Life Is Good!

What a GOOD day to be alive! The sky is beautiful, the air crisp and no rain!

These are the sights which greeted me as I opened the back door this morning as I walked out to feed some keen ladies. 

I love living here so much, but obvs the weather being better always helps.

Jon had let the chooks out for a wander around the garden as he headed down to the style we have between us and our neighbour and I couldn't help loving the sight of daffs, snowdrops, and the odd crocus, showing Spring WILL come soon, promise.

This morning our plans were to help Mansel, our sheep-farming neighbour. He is such a lovely Welshman, uses some failry fruity language at times and was 80 in the summer. We hosted a bbq for him with family, friends and even our Airbnb guests who were staying with us joined in. Due to health problems, now sorted, and his age Jon does most of the work with the sheep for him - he just wants to be a sheep farmer! In the early, dark mornings the sheep are fed to save Mansel doing it and my youngest loves being involved with the lambing so will get up with Jon, plus he loves to walk the field after school to check on the ewes and any new lambs.

So this morning's job was to give the last injections to the pregnant ewes with Covexin 8. 

Me, Jon and the youngest headed out. I was on syringe-filling duties whilst Jon got the ewes into the race, 

and Alf did his first lot of injections, which he loved,

then back out into the field.

This weekend we're not going into Aber, yay! I just want to stay here and sooo love not having to battle with Saturday crowds. Plans for today apart from that? Not sure really, but just looked at the forecast and we're apparently due some fairly strong wind from about 2pm. I think I need to have one more brew and make a little plan! Our one-night Airbnb guest left early, one load is already out of the washer so may attempt to have some of that put out before any rain....

As I write this post the door into the conservatory is open with the sun streaming in, if a little chilly as I am yet to light any of the fires but lovely all the same.

I do hope you are managing to enjoy your little patches of paradise between the weather a lot of us are dealing with just now. Think positive because Spring will eventually arrive and when it does we will be ready!

Lou.xx

Spuds, Seeds, Storms and Spring.

Bore da, good morning.

It's been about a month since my last blog post so I thought I would have a little ramble and a catch up.

I am gradually regaining my mojo, well I was until Storm Ciara arrived (more of that later) so I have managed to get a few things done inside and outside.

I have bought my first early spuds, Arran Pilot, and these are currently chitting on the window sill in the conservatory.

The main bed in the growing area is FINALLY covered with a mixture of chicken poo, leaf mulch and homemade compost; this has taken me soooo long to do so pleased this is crossed off my list.

I have exciting news about this area, too. We are going to buy a poly tunnel, a domestic one, and we have seen one which is just about the same size as this area, 19 x 6 foot. It will go over the bed, be strongly secured to it and I'm now having to re-jig where I intend to sow/plant/grow things! Tracy over at Our Smallholding Adventure has one the same as we're going to purchase so really great to have a first hand account/review before buying. We hope to have it in position by the end of April.

I'm attempting to turn the bed outside the poly house into a cutting flower bed. For this I ordered some new seeds to go along with the ones I already have. In the same order I chose some dwarf beans, which I love growing, and there was an offer for 24  begonias which I plan on putting in the hanging baskets and maybe the planters outside the Airbnb listings.

Back to Storm Ciara. It began late Saturday afternoon after what what really was a lovely day. I completed the compost job I talked about at the beginning, collected up some leaves to mulch in a corner and put fresh bedding in the chicken house which I had cleaned out on Wednesday.

The chickens were put back in there from having been in the pond enclosure for quite a while. I was really pleased at getting these things done as we couldn't believe how quickly the storm came in. This was on Friday afternoon, before...

and this was yesterday afternoon.

I'm holding back on starting any sowing too early this year, for a number of reasons. Firstly I don't have my poly house, as I am sure you are WELL aware of, so will be using the conservatory in which to start things once I have cleaned the wooden stools and tables I normally use along with the staging . Secondly there is the poly tunnel to be made use of. A big part of it is connected to being lucky enough to  go and hear Charles Dowding talk back in November; this was arranged by Maryline of Rural and Rustic. I dug out, no pun intended, some magazine clippings about the sowing schedule he uses alongside his no-dig approach. Not really starting until March/April time when hopefully the ground will be warm by the time I am planting out; I'm also going to try his multi-sow idea, too.

Jon has acquired a new quad bike, when I say new I mean pre-loved, and it is already showing its worth with jobs around the place and helping with the sheep, along with our youngest having his own beast.

Jon has got back to working on the 4th Airbnb listing/lodging unit getting on great guns with insulation and plaster board.

Again before the storm I saw signs of Spring, if a little early. I do hope the magnolia tree Strellata doesn't flower any earlier than normal as it has a very short flowering season under normal circumstances.

Last night we were supposed to be heading out to take the boys to their Monday night activities but the weather made us think we really didn't need to leave the house. Boy was I pleased! We sat by the fire with a pot of tea, Jon strumming on his guitar and the boys being very grateful for not having to go out in the cold.

I was generally feeling a little overwhelmed yesterday as I seemed to have a lot to do and too many places to go. Mother nature seems to have stepped in to make me slow down a little and I am very grateful for that. Today I have nowhere to go so just plan on finishing this post, getting on with a few jobs around the house, bake a cake and be grateful that we are safe.

Hope you stay safe, too, and have enjoyed my ramblings.

Lou.xx