How Did I Get This Lucky?

It's been a bit of an uneventful time on the land this week - the Bloke has been off doing blokey stuff and the weather has been so wonderful I've been doing nothing much of anything! I appear to have caught hayfever from somebody - what I thought was a cold has dragged on so long it must be something else - but seem to be managing quite well on the whole. Since there's nothing very green in the growing line - how about this for recycling?

Sometimes I genuinely wonder how this happened! I've had a fair amount of cr*p in my life, but, for the most part, it's turned out beautifully. Just as a f'rinstance, take Mabel. Mabel is our new caravan. She's getting on in years, but is perfectly sound and looks lovely now she's had a bit of cleaning up - particularly with the smart brown curtains that used to be an odd, faded kind of sun-bleached peach colour! Good ol' Dylon! We're gathering together all kinds of odds and ends that will remain the the cupboards and under the seats so that we can up and go with no notice - apart, of course, from making sure every animal is fed and watered and the chickens are put away at night and let out in the morning, the plants are watered and ..... need I go on?

Anyway, this little gem came to me via the Wondrous Waveney Freecycle Yahoo! Group. Free. Gratis. For nothing. Without cost. Nada! Fan-bloomin'-tastic! The pictures are not very good, and one of them was taken thru the window while the curtains were in the washing machine changing colour, but you get the idea.





We will be using her to go to the Norfolk Game and Country Fair at the end of next week - when my brilliant house-and-livestock-sitters will return once more - and I can't wait to see how she performs. Oh, and incidentally, if you have any suggestions as to what I should take with me (apart from pots ,pans, some Portapotty chemicals, clean socks and so on) please post a comment or email me.





It would be nice to know what you think of her, anyway.





I present "MABEL"







Please note that I did not choose these tasteful cushion covers, I was soooo lucky to get them in the deal! You're jealous now, aren't you!!??

In Full Swing Now ....!

Well, we are on our way now! Look at the Easter Potato! Unfortunately, it hasn't produced any actual potatoes in time for the Easter Dinner, but it would really make a lovely houseplant!

Also, the main-crop peas are coming along nicely in their guttering - ready to slide, effortlessly, into the furrow as soon as they have hardened off.





Speaking of Easter, The Bloke arrived home with a chocolate offering ready for the Day (which, although I am a Buddhist, I choose to celebrate in the traditional choccie way) which fits so well onto this blog, I just had to include it! Also, it's lovely, hand-made, locally mixed choc and is absolutely delicious! Sadly, this picture is all that remains - sadly, but not surprisingly!!

We're off to the Norfolk Game and Country Fair at the end of the month. Several of us are going to change into Weekend Gypsies and will stay for a couple of nights at the Norwich Showground. Camping is such fun. Particularly in the Spring, when the ground is still cold and hard!

I have it firmly in mind to purchase some Biltong. This is one of those foreign things to which I have taken a liking - similar to Risotto, Chop Suey and Kebabs - and cosists of dried, highly-seasoned beef "jerky" style strips. I simply can't get enough. This is a shame because it comes at a price - about £5! - all the way from South Africa and has so much salt ....! Luvvitt!

Rosie, my tiny doggie, had a visit from a boy doggie today. Both were willing, but unsuccessful. Ah, well, maybe next time, Hasker!! A very pleasant afternoon was had by all; my friends and I in the back garden while The Bloke took Chaos for a walk - to the Pub!




Winston, Lilly, Violet and Daisy are growing well, collections of vegetables from the extra-generous local greengrocers is the only thing stopping them from eating us out of house and home! Winston is getting particularly partial to having his ears scratched and they all like playing with the hose jet in the lovely warm weather we've been blessed with this week.

Incidentally, left to right they are Daisy, Lilly, Violet and Winston. In case you wanted to know.....

Have a good time, till next time, and don't buy eggs from caged hens, please?

Lovely Dress!

Last weekend, on the last day of March, 2007, My Baby Boy got married. We went to the wedding at a hotel overlooking the natural harbour at Poole, Dorset, and met his New Wife's Parents and some of his friends from long ago. The food was fabulous, her dress was the best one I have ever seen, the venue was absolutely stunning, the sun was shining and there were no conflicts at all, all day.

A band called Huckleberries played 'hillbilly' stonking good music just loudly enough to generate a brilliant party atmosphere and not so loud that it gave everyone headaches (I suspect this was out of deference to us ancient folk!). Many people made complete idiots of themselves on the dancefloor, bless 'em, and a superlative time was had by all.

This is a rather poor, 'phone picture of the Wedding Cake. Yes, it is made of cheese. I think it is the most fantastic cake I have ever seen at a wedding! This is so much in my Son's character - never, ever the same as anyone else! I couldn't be more proud!

His Wife looked absolutely beautiful. Stunning. Heavens, he's lucky to have her. She puts up with him, for a start, and she is tall, slender, beautiful, graceful, elegant and funny. She is warm and friendly, highly-organised and a real joy to all those around her. My Son is nice, too. Seriously, they seem made for each other, each complimenting the other like a hand in a glove. I couldn't be more pleased both for them and us.

They are off to Australia for a while and then on to Thailand for three weeks. I truly wish them the very best honeymoon ever and would like to thank them for such a lovely day.

On the hobby-farm front, our two friends did a really great job of house, plant and animal sitting. I knew they would. They are great people! All the plants are growing strongly and the weather is a bit cloudy and drizzly today, so perfect for planting out some more peas and onion sets.

The savoys are going outside to be hardened off today and so are the next lot of broad beans. Runners are beginning to germinate and I have more squash than in the whole of the rest of the world. Anyone want some????

The jerusalem artichokes are thru! Little rosettes of deep green leaves on the surface of the compost in the dustbin - apparently this stuff is rampant and will take over your garden with six-foot fronds if you don't keep it controlled. Forewarned ....!

My Easter Potato seems to be on track for next weekend and now has flower buds. It was planted in a chimney-pot in January and is now about two feet tall. Would make a great house-plant. Better lunch, tho, on Easter Day.

It just struck me that I'm a pretty poor Buddhist if I celebrate Easter! I just won't give up the chocolate? Too right!

The Hunter, a friend of ours, has damaged his back and is currently struggling around on crutches. We all wish him a speedy and pain-free recovery and hope he enjoys the drugs while they last!!!

My Babies Are Growing

My Greenhouse is filling up and this is my Easter Potato

Broad Beans and my baby Sweet Peppers.

Now you might think that those look like funny plant pots for the peppers but they are, in fact, the best thing for your plants and possibly the cheapest! I have done tests and the plants germinate much quicker in these than in plastic and stay moist but not wet. Blinkin' marvellous! All it takes is a little time and you can have an unlimited number of pots, in whatever size you want, with no disposal problems afterwards. Isn't that cool, here's the instructions link

http://www.wizer.co.uk/?p=29 .

I spend the otherwise wasted time in the same room as a functioning TV making these by the dozen and marvelling at how clever someone was to design them. Fantastic!

Anyway, in the last couple of very busy days, we have added Runner Beans, Beetroot, Brussels Sprouts, Canary Seed (of that, more later), Cherry Tomatoes, Beefsteak Tomatoes and a few herbs. I now have the fingernails of a miner. Ah, well, it's the price we pay.

I have planted some canary seed to provide the canaries with green-food which is one of the things that gives them their zest for life. At the moment they are taking a very tiny share of the veggies we are given for the pigs - they eat more cabbage than seed, these days! Incidentally, don't give any creature too much lettuce, it has a purgative effect! Ask any rabbit.

Off to the Son's Wedding this weekend. 'Bout time, too! He has yet to realise how lucky he is to have such a really nice young lady prepared to put up with him! He should remember that there are some of us out here that know his real character! Ha!

The weather has been very kind over the past couple of days and so the other job that has been finally completed is the Aviary!

Four lutino canaries have moved in and this is the first time they have lived outside. After being told this morning that the night temperature would be 6 - 8 degrees Celsius - almost balmy - it transpires that we are going to have a frost here. Let us hope that the poor little blighters survive the night!

More later

Chaos Descends!

On Sunday the Daughter arrived from Cambridge, complete with dog, and did the Mother's Day visit. Son remembered to phone, too! This is a full-house hand!

Anyway, it transpires that the lease runs out on the Cambridge shared-abode this year and so they have to show prospective tenants around the place. This means it has to be comparatively tidy, with an absence of long, wiggly, omnipresent, shedding-his-winter-coat-right-now dog hair. Our house will now become the opposite of this.

Chaos has arrived and it would appear that he is here for the duration of The Daughter's Saving To Go Travelling Year and the subsequent Travelling Year after that.

Chaos is a big boy. He is 50/50 GSD and Malamut. He can put his front paws on my shoulders and look me straight in the eyes. He is also a crafty and inventive thief and bin-raider, with all of his 5-year life having been spent in perfection of these skills. Rosie is terrified of him - which is only fair, since he is terrified of her. The difference is size is something in the range of 40 - 45 KILOS! They both usually calm down after the first week or so - well, they did last time The Daughter took to the High Seas in Search Of Adventure.

Chaos has also decided that it would be quite interesting to meet some piglets and some sheep and some chickens and any other moving thing on the field - at speed! So he has spent several hours standing, with his front paws on the top of the gate, barking despondently as we feed all those interesting creatures without his help. We are, apparently, rotters!

Despite the patchwork of nice, sunny weather and appalling wintery precipitation, the plants are beginning to grow and we still have no mushrooms. The heater has been put on in the greenhouse as the night temperature has dropped to January levels and I have babies in there that would not survive freezing. The greenhouse now smells like the M1 - I wonder if we are doing this right?

The aviary is almost completed and soon I will be able to reach my waste-paper bin when the canaries and budgerigars move out there! JOY be unbounded! Have you ever seen the mess that can be made by about half-a-pound of birds? Knee deep, I tell you! Knee deep!

More soon!

'Ere We Go!

Hello!

Well, I've finally done it and set up a blog. I am a complete newby to this stuff and also losing my marbles a bit due to old age and decrepitness, so you will have to bear with me as I learn how all this stuff works.

Anyway, we moved to Suffolk from Hampshire in 2002 to run a pub. That was too much like hard work so we packed it in and moved into a little bungalow nearby which came with an additional acre of land. Very nice it is, too. This will be our third Spring here, and this time we are almost ready for it!



Virtually every windowsill has seed trays, little newspaper pots and seedlings on. We have germinated Squash (Crown Prince, Butternut, Sunburst and Big Max) in the airing cupboard, Broad Beans are about 6" high in the greenhouse, with a second load on the way. We have Lemon Basil, Galia Melon, Capsicum, two rows of early peas now about 9" high, two rows of late peas, chives and loads of baby tomato plants! And now the weather forecast is for blinkin' SNOW!



The more interesting feature, as far as I am concerned, is the Livestock. We have three Soay ewes; Big Mum, Shaggy and Twothree (who was unfortunate enough to get two ear-tags in the cerfuffle of tagging SEVEN Soays when we bought them, which meant that one of them had no ear-tags at all), only seven chickens (of these, more later), four saddleback pigs; Winston, Lilly, Violet and little Daisy, two polecats; Sharon and Tracey and a 7lb dog called Rosie.



Most days my entire life is concerned with feeding something! For a start, there's me; diabetic, a-bit-dodgy-all-round and, ahem, a touch on the rounded side. I have to eat regularly in order to feed my insulin habit. Good heavens! I'm the world's most boring junkie! Then there's the Hubby who has become obsessed with the amount of salt in his food of late and regularly reads food labels to me. Then it really gets heavy! We collect waste food from some of the kind shopkeepers in the town and I stand, for what seems like hours, and chop up various vegetation which is fed to the piggies, this they enjoy greatly. Then there are the chickens and, although the flock was reduced considerably (from 25 to 7) when there was a Avian Influenza panic at the local Turkey Processing Factory, these remain another few hungry mouths. Their food is in sacks of 25Kg which I can't lift so has to be kept in a shed on the field so I can transport it a little at a time or talk The Hubby into doing for me. They also eat cooked kitchen scraps - apart from meat, which the dog has.

Polecats like little meaty biscuits, thank goodness, and apart from a propensity to make me root around in the neighbour's shed on a recapture mission, are hardly any work at all. They use a litter tray and are nice, friendly, clean, fascinating little girls who, actually, smell quite nice (in an animally kind of way).

So, you see, I've become fairly obsessive over food.