Photo Call.

My last post mentioned the things that were growing, or not, at the moment so as I was out this morning I decided to take a few photos for illustration purposes.

So here are the swede, not many of them but hey ho.

Then I have quite a lot more turnips which seem to be doing well.

The beetroot is looking healthy.

I can see proper broccoli and I have started with my stinky rhubarb treatment!

I don't want to pick the apples too soon but they look great. When we moved here at the beginning of last September there were a few left on the tree so I think I should pick them pretty soon.

Here are the onions; super excited about those!

These are my bag-grown spuds. I have pulled them up this morning and....

this little lot weighed in at 1lb 12.8oz. Obviously the eggs didn't come via the same harvest process but glad to see there were four.

Finally here are my beef tomato plants. Firstly the leaves are curling slightly but I think this is just because they need extra water; I'm not feeding them tomato feed because as you can see there is neither fruit nor flowers at the moment. Hope they will come on soon...

 

and the sweetcorn. I am still stunned that I have actually managed to grow something that even slightly resembles sweetcorn, let alone that there is a good chance we will be able to eat it!

Right, mission accomplished, ie. no rambling, but I will finish with a picture across the veg patch this morning as it is glorious today and look forward to enjoying the good weather for the next couple of days. 

Hope you all have sunshine, too.

Bye for now.

Lou.xx

What A Weekend!

We have had just a lovely weekend.

On Friday, amongst getting all ready for our visitors I baked bread but had a little hiccup; the water I added to the mix was too warm so killed off the yeast. Undeterred I decided to make flat breads and enlisted the help of the boys too and this is what we ended up with. Mmmm, ten of them are now in the freezer.

Our guests were both collected and arrived with us by 9.30pm and we had a fantastic evening. A few drinks, some lovely food, looking at photos, some guitar playing from the chaps and a lot of singing. Fab!

On Saturday morning we had our quite leisurely breakfast and headed into Aber for a mooch around and a coffee stop. We walked down to the beach and it was lovely, really not cold but a bit blowy and no rain! (Sorry this is a tad blurry.)

We headed home for our big pan of soup for lunch and had a very chilled out afternoon. some people had a kip, others went out for a walk with the dog and some watched a bit of TV. Just lovely.

Everybody was refreshed for our Tapas meal out in the evening. Some reviews I have read for La Taberna have said customers felt vaguely hungry at the end of the meal. However there were seven of us and we had a mixed plate of ham and cheese plus 11 tapas, these are not main courses, between us so that is one plate to share and a mathematical 1.57 tapa each. Well along with bread it was absolutely plenty for us. We had a bottle of wine, a jug of sangria and some soft drinks and the bill was less that £120. Not bad as far as I am concerned and would highly recommend it as a lovely, realxed atmosphere which the boys enjoyed, too. Lots of conversations about bull fighting and Cordoba due to the posters on the walls.

As we walked back to the car it began to rain and by the time we were driving down the seafront it seemed rude not to park up so the huge waves could wash over us. We all screamed like it was fireworks going off. Perfect end to a lovely evening.

On Sunday morning, with a full breakfast inside, us we headed to Borth for a walk on the beach and hope in our hearts of maybe an ice cream?! Here were the views of the beach, wild and wooly!

We then walked back along the beach part of the way and part way on the road. I took photos as we went. We did stop off at a cafe, by which time the sun was shining and the sky was blue; we treated ourselves to goodies including coffee, ice creams, cake and waffles, hot with ice cream!!

And the last photos include a lovely little basket and some wonderful old pegs I bought in a quirky antique shop along the way.

It was a lovely time and almost forgot we needed to get my friend back to Aber for her train at 3.30pm. We got home and packed up cars, which included the boys bags as they were heading to the Gramps, courtesy of Jon's cousin and her fella, to stay with them until they are back with us on Saturday.

And then is was just me and Jon and we had a relaxing evening ready for the coming week.
However, at about 8pm we had a phone call as Alfie had said he would call me when they arrived and he did just that. They drive me to distraction at times but I love them so much and miss Alfie's cuddles when he is away as he is tops in the cuddle department!

I've been out and collected the eggs this morning and checked things over in the rain. I've put some of the stinky rhubarb liquid on the broccoli which, very excitingly, is just starting to show. My dwarf beans have not been very successful at all so will have to try harder next year with those. The sweetcorn seems to be progressing well with the stragly strands on the tops turning brown. I think my bag of potatoes may be ready for harvesting as the folliage has died back quite a lot and I did put in my diary to check this week if they are ready. Dawn, could you remind me again when the sweet spuds and oca might be ready; I know it isn't just yet. The tops of some of my onions are starting to show so I hope these do not get nibbled at by anything; some are bigger than others and the green tops are still green at the moment.

Right I think that is enough from me for now. I don't plan on doing a lot today; the beds and washing from the weekend can wait until tomorrow but I will probably do some baking for Jon's packed lunches this week.

Going to see what everybody else has been up to over the last couple of days.

Bye for now.

Lou.xx

Busy Time Ahead So.....

....wish it had been Thursday today.

Before I explain that just to let you know what we have been up to since my last post.

I forgot to mention that on Saturday afternoon I got round to soaking the rhubarb leaves. Already they are looking a bit putrid but I didn't get my nose too close! Those cabbage whites are gonna get it!

On Monday the weather was glorious so me and the boys had our lunch outside.

The boys sat on the logs around the fire pit and I sat under the tree in the shade.

Yesterday, Tuesday, I took the boys and Jake down to the river for an hour so they could cool off in the water. They LOVE it there! We went so we could pick Jon up from work on the way back home.

In the Poly House the tomatoes on the small bush have FINALLY started to turn a little red - my anxiety levels were getting a bit high as I thought it had stopped growing. Phew!

Today, after taking Jon to work, the boys and I went to Aber to do the shopping ready for our guests arriving on Friday evening. Lots of yummy things -  for supper Caeser salad with fresh anchovies, breakfast on Saturday is croissants, smoked salmon and strawberries, then chicken, turnips, pearl barley and such for a lovely Saturday lunch broth. We are out for Tapas on Saturday night then it is a big breakfast on Sunday morning. I thought I should have flowers, too, so treated myself to some lillies; £3.50 at Lidl. Dressed up a big clip-top jar so it didn't look so plain. (I love love love that bunting!)

So, back to wishing today was Thursday. You know when you're getting ready for people to come, you need to get things done but you don't want to clean up too early or make that cake too early? Well, that was me today because I made up the bed in the end room but couldn't complete it because I need a new quilt, I didn't want to make too much of an effort with the cleaning as I have at least one bed to change tomorrow and washing to do, I want to bake a cake but it needs to be fresh for Friday, plus I need two bread loaves - I think you get the picture. Consequently I didn't do much today, which is un-characteristically like me, although the boys and I did clear stones from the garden so Jon can strim it before Friday and I did a wash load.

When Jon came home we discussed the finishing off in the end room and think, if we are going to let it out before October 1, we need to spend a few more pennies, hmmm. Anyhow, I watered everything when it cooled down outside and cut these beauties!

The largest cucumber weighed in at 8.6oz! We will put the cucumber in the Caesar Salad on Friday and have the courgettes as part of our tea tomorrow.

Well, I look forward to a very productive day tomorrow.

Bye for now.

Lou.xx

Weekend Round-up.

Good afternoon.

I am currently watching/listening to the ladies marathon. The last couple of days have been just amazing with the rowing, cycling, heptathalon, swimming - need I go on?

However, I have managed to do a few other things, but not much! Jon made a lovely chicken and mushroom pie for tea one night this week and we had extra pastry so I baked a yummy apple and plum pie for our puddings. Oh, talking of baking The Great British Bake Off (TGBBO) begins on August 24. Yay!!

When I collected eggs one day we had this very strange looking one. I was a little unsure about the quality of it so decided not to keep it. Egg yield has been a little disappointing this last week so hope the girls buck up their ideas from tomorrow.

Now, please could somebody confirm what this is for me and can it be eaten or consumed in any way?  The tree is in the garden and there are lots of these on it.

The boys were due back yesterday so we headed into Aber first thing in the morning to do the food shopping and run a couple of errands. On our return I put away the shopping in almost Olympic time in order to sit down and enjoy Super Saturday. I celebrated with a Chelsea bun and a cup of coffee - and what a day it was!

The boys indeed did come home yesterday and it was lovely to have them back. We went out to eat tea as the Gramps were staying a little way from the house so joined them up there. 

Now, I think I mentioned that last weekend we secured a sale on a well know auction site. Well, we paid £26 for this Rayburn.

It is in cracking shape, including the doors....

and the hot plates are in fantastic condition, too.

It was inherited when the new owners of a house moved in but they did not want it. It needs a bit of TLC, a good clean and the top needs to be re-enamled but nothing Jon can't handle. I was very unsure of the colour as I SOOO love our blue Rayburn but it really isn't that bad. It will take a little time to get used to as it will be fuelled by wood not oil but we'll get there. We plan on it being in by some time in October after we have used up the oil we still have in the tank.

Jon has continued working on the end room and we bought some super funky lino for the bathroom yesterday. I can't wait to show you the photots when finished; it will be done and dusted for our visitor on Friday so will do so sometimes then. Our visitor is a good friend who I have not seen since Alfie's first birthday party! We used to live opposite each other in London and since then and now she has worked in New York on and off for around 10 years and I have moved around and got married (she was a witness at our wedding in Cyprus). She is amazing because even though in the US she is alwasy early sending cards and presents to us and the boys for whatever celebrations; we are all sooooo excited about her arriving on Friday evenning!

Well, not much to report here really, only that the sun is expected to shine on us on tomorrow and Tuesday so we are planning a BBQ on one day or the other and I hope to make the best of the weather in the garden with a few jobs.

Bye for now.

Lou.xx

Celebrating Mediocrity - Pah!

I listened to The Jeremy Vine Show today and a sports writer was talking about how it isn't worth getting a silver or a bronze medal because it is celebrating mediocrity.  As somebody pointed out, you are hardly mediocre if you are third or even second at something in the entire world!

After thinking about it I realised the whole debate made me grind my teeth and harumph was because in saying we are celebrating mediocrity that means that winning is the only thing that matters. How can children be inspired to follow in the footsteps of their sporting heroes if they are told right at the start that you fail if you don't win? You have to start somewhere.

He also basically called olympians welfare freeloaders because they use tax payers money to spend four years training to take part in a slalom canoe race and nobody cares. That is a slightly different discussion because a lot of athletes get very little funding, however his words are not encouraging in the slightest to young people who we wish would get inspired and get our more instead of gluing themsleves to screens all the time.

Rant over, I thank you.

Mid-Week Musings

So the boys left with the Gramps Sunday lunchtime with Jon going back to work on Monday.

I have been keeping myself busy and on Monday...

I finally planted out ALL of the beetroot. You can look at it in one of two ways, either I sowed too many seeds in the beginning or I was cleverly thinking that I wouldn't have to grow it two years on the trot as I will have jar upon jar of it pickled! You decide!

Then I weeded around the turnips, onions and broccoli.

I had a few sugar snap peas in a drainpipe in the Poly House and have now put these in one of the tyres around a tripod; I hope they perk up as they were looking a bit poorly. I think they were a bit overshadowed by the cucumber plants; this is a close up to show said cucumbers which are growing very healthily and that there are lots to come, it seems.

I re-did the canes on the beef tomatoes and they are much more secure now.

I managed to turn over the compost heap with the help of both wheelbarrows. It is definitely coming on well but I really need to get right down to the bottom.

(I should point out that I've had to move the laptop to the other end of the kitchen table because the sun is streaming through the front kitchen window and I couldn't see a thing on the screen!)

Yesterday I gave the Poly House a really good tidy out including brushing out seed trays that are now empty ready for next season's sowing. There is not much going on in there at the moment; I'm sure there is something I could be doing but can't figure out what.

I managed to do some good work on my December Daily and finished three pages. Then domestic stuff was washing done and put outside, some ironing and clothes and bedding put away. I have the boys' school uniform washed and put aside but not doing anything with that yet as not sure how much of it will fit them by the end of the summer hols!

Jon and I went to the builders yard for supplies, more of that in a moment, after he finished work and he bought this for me. Aaah.

You can just see in the background my lettuces coming on. Decided to try growing these along with the leaves that are in the drainpipe above.

I am a little concerned about the tomatoes. I have picked some and we have eaten them, yum, but the bush ones are not turning red at the moment. I have, however, been reliably informed that when they turn red they emit a gas which helps to turn others red; maybe I just need to be a little more patient and not pick any for a while when they DO turn red. My middle name is definitley "learning all the time".

Now, regarding the trip to the builders yard. You may remember back in January I wrote THIS post, and then I wrote THIS one! The end room is really coming on and this is the bathroom. The tiles I mentioned a while back which the boys were helping to carry into the shed were used for the back wall, Jon made the frame for the mirror we had in stock as well as the duck board for the shower tray. That was another freebie; the tray was lying around at the saw mill, was a bit long so Jon shortened it, glued it back together and sanded it down and you would never know, then the toilet was from Freecycle and the door was a bargain on Ebay.

Last weekend Jon painted the living/sleeping space and we chose this fab purple for the end walls and used magnolia on the other two.

Carpet is coming in a couple of days, grouting on the shower, which is to the left of the mirror, will be finished tonight then it will be done for now. Later we need to look at curtains but we have a great side unit that was going for free, you see we love that word! which will go in later of course. So, where am I going with THIS ramble you are probably asking? 

Well, surpsingly we have changed our mind, yet again. The end room was to be a guest room and nothing more but I have a friend with a self-catering cottage down the road from us and she said we should put it on Airbnb. You may remember that I said I didn't want people in the garden, the space taken up which we had dreamed of for so long etc. etc. However, Jon and I think we can do this without too much impact on ours and the boys' lives. The other thing is the field we own down the road from the house would take a lot, and I mean a lot, of money to turn into a viable plot for camping and would take a good year or more to get done. 

Therefore we are going back to, not sure what plan X, Y or Z, where we use the field as more of a smallholding to be as self-sufficient and self-reliant as we can with our pigs, Jon's agricultural building store, his tool shed, maintenance materials, all his other manly stuff and who knows what else. He would be able to give up work then as we are not looking to be millionaires, just get the qualtiy of life we have both been looking for and want for the whole family. I pretty much do as I please and always have since we got here, and I am very lucky in that, but this would mean Jon could be at home, we would work together, have our desired pace of life for us and the boys and do what we want to do.

Another phew! We may get this first room let out in around October just to see how things go and after that Jon can look at converting the next two rooms.

Isn't life a killer? What can I say but what a ride! As it says at the bottom of my blog posts - 

It isn't love that makes the world go round, it's love that makes the ride worth while.

I can't think of anybody other than Jon that I would want to travel on this wild ride of ours.

I think that really is quite enough rambling.

Bye for now.

Lou.xx

Homestead Ways and Sunny Days.

This week I tried something a bit different with my bread making. Sunflower and pumpkin seeds with pine nuts, mmmm yummy when toasted in the heat slightly.

On Thursday morning I baked this yummy blueberry breakfast cake, mainly for Alfie, the recipe for which I saw on Pinterest - here is the link; easy to bake and very tasty.

Just to being me back down to earth I cleaned out the chickens later on before any rain looked like it was starting - a great job as I love seeing it all cosy for them - call me daft! 

On Friday morning I planted out most of the beetroot, still a bit to go, then after lunch baked a lemon cake to use up some eggs and changed beds. We decided to go to Aber in the late afternoon as the weather was just glorious. We also thought we would get a Chinese takeaway to have with the boys as they would be going away to the Gramps at the weekend for a week. They had been so good tidying up inside whist me and Jon were busy and even made us a cafetier of coffee! 

We drove to the seafront and instead of going second class we turned left and headed to the harbour for a change, walking up as far as we could. Check out my photos and the fab, bluer than blue sky.

I think this is where the river Ystwyth meets the sea.

 Looking back toward the sea front.

Alfie has had the lucky sea gull poo drop on this a couple of times and this one seemed to be circling him!

There were a few people on the beach and the lifeguards were on duty.

Today, Sunday, and this was the collection of goodies first thing in the morning from the hen house, Poly House and outside - our first tomato! Courgettes and sugar snap peas are still steadily growing, too, and there was another egg later on.

The boys are going off shortly when Grandad has done helping Jon with a project I will share at a later date. Their little backpacks are packed and they will hopefully be back next Saturday in time for us to go to a vintage show being held in Aberaeron.

Jon is back to work tomorrow so I will be keeping myself busy with various things, but also watching some of the Olympics depending on the times which are a little crazy here and there because of the time difference.

Right I'm just rambling now so hope to have some stuff to share with you later in the week.

By for now.

Lou.xx

Wet And Warm, Top Soil And Tyres.

Well, Ta Da! We have top soil!!! Bet you're glad I'll stop going on about that now!

Jon fetched it last night and I was so very much hoping for a sunny day today but instead we were outside in the rain, at least it isn't cold, from just after 7am for nearly two hours putting the soil here... (obviously there is still some weeds which need to be gotten rid of!)

...and here. I'd been saving cardboard to use as mulch for the tyres so I put that in first.

It was time to go in for some breakfast and the boys made us bacon and egg butties, with a bit of help from Jon, and a pot of coffee. After breakfast I made the bread, did a few admin jobs and after a lunch of fish fingers and salad the boys helped Jon tidy his shed and I headed back to the veg patch.

The thing I really wanted to transfer was the Squash plant which was running amok in its much smaller planter; I think it will be much better here.

The fruits are looking great, not quite twice the size of a goosberry, look a bit like them too!

I then set to planting out some of the beetroot. I did one row and then left it because the soil was too wet for me to kneel on but I made some progress - if you can just about see them!

I also finally got around to planting out the leeks. I really hope they take; I followed the rules by putting them in the hole then watering it and lightly putting the soil back into it. Fingers crossed. I have a whole new level of anxiety now wondering if things are going to grow properly outside.

A couple of things from the Poly House. Does anybody else who is growing something simialr to Dwarf Beans have them growing with tiny black blemishes on them? These have, but cook and taste just fine. Just wondering.

Then you may just  be able to see that the tomato in the middle of the picture is not quite totally green anymore. Eeeek!

When we had finshed all our jobs and were just about to come in Jon said about letting the chickens out of the enclosure for a while. They took a while but gingerly stepped out.

I hope we don't find one of them beak down in the pond! I was worried, too,that they would head for something I didn't want them to eat but they were quite happy scratching around at the greenery near the fence. We think we will do this late in the afternoon now and again and, hopefully, they will take themselves back into the enclosure, especially when it is winter and gets dark sooner.

Nearly forgot, another little job we did this morning was to cut this budlea down which was making a shadow over the Poly House. May seem a bit severe but that is how it goes sometimes. You can see the strawberry patch in the foreground. We have not done well with these at all this year. We are not going to stress but build a frame for them ready for next year and hope for a much better harvest.

Well I think that is me caught up. Jon is still off work, this is his second of two weeks. Tomorrow we have a trip to make to the tip and we are going to collect a door for the end room to keep in stock until we are ready for it - a bargain at £15 - and as it is near Borth I really hope the weather is good enough for us to take a look at the beach.

Oh, egg yield for this month was 139. Only one down on last month so we have covered the cost of half the initial lay out for the chicken project.

At the end of the week Jon's dad and his wife are coming to visit and we expect they will take the boys back with them for a week at the caravan. Realised today that I will be on my own in the day time next week as Jon will be back at work. Never mind, I am sure I will keep myself busy with this and that!

Bye for now.

Lou.xx