A Snap Shot Of Christmas, And Other Stuff!

Just realised I've not included a photo of this year's tree. I love it - this year as for the last couple of years we've gone for a slightly shorter and more rounded one.

I just love decorating at Christmas and this is how my living room looks. I have a very traditional feeling about this time of the year reminiscent of the 1970's I guess which makes perfect sense as I was born in 1968. I love paper chains, I have crepe paper streamers in the TV room and I think these paper honeycomb globes are just fab. However I always look to my very fav book when it comes to Christmas inspiration, Tim Mouse and Father Christmas - still available.

It always has pride of place somewhere at this time of the year; hope you can see or at least get a feel for the similarity....

Inside the house everything is VERY festive but I popped outside yesterday to take photos.

Somebody on Twitter mentioned snow drops so thought I's take a look and....

a bit blury but you get the idea!

Also making an appearance are other things which are overwintering like the tulip and daff bulbs for Spring I planted outside The Snug.

The shallots,

garlic, just,

and onions have popped up to say hello as well.

Also outside and still showing signs of life are some red 'n' green lettuce,

the Spring cabbages seem to be surviving though not that big,

and the chooks and ducks are ok. A few more eggs in the last couple of days; my husband puts this down to him having given them a slug of grit recently, 

the ducks are still free loading. The one in the foreground, A l'orange, is a bit nasty, nearly pecks the food out of your hand, the Crispy Khaki is soooo loud and Duck-chess seems to just go with the flow.

That is it for just now I think. I'm continuing to make mince pies, but bread making has stopped for the festive period, we begin the last week of work and school next Monday and the not too big list for the festive shop is complete; helps we are going away for a couple of days after Boxing Day - looking forward to some fun times in Llandudno and blowing some cobwebs away with a walk on the beach among other things.

Lou.

Winding Down for Winter

I am definitely in wind down mode regarding the garden as it is very much going to sleep just now - oh you lucky people with poly tunnels or greenhouses that survived the recent spate of storms. I am fairly happily resigned to having completed any overwintering jobs, namely my ever present Pak Choi plus the garlic and onions, and that any other outside jobs will be completed soon with Jon's help.

So to the indoors. I absolutely love this time of the year; being cozy inside, only going outside when absolutely necessary and hunkering down with the curtains shut. I have my seasonal planner at the ready and am adding to it daily to ensure we simply have a wonderful Christmas time. 


There'll only be a few mentions of the C word just now but come December 1st I will, as usual, make no apologies for enthusiasm and festive frolics.🎄🎅

Some time ago Jon went to Bookers, the wholesalers, and on the same trip I asked him to bring me some Atora suet (not sure if other suet brands are available?!) He came home with a catering size box of the stuff! Well, this was last Christmas (oops) so some was used for mincemeat last year and dumplings plus more will be used at the end of the month but in the meantime I've made a batch of dumplings for the freezer ready for winter stews. For the size we like a 200g box of suet made 30 of the little delights so that is a good job done.

Love having things put by in the freezer.

I made my Christmas cakes at the beginning of the month but managed to stupidly delete my photos of them; I am due to start feeding them with a bit of alcofrol, hic, next week so will show and tell then. 

Whist ironing this morning I had the TV on in the bedroom just so I could hear something from where I was. I LOVE the Food Channel, especially at certain times of the year, and there were some Christmas,sorry!, adverts on so started thinking of a few ideas for foody delights; I plan on making a luxurious granola come muesli mix containing tasty nuts and fruit etc. I had listed some things I wanted to include and then I found this recipe - 

Christmas Spice Granola.

I have also been trying to use up the ends of bread loaves but wanted something different to savoury croutons. I decided on cinnamon and sugared ones to freeze for use on the top of puddings.

I cut the bread to the right size, melted some butter then sprinkled the bread with some cinnamon sugar I had made previously plus a little extra. I then popped them in the oven, keeping a close eye, until they were a lovely rich colour. 

Yum, and straight in the freezer before I ate the lot!

Talking of croutons I just remembered I made a lovely dish for the boys. I had some leftover chorizo, combined this with the croutons, some frozen peas then melted cheese on the top.

Ok, better crack on.

Bye for now.

Lou.xx

Where We Are just Now.

Happy Sunday everybody.

As I've posted before, we are very busy with our Airbnb room but it doesn't mean other jobs around the place won't get done, even though we are booked until June 4th!

Outside over the last couple of days I have planted out the sweetcorn as it germinated and came on very healthily ready to be moved from the Poly House.

Talking of the PH, the benches are getting emptier as things are potted on....

but the floor is gradually becoming full of large pots, mainly the tomatoes. 

Things like all the pepper varieties, hopefully three, will ultimately go on the bench top as there will be room for them to grow upwards; the bench to ceiling height space is 1.2 meters, whilst under the bench there is 90cms growing space and the sweet potatoes will stay under there.

FINALLY my cucumbers have germinated!! 

They have taken an age! These will go in the space waiting for them in the Poly House raised bed, along with the gherkins. 

I still wonder at times that people say tomatoes and cucumbers shouldn't be grown in the same space. I did have plans to put my Marketmore cucumbers in the main veg patch as they are a variety suitable for outside but it is full now! I still could put them out but they would have to be in pots and I don't think support would be sufficient so in the Poly House they will go.

I have checked with Jon about the final tyre I need and he says he should be able to bring it home on Tuesday; I really want to get the butternut squash planted out as it is pretty much ready to plant out and I need to sow some more climbing beans direct.

Tracy asked me about plans for overwintering some veg in the PH. I had thought a tiny bit about this but not to the extent of any planning. Sooo last night I pulled out my July, August and September GYO mags to look for some advice; I came up with the following possibilities:

hardy Spring Onions can be started as can baby Carrot varieties, pickling Onions and Pack Choi. If anybody has any advice about overwintering it would be welcome.

(I am intending to put a heater for my Poly House on my Christmas list!)

Jon and I have been talking about animals and the field. We were all geared up to get the pigs when we come back from our holibobs, however we understand it is far better to get the pigs in Spring. This, we are told, is because if the pigs work the land in the Autumn and Winter it will turn into a quagmire so we are resigned to leaving the arrival of the pigs until next Spring.

Also around the same time we will hopefully get a couple of sheep, lambs, from our neighbourly farmer to keep in the field - but we're going to need a bigger boat, sorry, freezer!

Sad news on the poultry front. We lost one of our Sussex girls yesterday; possibly to heat exhaustion - no other signs of anything untoward. Jon has made a trip to the local supplier we use and get four more. 

He has made a perch for inside the hen house to give them a bit more space to sit.

We now have a total of 14 chickens so should guarantee 12 eggs on a good day which is plenty for selling, breakfast and baking.

We waved off the guests who stayed with us last night so washer is on and I am getting ready to welcome another couple this afternoon for two nights so will get the room done shortly. The boys want to go to the Rec for a kick about or play tennis so I'll go up with them a bit later as Jon has a few things to do just now.

Enjoy the rest of the Bank Holiday and, as always, I look forward to seeing what everybody has been up to and hope you get the weather you need or want.

Bye for now.

Lou.xx