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

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 

Bright Day, Bread and Brownie.

As I type this blog post I am excitedly sitting in the rocking chair which I've recently put in the kitchen. I LOVE it! I've wanted seating in this room, other than the table and benches, since we moved here and now I've finally got round to it!

At the same time I've returned the side table to its original position as it was when we moved here.

Today, following wind and rain from Storm Brendan, we've had a generally bright and clear day with just the odd shower. It was one of those days when you feel you just need to go outside, even for just a few minutes. 

I've tentatively begun looking at plans for the new growing season. As I've explained before, I have no workable greenhouse just now so I'm following Charles Dowding's timeline which helps me sow things a little later. See here for his very useful sowing guide and I'll be using the conservatory in the meantime before maintenance and reconstruction hopefully begin by late Spring. 

I've almost decided what I'll grow and where but we all know that things change... at least it is good to have a basic framework. 

Better to know you are growing things you really want to eat, not edibles that are traditionally grown or things that are easy.

As usual I have thoughts and concerns and I haven't even started yet! There is always talk of crop rotation but I tend to think as long as the spuds are in a different place every year or so most other things will manage; I'm not a market garden, just trying to grow for me and mine.

Earlier I went to empty the food caddy in the compost then decided to pop back in for my phone. Jon had said he'd spotted the daffs popping up near the magnolia tree so I had a look, and there they were.

I'd seen the other day the snowdrops are appearing and they are increasing day by day.

The strawberries in the crate are looking healthy, but I'm going to have to thin them out before any fruit starts to appear because the plants are too close really. 

The garlic is really looking fantastic which I'm chuffed about considering the issues with the onions.

When working out the plans for the main veg patch I made the decision that I'm going to make a walkway to separate some of the sowing/planting. It is a big bed and this will make things easier at the beginning and end of the growing seasons.


The forecast tells us the weekend will be dry so I really hope to retain my mojo and get some jobs done outside at some point. We've taken our first Airbnb booking for the year and guests arrive on Saturday so I hope the weather is good for them and their dog, too.

Today I've baked a couple of loaves of bread for the first time in ages; as I'm back to Slimming World I won't be able to eat any of it, harumph!

I also baked a chocolate brownie for the boys yesterday, again the fist one in a good while mainly because the chickens are not laying too many at the moment so I decided to buy enough eggs to make it.

Right, I'm going to have to get out of my lovely chair and think about the chicken casserole I'm making for tea and also light the woodburner as I think it is getting a little chilly outside.

Hope you've enjoyed my chat or today, a little sooner than I had thought I would be writing, but I love a good rambling.

Bye for now.

Lou.xx

Preparations Inside And Out

Morning all.

Today I am having a Social Media-free day so have already got a lot done by 10am! Hubby and boys off for the day, bread is proving, had breakfast, boys' rooms dusted, run half a mile on the treadmill, chooks fed and had a chat to our Airbnb guests who, excitedly, are house hunting in the area. I told them they couldn't have picked a better spot!

This week I have re-discovered my gardening mojo a little enough to do some garden prep. With being do busy in the summer I neglected things a little as I think I have mentioned before. However, I manged to get outside on a couple of my favourite Autumnal days where it was dry and bright, if a little cool.

On Saturday I finished mulching all the six big tyres, 

oh and the bed behind the poly house is now covered. I have kept the frame on because it is quite handy for leaning against.

Then yesterday it was sooo very lovely that I would have felt very guilty indeed if I had not gone outside and done something! I gave the strawberry plants a haircut, still have a couple of other pots to do, 

mulched and covered the two massive tyres 

and prepared bed 2 for mulching by clearing all the leaves from it. 

That corner of the garden has about four trees in it and I'm looking forward to Jon cutting a couple of them down to reduce the leaf drop in the Autumn but to also open up a little more light in that area during the growing season.

The other thing I did was to cut all the loose polythene off the poly house where it has been battered by the wind. This happened last year and we are definitely using the roof from the conservatory, when that is refurbished,to cover it this time and not bothering with polythene again. I will HAVE to utilise the conservatory in the early sowing period until that job is done; there is always something to be done on our little homestead.

So that is preparations outside, now for indoors.

I know for some people it is a little too early to talk about the festive season. However, if anybody knows me well they will know I LOVE the preparations leading up to Christmas and luckily all four of us feel the same way!

The cake is made using Gluehwein and has been fed twice already with lovely spiced rum...

and is currently sitting in the cupboard wrapped up in grease proof paper, cling film and foil. I've made the required additions to this week's shopping list as I need to make the pudding, a request from Jon, and the mincemeat for the enormous amount of pies we get through during December! I have also decide to make a little hamper of edible goodies for some friends we are visiting just down the road on the weekend the boys and Jon break up. I used to make a lot of hampers, here are some I created in the past for raffle prizes or gifts, then whilst looking for the hamper photos I found photos of the craft fayres I used to take part in.

 

Right I'd better get on with something else.

Bye for now.

Lou.xx