Currants here, currants there, but not a volt to be seen

We have been very fortunate to inherit six lovely black currant bushes and five healthy thorny gooseberry bushes. Well, the poor old blackcurrant bushes did not have any mulch or fertilizer, so we were not expecting them to do a lot this year. As usual we were wrong !!Pleasantly wrong, they are absolutely laden, and all the berries are ripening well. The west end of the fruit bushes have been ripening for a week or so and now the eastern side is catching up. We had some good rainfall last week, about two inches over the week, and the fruits have swollen beautifully. This afternoon I set to picking some of the fruits, and managed about four kilograms in four hours, by the way that's about four thousand berries. Any way, half have been washed, boiled with some water and are now on their way through the jelly bag. My plan is to make blackcurrant jelly tomorrow. The other half might well find their way into the deep freeze to join the other four kilograms I picked last week and the five kilograms of gooseberries. Seems like I will be looking for another deep freeze soon. I have had a go at making gooseberry jam, and might try some blackcurrant jam tomorrow if there is time . LOL.I think one of the winter jobs will have to be removing labels from old jam jars. That will be on days that I am really struggling to find something to do. Right now, I can not imagine having one of those days for a long long time. Mum always told us as kids that if you were bored it was because you were to stupid to think of something to do. So far I haven't been bored for about fifty years.

What have we been up to in the past two weeks ???

Once again, the days are just running away with us.In brief here's what has been going on at Llaingof in the past two weeks.
The chickens have been playing chicken with me. They wait until I am busy, then dash into the poly tunnel, grab a mouthful of lettuce and dash out again. I am pretty sure they understand " Humba", though maybe not quite the urgency of the occasion.
The days of the week must still be muddled up, our 4x4 Hilux was due to be delivered on Tuesday, its now Thursday, and still no sign of it.Must be being delivered by the same company as Mattress Next Day.
I have found out that some of the local men ( not David, he knows that I would reap revenge with his credit card) call the patchwork class the " Stitch and Bitch Session ". Luckily I don't know any one well enough and am not sure who knows who, and who is related, so I only join in the stitch part of the class.
David and I have thrown the ball at least 200 times a day each for Ruby, she still has more energy, so now gives the ball to any one visiting, even Brian the fence man.I think I am even getting repetative strain injury in my elbow, or i am a sissy.
We have realised our security system ( the dogs ) are useless, as on Tuesday, David and I were both home all day, indoors as it was a bit damp outside, and Brian managed to enter our fields from one of the gates down the lane, pull out some gate posts, collect a new gate ( from near the house ) and install it, and we never heard a thing.
Gooseberry bushes are very prickly, and gooseberries taste much nicer cooked into a jam rather than eaten raw.
Baby nettle plants still have a BIG sting. Thistles are very resilient, in face indestructible.
The single parsnip plant I have been nursing along for a whole month is actually a weed, and I have probably pulled out any parsnips that grew mistaking them for weeds.
We have had a visit from a very dear friend of mine, formally from Rhodesia. We had a wonderful evening remembering all the fun we had in by gone days in Bulawayo. I have just remembered that the caravan park in Bulawayo had an outdoor black and white televsion, which we loved to watch, usually in our pjs. Come again soon Jenny and Ray.
I have contemplated world matters and decided that we would all do a lot better to just mind out own business and enjoy what we have.
We have been surprised at how easy every body else sees the solution to our plumbing problems. ( a long sad story, but lets just say I did not find having the lounge flooded twice in one week as amusing as some people did)  We have decided to put in two en suite bathrooms in the old cottage, with a view to possibly using them as B and B rooms later on.Problems that we fore see include drilling through the 2 foot thick walls so we can have proper plumbing, and trying to avoid digging up any part of the old house floors/ foundations to put in drains. We have had two architects/ surveyor sort people around too look at what we could do, and they both reckon the job will be quite easy.. we shall see,first things first, drawings and proposals to be submitted to the local council. David could do these, but it is a right bummer of a job as nothing is square. We have spent two days measuring every aspect of every room in the cottage, and doing all sorts of calculations with measurements ( David not me, I always thought geometry was difficult at school, and so far it hasn't changed for me ). Now we have to do the same on the outside and then David will be able to calculate the actual thickness of the walls .. or something like that.
Today I have had my hair cut for the first time in six months .. I just seem to have been to busy, but enjoyed having it sorted out today. Looks like the hair salon is the hub of the village in Velindre. In my 45 minute visit today I learned quite a lot from the hairdresser , Kate and her mother Gerty. They were trying to persuade me to have an all over spray tan as well. I was trying to explain politely that I am usually covered in so much dirt mud, you wouldn't notice whether i had a tan or not. Anyway, I could just imagine them having a laugh when I left, saying something like" you should see that new women from Penboyr, shes got lumps and bumps all over the place " I was also less than impressed when the apprentice hairdresser asked me how many grandchildren I have. Cheeky monkey.Anyway Kate did a good job, and I enjoyed the chit chat, so will probably be back for another cut.
I had a turn at playing Cake Fairy. Our friend Teressa ( from two doors down) was walking past with her dogs the other evening, and mentioned that she had been unexpectedly invited to an open house the next day. Once she had walked the dogs, she was going to have to go and bake a cake to take . Seeing as I had just taken two fruitcakes out of the oven I popped one in a cake tin and left it on her doorstep with a note that it was from the cake fairy. At least that saved us having to eat   that one as well.
The chickens are laying really well, must be all the greens they steal, between sixteen to twenty eggs a week. Seeing as I actually do not eat eggs, I am having to try and give them away, or bake with them. I have even had a go at making creme brulee for David. Hope it tastes OK, it used plenty of eggs.  I have also had a crack at lemon curd, which was rather nice, but does not have a long shelf life.
We have added comfrey leaves to the water butts, apparently this makes a great liquid fertilser, for free. It seems to makes the plants grow, but goodness it smells unpleasant.
We have  some butternut and melon and squash plants growing in the poly tunnel, and they seem to grow before your eyes. Heaven knows if we have left enough room between the plants.
At present, the weeds are winning.They seem to sprout before your eyes, but it is very pleasant sitting pulling them up, and making a nice big pile. Makes me feel like I have worked really hard, when actually its just an excuse to sit in the sunshine and enjoy all that is around us. I have been trying to make myself wear gloves to work in the garden, as my poor hands always look such a mess, but it just does not feel right. I like putting my hands in the warm crumbly soil. So guess my hands will continue to look like they are doing hard labour. They are happy hands.

I have been having a go at pieced patchwork, which requires a great deal of accuracy, in cutting out the pieces, sewing them very acurately with a quarter inch seam, and a lot of fiddling around. Needless to say I have not got on very well with the technique, i am too slap dash, so will have to go back to doing things by hand  and using a technique that I enjoy. The ladies at the sewing group were quite intrugued with my 20 year old sewing machine, which has held me in good stead. they are trying to convince me that I now need  computerised sewing machine. they have each let me have a turn on their wizzy models, which are certainly Ferrari compared to my Morris Minor,but I actually enjoy sewing by hand. No doubt they will think I am really very strange. Oh well, I am foreign.
Well its almost midnight, so I had better be off to bed before I turn into a pumpkin. Night night.

Mattress next day.... part two.

Now I know that Wales is on a different time zone to the rest of the world, but even so I still find it hard to believe that you order from Mattress next day on Tuesday, and the bed arrives on Monday, so have I got the order of the days wrong ?? I always thought Wednesday follwed Tuesday, but it appears that I am wrong. I did write a very factual letter to the compnays customer service manager, but needless to say so far there has been no reply. What a surprise. Well its not much use wasting any more time on Mattress next day, apart from to cross their name out of the address book.

Slow but sure, the fencing saga.

Brian arrived two weeks ago to "do the fence", but I knew it was too good to be true. He managed to do about a quarter of the job, them had to rush off on urgent business... grave digging. Well I'm not sure how many graves or haw big they were, but it took him 12 days before he turned up again. The fencing is looking good but is still not complete.He has had to cut down a lot of overhanging tree branches to knock the fence posts in, so we have plenty of wood in the fields that will need chopping up and bringing in to be stored for winter. I doubt David will be letting me have a go with the chain saw, but that's OK with me. Interestingly, the sheep have been eating the greenery off the chopped down branches, which is great, as it reduces the bulk that will need to be moved a lot.
Today, Tuesday, Brian arrived again with all his toys ie chain saw, digger, dumper truck, fence post banger thingy, all smiles, as if he was here just yesterday, instead of 12 days ago. When he had finished doing the bit of fencing he was working on, we realised the sheep had been fenced into a field with no access to their water. David soon got them all marching across the vegetable patch filed, following him and his food bucket. Daisy was quite surprised to see twenty five sheep trooping through the field, and decided she must be seeing things, so took herself back to the house for a rest.
The sheep are now back on the same side of the fields with access to their water, and the gates are tied up very firmly. They might have thought that the veggie patch looked tasty, but that's as near as they are going to get. We will have to see if tomorrow brings another wonder in the form of Brian and his magnificent machines.

A spot or two

We woke on Sunday morning to a wet, grey cloudy outlook. For the first time since we have been at Llaingof, it rained non stop all day and we recorded one whole inch in 24 hours. Bliss, the garden and the farmers really needed the water, and David and I had a nice indoor day. It seems criminal to stay in doors and do some of the necessary chores when the sun is shining, so we managed to do a little catching up on the really boring things. As soon as the rain stopped we were out for a breathe of fresh air.I find it more tiring to be indoors than outdoors doing some manual labour out doors.
The gardens and veggie patch look nice and fresh after their wash. I felt sorry for the sheep, who were shorn last week and were out in the fields in the rain. They didn't seem to mind though.
We have three huge water butts, which each feed into the next one, and they were overflowing in no time at all, so we might have to think about increasing the number. I would like to have them a bit nearer the poly tunnel, which is using a lot of water at present, but for now walking to and fro with the watering cans about 20 times a day is doing me a lot of good in the waist line department.

100 days looms on the horizon

Tomorrow, June 6th, we have been at Llaingof for 100 very happy, busy days. I guess although we feel that things are moving along slowly, actually we have managed to do quite a lot, though there is plenty more to do. In the veg garden we have about 200 onions, 50 leeks, 12 tomato plants, seven different types of potato, peppers, radishes, strawberries, melons, cucumbers, butternut squash, lettuce, parsley, courgettes, broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, celery, so if everything carries on growing well, the wind in Penboyr could be rising. We have yet to start on developing the house,guess that will come later in the year when the weather is not so good.
The golden girls ( chickens) have settled in well, and are keen to help with any digging or gardening that needs doing, or doesn't need doing, they are still willing to help. Most of the day they are free range in one of our fields, but every now and then they get returned to their arc when they are being over enthusiastic with offers of help. They follow me at a cracking pace when I shake their Quality Street tin ( full of corn) and are quite easy to get back into their pen. To my amazement  they patiently wait for their turn to lay an egg. There is only one nesting box, and during the morning  we will suddenly see one of the hens hurrying back to the arc, and dashing up the stairs to the nesting box. All goes quiet for a while, and then, when the deed has been done, the chicken really does announce it to the world with a lot of cackling and " look what Ive done " noises. Then that chicken returns to the garden, and shortly one of the others will head off to repeat the ritual. Most days we get two eggs , and about every fourth day we get three, so I am kept busy thinking of what to do with all these lovely eggs. Approximatrely twice a week we have a double yolker, which is always a nice surprise. I can now turn out a very tasty lemon curd and can always think of another cake to bake, and of course eat. I will have to watch the waist line.
This week I have seen some unusual sights. Ruby the dog trying to climb the stairs into the chickens sleeping quarters ( I think she gets worried when one of her friends dissapears for a while. ) I have also seem ruby eat the sheep food, the sheep chasing Daisy the cat out of their field, Daisy eating the bird seed, and the chickens eating my beans ( pests) I have also seem the chickens peck hopefully at the Quailiy Street tin when I have not yet put it away. Maud, Davids favorite sheep is now so tame that she stands still for David to give her a good scratch, just like a dog. Im not sure that sheep can smile, but if they can Maud does. Her fleece is about six inches thick, and looks a right mess on the outside where she has got a little wet, then rolled in the dry sand in the field. I sure dont fancy a jumper made from anything  that comes off her back, though no doubt the fleece will look a lot better when it has had a wash and brush up.
The other strange site i have seem is Brian, actually doing some of the fencing, hopefully he will not have too many graves to dig this week and can get on with the gates etc. He has cut down quite a few overhanging branches from trees which he felt would potentially damage the new fence. I was surprised to see the sheep stripping the branches of all greenery. We will have plenty of fire wood to chop up and add to out wood store( which needs a jolly good sort out ). Wood is usually stored for at least a year before it is put into the wood burner, and if it can season  for 2 years thats even better. Even managing the wood store requires a bit of thought. Apart from being kept as dry as possible, it is useful to stack the wood in year piles so you can use them in rotatio.The logs also need to be cut to a size that will actually fit in the log burner, and they usually need spiltting, otherwise the fire will just go out when you chuck a big log on.My goodness, never thought there would be so much to know about firewood.

Never judge a book by its cover.

On Tuesday evening we visited the local Permaculture Trust with the Garden Club. The Permaculture Farm is located at the back of our property and we have met Phillip and Michele who live there. We were of the impression that they were hippy sort people who might do a lot of lolling around. Well how wrong was I ( again).
Permaculture is an ecological way of living, and the participants observe and co operate with nature. Their way of living encourages creativity,resourcefulness and self reliance. Phillip and Michelle have no mains electricity, no land line telephone ( though they do have a mobile phone) and no mechanised machinery or transport , all through choice. They travel far and wide, either on shanks pony, or by bicycle, with a little trailer towed behind them for the children to sit in. Phillip farms the land with no assistance,and how he puts us to shame. He has two small poly tunnels, and they are absolutely heaving with all sorts of crops, he even has pots suspended from the ceiling to grow strawberries. They farm organically and are completely self sufficient, apart from some meat in the winter. Pest control is provided by a couple of ducks, and Merlin, the snow white cat, who looks rather evil to me. 
He has rows and rows of veggie beds, brimming with healthy looking plants, and a huge nursery area with dozens of cell trays full of healthy looking plants that he is growing on.Everything needs to be planted before the summer solstice, so I had better inform my plants that they had better get a move on.All this without any bug sprays, or additional chemicals. I have sooo much to learn and will be popping down to pick up some hints and tips whenever I can.
Michelle was telling me that they have no fridge, and live off fresh vegetables and dried legumes. They must be two of the fittest people I know, so maybe its something we should think about.I really admire people that live  as near to their principles as they can, though, though I am not sure that I could do without my creature comforts. I really like the light to turn on at a switch, hot water to come out of the tap without too much fuss, and a store cupboard and fridge that has a wide range of foods. I don't think I will make a very good permaculture person, but I will try harder to be a better small holder.

The Mirage Materialises

Well I almost could not believe my eyes, when Brian and his helper actually arrived on Tuesday morning and started doing the fencing. It all looks so easy when you have the right kit, which they do, there seems to be a fleet of vehicles in the field, a digger, a tractor, a pole basher thingy, a 4 x4 with a trailer, a huge chain saw. Hope we are not paying for the purchase of all the items. LOL.

He has had to lop off quite a few overhanging branches, which he felt would damage the fence if they fell, and we were surprised to find that a lot of the branches are rotten inside. Anyway they will be chopped up and will be next year’s fire wood. So far they have fenced almost two fields, and are still to put the gates on, so hopefully the job will be completed next week. I am ever the optimist.

Today Friday theres no action in the field as Brian has gone off to do a couple of other jobs that can not wait... ie dig graves for next week. Even I  don’t expect those people to wait.

Mattress next day... my foot

Now if you ordered from a company called Mattress next day( on Tuesday ), what day would you expect delivery ??For me I thought Wednesday was the day after Tuesday, but apparently not so. On Tuesday we decided to order a bedstead and mattress, order went through OK , card was deducted OK, but surprise surprise, come Wednesday, no delivery. When I called the company to see what the problem was, first they tried to tell me that their computer had a problem over the weekend..  have weekends changed , I thought they were usually classified as Saturday and Sunday, with an occasional Bank Holiday Monday, but Tuesday as a weekend day,  I think not.Anyway then it seemed I had managed to order a mattress from their next day delivery range that was out of stock, and a bedstead from one of thier suppliers that was closed for the week. Not impressed. Even less impressed with the service, maybe they could have phoned on Tuesday ( I did order before 10.00) to let me know. Anyway enough whingeing, now its Friday and Im still waiting for the new items I chose to arrive.I hope they are here before Tuesday, otherwise Uncle Dave, Doris and Deslyn will be sharing two single beds. Might make for some light entertainment.
Its odviuosly not the right week to order stuff, we have also had two office chairs, one desk and the legs only of the second desk, and a pair of shoes that took two weeks to walk to the post office to be delivered first class mail .