Watch Out There Is AHumphrey About.

12 weeks and counting, 

12 weeks or 3 months or 84 days or quarter of a year, however you look at it, its a long time to be at home away from fellow human beings. The Welsh government are saying it might be extended to 16 weeks for people like me, high risk, elderly etc 

I have Martin here and my son and grandson, staying in touch with female friends on group chats and family has become an important part of life.

I am lucky I have space I have fields I have the forest to wander around, I have plenty here to keep me busy.

I know only make a point of watching the news in the morning with a cuppa and then catching the evening news, I was finding watching and listening to the news too much, the numbers rising was upsetting a constant reminder I might never see my children grandchildren family and friends again and I was having panic attacks. When your out there in the sunshine pottering about or enjoying some fresh air and the views it’s hard to believe what is going on in the world.

This is Humphrey, he is 21 months old and Martin collected him yesterday, his previous owners were having to off load stock since losing there jobs they couldn’t afford the upkeep, while Martin was there he was in the queue of livestock being collected calves sheep lambs, very sad that they were having to sell off there stock 

Humphrey will be joining our water buffalo boys, and is earmarked for meat later in the year. 

The Alpacas love this weather all fluffed up and clean 

They have come through the wet winter fine

And are looking in great shape 

As the water buffalo are enclosed for winter, they are too heavy footed for the wet fields, the Alpacas have had the freedom of the buffalos fields and the wooded copse areas.

All the brush wood from logging is getting chipped up straight into the growing areas to replenish some areas that are wearing thin.

The biscuit tin was empty and grandson decided to make some from a WW1 recipe he found going through my books, he thought the recipe was appropriate to the times we are in now.

They are very much like a flapjack and were quickly devoured I now need to do some more baking.

I haven’t done much crafting just lately as my mind has been else were and I have found concentrating difficult, I am now trying to get back into it, as craft fairs and events are all cancelled for the foreseeable future I am looking into setting up a web site and might take this route in the future rather than go to events.

I have had a bit of windfall and going to invest it in setting up a new crafting venture.

 More on that as it comes together. 

Take care everyone. 

It’s All Started

Early hours yesterday morning or first lamb of the year arrived

She is a little beauty, 

After breakfast we got mum and lamb moved down to the new safe paddock next to the house. Were there is plenty of grass for mum as well.

Just need some friends for her to play with now.

Harvested a load of sprouting broccoli yesterday to go in the freezer, as with the sunshine it will run to seed, 

 The stalks all get shared out between the goats who are desperate for greens this time of year.

Fresh nutritious greens are on the go fo us to have with lunches in the form of sprouting seeds

And anything we don’t eat the chickens just love.

Had a few new books arrive this past week rainy day reading

I am so glad we don’t have to depend on the shops for food here, that must be such a worry for families 

The freezers are well stocked along with the cupboards

Last night it was haddock fillets done in a beer batter made from Martins home brew, with chips and peas, potatoes are bought in I buy in a big sack to see us through until we are harvesting again they make lovely chips and peas are home grown what we have in the freezer. 

Of course you can’t have fish and chips without tartar sauce. 

Spring Is Here

Spring has arrived, the fields have dried up, buds are breaking on the trees, dandelions are opening up and the bees are flying.

In preparation for lambing which is due to start in a few weeks for us, we have now completed a new area to bring those mums to be

A shelter and paddock next to the house has been put together, so no trekking across fields at night and we have a camera that covered this are too. 

The poly tunnels are starting to fill with lots of new veg 

I love getting all the seeds on the go and growing our own food is paying off in times like this, we are still harvesting broccoli, cabbage, celery, carrots, Swiss chard, Corriander oregano thyme watercress, beetroot.

We are just getting to end of what was stored from last years harvest, onions I have about 20 left, the leeks I have just shredded up to go into the freezer

There is about 16 jars of tomatoes in the store cupboard along with other bottled and canned goods.

No shortage of food here and not having to depend on the shops.

Next rainy day will see us doing inventories of the freezers and store cupboards.

We have lots of new arrivals due soon, lambs, kids buffalo calves.

We have also got arriving Chicks, Piglets and it looks like another buffalo is also joining us. 

More on all that as it happens. 

There are advantages of being in isolation for 12 weeks 

All those long awaited jobs get done

The garden will be blooming as there is time to get it organised

There is no dashing about trying to get things done

I am not off out doing craft fairs 

I might even get my online selling platform up and running.

De cluttering is happening

Housework is up to date

Unfinished  projects are being done

Books are being read.

Of course there is lots of disadvantages

My income has dropped to zero

The Plant and seed swap is cancelled

Craft fairs are cancelled 

I don’t see any one 

I don’t see the world past the end of the drive way

The local garden Center is having a sale of plants and I can’t go.

Never mind there is always next year .

Stay Safe Stay at Home. 

A Long Time Coming

This blog post has been a long time coming,

So much has gone on, our lives have been on a roller coaster.

I am just going to outline some of the major events just to update things.

December 17th 

Martin went into hospital for an operation on his shoulder to repair a rotar cuff injury.

All went well, his shoulder an arm was totally immobilised and was going to be for 8 weeks, operation went well. 

Then it went wrong he developed an infection  was taken back into hospital, we had ART coming out daily to give him antibiotics intravenously.

During this time our eldest grandson Connor came to live with us, I also got news a dear long standing friend  had passed away very suddenly.

January 17th 

Our grandson Cameron was tragically killed in an accident 

Our world fell apart, it was a long nearly six week wait for the funeral, Martin was battling infection and having to go back in hospital, we were trying to keep things going here on the small holding battling relentless storms and rain.

March 17th 

I had to go into 12 week self isolation taking the government advice, being in the high risk group, 

COVID19 is sweeping the country, Martin should have been going in for another operation as the infection still goes on and not coming under control, operation cancelled, we have to now manage it at home, antibiotics and dressings is all the surgery can give us.

There has been good news 

Our granddaughter is expecting twins in June 

Twin 1

Twin2

Identical twin girls, A high risk pregnancy but she is being well cared for and is also on isolation until delivery.

On the smallholding front, all is well, We passed the TB testing, the buffalo mamas are pregnant, the goats are pregnant, the sheep are pregnant. 
Babies and new life everywhere. 
With everything going into lock down we are well prepared, the freezers are full of meat fruit and vegetables, we have plenty stores of canned preserved and dried foods.
We are now in a new growing season although we still have things to harvest.
We are very lucky to be in this position we can still go for walks spend plenty time outside, there is always lots to do, being self sufficient puts you in a good position we can also help out others who are not in a good place.
We have not had to stock up on anything except for animal feed, thank goodness the grass is starting to grow again a few weeks and we can turn out the Buffalo again. 
With all this down time this could be the year we catch up on all those jobs.
2020 is turning into a very memorable time, good and bad.