Summer Staycation Is No More.

Good morning.

Today Jon has gone back to work after his annual Summer break from the saw mill. We both really wish he could always be at home and hopefully it will be that way soon. The recent couple of weeks has been a little bit of a staycation for the two us with the boys being away. Now they are back we've had some lovely family time together. Saturday and yesterday we went to the beach for the boys to swim; it was great to see boats, swimmers and paddle boarders and we might have seen a dolphin but we got there an hour too late. Harumph!

We were able to chill and it gave Jon time to slow the pace of life when he works so hard even though on holiday and we all had ice cream. Yum!

Before we went to the beach on Saturday we came across these two chairs in our favourite house clearance shop. They are PERFECT for the summer house snug project. (We have ditched the chair we previously found) It is coming along very nicely indeed and I can't WAIT to show you the end product but I'll have to wait a little longer. 

The stories I could tell you about the things Jon and I have transported on car roof racks since we have been together would make your hair curl - I know at times they have been responsible for the grey in my hair!!

Jobs around the house have continued, of course. The stable door Jon fixed for the kitchen has now been painted in duck egg blue, chalk-style paint, door furniture added and I love it. 

Just for further contrast we've painted the lovely side table that was green, which I've loved since we viewed the house. It practically sold me the house - you know when you just see something that you think is just your thing well this was that.

I've been harvesting a few things here and there and Jon I had lunch one day made up of two types of courgettes, green beans, onions, herbs and boiled potatoes. 

We have spuds coming out of our ears right now but I also took delivery of these beauties...

Charlotte Christmas spuds which are nearly all planted now, in bags so they can be moved indoors when necessary. 

In the polyhouse the last lot of climbing peas I recently sowed have come up and are now planted out - not sure how they will do but at the stage now of just giving stuff a go.

I've sown a tray of beetroot and spinach beet to grow inside along with some wild rocket in the polyhouse drainpipe and a pot of parsley to keep in there. Plus I've sown spring cabbage in trays to hopefully survive when I plant it out later on; this is my go at overwintering along with some spring onions in one of the green house raised beds.

Elsewhere in the garden I am loving my sunflower against the teal-coloured door of the polyhouse.

My tomatoes have SO many flowers on them and finally getting fruit on more than one plant.

I had a really good sized cucumber the other day...

and they are coming thick and fast....

as are the gherkins. Hope to get some radishes soon so I can make yummy fridge pickles.

I said we have spuds coming out of our ears, well the maincrop ones are looking great, too, and just starting to flower. 

I am still very upset that I have lost my cabbages and I think I'm going to take out the broccoli as nothing is really left of them, look our chooks. My swede are small and some of the leaves have been nibbled at, too, but I'm going with it as I hope it won't really affect the harvest?

Well that is where I am for now. We have Airbnb bookings for in the week and at the weekend so that it great - hope to get more for this month.

Bye for now.

Lou.xx 

A Bit Of A Roundup.

Hello!

The warm weather continued but today we have had rain, hail, sunshine and wind! I certainly won't have to water outside this evening. I have been looking back at this time last year and things are definitely behind but hope they will catch up and not just fail.... I'm a worrier at times but so hate the thought that the effort I always put in may not come to fruit.

I have had a couple of good little harvests.

We have had first early spuds, my onions and garlic have not done as well this year but the round courgettes are great - 

had five of them so far. I pick a bit of kale every day or so and the same with the sugar snap peas. I have shelled climbing peas and have them in the freezer. The next, and probably last lots, of climbing peas are coming up both outside and in the poly house. I'm doing some last minute sowing as have put in turnips, radishes and spinach beet. I may give it a whirl with a few more carrots, you never know, and I have the next sowings of red n green lettuce showing and hopefully more kale soon, too. 

Jon and Alfie have now painted the summer house so it just nicely blends into the garden now; the paint sprayer is now Alfie's new favourite toy.

I can't wait to get it dressed and decorated inside; we did find a nice squidgy leather chair going for £1 at the tip the other day so that just needs a clean and a nice throw over it.

My tomatoes are doing very well as I have lots of flowers on almost all the plants...

 plus the first fruit!

I've spotted a cucumber and gherkin in the bed inside the poly house and I've had one of the the Goldena courgettes growing outside.

I decided to brighten up the poly house so I found some paint going spare and this is how it looks now, plus a few other places around the garden. Bit like the army, if it moves salute it and if it stands still you paint it! I know some people don't agree with tarting up potting sheds etc too much but I like a bit of prettiness around me so what the heck. Just need to put the hooks back on the door for tools etc.

The inside of the door along with my stool and under one of the benches and the outside of the door ...

plus the bench in the greenhouse - love that i can see the summer house from here.

Last Friday was the last day of school in readiness for the summer hols; it was also Harry's last day at primary school - my first born is growing up, fast. I can't believe they have been off for more than a week already!

He is 5ft 2, just 2 inches behind me, and I feel confident he'll be as tall as me, if not more so by September.


The two boys have gone to spend time with The Gramps and Nana as Jon and I dropped them off on Thursday afternoon on our way to our Christmas gift for each other. This was our trip away to Shrewsbury; we really enjoyed it the last time when we were house hunting. We had a lovely night out this time but the hotel was atrocious - don't get me started on it!! We are home and getting jobs done, an Airbnb booking came today for two nights so once they were settled Jon and I took a little ride to Aberaeron and had coffee and cake in a lovely tea shop.

A bit of outside news. The wild flowers in the chimney outside the polyhouse seem to surprise me with something different every week which is a nice welcome at the door.

I had to make a decision the other day. After trying to net them over I thought it best to take out my cabbages as they had been decimated by the darned butterflies. The chooks got a treat and I now have an almost empty raised bed and not sure what to put in it. I might try the late carrots there; if anybody is reading this would you have any suggestions as it is a nice little space.

On the positive side my first sunflower has come out! The stem is about three feet tall.

Jon has been busy, when is he not, putting me a stable door in the kitchen. I love it!

I hope to get it painted cream on the inside to match the kitchen cupboards.

Ooh a bit of exciting news. I have my interview published in Kitchen Garden out in the September issue. Here are some photos of the article but I think you can read it online from next Thursday at their website.

Ooops on the next photo as I changed my Twitter name in the meantime!

Very exciting!

Right, Jon and I are having a yummy tea and a few beers this evening and plan on watching a couple of films but wanted to get this finished in case anybody was interested in what is going here at our little homestead.

Take care and, as ever, I always look forward to seeing what everybody gets up to at the weekend. I hope the change in the weather is helping everybody.

Bye for now.

Lou.xx

It's Been A While...

Good afternoon, oh I've been away a while but we have been busy.

I'll have to do a bit of a photo summary and then I guess other bits and pieces will drip in as I go along. As usual this will be a bit hit and miss date wise but here we go.

From most recent events I now have some beautiful raised beds which Jon has made for the greenhouse along with a lovely high bench.

On the left I've put in some tomato plants that I had in the polyhouse, the right bed has the growing bags of sweet potatoes in but I think I'll plant them in there before they get too big.

The polyhouse, a full family effort in such hot weather, has now been covered YAY!! This means the temperature is more constant and there is less chance of wind, when we get it, affecting things in there.

We acquired a summer house and this has now been erected in a shady corner of the garden. It looks more like a beach hut at the moment but will soon be painted green and I have plans for making the interior lovely and cosy for ourselves or our Airbnb guests. Watch this space.

There has been some harvesting done, mainly climbing peas. I have taken down the first lot and re-sowing has begun - some direct and some in the polyhouse.

The dwarf beans, here, are coming along nicely as are the sugar snap peas.

I've also taken up a few onions, bit of a disappointment this year, and the kale is great, too.

Now, most people will know shearing has been happening recently so Jon and the boys were over the fence to our neighbours with his flock. They enjoyed watching, picking up the stray wool whilst Jon rolled up the fleeces and Alfie put the sacks on the truck to be taken away. 

Away from outdoor stuff Harry has been to his Pontio days for senior school and Aflie has been to taster days, too. We have had a number of Airbnb guests including a lovely young man from the Netherlands who was here with us for four days and we're booked tonight and two days at the weekend.

We are into the last two weeks of school before the summer hols when things go a bit nuts so there are trips out, the summer fete, special activities at school etc going on and of course we have had Sports Day, only had to be cancelled once this year instead of three as last year!

I do NOT need to tell you that we've had very warm, dry weather for the last four weeks or so therefore we have had a few trips to the beach which has been great. On the downside watering the garden has been a full time job; Jon put me a tap outside recently but is going to put a second one nearer the veg patches as it is not convenient to have the hosepipe in plain sight when we have Airbnb guests as it has to go past their room doors. I am practically doing a rain dance as we really need it, the poor sheep and cows are not getting grass as they should.

Oh, the piece I wrote for EGO magazine was published in the July issue so here is me on the left!

I am now spending some time deciding what can be sown over the next few weeks and looking, believe it or not, at overwintering things; I want to find a heater for the greenhouse so I can make the best of it in there.

Ok, I think I'm caught up. Time to get onto other things.

Bye for now.

Lou.xx