Making Time, Or Just Another Ramble?

Good morning.

Some of you may know of Sam Gray. She is a smallholder in Shropshire, has written a book called Doing It In Wellies and also contributes to Country Smallholding magazine; you can follow her blog here.

In an article here she talks about how to make time. I have used it as the basis of the post - don't worry I have checked with Sam and she was happy for me to reference her.

Trying not to take on too much in the first place is a really good piece of advice. However, it doesn't stop your head being so full of ideas of every kind with regard to what you want to do that you fear there may be a cerebral explosion! I had visions of keeping pigs, chickens, having a larder full of homemade preserves and the like before we moved to Wales. We have achieved some of this but Jon works, I have the boys to look after and then there is the cost of setting up the projects we have in mind!

You have lists of things that need to be done before these projects can get off the ground. There are always one or two things which need doing to prepare for the start of any major job/project. For example, the Poly House needs re-covering after the wrath of storms Ophelia and Brian et al - thankfully it didn't get off the ground due to Jon building it so sturdily! But we need to wait for some tiles we are due to "acquire" from a roof which is to be replaced. They can then be put on the conservatory roof which means the plastic roofing will be available to repair the Poly House. See what I mean?

Following on from that I really try not to worry about the little things.. There will always be something to do so don't worry that you will always have something to do. This is the lifestyle, an ongoing life, not one that is going to be finished any time soon.

Knowing and realising this is a part of also stopping to enjoy what you have. Don't be so busy that you don't enjoy what you have around you. Try and enjoy your animals as well as them being there to provide you with sustenance or an income. I need to take more time to talk to my chooks; I love cleaning them out and making sure they are happy and comfy so they lay lots of tasty eggs for us. (Managed to sell my first box of the year last week!)

Sam started writing her book after four years on her smallholding. It helped her realise why she had chosen that way of life. She perfectly described how I felt after a year or so of living in Wales. Even though we have A LOT to do, have plans - some on hold - some sorted - some ongoing, the dream is now a reality and we wouldn't dream of living it anywhere else!

Bye for now.

Lou.xx

Random Bits and Pieces

Morning.

Today is Dydd Santes Dwynwen, the Welsh version of Sta Valentines Day. Here is her story.

Other things going on around our little homestead are a few signs of Spring. I left some daffs and hyacinths in pots in the Poly House over Winter and they are showing signs of life.

The strawberries that were sitting outside are looking ok, too.

Obviously nothing can actually be classed as being IN the greenhouse with the amount of natural ventilation it is getting at the moment!


The sink outside the Poly House has been tidied up and looking good for the coming months.

I need to sort out the old loo on the other side of the door and sow some new seeds when the time comes and also hope to put some rosemary in.  

Jon was at Charlie's recently and he came home with these boot for me which were in the sale at £9. They are a size bigger than my feet but with a good pair of socks they will be great. My walking boots which I live in are starting to fade so these will help, but a bit big for driving in!

The beginning of sowing and growing is here as my seed potatoes have arrived from Thompson and Morgan; always fabulous service from T and M - I'll be putting these to chit next week.

A variety you can't see close up is Vizelle. They are a brand new early maincrop, a miniature early potato which apparently have a good yield and flavour.

I have gone for Arran Pilot 1st earlies as I liked them last year and Cara as they were a recommended variety and are a new one to try.

Jazzy are a 2nd early and Tracy is trying these this year, too, so look forward to comparing results! I have Charlotte 2ns earlies, of course, you can't not have some of these - were an offer from GYO magazine came with....

three growing bags and some incredicrop.

And with the order I got another offer of seeds if I ordered something I think or it might have just been a special price; always good to have a few spare seeds.

Also outside there are signs of life; here is my Lautrec garlic...

and the beginnings of White Radar onions.

Baking and Making.

Hello.

Over the last week and a little more I've managed to get a bit of baking and making done so I thought I'd share it with you.

I made apple turnovers a while ago and the boys loved them. So when I saw some puff pastry on offer in Lidl I bought it to go with apples I had in the freezer from the summer.

The biscuit tin was getting a bit low so I made these cookies on Tuesday; I used up the chocolate chips, as not enough to make a brownie, and a tub of glace cherries. A really easy recipe which cook quite quickly.

Tracy inspired me to make some pea and ham soup this week. I bought some ham trimmings, nothing too expensive to go with soaked peas. It made three meals/bowls for me in the week and was yummy. This is my way of making it.

I fried off an onion and added the ham.

I drained off the water the peas had soaked in and put the ham mix in with the peas and boiled it with chicken stock.

When the peas started to soften I blended it gently as I didn't want to lose the texture.

 A lovely, tasty, simple recipe for these cold days we are still having.

Last night I threw together a pudding of stewed apple with sultanas and topped it with cinnamon and sugar croutons I had in the freezer. Jon said he was having trouble getting past it looking like soup! 

I tried it and it was lovely, even though I shouldn't eat too much of it just now with trying to lose some weight still.

Right, better get on.

Bye for now.

Lou.xx

Home, Family And Stuff And Nonsense.

Good morning.

You know when you just want to write stuff but you have nothing of interest to say to people. (Example my last post!😊I) like writing, I like words but I don't read that much - to be honest I can usually find something else to do apart from when I am planning stuff for the garden which I suppose is a bit of reading.

Jon and Harry have been away for the night so was just me and Alfie, it was lovely. But when he, or both boys, is in bed and Jon is not home I find it so hard to motivate myself to do anything, I mean anything. I wander around the house thinking "I really should put that pile of clothes away" or "my craft bench really needs sorting out" etc. When Jon is home or at work it is totally different; we have our 'pink and blue'  jobs to do and things we do as a family but I just can't get on with mine very well on my own. 

I did manage to make bread and do some washing yesterday and keep the home fires burning, literally. I even find it hard to settle watching TV, if there is anything decent to watch anyhow.

I suppose the weather is not helping at the moment. I always try to stay positive, about most things actually, including whatever it's doing outside but I have to be honest the rain and wind has been so dismal lately that I just want to hunker down and do zip!

The last lot of windy weather put paid to a lot of my hard work outside where I'd been covering the main veg patch with chicken manure and polythene ready for Spring. I will have to make a real effort on the first day we get a break in the weather - that will NOT be today!

This coming week I have to get things organised for Alfie's birthday - he will be 10!
Presents have been decided on, I feel sorry for him having his birthday so close to Christmas but he never seems to mind until we get to summer when he realises both occasions are some way!

Yay!!! Just spoke to Jon and Harry and they should be home before lunch. NOW I feel motivated. I'll get the burner in the living room lit, the kettle and cups will be ready for a brew when they get home and once logs have been brought into the kitchen and living room we will be ready to settle down for the day. Lunch will probably be soup and a sandwich for quickness before Columbo starts (bit a thing I have on a Sunday) and it is roast chicken with all the trimmings for tea. That all sound like bliss in my book and how my home should be - all of us together and if Alfie has his way we might squeeze in a game or two of Happy Families before baths later.

Aaaah, bye for now.

Lou.xx 

Thoughts For The Day.

Good morning.

I've kept for a while a blog post containing a list of questions that might help turbo-charge your life, see it here. Essentially I look at it as a list of questions to make you think about you, your life and how you are living it.

I've picked a few of the 99 questions! to have a ponder over.

First one.
Do I take time to listen to what others say? 

I absolutely love a really good chat, whether it's over a cuppa with a friend or neighbour, on What's App with somebody I class as a super, lovely friend - even though we have never met - or on my blog where my conversation can be one-sided when I'm having a bit of a ramble! I love to share, in proper conversations, with other people things that we have in common as it is always great to glean, swap and offer any knowledge you both might have. (I also think it's very important to maintain eye contact when you are listening to somebody.)

However, my husband has pointed out that sometimes I interrupt people. I do recognise this and I have to slap my hand over my mouth to stop doing it again! I don't do this because I am intentionally rude, but if something comes to mind that fits in with the conversation then I think I feel I must say or it is lost; my memory is definitely not what it was. Maybe this is a pointer for me to do some brain exercises to maintain my brain as I get older. 

Perhaps this question could actually turbo-charge part of my life?!

Secondly.
What are the biggest priorities in my life?

This is a complete no-brainer. The biggest priorities, the three biggest priorities, in my life are my husband and my two boys. Nobody is as, or more, important to me and I say this emphatically. They ALWAYS come first, I consider them before anything else in the way that when Jon and I make decisions they come first as family-based decisions are made. 

Me and my three are my world, beyond ANYTHING else.

Thirdly.
Am I being authentic? Do I allow myself to be me? Am I trying to be somebody I am not?

Now, when I started college I began to think about how I wanted to be perceived as a person. All teenagers go through it and I wanted to be just even slightly cool as I had been soooo un-cool at school. I sort of managed this by dressing how I wanted to, my fondness of charity shops began then I think-searching out some off the wall, funky clothes which I loved doing, and at times fitting in with the more cooler kids; even there was some issue of conformity. I began using my middle name instead of my given name which I feel has continued to suit me much more up to where I am now in my life; I've never changed it by deed poll but I plan to do so this year before I should ever need a new passport...

As time moves on I think you stop wanting to be perceived as anything because when you do get to a certain age you are hopefully happy in your skin and with you as you. It is an acceptance of yourself; I'm not sure you actually are allowing yourself to be you but it is a realisation. I'm not saying you can't change through further life experiences or things which might happen to you but they will hopefully also enhance your life.

Therefore I think I am not trying to be anybody I'm not at my age, which is 50 this year, gulp! I think I've felt like this for a good while and undoubtedly part of this is due to having got married and had my children. Being a wife and mother brings a whole new perspective to life which goes back to the second question. One other question on the list was about caring or not about what other people think of you and I think this fits in with this current question. I would say I don't care really. I'm not being bolshy but just that if others are unhappy or disagree with the decisions and choices made then I am more than fine with that. If those decisions are made for the benefit of me and my three then that is how people should accept them and me. Simples really.

I hope you find the list of questions interesting and maybe they will make you think about things in your life. I may come back to some of the others myself at a later date.

Bye for now.

Lou.xx 

Bore da and Blwyddyn Newydd Dda!

Good morning and Happy New Year just in case some of you are unsure!

Today I finally start a new Welsh class. As you may know I had a few lessons when we very first moved to Bronllan and they were across the road in our lovely community Canolfan. They did not continue due to numbers, then I found another last summer which was about 25 minutes away but I admit to sometimes forgetting about class, preferring to be outside in the Poly House etc. So, from this evening, I re-commence, again across the road thankfully, so no need to drive anywhere. It is from 6-8pm so doesn't clash with the youngest's football training but as we alternate weeks taking Alf and his pal we don't have to do too much re-jigging. I need to order my books but being a cheapscate I'm waiting to make sure I have the details correct as I think I've found them on the internet cheaper as there are slightly used copies available; every penny saved helps. 

So, yes it is a brand new year - 2018 here are are!

A couple of things are happening this year. My eldest begins senior school, which he is ridiculously excited about, and I will be having my 50th birthday.

Of course we are also working on getting our second Airbnb room up and running; we think we should have this ready by Easter which is at the end of March this year - it is waiting for furniture just now.

We also hope this year to have our pigs and sheep in the field and to acquire a quad bike to make so many jobs for Jon and I a whole lot easier.

There are not too many photos to be taken at the moment but I'm very glad to see the daffs have peaked their heads above ground and I look forward to having them in the house as long as possible but also seeing them when I look out of the window in the coming months.

In the house I decided to have a few winter decorations as opposed to Christmas,obviously; I plumped for carnations added to holly and twisted willow; quite effective I think.

I went to my first after-Christmas Slimming World group last night. I'd lost 2.5lbs and was very pleased with this as I had not only fallen off the wagon a bit over the festive period but careered under the wheels and emerged out the other end slightly battered! Only 3lbs to go then I'll be back within my target range so I'll manage that without too much trouble.

The weather today is really quite cold but thankfully hardly a breath of wind. Both fires are lit, logs were chopped and brought in by the boys last night (they both received new axes for Christmas!) so I am keeping cosy warm whilst having an indoors-day today.

Well, I'd better get on with a few jobs, not too much as the washer is on and brekky pots are taken care of.

I love hearing about new plans for a new year so look forward to reading all about things to come from everybody.

Bye for now.

Lou.xx