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