Problem Solving and Stuff

One of those mornings, after getting all excited yesterday with my mushrooms coming up, I popped to have a check on them and overnight a cat had paid a visit scratched them up and did a big dump in the middle 

 I was not impressed, in fact the air was blue,

I found some chicken wire and now covered them over.

The next problem was a chicken,

she has been broody it seems for ever, it was time she snapped out of it, so it was off to chicken jail for her

 Do not pass go and do not collect eggs on the way Mrs Broody,

She has food and water and will spend a few days in the cage to see if she snaps out of it, the point of the cage with a mesh floor is to cool her down.

 I got the rest of the bamboo clumps along the fence line, I hope when they take they will create a wind break

 While I was in the top field I brought down the fox trap, it is a live trap, if I get a fox I will get some-one to come and shoot it.

 It has been baited with the turkey carcass, Sol has spent all day guarding it, he thinks it for him.

This guarding lark is hard work and a nap was in order.

 The area beside the shed has been a dumping ground for pots and other gardening bits and bobs, it has been grating on my nerves

 I pulled it all out, threw out anything broken

 all the hoses and watering systems were tied up

 I put some membrane down and stacked everything all tidy.

 12lbs of onions taken up from the outside bed, the tops had gone over and I needed to clear the bed.

 I got most of the bed dug over then it was time to start on the evening rounds.

 Tonight I have been having a go at making Chorizo  sausage, They need to hang here for 24hrs for the skins to dry then I am moving them to hang in the fridge in the barn for a month.

That sums up my Saturday. 

Diary

Friday 15th October 1982

Phoned electricity about the wiring, cleaned up some more rubbish.

Saw Mr and Mrs Joynson at their farm, enquired about sheep possibilities, gave us a trip round their farm in their land rover, very exposed farm, had a cup of tea . Saw a few large hunting birds.

Home about six o'clock cooked curry and rice, pork chops, liver casserole and rice pudding.

Molly and Douglas arrived at half past 11 had dinner bed at 1.15am. 

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LOOOOK What's Growing

I get excited over the smallest of things and today was no exception 

I spotted these growing yippppppeeeeee

Mushrooms, 

Back in June I set up the mushroom bed details HERE 

It looks like I might have mushrooms on the menu this week end.

 

Today has been a smelly day and I was glad to get into the shower and cleaned up this evening.

I was cleaning out the Billy goat house, they have started dousing themselves in goat aftershave, (urine) and while I was cleaning there house they insisted on rubbing themselves up me passing on there aroma, the reason for all this behavior Connie has come into season or Connie has come into season because of there behavior.

She has been very vocal for 24 hours lots of tail wagging and insists on teasing the boys through the fence, it has now passed and she will come into season again in about three weeks and will continue like that until she is in kid, I don't intend to put her to a Billy until the autumn. I am keeping a note of her cycle and I have a Billy lined up, just waiting for Thelma and Helen to start there cycles now.

 

Other news on the animal front

The little chicks are now integrating during the day with the rest of the flock

 Perhaps next week I will move them into the hen house at night

  Mamma hen and her little chicks are doing well, once the others are settled into the flock I will start integrating this little family.

There is a definite cockerel in the bath of little chicks and I think there is one in this little group, two more roast chicken dinners lined up.

 

I have been fixing up and changing hay racks in the goats houses, I needed a small one in Helen's house and the boys needed a proper rack.Which also go me looking into organising some hay,  before winter comes. I have also been shifting things around putting them were they belong, the day just flew by.

 

Diary

Thursday 14th October 1982

Up at 7-45am, breakfast, cow milked, raining, went to Llanybydder to see Eva Brown at Market. Walked around lambs for sale, nothing spectacular. From there to Cwmann to see where Eva lives. Then on to Lampter, nice little town did some food shopping £16.

On the way home took turning to Gwernoggle very pretty route and village. Home had something to eat, unloaded Ifore William trailer, then police came for statement from John about Betty's accident, he left about 9-30pm. John to phone Elgen Jones about sheep buying.

 

Baking and Sowing

I spent the morning in the kitchen as it was drizzly outside,

This time I was having a go at Maple and Pecan danish pastries

 A bit too much filling, but they taste delicious, Martin wont be home this week end so I will have to eat them myself.

Usual loaf of bread got done.

This afternoon the sun came out and I headed outside

I had some lentils soaking ready to sow, half have gone in the poly tunnel and the rest outside in one of the beds to compare how they do, I also sowed some beetroot and Pak Choi in the poly tunnel.

 

Diary Extract

Wednesday October 13th 1982

John fixed light (temp) in front room. Shifted rubble by the yard gate and started stacking breize blocks tidy and dumping rubbish in the old silage pit.

Rained very hard on and off for a couple of hours, cooked loads of lites for Jessie.

Started cleaning up table to use as a desk in front room. Got this book up to date.

John to ring Sax Purdy at 9pm to confirm booking for bringing up the animals. 

Did washing by hand ha ha!

 

I have made a special cover to protect the diary's details on my craft blog.

 

 

Garden Bits And Bobs

Yesterday I popped to the local garden nursery to pick up more Beetroot seeds

 And some Pak Choi, I had used all mine up and want to get some more sown outside and in the poly tunnel

 They had just got these in so picked up a pack a different variety to those we have been growing, they will go in the poly tunnel.

This little garden nursery like many have a big box in the parking area filled with trays and pots that they have used, they give them away free.

 I picked up these trays and a few pots, I have never bought plant pots all the years I have been gardening there are always pots going for free, through social media sites, gardening groups, free-cycle and at the tips and since garden centres and nursery's have been giving away trays in the name of recycling I have never bought trays, they only need a wash then they are ready to go again.

Today I was harvesting things from the poly tunnel 

I need to clear space for more sowing's

 I took up the chick peas, laid them out on some garden fleece

 and strung them up in a hammock to let the air circulate around them so they dry off then I can pick out the chick peas, I can give them a shake every time I pass by to help them along.

I also took up the small bed of onions from the tunnel, the tops were bent over so they were just about ready to harvest, again they are tied up in the barn to dry off. 

They weighed 5lbs in total, all produce is weighed and recorded that way I can work out if we are growing enough and what is producing best.

I have started picking some of the chilli's and strung them up in the kitchen to dry out

 Along with some lavender

More carrot thinning's this bunch weighed in at 1lb 

Tomorrow I will be sowing Beetroot Pak Choi and lentils.

We had a fox attack this evening, my two OAP girls 9 years old and still laying 5 eggs a piece each week a couple of young foxes tore them apart playing, I am now in wait for the sods and will string them up.

Diary

Tuesday October 12th 1982

Went to Llanybidder in search of Eva brown to no avail, bought loaf of bread, took different route home through country lanes, really very beautiful.

 Called in at show rooms for chain saws, assistant really knows his stuff, bought a logging saw in Carmarthen and can of 20-50 oil for car, pick up etc.

Had a cup of coffee and round animal market (sheep)

Telephone man unable to come, van broke down.

John let down on moving of his animals by Ashton Reed.

Poly Tunnels In July

The poly tunnels are certainly paying for themselves,

Full to bursting with lots of succesional sowings.

The Dry Tunnel

I call this tunnel the dry one because all the plants in here like a dryer atmosphere and everything is watered at soil level keeping the air drier.

 Strawberry bed and Basil

 Cucumbers and Radicchio

 The cucumbers this year are mini munchers a nice size suited to just two of us.

 Potatoes, I hadnt planned on potatoes to be in here, but there was a space and I was given some free tubers at the show.

 The pineapple top has taken and is now starting to grow

 Some of the Lemon grass has taken and are now growing

 Carnivorous do well earning there keep

 Ginger is starting to grow

 Tomatoes and lettuce border, behind the tomatoes are the red onions that I was given for free, forgot to photo them.

 Crisp Mint Lettuce ( it dosent taste of mint)

 Little Gem lettuce,

 Lots of fruit on the tomatoes, three different variety's growing in this border

 The citrus trees are doing well along with the Avacados

 My satsuma tree is laden with fruits this year.

 The young citrus trees all grown from our own pips are putting on lots of growth

 This tunnel doubles as my growing area so there is always new sowings on the go.

 The garlic harvest is drying off in the corner

 Outside are the new beds, this one with Lavender, Echinachia, Camelia Senensis.

 This bed also has Lavender, Horseradish, Comfrey and Lemon Balm

The Wet Tunnel, Its not wet all the time, this tunnel is water with an overhead sprinkler system, it is a lot more humid in here.

 Outside the doors are two bed, this one is full of parsnips.

 The other has Courgette plants,

 I am trying one of the Yacon's in the tunnel, it is way bigger than those growing outside.

 Bed of Sweet Potatoes and a stray brassica from a dropped seed.

 Celery has bunched up lovely

 The sweetcorn is 8ft tall the cobs are not far off ready to harvest now.

 The grape vine has been thinned out and some of the bunches of fruit have been thinned out.

 More Carnivorous plants, great for pest control.

 Lots of Oca this year

 Pink Fir potatoes harvesting these as we need them

 Late sowings of climbing french beans.

 Another grape vine in the opposite corner.

 These onions are almost ready for harvest.

 Melons should really be in the other tunnel, there are fruits forming.

 Orange Beetroot and some plum tomatoes that were side shoot that were taken from the parent plants.

 Thorny tomato now flowering.

 Parent Plum Tomato the fruit now ripening.

 Chick peas, I am now thinking of taking up the plants and leaving them to dry to harvest the chick peas

 At the back is carrots and radishes.

 Chilli's and peppers

 We have black chilli's

 Banana Chilli's

 Red Pointy peppers

 Bell peppers

 These are the black ones, the plants are laden with them.

 Birds Eye Chilli's

 So lots going on under the covers, I will do the rest of the garden this week.

Diary Extract

Monday October 11th 1982

"Two men from dept of enviroment arrived in the morning to inspect the house in respect of grant application for a grant 75%, Later in the morning telephone workman arrived to connect exterior bell, has to call again wiring diagram not correct.

Molly and Douglas left mid afternoon (Mary Rose lifted)

John and I took pick up down to forestry to collect wood.

Puncture on rear tyre, collected good load of timber with permission."