own children and my passion for wood and for the environment. I work from a converted cow shed, where I craft my hobby horse toys using local windfall timber and organic paints. The hobby horse is eco-friendly. These are inspiringly beautiful yet robust toys. All paints and finishes are durable, non-toxic and child-safe. Environmentally-friendly finishes include Tung nut oil, Auro varnish and Milk paint, a traditional finish used by the Shakers. Each piece is a lovingly hand-crafted, hand-painted work of art. Every hobby horse is individually numbered and signed.

Having moved from a city job five years ago, I am thriving on country life, and enjoying the fact that my commuting time to work is a 15 to 30 second walk across the yard! In another lifetime, I was a Secondary School teacher of Technology with a Degree in Physics. Home is now the shores of Lough Erril in Leitrim, where Rebecca, myself and our family strive to live an eco-conscious lifestyle. We grow our own food on our smallholding; we manage a polytunnel; rear Gloucestershire Old Spot pigs and angora goats; we grow our own willow coppice bio fuel supply to heat our home, and harness solar energy to heat our water. We have a daily on-line diary complete with images of life and work on our smallholding, please come and visit us.

Dan and his family open their farmhouse doors by appointment in order share their working knowledge on how to live the Good Life. This year they will be offering courses in the keeping of pigs, rearing of goats for meat and dairy, bee keeping, growing vegetables for complete beginners, basket weaving, willow sculpture and how to choose the most appropriate alternative energy source for your home.