A Few On Fursday!!

Hello there.

Before I start I just want to check, as usual, how everybody is. I hope, wherever you are, that you're keeping safe whatever the restrictions are for you and yours. xx 

Yesterday I took my eldest for his last "check in, catch up and prepare" day at school, which also happened to be his last day in Year 8. He's very excited about being in year 9 from September, best year in school according to him, although more excited that he has NO MORE HOMESCHOOLING to do and can have a lie in, obvs minus the fag!😁

The youngest has his last day tomorrow and will feel the same way about the issue of homeschooling, but is an early riser so he'll find something to do until he persuades his elder brother to play tennis in the garden or drags him to the next thing on the list of jobs to do, which they will STILL have during the holidays as they have done alongside homeschooling!

I admit to having found the whole assisting the boys with lessons really quite stressful at times so I will also be glad to see the back of them. I love the mornings when I can get up unnecessarily early just to have some time to myself, organise my day and enjoy a whole pot of coffee uninterrupted by empty-legged tweens on the hunt for food. 

We've been informed that the youngest will be back in school on September 10 and the eldest on the 9th but for how long and for what regular days we are unsure just now. Also no confirmation about transport yet - I've been running them these last few weeks but by then they may be taking their bus routes, but I'm happy to be taxi service of mum if needed.

I was chatting to my very good friend Tracy from Our Smallholding Adventure the other day saying I'm more than a little anxious about a new outbreak of the virus. As the summer holidays begin, the children are no longer 'in school' and relaxations are made on quarantine for returning travellers there may be a new spike. I also went food shopping yesterday for what, I hope, will last for at least three weeks - not even bothering trying to get a delivery, never had one yet as others are more needy. I'm still happy to stay at home now as much as possible. Jon will be on leave for two weeks from July 24 so we'll all be at home together, safe, and it will be exciting, too, as we are gaining a new member to our homestead, a sheep dog for Jon.👏👏👏

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Ok, after that little ramble my blog today is also about the garden and poly tunnel, as normal. I never really manage to do the Six On Saturday on social media, hence the title of this blog post.😀

The weather these last few days has been changeable; we've had rain, not much sunshine but humidity so this has been causing me a little anxiety regarding my poly tunnel. Why, you may ask, well since I had issues with a bit of mould and mildew I've been keeping a close eye on it.

This morning I took a turn around the garden to take the photos and see how everything is doing after some rain and the weather today being a little warmer than yesterday.

Starting in said poly tunnel it is looking quite healthy just now. I have some gaps  but still on that learning curve but getting there. The new path is much safer now. I am wanting some floating shelves put up on either side for trays, tools etc but that is a job that can wait until Autumn I think.

The tomato plants are doing fairly ok. Some of them have leaf curl which I get every year; sometimes the leaves then go really tough and no flowers appear so I have taken them out of planters and the poly house before as no good feeding them when there will be no return. However, there is good fruiting from two of them which are Tomande in the background and the nearer ones are Cuor di Bue which are two of four plants given to me.

Now finally I have some growth on my Marketmore cucumbers; I really  was beginning to panic! 

Here is the biggest fruit from my butternut squash Vegetable Spaghetti plant given to me by a friend; it is coming on very well but I did cut back some of the leaves at the weekend as it is enormous.

At the side of the poly tunnel my boys have cleared a patch of ground where I hope my pumpkin will grow. The space is a meter square with plenty of room for spread. As the ground is not in super condition I'll put some compost there ready to plant and see what happens...

This is the plant, given to me by friends.

Across from the poly tunnel, alongside the poly house, I have three tall planters and all have beetroot in at the moment and all looking pretty much like this.

Here are the maincrop spuds flowering, funny that the second early ones which can be taken up any time from this coming weekend are not flowering at all; I'll be leaving them in a bit longer I think.

I have extra dwarf beans growing outside in the crate as well as those in the poly tunnel. They are just flowering so I do hope they'll be providing soon.

The bed at the back of the poly house is looking great! The perpetual spinach at the front, given to me by the same friend as the tomato and butternut squash (pattern developing here where donations are doing quite a lot better than my own grown!)👀 . is doing very well. Chuffed with the caulis at the back along with yet more salad leaves.  

In the bed in the far right corner of the growing area I have my three broccoli plants and two courgettes. 

Very excited indeed to see that the head of broccoli has become visible. Eeeek, I've never managed to grow it before; just hope my netting and my Grazers Eco Spray will continue to keep away the cabbage whites.🤞

The Tondo di Piacenza are showing and hope this one doesn't fall off like one did this morning! Love these stuffed!

The Goldena did not do well last year but I have a few on this plant here (there are two more courgettes in planters, too - another Goldena and a Zuchini (not from Mr Fothergill).

Finally, I have the first bloom? on my multi-headed sunflower...

and one of the dahlias I planted outside the Studio last year has come back to life so very pleased about that.

Things seem to be taking a little longer to come to fruition, fruit and veg, this year or it could just be my usual impatience!

The weather this weekend is set to be nice and warm so hopefully this will bring on a few things and harvests will improve beyond the salad leaves and dwarf beans!

Stay safe everybody, if you are staying at home over the summer as we are I hope you enjoy your own little patches of paradise and I look forward to seeing lots of trug shots of your wonderful harvests.

As always, take care,

Lou.xx

Sunset, Snug and Sunflowers.

Good morning. I'd sat down to finish this post when Jon arrived back from the saw mill with logs for the Winter woodpile so we have spent half an hour stacking those. Very satisfying.

My little patch of paradise is great right now; this was the sun setting over it the other night. Aaaahh, I soooo love where we live, we are very lucky and must always remember that.

I'm getting fairly regular harvests of things, not truck loads but with the second early spuds Alf and I took up a bit over 5lb from two plants the other day which is fab, but wait 'till the maincrop spuds come in!!

Some are already in flower and I'll be making sure my hessian sacks are clean and ready for storing them in the cellar. Very excited as I love the idea of having our own spuds in the cellar for whenever we want them for the next few months, fingers crossed.

The harvests are enough for me to be proud of and, again, I've really learnt lots this year ready for when I begin planning for next year, and boy do I like to plan.

Things I still have coming through are climbing peas; not sure what the harvest on those will be but I'm giving them a last go.

Talking of spuds, my second cropping ones for Christmas were planted out on the first days of this month and are already showing proper signs of life. I'll keep a really good eye on them in case of blight....

I ordered 2kg of tubers and this proved just a few too many for the containers/grow bags I have so I've given a few away to neighbours but still managed to plant about 17! Nom nom.

In the poly house I have some things growing away nicely; red and green lettuce in the drainpipe..

parsley to hopefully keep over winter...

 mizuma in the long planter..

and I've rather nervously decided to start off some spring Cabbage. It is looking ok just now and it'll need potting on this weekend. I've decided they will be planted out in some of the now empty tyres as I feel I will be able to look after them easily over winter. I hope to be able to keep anything from eating these ones!

I have this and another large cucumber out front to sell as I have plenty coming and need to make sure I have two for the local show at the beginning of September. You really don't have to wait too long for them to get this big, just a bit of patience; these are Marketmore. I sold two at the front door yesterday, too!

The kale is doing ok but not as well as I had hoped; I've it covered over with netting now, perhaps a little late, but this is also protecting some beetroot. Another lesson.

In the greenhouse are my four pepper plants and they have teeny, tiny fruit on so I think I'll move those into the poly house for some extra heat and help.

The tomato plants are still not heavy with fruit but it is coming. I've invested in some good quality feed and hope this will help. 

I've moved two of the plants outside to see if that makes a difference; I covered these over as I was nervous about birds getting them, and still am!

Alongside these two plants are my beautiful sunflowers.

These multi-head flowers are bloomin' gorgeous I think.

Now we have been working on a project that will be added to our Airbnb listings.

This is the summer house we have been giving a revamp for guests, and us, to enjoy.

We have the two comfy chairs, a small table with a little cloth and a fabulous storm lantern with a candle, not LED.

On a small side shelf we have provided dominoes and postcards for people to send....

along with a radio, a drawing game and a couple of books.

We thought it would be fun to provide binoculars for bird watching, along with my old bird book from school, or for stargazing on a clear night.

We plan on getting a couple of throws for the chairs but right now it is quite warm in there. We really do hope our Airbnb guests will enjoy using it - the room has been ridiculously busy this month with hardly a vacancy which is FAB U LARSE! This is the view from The Snug up the garden which we hope they will also enjoy.

I've done some baking, apple turnovers yesterday with some of my bottled apples

and have dried sage I'd cut back. I love having fresh herbs in the garden and the house.

Harry is back from cadet camp so we are a complete unit again. Whilst he was away Alfie has been a star as I was unwell for a couple of days and he cleaned out my car, moved some things into the shed for Jon and went to the sheep market with our neighbour - properly earned his pocket money and then some. Harry is going to have to keep up!!

Today we may be taking a little trip out to collect a piece of furniture we have won on a well know auction site to go in the next Airbnb room. We are waiting delivery of beds that can be twin or a double to maximise business and then I have shopping to do for bedding and all the twidly bits, love that part of it, so Charlies in Aber look out because I'm a coming!

Right better crack on with something.

Bye for now.

Lou.xx