Edith Making a Break For Freedom!

The weather is a little different to yesterday but not that bad; the blue is trying to peek through and the sun is ding its best to shine. 

Last week we were told the electricity would be off for a short time today so I took that time to do outside stuff. I had food for the compost bin to get rid of, some salad leaves to plant and a few other little jobs so chucked everything I needed into a box and headed to the Poly House along with a cup of coffee.

First of all I made a detour to Jon's shed and made this little sign. It isn't the most artistic item but I quite like it.

Next I went to collect the eggs. As I went into the enclosure I spied one of the ladies where she shouldn't be! Now I know the neighbour's side of the fence is a bit greener than the enclosure but that is not where she should have been; Chicken Stalag 17 the enclosure is not but she had somehow managed to get out; I checked all the fencing and she may have hopped over the top! It was Edith, matriarch of the flock, and the field next door belongs to the neighbour at the bottom of the garden. Lucky that it was Edith as she is the only one who will stand still whilst you pick her up so it was easy to put her back over the fence.

That done, I collected the eggs; five again today but there were remnants of a sixth egg in the box that appeared to have been eaten. Will keep an eye on that happening again.

In the Poly House I put in some radichio and mixed salad leaves. I was going to hoof out the salad leaves in the yellow tub in exchange for the squash plant but they seem to have rallied so will get a container for it at a later date.

The courgettes look as if teeny tiny veg are forming - very exciting!

Now in other news. Yesterday I got round to a bit of crafting as I had saved two baked bean tins and wanted to decorate them with faux vintage labels. I found some on Pinterest and went to work with my spray blue and trusty glue pot.

I have decided to use them for my stock cubes..

and the drinking straws.

Ok so I've vacuumed upstairs and have everywhere else to do, then will go clean out the chooks, after lunch, and I have the caravan curtains to iron.

Bye for now.

Lou.xx

Planting And Seeds - I Love A List!

I have been meaning to to this for a couple of days but we have been so busy. 

I have just about recovered from getting soaked yesterday when Jon and I started to dig through the veg patch. It is in a fab spot for the line of the sun, just like the greenhouse, but that exact area has not been used for anything special. However, there are some triffid-like roots that we are having to dig up plus stones etc. We will definitely need to put some top soil  in it and think it may be worth lining it with polythene or something similar to keep the weeks down. (Doing my usual snide asking for advice, but not!)

Anyhow, that will hopefully be finished by next weekend so still not too late for onions etc.

So what has this novice, but enthusiastic, grow your own-er got planted/started in her greenhouse?

I have trays of carrots, leeks and broccoli, the first one is not showing yet like the others

Dwarf beans but not showing yet - they were put in a little before the above things

I have strawberry seeds in but don't expect those to show any time soon

I have transferred my courgettes and cucumbers into the raised bed and have spring onions in there, too. (Not at all sure about how they will get on but I am really in give it a go mood at the moment!)

The boys and I are keeping an eye on their sunflowers which are coming up nicely - we need a couple of containers for when they are ready to go outside in the spot we have picked for them

Beef tomato seeds are coming up well. I have other tomatoes in the grow bag as I have shown a quick picture of before.

One of the pumpkin seeds is doing well but the other has not shown its face yet.

I have sweet pepper seeds in, some were planted later but the first one is showing

The potatoes in the growing bag and just showing and think they will be ready in July-ish

The tub and drainpipe of various salad leaves are looking a bit stronger

I have sweetcorn and aubergines in but nothing from them yet as not been in long

I bought two small berry bushes, Raspberry and Blueberry, and have them in small-ish containers at the moment but know I need to buy a second Blueberry. I cannot put them outside in the ground yet 

(Did have a couple of photos but laptop/mobile playing up.)

So there is a lot going on but not a lot in a way!

Last night was an interesting experience getting the ladies into the coop, but they rewarded me with four eggs when I cleaned them out earlier!

Right, off now.

Lou.x

Ok, Since Monday.

Right, what have I been up to since Monday?

On Monday I had coffee with a friend and baked two loaves. I caught up with my Journal of Gratitude; I seemed to have got a bit behind with getting the boys ready for the weekend and being busy whilst they were away.

I have been busy in the greenhouse because of us getting the compost at the weekend and I also found time to plant seeds for  various thing - will do an up to date list after the weekend - and I also brought out this apron to use in the greenhouse which I made ages ago, before we moved, in the hope that the fabric of the garment would match the fabric of our life and hopefully it will soon! (In case you can't see it has hens on it.)

Jon arrived home from work today with these from the saw mill. Details to follow later.

Tuesday was work around the house, all the things from Urdd weekend away. Bathroom cleaned, two loads of washing and drying and some printing for my Household Notebook I had been meaning to do. I also pottered in the greenhouse planting a few more seeds and I got rid of some of the horrible big roots in the flower bed. Only managed about half an hour 
and didn't want to be aching too much the next day.


Yesterday this arrived.



Jon knew I would miss the radio whilst in the greenhouse so now I can sing along to my hearts content. Also yesterday I swept the conservatory, for the first time since we moved in I am ashamed to say, cleared the ironing bag, baked two loaves and a lemon drizzle cake. The cake was firstly for the boys snack where they came home from school and as it was a bit chilly I put it in the living room for them, nice and cosy.

However I should point out that by the evening there was just one slice left for Jon's lunch box today!

Last night I decided I needed to have a drier place for my seeds in the greenhouse. I utilised this box which was on the dresser and made some smaller dividers from a file in the office.Turned out ok I think.

So I think I am up to date. I'm writing this post after changing the boys beds and I'm about to put sausages in the oven to start a casserole for tea. I went across the road to the community centre for the monthly lunch at 12.30 but made sure I had watered the seeds, vacuumed and swept downstairs and lit the fire before I left, and I even managed to make a chocolate brownie to leave cooling for the tin! Nothing like a really productive day.

Tonight is the last in the series of Line Of Duty. It has been sooo good and Keely Hawes is fab in that as well as The Durrells.

Bye, Lou.xx

Getting Our Fingers Green At Last

Today me and the boys had our trip to Aberystwyth for all the things we planned on buying to get the seeds started, along with having something to eat at Subway; the boys love asking for their own food!

We got a bit of a bargain at the pound store where I saw for £1 seeds for eight different things in one pack; it included pretty much everything I would be happy to grow. 

We got compost as well as three lots of seed potatoes for £5 from B and M, not sure about the quality of the latter once home but I'll go with it, along with some onions plus more vegetable seeds for 89p from Charlie's.

Alfie helped, especially when it came to planting the sunflower seeds, and he says he wants to keep one in his room but I'll  have to convince him otherwise I think.

I had lolly sticks in my craft thing so he helped me write names on them as well as labelling envelopes with the spare seeds we had left over. (We used old lunch money envelopes for that!)

So today we have planted seeds for:

cucumbers and courgettes

beef tomatoes

pumpkins and sunflowers.

and put the potatoes out to chit?

If anybody can see anything amis in the photos please let me know but I'm just giving it a go and hoping something turns up from my efforts. Potting on the floor of the conservatory  is NOT good for my knees; bring on the potting bench! I feel this is quite an achievement  and loved including the list to show what we have done. I have some more to plant and will try and do them tomorrow but I have a new dough hook for my Kenwood and hope to find time to do some bread making.

I feel we are getting there in lots of ways right now.

Lou.xx