Steadily Sowing And Gradually Growing.

Good morning.

I do hope you have some good weather you can be grateful for and enjoy if you are able to get outside. We have been very lucky recently and the forecast is good for the rest of the week so much so that our boys are camping out in the garden tonight.

How is everybody? Well I hope and staying safe under the circumstances; we're ok with the odd wobble here and there. We were back in home-school mode yesterday so at times I needed to help the youngest with the writing of a theoretical business plan and then an imaginary diary of a sheep drover from the 1880's - in Welsh, suffice to say I was helping before translation. Today it is French, Science and Maths but the last one is Jon's domain if help's needed!

The chooks are laying well at the moment. We gave a box of eggs to each of our neighbours at the weekend and yesterday made use of a few more. It was a bit of a kitchen day so I managed to make chicken and tops-of-the-leeks soup, over-ripe fruit crumble, apple and cinnamon oat cookies with some shamefully slightly past best eating apples and two cakes - almond pound cake and chocolate.

In other kitchen news I was able to get some yeast from the catering company my sister uses so I am good to go with the bread making now!

I took a turn around the garden after tea last night and did the watering; some of the chickens were free ranging and quite happily shared the garden with the lambs. 

The red and green lettuce in the shallow sink is doing really well; hope it results in as good a crop as last year!

Arran Pilot first early spuds are coming along in all three of the tyres.

Even the lilac, which only flowers once every couple of years, made me smile.

The strawberry pots outside are looking very healthy after over wintering...

and they will, along with those from the large crate, VERY soon be transferred to the poly tunnel (PT) because I'm expecting it to be delivered TODAY or tomorrow.👏👏 Soooo excited. The plan is to get the frame up at the weekend and Jon is going to build beds each side with a middle walkway. We hope to have compost delivered at the end of the month when we share a big order with our neighbours so the supplier makes just one journey. We'll be looking at putting a good eight inches or so over the manure we have already laid on the area and then let the planting commence!

One slight nuisance I have in the large bed are the rogue spuds left over from last year; they have popped up here and there so I think I'll have to take them out so they don't bother the new planting out I'll be doing.

I checked the conservatory last night, too; things have been coming on gradually in there over the last few days, too. I did my first potting on the other day and that was the squash, Butterbush variety, which are suggested as a container plant but I'm actually putting them in the ground.

I've sown aubergine Black Beauty this year, again, and they are showing, not huge yet but...; really want to be able to have these in the PT.

This is the first year I have tried multi-sowing,  a la Charles Dowding, and these are my leeks!

Tomatoes are not very big yet but looking healthy.

One crop which will be ready to plant out soon, allowing for the last frost, are my dwarf beans; it should be safe to put these out by the end of the month.

Well, I'd better get a brew so I'm ready to start with the boys. 

I hope you are all managing, coping and maybe enjoying or at least making the best of this forced situation we've found ourselves in; we need to stick to the rules to protect everybody. I know it seems like it will never end but it will and when we come out the other side life will be different for sure, but we'll be able to reconnect with people again without the use of a screen and hopefully appreciate so much more who and what we are lucky enough to have in our lives.

Take care and stay safe.

Lou.xx

Strange Times Indeed.

Good evening all.

Well we are living in some strange times that is for sure. Not wanting to dwell on the current situation for suffice to say there has been a bit of prepping going on at Bronllan and it is always interesting to see how people are dealing with this kind of situation. We have decided to block any Airbnb bookings for the time being as we do get quite a lot of guests from Europe. Our boys are still going to school but teacher friends say this will possibly change in the near future. We have made the decision to try and stay away from town for the next few weeks; there were 13 new cases over night and non-essential/elective surgeries at all hospitals have been cancelled.

Deciding not to make trips to town unless emergencies after tomorrow means we're stocked up on basic items which we can utilise as much and as usefully as possible.There is a lot of home baking going on and using up things in the freezer like soups, fruit from the summer etc. We're looking upon it as a challenge and also a short term solution in a situation that we feel we can manage for ourselves if we go about the right way. Aside from this is does make me feel extremely lucky that I can be at home if the boys are off school and that Jon works in an environment where social distancing is not an issue. However I do feel very sorry for parents who rely on things such as breakfast and after school clubs and organisations who will not be able to support vulnerable children during this situation.

Aaaanyway, moving on.

I have been outside getting a few jobs done today. I decided to sow some dwarf beans as these are something that I grew really well last year and I over wintered. This year I'm trying variety Speedy from Thompson and Morgan starting some off in a drainpipe...

and a few more in my home made pots; I'm feeling very optimistic about the change in weather and my conservatory is getting warmer each day so this is where the beans are sitting along with the sweet peas and a few other things germinating.

Talking of the weather this is now my little patch of paradise was looking this morning; a bit breezy but very pleasant all the same.

We are popping out late tomorrow afternoon to add to our brood. Yes, we are fetching 10 new chooks.👏👏👏. In preparation for this I have today also cleaned out the hen house and replenished the bedding ready for the newbies. Also, the pond enclosure has had a tidy - I even dragged some of the leaves out of said pond but that REALLY does need a proper job doing on it soon! The chook poo was superbly rotted down as the bedding in there had been sawdust and has turned into luverly compost stuff and is a great addition to the garden prep so I'm ready for sowing and growing this year.

All eight tyres have had a nice covering along with some gently worked into one of the small beds. I just managed to get the job done before the heavens opened and very pleased as the existing girls are in their new abode and the new ones will go straight into a clean new house.

Inside these are some of our preparations but there has been no panic buying by us. Plenty of cheese for snacks, sandwiches and with pasta dishes,  

carrots blanched and frozen so easy for throwing into stews/casseroles or just as veg portions,

biscuits and cakes for the tin and freezer and bread will be added to that. For mains I'm freezing tomato paste in small portions to use in pasta dishes or on pizza bases (easy to make for pennies, too)

and of course spuds which we're mainly storing in the cellar but with some in the kitchen, too.

Don't judge me for getting organised in such a way - just looking after me and mine; I'm upset that the veg side of things are now our own, at least we still have our own garlic from last year! but I am SO on the sowing and growing this year!

Lambing 2020 is in full swing just now. After a few unfortunate hicups in the beginning we are getting a steady stream of healthy twins and singles with about 20 or so ewes to yet give birth. This little one needed some help from Jon to make its way into the world but was up and about quite quickly and is now a healthy boy.

Tomorrow morning Jon and I are going to have a proper count up so we know what we have and what we may have to come.

Well, that is about it. Stay safe everybody, look after each other and hope you enjoyed my ramble.

Bye for now.

Lou.x 

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

Post-Christmas Garden Procrastination.

Hello there.

I didn't feel inclined to the panic and rush of a New Year's Eve/Day blog post so feel more relaxed to attempt it now. Such is my relaxation I am beginning it on Sunday afternoon and will be hopefully completing it tomorrow. All my men return to school and work tomorrow so as well as starting this I will mostly be ironing so I can have a me day from 8.15am until 3.15pm when I will probably be fetching our youngest from rugby.

FYI, it is now 11.5am on Monday morning. Just had a nice surprise as Jon popped in to get a brew to go whilst collecting some tools for a job, I've done a few jobs around the house and now here I am.

So where to begin? A belated Happy New Year, Blwyddyn Newydd Dda.

...and little about last year.

We had our best Airbnb year to date including hosting family members in all 3 listings over the Christmas period; we received this lovely card from one of the couples on January 4th.

 

and we started preparation for creating a full-blown business out of the listings by having new signage made; very exciting.

I made my first attempt at hanging baskets for the listings and also improved the planters and I was very happy with the results.

The third of our listings had its first visitors in July and from then on was busy right through the year give or take the odd week; we didn't expect that at all. Here is the link.

We are super excited that we already have bookings for the 2020 National Esiteddfod which is taking place in Tregaron, just eight miles away from us from 1-8 August.

In the garden, even though it was neglected slightly due to the first item on this list, I did get a great, continuous harvest of red and green lettuce, my best garlic yield yet, the first very successful growing of Spring cabbage and cauli, although there were harvesting issues with the latter. Here are some other minor treats from the veg patches.

Just before Christmas Jon got round to a little project in the kitchen. We bought a job lot of Laura Ashley tiles and he did a fab job on the sink area.

Now, onto the title of this post. I am so suffering from said title at the moment. I just cannot get myself outside but today I thought I would go out and look at the state of pay. I took a few photos when I went out to feed the chooks; they got a few extra treats over Christmas and although they are in low yield mode just now the eggs are massive.

Here are said chooks; we put down some of the bamboo in the week as they were laying behind it and I had trouble retrieving the eggs; they also have something different on which to chow down.

This is the rather gloomy view of the growing area - not an attractive sight at this time of the year to be honest.

I have fresh compost in the six tyres as well as the other two large ones; there is still some work to be done there. I did manage to cut back the raspberry canes before Christmas but not much else...

Obvs not much sowing and growing happening just now. Here are the onions? These are planted in the right hand side of the bed in the far left of the above photo. They have been constantly brought to the top by the rain and then got at by birds, possibly. I'm leaving as is until I get some February planting sets and then I will sort out the bed; at least one seems to have taken!

Also in the same bed on the left hand side is the garlic; this sort of had the same problem but has taken much better.

Whilst looking for evidence of snowdrops at the far end of the garden, which I found yay, I also spotted some of the garlic cloves which had taken flight, by one means or another, from the bed and across the fence!

Outside the polyhouse (far too embarrassed to show you THAT) are the planters I had nearThe Snug last Spring/Summer; they are happily coming back to life; I have to be very honest and say there are new bulbs which I have not got round to planting yet.....

On the way back up to the house I spied some buds on the Magnolia Strallata. This is my very favourite thing in the garden but I only wish it was in flower for a longer time.

This is how I very much look forward to it showing later in the year.

So that is a little ramble about stuff. 

Last night I began some planning of what will go where in the growing area. Not even THINKING about sowing anything yet but do like to know where things will be. Trying to make sowing and growing easier for me this year, manage my time better along with looking after the Airbnb listings. I don't want the former to fail whilst the other is thriving - just need to be organised which I really am good at normally....

I do need to order the February garlic and decide which spuds I'm growing this year but that is about it for now, despite the seed catalogues regularly flying through the door at a fair rate of knots! 

Jon brought home a mahoosive amount of wood for logging just before Christmas which should keep us in wood beyind next Winter. It came with some lovely composted down wood chips. Hoping to get this on the beds when we have a dry spell in a couple of weeks; we have already given a good few barrow fulls to our next but one neighbours and they are very happy with it.

Along with this I have been going through the multitude of seeds I have collected; I'm ready to give some away to a deserving project somewhere hopefully in Mid-Wales. I've just cancelled both of my gardening magazine subscriptions; it's part of the cutting back on the budget as usual at this time of the year - every little helps - and this is also where most of my seeds come from.

Right, getting on for lunchtime now so hope this reaches you with not too many mistakes and that you enjoy my first ramblings of 2020. I'm also returning to my Slimming World group this evening to deal with the food slump I have found myself in.

Bye for now, Lou.xx