Preserving and Project Progress.

Hi!

Airbnb phase two is coming along really well. Inside we have got the frame for the front of the chalet in place.

The window and door were put in along with membrane covering.

The doors were then taken off and they will be used on another project.

This door was originally the connecting door between Jon's tool shed and the main shed.

Alfie was a really good lad learning some new skills by helping Jon with the cladding and putting on the new windowsill. 

And here we are.

We are very pleased with how it looks on the outside - obviously it needs painting but when guests come it looks tidy from the front.

Jon will continue working on the inside at those times when we don't have any guests.

In other news my order of onions and garlic have come today.

It was my offer from GYO magazine.

And I am pleased to still be harvesting some things...

which include my only four chillis, one last Spring onion I think, lettuces (not Winter ones), the contents of the first growing bag of sweet potatoes, which I am so very pleased with, and still some tomatoes are coming.

Today I have made a jar of gherkin relish as they keep popping up, too. I'm really looking forward to my preserving this year. I look forward to us using it on burgers next summer and it looks JUST how I wanted it to!

Right, I have a cake in the oven just now for when we go visit my mum tomorrow. 

I look forward to seeing what everybody gets up to over the weekend.

Bye for now.

Lou.xx




  

September - How Did That Happen?!

September is here!

I love September; it is the start of my favourite time of the year. The nights are drawing in; already it is pitch dark by 9pm and changing daily. I love Autumn because of the colours due to the changing of the season. I am sooo looking forward to lighting the Rayburn next month but in the meantime chilly nights will have us sitting away from the TV room and being snuggly in the living room with the wood burner. (We do watch TV in the darker months but sometimes we just like 'being'; listening to music, reading and me probably planning the garden for the months ahead!

Therefore I have been taking photos to show how things have progressed thus far and maybe a little show and tell of things that have gone on since we began harvesting from our little plot and beds, things I have preserved and made etc.

I made 5 jars of damson jam and some fruit leathers with gifted damsons; we gifted and sold some, too.
I have pickled 2 jars of beetroot, one given away as a gift along with some jam.  (I plan on making more.)
2 lots of stewed apple for the freezer with giften cookers along with crumbles, some sold and gifted.
2 good sized jars of pickled gherkins.
2 jars of refrigerator pickles which I luuuurve!

A little update, I was gifted some cooking apples yesterday and now I can make some chutney to keep in stock. Not sure what kind yet but very pleased to have received the apples.

Thanks to the wonder of the Welsh countryside I have foraged about 3lbs of blackberries. These have been used with yoghurt for my Slimming World diet, instead of buying mixed berries, for crumbles with the free apples and some are for making blackberry vodka for Christmas.

Now here are a few photos from the garden, using the new camera of course! Here is the Poly House looking a little different to recent times.

The tomatoes are still flowering and there are still quite a lot to pick, too.

Also in there are the chillis...

and also the sweet potatos.

The cucumbers and gherkins are coming to the final flowering I think.

Now for outside. THESE are my Christmas spuds and the variety is Duke of York. I can't believe how well they are already doing; as you can see the ones I have put in a tyre are doing well, too.

The sweetcorn is getting nearer the stage of harvesting but has a way to go yet as the tops of the cobs are not all dried yet.

It seemed we'd had the last of the courgettes but this plant has had a welcome spurt and looking great.

Now, this post also covers Phase Two of our Airbnb project. Jon has been working on it since last weekend after a friend visited bringing with him some building materials we needed.

He started by getting the stud wall up between the bathroom and bedroom...

positioning the basin and toilet...

and setting the shower tray in place.

Jon bought a shed load of windows from various places and this one was perfect for the bathroom; didn't need to be frosted as too high for anybody to see in. He made a brilliant job of the frame so is confident he can make the rest of the frames for all of the windows.

The boys were giving a hand yesterday as he was getting the plaster board up and the flooring down.

  
 

More progress reports soon.

Ok, that's it for today. I have been writing this post after getting home very wet due to watching Alfie in his first football tournament. He is goaly and did really, really well even though their team was knocked out of the group.

Look forward to seeing what everybody has been up to over the weekend.

Bye for now, Lou.xx

Monday Mumblings.

Hi. My last post was only on Wednesday but it seems ages ago to me.

This is a bit of a random post, no change there, with a few things I've been thinking about and doing.

Jon's cousin and other half came on Saturday lunch time and we have a great time. Our boys are away with the Gramps, thanks to our guests taking them back with them yesterday, until Friday so I have no time constraints for when they are due home, like snacks and tea making. Right here we are then.

My beetroot is shooting up well so I've decided to cram into the veg patch as much as I can when I plant it out.  Last year I grew what turned into approximately 3lbs and this made almost three jars when pickled.

I figure that as it is only really eaten in the summer if I grow twice, or three times, as much as that this year then I won't need to grow it next year; that is the plan anyhow!

I have been looking for seeds to grow sweet chilies but not been very successful so asked Dawn, you know who I mean I'm sure, and she gave me a good list to look for; this is one of the many jobs on my list of things to do!

As I got it into my head the other day to sow some spinach seeds the other day, a little thing came into my head

Think where things will go before you decide to sow! 

and

Label everything where possible or necessary

I decided to give my seeds in the house a little helping hand this week so...

this lot and those in the kitchen have been given some extra warmth; things are coming along well and can't wait to get them into the Poly House.

On Saturday I received a lovely parcel in the post; I have joined up with a Stationery Swap together with Jocelyn from The Reading Residence and here are my goodies...

In my parcel were pencils, a pen, post it notes, note cards with envelopes, a mini stapler, bookmarks, stickers, a notebook and stickers. All just lovely from a lady called Amy.

This Friday my blueberry bush offer arrived from my Grow Your Own mag. This morning I unpacked them and gave them a good watering, a little time yet before I get them in the ground.

A couple of photos from the garden. The herb sink is slowly coming back to life

and the garlic is doing really well.

The green picket fence, which you can just see at the far left of this photo, has been extended right up to the new gate Jon built. This is another creosoting job for me but to be honest I find it quite satisfying. When this is painted I have to do another coat on ALL of the fencing but I'll get a cuppa, my little seat and radio and be off!

Can't wait until I can see lots more things through the window of the Poly House!

I don't have photos of the process as I was too scared to look, but Jon and the boys took down a tree on Saturday morning and he is half way through logging it ready to season for next winter; he is LOVING filling up his newly positioned woodpile! (I heard about this book on the radio and I think I may have to buy it for him!


Great excitement, well at least from me, on Saturday morning. The girls gave us 5 eggs, and three today so far; things are on the up it seems.

After the boys had gone to the Gramps on Sunday Jon and I had a bit of us time in Aber. The usual, buying work socks, rodent killer and a PH soil testing kit. As you do!

We also sat and had a coffee, well Jon did. I was very good and didn't have a coffee as they had run out of skimmed milk and I watched him eat a caramel shortbread, too. (It is my weigh in tonight so looking forward to some good news and also going to the earlier meeting as don't have to get tea for the boys.)

Right, better get on. 

Bye for now.

Lou.xx

Sowing And Growing 2017 Here We Come!

Morning.

I've mentioned at times my sowing and growing plans for this year so I thought I'd do a proper post mostly about the veg; you might want to get a brew and a biscuit when you sit down to this one! If I have a record of plans I normally get things straight in my head when they are down on 'paper '- I can also ask for any advice I might need as I go along! Obviously it's good to be flexible because if something doesn't work or I change my mind etc. that's ok.

I've learned a great deal since last April, from how much spacing you really need between things when you plant out, how to deal with growing in bags, watering routines, patience - lots of things. It will be great to look back on this and compare to the harvest we hopefully reap!


 Now first of all this is the plan I have drawn up for the main veg patch, the five tyres, drainpipes(?), growing bags (not grow bags), the patch previously used for sweet corn, the shallow Belfast sink, containers and inside the Poly House (PH).
                                           

These are the plans for January - March incl. 

The first sowings I'll hopefully do in the next week or so. These will be started off in the conservatory as it is too cold in the PH just now. I hope to be sowing chillies, sweet ones, and we are not keen on really hot ones so will bear this in mind; I couldn't get the right seeds at the weekend but once ready they'll be moved into the PH to be grown in containers under one of the benches as I think there is room for their height without taking up floor space. 

Spring onions are something I really want to improve on this year. Last year I managed a few but they were very weak looking. These will be started off in the conservatory, might work or may have to wait until February depending on how warm the sun gets. They will then be put outside in the shallow Belfast sink - should be able to get loads in there!

In February these are the jobs:

- cucumbers called Marketmore sowed, same procedure as before. Didn't do too bad last year but hope to do better this time with a different variety (can't remember what the last ones were called); they will go into the PH raised bed alongside the aubergines.

- the first round of tomato seeds will be sown, cherry ones, which will be Gardener's Delight which I acquired from not sure where plus a variety particularly for bottling called Capriccio F1 Hybrid ordered from Thompson & Morgan. I don't know much about the difference between Hybrids and others but it may be that they have been produced to be a little more resistant to disease, to guarantee size?

- 1st early spuds need to start chitting ready to be planted at the end of this month; I have on order Charlottes and  Arran Pilot.

- piquant peppers, thanks to Dawn for the seeds, as well as some sweet peppers the seeds for which came with my GYO mag. These I plan to grow under one of the benches the same as the chillies unless they prove too big, must measure the height of the bench...

⦁ I could start some carrots but not sure if I will bother as failed badly with these last year; might give them a miss and try next year.

⦁ peas are new to me this year and on recommendation from Dawn, thanks again, I ordered Victorian Colossal Climbing Pea seeds from Victoriana Nursery Gardens. I will start these off as all before in 1 drainpipe I have in the conservatory but I think I have at least one more I can use. This is the advice on how to start off as they can be slid into position when ready to plant out. Not sure if I need to sow every couple of months or just go with the initial sow.

- I have on order Maris Piper seeds spuds and these need to be chitting this month.

- I am sowing two varieties of aubergines - Black Beauty and Long Purple; my plan gives room for 2 plants but I might just try and squeeze in 3 so I can get at least 1 of each type. I'm really am keen to grow these this year because I was too late last year; again they will be started in the conservatory before being moved to the PH and when ready they will be put into the raised bed. Can't wait to make my own ratatouille!

For March we have the following:

- I want to grow some climbing beans this year but haven't bought seeds yet. I am a bit funny about beans. I only like the thin French beans not the long runner beans. Ultimately they will be planted out in the back two tyres on tripods of course;I hope they will get some good sun there but will be sheltered, too, by the wall.

- lettuce will be sown in the fixed drainpipe in the PH and I plan to sow every couple of weeks. I have a mixed lot of seeds which include All The Year Round, Mizuna, Rocket, Cress (Land/American) this I may grow in a container of sorts just because it shows that on the front of the packet!, Lettuce Salad Bowl and Radichio. Some seeds were bought last year, some came with my GYO and some I acquired; hope to get a good variety this year.

- Maris Piper early maincrop spuds will go in at the beginning of the month.

- by now the cucumber should be ready to be put into the PH raised bed along with the aubergines so we will see what good bedfellows they make!

 - onion sets can be sown this month, too, so shall look at getting some bought in good time, if space on the plot allows for them. (Last year I planted the onions in June and November; the June ones harvested in mid-October.)

- sugar snap peas did not too bad being supported between the sweetcorn last year; not quite sure where they would go this year if I do grow them, may have to get some large containers for them...

- not sure if I will have to start off more peas this month, any advice or should the ones I put in last month be enough.


- gherkins are something Jon loves so really want to have a bash at these this year.

Right, I think that it is for the sowing and growing plans, f course there are jobs to be done in and around the Poly House this month so I aim to:

- turn over the compost bin, the bottom section is looking really healthy

- tidy out the rest of the growing bags, containers etc

- make a spot in the fruit area for the blackcurrant and raspberry bushes that I currently have in pots

- put compost that I have in some containers in the Poly House in one receptacle

- give the Poly House one last clean up before we start the year in earnest!

It goes without saying that any advice, tips or "no!!!! don't do that's" will always be appreciated!

Bye for now.

Lou.xx