Life Is Good!

What a GOOD day to be alive! The sky is beautiful, the air crisp and no rain!

These are the sights which greeted me as I opened the back door this morning as I walked out to feed some keen ladies. 

I love living here so much, but obvs the weather being better always helps.

Jon had let the chooks out for a wander around the garden as he headed down to the style we have between us and our neighbour and I couldn't help loving the sight of daffs, snowdrops, and the odd crocus, showing Spring WILL come soon, promise.

This morning our plans were to help Mansel, our sheep-farming neighbour. He is such a lovely Welshman, uses some failry fruity language at times and was 80 in the summer. We hosted a bbq for him with family, friends and even our Airbnb guests who were staying with us joined in. Due to health problems, now sorted, and his age Jon does most of the work with the sheep for him - he just wants to be a sheep farmer! In the early, dark mornings the sheep are fed to save Mansel doing it and my youngest loves being involved with the lambing so will get up with Jon, plus he loves to walk the field after school to check on the ewes and any new lambs.

So this morning's job was to give the last injections to the pregnant ewes with Covexin 8. 

Me, Jon and the youngest headed out. I was on syringe-filling duties whilst Jon got the ewes into the race, 

and Alf did his first lot of injections, which he loved,

then back out into the field.

This weekend we're not going into Aber, yay! I just want to stay here and sooo love not having to battle with Saturday crowds. Plans for today apart from that? Not sure really, but just looked at the forecast and we're apparently due some fairly strong wind from about 2pm. I think I need to have one more brew and make a little plan! Our one-night Airbnb guest left early, one load is already out of the washer so may attempt to have some of that put out before any rain....

As I write this post the door into the conservatory is open with the sun streaming in, if a little chilly as I am yet to light any of the fires but lovely all the same.

I do hope you are managing to enjoy your little patches of paradise between the weather a lot of us are dealing with just now. Think positive because Spring will eventually arrive and when it does we will be ready!

Lou.xx

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

Post-Christmas Garden Procrastination.

Hello there.

I didn't feel inclined to the panic and rush of a New Year's Eve/Day blog post so feel more relaxed to attempt it now. Such is my relaxation I am beginning it on Sunday afternoon and will be hopefully completing it tomorrow. All my men return to school and work tomorrow so as well as starting this I will mostly be ironing so I can have a me day from 8.15am until 3.15pm when I will probably be fetching our youngest from rugby.

FYI, it is now 11.5am on Monday morning. Just had a nice surprise as Jon popped in to get a brew to go whilst collecting some tools for a job, I've done a few jobs around the house and now here I am.

So where to begin? A belated Happy New Year, Blwyddyn Newydd Dda.

...and little about last year.

We had our best Airbnb year to date including hosting family members in all 3 listings over the Christmas period; we received this lovely card from one of the couples on January 4th.

 

and we started preparation for creating a full-blown business out of the listings by having new signage made; very exciting.

I made my first attempt at hanging baskets for the listings and also improved the planters and I was very happy with the results.

The third of our listings had its first visitors in July and from then on was busy right through the year give or take the odd week; we didn't expect that at all. Here is the link.

We are super excited that we already have bookings for the 2020 National Esiteddfod which is taking place in Tregaron, just eight miles away from us from 1-8 August.

In the garden, even though it was neglected slightly due to the first item on this list, I did get a great, continuous harvest of red and green lettuce, my best garlic yield yet, the first very successful growing of Spring cabbage and cauli, although there were harvesting issues with the latter. Here are some other minor treats from the veg patches.

Just before Christmas Jon got round to a little project in the kitchen. We bought a job lot of Laura Ashley tiles and he did a fab job on the sink area.

Now, onto the title of this post. I am so suffering from said title at the moment. I just cannot get myself outside but today I thought I would go out and look at the state of pay. I took a few photos when I went out to feed the chooks; they got a few extra treats over Christmas and although they are in low yield mode just now the eggs are massive.

Here are said chooks; we put down some of the bamboo in the week as they were laying behind it and I had trouble retrieving the eggs; they also have something different on which to chow down.

This is the rather gloomy view of the growing area - not an attractive sight at this time of the year to be honest.

I have fresh compost in the six tyres as well as the other two large ones; there is still some work to be done there. I did manage to cut back the raspberry canes before Christmas but not much else...

Obvs not much sowing and growing happening just now. Here are the onions? These are planted in the right hand side of the bed in the far left of the above photo. They have been constantly brought to the top by the rain and then got at by birds, possibly. I'm leaving as is until I get some February planting sets and then I will sort out the bed; at least one seems to have taken!

Also in the same bed on the left hand side is the garlic; this sort of had the same problem but has taken much better.

Whilst looking for evidence of snowdrops at the far end of the garden, which I found yay, I also spotted some of the garlic cloves which had taken flight, by one means or another, from the bed and across the fence!

Outside the polyhouse (far too embarrassed to show you THAT) are the planters I had nearThe Snug last Spring/Summer; they are happily coming back to life; I have to be very honest and say there are new bulbs which I have not got round to planting yet.....

On the way back up to the house I spied some buds on the Magnolia Strallata. This is my very favourite thing in the garden but I only wish it was in flower for a longer time.

This is how I very much look forward to it showing later in the year.

So that is a little ramble about stuff. 

Last night I began some planning of what will go where in the growing area. Not even THINKING about sowing anything yet but do like to know where things will be. Trying to make sowing and growing easier for me this year, manage my time better along with looking after the Airbnb listings. I don't want the former to fail whilst the other is thriving - just need to be organised which I really am good at normally....

I do need to order the February garlic and decide which spuds I'm growing this year but that is about it for now, despite the seed catalogues regularly flying through the door at a fair rate of knots! 

Jon brought home a mahoosive amount of wood for logging just before Christmas which should keep us in wood beyind next Winter. It came with some lovely composted down wood chips. Hoping to get this on the beds when we have a dry spell in a couple of weeks; we have already given a good few barrow fulls to our next but one neighbours and they are very happy with it.

Along with this I have been going through the multitude of seeds I have collected; I'm ready to give some away to a deserving project somewhere hopefully in Mid-Wales. I've just cancelled both of my gardening magazine subscriptions; it's part of the cutting back on the budget as usual at this time of the year - every little helps - and this is also where most of my seeds come from.

Right, getting on for lunchtime now so hope this reaches you with not too many mistakes and that you enjoy my first ramblings of 2020. I'm also returning to my Slimming World group this evening to deal with the food slump I have found myself in.

Bye for now, Lou.xx

Flowers That Bloom In The Spring Tra La!

Hi, well that is a bit of a stretch regarding this post but never mind - can't beat a bit of G & S.
On such a dreary day where the rain is just lashing down I thought it might be nice to have a bit of colour so here goes.

I don't generally grow a lot of flowers in my garden, just the usual Spring bulbs and a wild flower mix in my old chimney pot outside the poly house which I actually love.

I grew sunflowers the last 2 years and I have some seedlings coming on as we speak. I can see they from my top kitchen window against my poly house which I love.

This year I'm growing Pacino variety and they have come thus far sitting in the conservatory.

This year I have bought some Nigella Persian Jewels seeds. I really like the colour mix.

I really need to find a proper place to put them. Our garden is not wild as such but not manicured by any stretch so I think I need to make a decision, and maybe a bed for them! 

The snowdrops have almost died off so, after being reminded by Monty on Friday night as he did last year, now is a great time to divide and re-plant some in other parts of the garden. I did that last year but think I'll move a few more this year.

Well, I hope this post have brightened your day a little, it has mine.

Bye for now.

Lou.xx

Chilly Day Catch Up.

Hello!

Today we woke up to a frosty start but a clear sky across to the church and the Canolfan.

I thought I'd take a few pics of what's going on around the place; nothing too exciting but just a record of the start to the year.

The Alliums are ALL doing really well so I'm very pleased about that - the garlic,

onions

and shallots.

I have more onion sets to plant out in Feb but soo not yet sure where I'm going to put them!

Yesterday Jon started the tree-cutting-back project that we have in mind before Spring arrives. He began by starting in the far corner near the small veg patch and hopefully within the next couple of weeks he'll get the roadside done; he also plans on taking a couple of trees down in the chicken enclosure ready for when we replace the taken ones next month.

Now, Spring cabbages, these will, hopefully, be ready to harvest in May or thereabouts; I was quite worried about them when I first planted them as they took ages to look like they were doing anything!

The temperatures in the greenhouse and poly house respectively were

In the poly house I planted the dwarf Meteor peas and really pleased with them.

These will harvest in around May with any luck, too.

A few outdoor shots - down the side of the poly house

and over the wall to the field across the road.

and I love the view over the gate of our neighbouring farm.

The flat leaf parsley has bounced back after it was cut back...

and I'm chuffed the snowdrops I moved from the bottom of the garden last year settled well

and the ducks continue to be happy.

My niece had an operation recently so I've made this card for her and l'll be posting it today.

Ok I think that is it for now.

Bye.