The Journal
The people behind the stories. And the real custodian.
Life at Martins Farm, told by the family living it. Local history, countryside discoveries and the occasional incident that somebody really ought to write down.
Custodian & writer
Alastair (Ali) Hine
Custodian, writer and occasionally the problem.
Alastair — known as Ali — looks after Martins Farm Estate in Frant, East Sussex, with his wife Sharon, their son Eddie and Winston, whose contribution is largely supervisory.
Away from the farm, Ali has spent more than twenty-five years in the City of London and the wider world of financial markets. He began as a futures trader in 1999, before moving through chief information, marketing, innovation and operating roles, alongside global trading leadership. It is a career spent making complicated businesses work, which has proved surprisingly little preparation for a small tractor.
At Martins Farm, that same curiosity finds its way into local history, wildlife, plans for the land and an elderly Morgan that prefers the garage. He writes much of the Journal, following interesting details through archives, along footpaths and occasionally into expensive mistakes.
His approach to countryside stewardship is thoughtful, enthusiastic and subject to revision after consulting Sharon.
Custodian & contributor
Sharon Hine
Australian by birth. Increasingly expert in Sussex weather.
Originally from Beaufort in Victoria, Sharon brings an Australian perspective to life at Martins Farm: an appreciation of the outdoors, a warm welcome and reasonable questions about why the heating isn’t on in June.
Sharon is joint custodian of Martins Farm Estate with Ali, looking after the estate and welcoming guests to The Oast, with an eye for the details that make a stay feel easy. While Ali investigates what happened here two hundred years ago, Sharon is more likely to be making sure everything works for the people arriving on Friday.
She shares the farm with Ali, their son Eddie and Winston, who considers himself closely involved in hospitality whenever food is present.
Her influence also extends to the proposed vineyard: the name Cuvée Sharon was settled well before any vines were planted. Whether this counts as a romantic gesture or advance permission for another project remains open to discussion.
Estate supervision & opinions
Winston
Head of Estate Supervision. Specialist correspondent on mud.
Winston is the resident golden retriever at Martins Farm Estate, where he oversees fifteen acres of Sussex countryside from whichever position currently requires the least effort.
His responsibilities include inspecting footpaths, assessing mud, monitoring kitchen activity and maintaining a firm position on hot-air balloons. These are addressed with sustained barking until they leave the area. His record, by his own assessment, is excellent.
He writes about walks, weather and the questionable decisions of the humans who live with him. Recent subjects include tractor operations, unnecessary machinery and why a sensible dog watches proceedings from a safe distance.
Winston holds no formal qualifications, although he has extensive field experience and has personally lain in several of them.
Recent advances in artificial intelligence have finally made it possible to translate Winston’s barking into written English. Early results suggest he has been saying “balloon” for considerably longer than anyone realised.
Ali Hine checks the translations and takes editorial responsibility. Winston maintains that several of his stronger points have been removed.