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

Projects, plants and progress.

Hello!

Before I start I hope everybody is still staying safe. Thing seem to be changing quite rapidly in the outside world just now - not really affecting us to the point that I sometimes don't know what the new rules are as I don't intend to do anything much changed since lockdown began. However, thinking of everybody as people start to get used to the new normal in whatever part of the country you find yourself and in whatever form it is found.

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Today is Sunday. It's blowing a bit of a hooley out there just now but this is the view that greeted me at the cellar back door this morning.

I have a list of things to do but a lot of them are outside jobs and that is why I'm ducking out of most of them today, to do with what I'm posting about just now. I have however planted out the two dahlias which came as my fab swap for a bag of unwanted brown rice and my first time multi-sown leeks a la Charles Dowding but I am done with the wind now.

First thing yesterday I took a look in the veg beds and came inside with some Arran Pilot first early spuds which we had for lunch with mint from the garden, some herbs, salad leaves and radish, Pinks flowers and a couple of eggs. As it was Saturday I fetched one of my loaves up from the cellar freezer; we tend to use my bread as the family prefer sliced bread in the week with mine delish with our own eggs and butties for brekky on the weekend!

My handy hubby completed a job we've been talking about for a while. It got done because he'd already started an improvement job on our septic tank soakaway and, because he needed materials for that, he brought home what was needed for the other job more close to my heart. Have to say chuffed with our two boys as they have helped with the job by doing some digging of the trench during the week - not fun for them but definitely went towards some well earned pocket money.

Job number two was finishing the path in the poly tunnel and making the outside a little more presentable, along with stopping it getting swamped due to being at the bottom of the garden on an ever so slight slope!

I won't provide you with photos of the septic tank job😁... but here is the poly tunnel before and after.

I can't WAIT to pitch my pink and blue stool outside and enjoy my little patch of paradise, check on jobs to be done, feel chuffed with myself when things go well or commiserate with when they don't quite come off as I had expected! - pretty much a reflection of life in general. I do hope gardening is still helping you keep mentally healthy and giving you the chance to get outside in the fresh air, between the rain showers.

As we looked around the garden yesterday we talked about other projects and plans we have. We don't plan on having any Airbnb guests staying with us until 2021 so will take the time to get stuff done! Our calendar is blocked off and we don't anticipate welcoming any new guests before next February. I recieved this from a previous guest just this week in the form of a post card via Airbnb - 

Hi Louise,

I was really looking forward to coming back to Ystrad Meurig to stay with you again (during the Eisteddfod) but hopefully we can do so next year. I spent the wet winter recalling my daily cycle rides during the hottest week of July. Fantastic! I hope you’ve all be managing during the lockdown and have stayed well. Let’s hope some kind of normality returns soon! Best wishes, Neil.

So very, very kind. Apparently guests have asked for ways to send support to their favourite hosts.

Now please don't be offended by the next photo. This is the frame of my beloved poly house built by my husband not long after we moved here. It has been through two covering projects but the last one we decided was THE last one as far as polythene goes. So here is the poly house as is now....😒

We have a separate job to be done first, this summer with all things crossed for its completion, which will allow us to do this one pretty much for free - always good! That job is a new roof on the conservatory. I am not a fan of conservatories in general, however on wet days I can dry clothes, dry herbs, garlic as I am just now, there is a pool table in there, it works as a boot room and we have the door we use to come into the house - anybody else not use their front door apart from for some guests, the post and other deliveries?

This is the conservatory, taken from the garden.

So, the process will be to clad up the sides of the poly house to a total of about three feet then take the Perspex - like material off the roof of the conservatory to add to the roof and sides. This will be fantastic as right now I don't have a potting shed/ building in the garden to do bits and pieces in and have to wait for good weather to use my outside bench.

Regarding the conservatory, once the Perspex roof is off it will have boarding and waterproofing etc topped off with some FREE tiles we have had "in stock" for a good while; the sides will also be clad with room left for a window on each side, too; this will make the room more usable all year round.

As we wandered around the garden yesterday I took a look at a few things and some photos. The sweetcorn is now just over 2ft tall. It's doing better than a couple of years ago because of me planting it in the same spot as the very first year I grew it - outside the poly house where it gets great sunshine.

I did a plant swap a while ago and one thing I was given was a pumpkin; not sure of the variety but I do know it is white! I've been thinking where I can plant it so it has enough space. I've decided to put it toward the back left as you look at the poly tunnel. 

I took a quick look in one of my compost bins and I hate the sight which greeted me. Rather stupidly I put some rogue spuds out of the veg beds in there and look what happened?!! I could really kick myself as I am going to have to pull them all out when I give the bin a turning over.😖 REALLY mad with myself.

Whilst meandering we talked about the trees in the garden. The previous owners planted a LOT of trees during their time at the house, but as we've gone on to do different things with the outside space they need taking back and even removing.

This tree is just enormous and will need some work as it worries us at time when we have had some really windy weather that it made head toward the house!

Then this collection, including a couple on the left of the photo, over shadow the poly tunnel a little so will need some work.

So onto today, I went to feed the chooks and had a look at any wind damage from over night - not too bad; I had to re-stake the broccoli netting and saw that the maincrop spuds in the tyres had taken a bit of a battering but I'm sure they'll survive. 

These next photos show one of my cucumber plants, teeny tiny cucumber just now?! plus some I've sown to grow outside which I might need if the ones in the poly tunnel don't buck up their ideas!

Here are the PSB which I've potted on until their final resting place is ready. The caulis in the bed behind the poly house are looking very healthy. Keeping an eye on them in case they need to be netted.

These are a very welcome sight, my dwarf beans in the poly tunnel. Earlier in the week I was having a bit of a panic as some of the beans seemed to be going mouldy; this I am certain was due to me not ventilating the poly tunnel enough - rookie mistake with being a first time poly tunnel owner. Things seem to be improving which is great.

These two photos are of opposite sides of the poly tunnel, gaps which I really need to do something about. On the left is a solitary aubergine, next to the fig tree, which I think is really struggling. On the right to the right of the planter housing a butternut squash Butterbush are three pepper plants which, again, are struggling. I did use the plastic bottles as mini greenhouses and they seemed to help a bit; I think we need a bit more warm weather to help these plants along a bit. 

So, I think that covers everything for now. Please do accept my apologies for the ever changing colours and typeface, just getting used to a faitly new laptop... 😒

#Staysafe, look after yoursleves and bye for now.

Lou.xx

Poly Tunnel Pleasure and other stuff!

Hello all.

How is everybody doing? I hope you are coping but if not it's ok to have a wobble now and then, take it from one who knows!

I have to be honest that, in general, we're just keeping on trucking here on our little homestead. Jon is at work for now and I am still stay at home mum. Chatting to somebody on Twitter the other day I explained how I don't have the connections which are normally provided by our Canolfan close to the house. The activities, like the regular coffee mornings and lunches I normally attend, have been put on hold but right now but I'm more than happy to shut the door behind me and stay home after any necessary visits.

I read a blog post here about home by the wonderful Rebecca at Fforest Hill, that is well worth a read when you have a moment, which most of us do at some point just now. It talks about where and what home means to you.

Obviously things are different in a way for the boys; they are coping with the school work really well in general and when that's over for the day they still have their jobs to do around the place; they still want their pocket money so it has to be earned by things like fixing fences, storing logs for winter and helping tidy the garden.

In another admission we are loving actual lockdown. Tracy at Our Smallholding Adventure and I have talked about this a lot over the weeks. Although she is a total super woman, as in a lot of households, where she is having to work from home, manage her animals, keep up with home schooling whilst looking after the children and Steve, she is enjoying the way we have been forced to live just now, too. However using the word 'forced' implies it is a chore and I have to be honest, again, I (we) don't see it that way.

We're still using shops closer to home, more so than travelling to major supermarkets, including the butcher and fruit n veg cabin both just eight miles away. We've plans to continue making a monthly visit to the wholesalers for dried goods but we're baking and making in the kitchen and getting on with growing our own as well as we can, which brings me on to the big even of recent weeks...

We've lived here in Wales for just over 4 and a half years, crikey are those numbers right? Ever since being settled I've wanted a poly tunnel (PT); I was very lucky to have Jon build me a wonderful poly house not long after we moved here. It's been fantastic and will continue to be once it is re-covered because at the moment it's masquerading as a gazebo!

Anyhow, the PT arrived last Tuesday so after tea with the help of the boys we had the frame put together without too much trouble.

I did help but was also chief photographer, obvs!

On the Wednesday night the whole gang were outside again - soooo thankful for good weather at that time, we measured out and made up the lengths of wood for the beds.

We, do you like the royal we, put in the steaks REALLY far down so the frame could be drilled and attached to them; this sucker is going NOWHERE!

On Thursday we put the cover on and that was, surprisingly, not that difficult.

I've ordered a massive bag of compost which will be here on Thursday, squuueal, and this will mean we can put a really thick layer on top of the manure; hope it comes in the morning then me and the boys can get it done. In the meantime I'm getting used to the space so have moved all my sowings and growings in there; still trying to figure out where planting out will go but sowing like a mad woman at the same time, Maryline at Rural and Rustic shares this way of thinking with me, so when the time comes I will be raring to go! 

I made this little video the other day showing of the seedlings etc that I have in there just now. As ever, I apologise for my voice as I sooo dislike it.

In the last few days we have, thankfully, had a bit of rain after some wonderful sun and the first early spuds are really coming on. The first photo here was April 20th...

and here is the same tyre on the 29th.

I was too impatient the other day and, seeing as I had to go out for chicken feed, I decided I couldn't wait for the compost delivery to finish a little project. This bed is in the far right corner of the growing area. I have trouble as things are in the habit of popping up in the middle of it. I properly took the Charles Dowding approach with it and covered it with cardboard and then a really good layer of compost. 

I suppose I was a bit silly planting the raspberry canes where I did but there you go. I'll be planting through the cardboard at the left hand end with butternut squash and dwarf beans at the right hand end. The seeds sown for the squash were those that can grow in a container but it can't hurt to plant them outside.

Back to the 2020 spud campaign, always a source of worry for me like most things in the garden! I began by planting some of the maincrop in our two massive tyres and the rest are going in the top end of the main veg bed, see photo, where the onions were last year. I always forget just how much space they need so have to be careful how far up the bed this year.

Well, today is Friday and the weekend is upon us. Weather is set to be a bit wet but we hope for some sun in between as Jon and the boys have fencing to do and I'd like to get some work done outside. 

Late edit I've been working on a craft project for ages and finally finished it. My 13yr old son put the music on the background for me, I know! 

So take a look at my Vintage Junk Journal Reveal here. 

Best wishes for a lovely weekend, under the circumstances, stay safe and well and we'll see what the next week brings us.

Bye for now.

Lou.xx