Here Comes The Sun - for a good few days!

 Hi!

So it looks as if there is light at the end of the tunnel regarding the pandemic. I hope you are all getting your vaccinations at the right time, though don't get me started on our little story of that. Let us stick to the rules for a while longer and you never know where we might be for summer!

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I didn't used to watch a lot of YouTube but my very good friend Tracy has her own channel over at Our Smallholding Adventure and is collecting new subscribers all the time. She told me about various interesting channels, as I have shared here before I think, but there is one I have told her about recently and want to do so here. I actually came across her via the channel of Liz Zorab who can be found at BytherFarm. If you don't know Liz she lives in Monmouthshire, Wales and has a fantastic growing space and is a keen permaculture fan. I need to learn more about that! She has also just written a book called Grounded and you can find out all about it and order a copy from here as well as other well know online platforms.

Anyway I digress! This new channel belongs to a lovely lady called Lorella in Missouri in the US and her channel is Lorella Plan Bee Orchard and Farm. The first video of hers I watched can be found here after Liz talked about it on her channel. It is a wonderful intorduction to Lorella's sense of humour, charachter and way of thinking as she and her husband work their homestead. 

I enjoyed it because she talks about being overwhelmed by stuff! including tasks in your garden. Production not perfection, being honest about what can achieve and bascially not beating yourself up if everything does not go quite to plan. I took a lot away from it about being overwhelmed by things.

As I worked outside yesterday in #mylittlepatchofparadise I couldn't help thinking of Lorella's words. I'd been putting off dealing with my raised beds and garden areas in preparation for the new growing season because I thought it was going to be a big task. However, as the sun shone down and I gradually took off my coat, scarf, waistcoat and hat in the, almost, Spring weather, I realised taking one thing at a time did make things sooo much easier. I know this isn't rocket science but sometimes you just can't see the wood for the trees. 

I'de been fettling in my poly house, sooo loving being back in there since it was recovered, and was getting ready to plant the last of these onion sets plus the red ones in pots.

and had already managed to do some planting of onions and finished mulching one bed with a little bought but mainly my own compost. Go me!

The next job I have looked at I don't know how many times. This planter had some peas in last year and when they finished I just took them out and left it; it isn't as if it's even that big a space! So as I headed to sort out the raised bed NEXT to it, stil in ignore mode, I remembered I had actually moved a couple of weeds from it so I thought COME ON, DO IT with Lorella in my head saying break down those tasks. 

I actually cleared it quite easily and I'll be growing Butterbush butternut squash in it this year. I also cleared around the base which helped me see the blackcurrant bush next to it was still alive. Bonus! 

I felt I had achieved so much even though it only took me about 15 minutes; I moved onto the other bed and got that finished, too.

Lorella also talked about honesty regarding your garden; don't strive for perfection but production - I think that is going to be my new mantra. It's important to realise you can't do everything, hence breaking down those jobs or projects into small bites.

Thanks so much Lorella.

The good weather is set to contine for a few days yet as we come into March, even though the mornings are still a little chilly. This morning Jon and I walked the fields and found 2 new borns and we finally have a girl - 11 boys and 1 girl now. Here you can see the frost.

We checked on a mum and her twins in the barn, too, and she was stamping her foot at me protecting her young as I took the photo!

I took this lovely photo of Jon, with Belle in the distance, as we walked in the early morning light and the moon was amazing!

He has become such a wonderful shepherd in the last couple of years and I am so proud of him. Our dream is to have our own farm but that is a dream unfortunately.

I'd love some of you to let me know about any YouTube channels you like, find useful or just watch for fun. Do comment here.

Take care, stay safe,

Lou.xx

Just A Hi There And Hello!

Hello. I hope you're all keeping well and safe. Here in Wales we have two more weeks left of our current lockdown and the boys are obviously still learning from home. However there seems to be light at the end of the tunnel for when they may return, virtually crossing my fingers.

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The weather is bitterly cold as I type this, early evening Monday, but thankfully no snow.

Even during inclement weather I love my growing space here in #mylittlepatchofparadise as I like to call it. Since the beginning of the month I've been taking part in #mymonthonthontheplot on Instagram, posting a different photo each day to do with my growing area and seeing what other people have been gettng up to, really good fun even when our gardens don't necessarily look their best at this time of the year.

This year I have my poly house back - woop woop, re-covered at the beginning of November after I'm not sure how long. I have my  Feel Good UK polytunnel which we managed to buy, install and start using in May last year. My outdoor beds and other growing spaces are great as they are made from sleepers we found whilst clearing the jungle of a garden we had when we arrived here. I also have bathroom 'items' that would have just been thrown out, an old chimmney plus a LOT of tyres which Jon acquired along with a big old wooden crate.

Currently the main bed, which is 17 x 6 feet, has had a visit from a mole or two! 

Here it is in a previous years from a couple of angles.

This is worrying me as I went into panic mode when I first saw them; my mind is thinking I won't be able to grow anthing if I don't get rid of them and I will have failed my family in my aim to provide as much fresh food as I can for them. Then yesterday I was watching an episode of 'The Wartime Kitchen and Garden' ; this was to help research the next post on my WW2 blog Put That Light Out! Anyway, what should I see but Mr Hobbs laying a trap for a mole which one of the land girls knew had got into her veg patch. I know some gardeners prefer not to use traps but needs must. I'll look for the run and hopefully put the trap in at the weekend with a little help from Jon.

I still wouldn't consider myself a confident gyo-er, but I am very enthusiastic! This year I'm growing something for the first time - dwarf borlotti beans - as I love the idea of drying them to keep for use in stews next winter. Not sure how many plants I'll need to save a couple of jars - anybody with any advice on that please?

I'm also growing something in the same place this year; I don't go for massive plot rotation plans as I am a no dig gardener and a big fan of Charles Dowding, My sweetcorn grows best in one specific bed, right outside the poly house where it gets very good sun so that's where it will go! Anyone else a no dig fan of CD?

This has just been a nice little ramble before I REALLY have something to show when sowing soon starts. 

Hope you've enjoyed it.

Bye for now and stay safe,

Lou.xx