August has been a peculiar month. I've been off work for half of it, but it doesn't really feel like it. It's rained more than I'd like, and I've not achieved half as much as I feel I should have. As usual though, things have ticked on. 20 things mended (9/20) Two things added this month - I've sewed up several holes in a pair of leggings, and de-moulded a pair of posh shoes. 19 letters written (12/19) Two more letters this month, bringing the total to twelve this year. I've enjoyed writing letters, and even more enjoyed getting them back. 18 days without internet (5/18) Two this month, and both within the last week - and I've felt much better for both of them. Yes, it's annoying not being able to look something up quickly, but I've enjoyed the feeling of having hours to spend outside or reading a book. Definitely going to plan for more of these. I don't find them easy, but they're very satisfying, and that's all the more reason to do them I think. 17 books read (achieved in March) Still reading a lot - this is a great habit to have got back into. 16 household items or pieces of clothing made (13/16) Well, I think we need a recount on this one, as my paper list and internet list are just not matching up. I'm counting multiple small things made at the same time (eg cleaning cloths) as just one item, but if I've made a second batch a couple of months later, that counts as a second item. I made six pairs of knickers at the start of the year, and it seems I counted them as one item on one list, and six items on the other list. Let's have a compromise - I made three different designs, so let's count them as three different items shall we? 1. hot water bottle cover 2. face flannels 3. cleaning cloths 4. knickers! 5. different knickers 6. and more different knickers! 7. Peter's hat 8. cushion covers 9. candles 10. cleaning cloths 11. drawstring bags for cleaning cloths 12. face masks 13. present bags Ok, that seems like a reasonable compromise. The present bags were this month's addition - just simple drawstring bags to wrap Peter's birthday presents in. I made a sack to put Christmas presents in a few years ago, but I still wrapped everything individually. Each year I think it's a waste of paper, and each year (until now) I did nothing about it. Apparently I didn't even take a photograph but I'll do a separate post later. 15 meals with friends (achieved in August) We've tipped over fifteen this month, which is very exciting! After such a long lull without seeing anyone, it's been so nice to have a flurry of visitors to our little garden. We've very much enjoyed cooking and eating outside with them all. 14 meals from home grown produce (2/14) Now, I think I'm going to break my own rules on this, and change it to 'meals including a good proportion of home grown produce'. There are only so many kale omelettes a girl can eat, and I'm not that interested in eating 14 kale omelettes for the sake of being able to tell you that I did. However, we have started harvesting this month, and I have had two meals which predominantly featured kale, chard and eggs - some cheese yes, but since I've not started producing that myself I'm still counting it as a win, especially as they were both finished off with muffins I made - one filled with blackcurrants and the other with our entire rhubarb harvest. 13 evening lectures (0/13) Nope, still none. I keep putting them in my diary but not actually going back to watch them. 12 donations to the foodbank (6/12) Another online donation. I never feel I want to linger long enough in the supermarket to collect things at the minute. 11 solo days out for me (1/11) Yes, finally!! I went to Lyme Park last Monday and my goodness it was lovely. I can't imagine I'm going to make eleven solo days out this year, but a couple more would be nice. We'll see. 10 loaves of bread made (0/10) No, still none. I'm just not eating that much bread at the minute. 9 bike rides (achieved in July) Well, after all my fanfare and excitement about cycling in July, I've only been for one bike ride in August! One of my bikes needed a new wheel, the other had two punctures, and inertia stopped me dead. Still, one bike is now fixed, and I had a glorious ride down one of the old railway trails last week. 8 organised runs (2/8)
No. I very nearly booked onto an organised trail run, but wimped out at the last minute because I didn't know anyone else going. Most unlike me. 7 new places visited (3/7) Two this month! Lyme Park, and Hilbre Island, which I walked to with my sister last week. I'm saying I've not been to either of these places - I have a vague feeling I might actually have been to both, but many, many years ago, and they didn't feel remotely familiar when I got there, so I'm counting them as new. 6 attempts at cheese making (0/6) 5 'No Quibble' weekends away (0/5) No, and no. 4 pairs of socks made (0.5/4) No pairs, although I have finished one whole sock now! Just need to cast on and knit the other one... 3 days volunteering (0/3) 2 LAND centres visited (1/2) 1 holiday (0/1) No progress on any of these either. Overall not too bad. One new thing achieved (meals with friends), two new things started (meals from own produce, and solo days out), and progress made on other things. September is often a busy one at work for me, so I'm not anticipating I'll get much more done. The garden is producing steadily though, so there may be some progress there, and as the nights draw in maybe a bit more knitting will get done. Well see.
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If you're new round here you might not realise I've been blogging for almost twelve years. Not all in the same place of course. My first blog, started in December 2008, was called Daffy's Garden, and ran until September 2011. I moved to A Cheerful Living Adventure, where I stayed until February 2015. Then I moved to Snippets of a Life, and then finally here in March 2018, just after we moved house. I'm not sure why I've moved around so much. Part of it was changing blog platforms (from Blogger, to Wordpress, and now to Weebly), and partly just that I like a change of scenery and a bit of novelty. I often look back on my old blogs, and it's nice to have a record of what I was doing day to day all those years ago. Some things are the same (gardening, knitting, reading, cafes, occasional running) and some have changed (chickens for a start). I've been looking back recently and enjoying reading those ordinary everyday posts, and so yesterday I thought I'd track a whole day, like I sometimes used to do, so I can look back on it in the future. Saturday started like most other days, going outside in my fluffy dressing gown and rigger boots to let the chickens out. Back inside to do a HIIT workout with Joe Wicks. After breakfast, we headed to a local market town for a quick sweep of the charity shops for the first time since lockdown. This used to be a favourite and very regular activity, but obviously it's not been possible lately. We went early, but not quite early enough, and some places just felt too busy. It was nice to be out with the sun shining though, and we had a bit of a wander round the town, which we also haven't done for months. One of the cafes we like to go to was open, with a space near the window, so we nipped in for a cuppa. It's hard to relax properly in a cafe when people are queuing nearby waiting for your table, but we did have an acceptable cup of tea and a bit of a read for twenty minutes. Back home - I love the drive to this town as you have to cross this little bridge which has the stream running over it. It's about as adventurous as my driving gets. We got home, made a cup of tea, and then I realised I had a couple of parcels to post. Yes, they could have waited, but they've been sitting around for long enough, so I nipped back out to the post office. Home again, and the sun was still shining (which felt like a small miracle after the amount of rain we've had lately). I spent an hour out in the garden, shifting damp hay to use as mulch on the windbreak and the raspberries, tidying up the compost area, and admiring the damsons. Back inside for lunch, and a nice cup of tea. And then back outside again - into the meadow this time. The hay I cut last week (or the week before?) has been lying getting more and more soggy, so I turned it all over to (hopefully) dry out a bit over the next couple of days. While I was working, the farmer turned up to check on his cows (there was a calf born that morning in our fields, which I'd not seen), so we stood either side of this gate for a while and had a natter. After that, I swapped the hay fork for the scythe, and cut another row of hay. I'm still going to be doing it at Christmas at the rate I'm going. The chickens spotted me eventually, so I headed back inside - heading swiftly back out again to peg out the washing. Back inside for another cuppa, and then a light rain started (of course!) so I got started on the next stage of DIY - drilling holes in the battens I cut the other day. Oh, and somehow my sister persuaded me to enter the virtual London marathon. Half an hour of that, and it had stopped raining, and was time to shut the chickens in. I gave their house and run a good clean out first and replaced all their bedding and cleaned food bowls - somehow I didn't take a picture of that, but it wasn't exactly picturesque so you're not missing much. Once they were safely in the run, I went for a wander round the veg garden to see what was ready to harvest. The peas had blown over in the wind, but I managed to pick some kale, chard, calendula and our first turnip. The dehydrator hasn't had much use since we first bought it, so I thought I'd try drying calendula flowers (not sure what I'm going to make with them yet) and some oregano. Finally I got round to making my tea (a kind of aubergine and tofu concoction). After tea, I did the washing up, crumbled the dried oregano and removed the stalks ready to store, and chopped the kale and chard to put in the fridge - I'm far more likely to use it if it's all washed and prepared, rather than having to start washing and chopping when I'm hungry, and preparing last night means that today I can just throw it in a pan. By that point it was after eight, and I was getting rather tired... I did have one last push of activity though - clearing up the mess from my chimney-sweeping exploits the other day, and trying to salvage these shoes. I bought them in Belgium years ago - I love them, but rarely wear them, and they'd been stuffed in a box and gone rather mouldy. I've wiped them over with white vinegar and we'll see what happens. By that point it was almost nine, and I was fit for nothing other than a soak in the bath.
A long, productive and satisfying day. Notably, it was also an internet-free day, which does rather increase the time available if, like me, you have a tendency to run off down internet rabbit holes when you could be doing something more useful. Hopefully this will serve as a reminder of just how much I can get done when I turn the phone and the laptop off. I enjoyed tracking my whole day - I used to do it quite often and I might start doing it again. I love to read what other people have been up to as well, so if you've done something similar please do post a link! I've spent much of today staring at a slightly more rainy version of this view from the living room window. It's nearly September, which is one of my favourite times of year for plotting and scheming. There's a third of the year left, which gives a sense of hope that there's still time to achieve something, and it's the start of the new school year, which always gives me a sense of promise. I'm in a pondering mood, and have been thinking about plans, both short and longer term. I don't think I really made any resolutions this year, so there's nothing concrete to look back on and try to make a final push of progress. I've got my 20 in 2020 lists of course, but that's more about cheerful little things I wanted to spend my time on, rather than big overall goals. I usually do some planning towards the end of each month, and at the start of each year I create lists, split into categories (home, garden, health, money, for me, for us, and 'other'), and allocate goals to time points (within one month, within three months, within six months). I revisit these throughout the year, and often find myself shifting things down the categories when I haven't finished them. Today I'm doing lots of pondering about these categories, and what the future might bring, and what I'd like it to bring, so I might as well share some of my ramblings here. Don't expect too much coherent thought... Home This should really have been the main focus for this year, but for various reasons it hasn't been, and I'd like that to change. There are two elements: (1) DIY; and (2) general tidiness. In relation to DIY, this has been our kitchen since the builders replaced our sagging, rotten joists at the end of last year. We've become far too used to our temporary kitchen in another room, with a microwave, toaster, tiny oven, and two-ring induction hob. The sink is at the bottom of that small staircase in the left of the picture, and the temporary kitchen is at the top, so it's rather a nuisance to trek up and down to drain rice and do the washing up. Not enough of a nuisance that it's prompted us to do anything about fixing the kitchen though. We paid for the builders to do the ceiling, but wisely or not, we're doing the rest ourselves. Or not doing the rest ourselves, as the case may be. There has been some progress this month - I've ordered everything we need to fit insulation and plasterboard in between the joists, and done an experimental section which I'm delighted to stay is still attached to the ceiling several days later. I remembered that towards the end of doing our old house ready to sell it, I created a separate page on my blog where I listed what I'd done each day. You can see it here - it covers the last year before we sold the house, and looking back now I'm in awe of what I got done (that list was just things I did, not Peter) on top of a full time job. I think I need some more of that energy and focus now, so I've created myself a new page on this blog to do the same thing. We don't have the same sense of urgency (we're not planning on moving again any time soon, if ever), but I would like at least a semi-functional kitchen by Christmas, even if it's not completely finished. We'll see. The second aspect of home is day-to-day tidiness. I've always struggled with this. I'm not naturally tidy, but I do like living in a relatively tidy home - but having a building site in the middle of the house tends to make me feel like not bothering. We try to keep the living room/temporary kitchen/bathroom areas of the house clean and relatively tidy, and the room where I work, but other than that, things are rather a scruffy mess. Washing doesn't get put away, chicken bowls pile up and occasionally go mouldy, bottle recycling accumulates for months before being taken to the tip (I'm blaming lockdown for the most recent incarnation of that last one). I don't really have anything wise to say about this. I've been re-reading Rhonda's blog about housework and homemaking and trying to rediscover the joy, and it does help. I seem to remember it was a lot easier (and more pleasant) to keep on top of things when our old house was finished and all our possessions were stored in the cellar. Hmm... Garden and land Oh I have so many things to say about this! So many plans! So many overwhelming plans! Fencing in an area to use as a veg patch this year was a great idea, and it has gladdened my heart to see at least one area kept relatively tidy and productive. I've not harvested much though, and I'm thinking a lot about what to grow next year that (a) is more likely to grow well (no more sweetcorn) and (b) that we actually want to eat (so perhaps fewer turnips). The chickens have been both a worry and a delight these past few months. The new ones are finally settling in, and they're all starting to behave like a coherent flock. Bessie's feathers have grown back, but now Rusty is limping after I stood on her foot when she sneaked up behind me as I was getting the shopping out of the car. Sigh. Their run now has a roof, but it's not had the weather-proofing effect we'd hoped for, so that's another project that will have to be rejigged at some point. Still, it's safe and warm and relatively dry in there so that's a start. Peter's garden shelter has been a fantastic thing during lockdown, and since we've been allowed visitors we've had plenty of them, and been able to keep them all outside (good job, given the state of the house). It's pretty robust, but it's not likely to last the winter, so we're thinking about how we could make something similar but more permanent for next year. As for the rest of the land, well my head spins when I try to think about it. I've been scything the hay meadow, half an hour at a time, and was hoping to get it finished in these two weeks I've had off work, but it's felt like it's rained all the time so I've got barely any done. Dry stone walls fall down every time I look at them, and there are various gaps that need fixing in the coming months. One cheerful thing that I don't think I've mentioned here is that I've been in touch with a few people, and it looks like we might be able to get someone to plant an area of woodland in a couple of our fields. This is extremely exciting (not least because we wouldn't have to pay for it, or do any of the planting). It's brought up lots of unsettling feelings about land management though, and whether I feel like I'm 'allowed' to make decisions about what we do here (I'd happily make decisions about a garden, so why does a field feel different?) Again, lots to think about, and plenty to do. Health and exercise This is a category I've always struggled with, and it will probably only get worse as I get older. I've got a proper sweet tooth, and have put on a good three stone in the last five or so years, which I'm not particularly happy about. I've done plenty of cycling lately, but I miss walking to work and wandering round the city which used to keep a background level of fitness which I no longer have. I've joined the Joe Wicks bandwagon and am enjoying cooking a bit more healthily so we'll see how that goes. Money Hmm, another category that makes my head spin. I've been looking back on old blog posts I've written about being thrifty, making things, saving money, and realising I've stopped doing a lot of things that I used to take for granted. I have mixed feelings about money. I've spent most of my life without much of it, and the last few years earning more than I feel I deserve (although very much in line with others in my profession). There are two interesting calculators that I might recommend you have a go of. This is the global average salary scale - apparently I earn over 350% of the global average. Then the UK Institute for Fiscal Studies has a tool to work out where, as a household, you fit in terms of average UK income - we are in the top 30%. This doesn't come as a surprise, of course. I'm not one of those people who feels 'poor' despite evidence to the contrary, and have spent enough of my life counting pennies to now count my blessings that I no longer have to. I do still have a rather thrifty gene though, and while I do spend on things that aren't necessary, I also begrudge spending on things I could easily make myself or find cheaper second hand. I suppose all this boils down to spending (and saving) in line with your values. So my house is full of charity shop finds rather than new clothes, mismatched bowls rather than matching kitchen appliances. We rarely eat in restaurants, or go to the pub, but we do spend a lot of time in our local cafe. And of course we've moved out to this ludicrous house (which we could only afford because of past thriftiness, an expensive 25 year mortgage, and because so much work needed doing to it), and now we're here we're doing much of the work ourselves. I don't really know what I'm waffling on about here. We have another 23 years left on this mortgage and to me, right now, that feels far too long. I'm hatching a plot to see where we can cut back on our current spendiness to see if we can get rid of the mortgage a few years earlier. Watch this space. Anyway, this has turned into rather more of a waffle than I'd intended, and I don't know whether I've got any further along in my thinking. But these are the things that have been whirling round in my head as I've been sitting here this afternoon, pondering what the rest of the year will bring, and how I want to spend my time. It looks like there'll be more DIY in my future at least, and probably less baking. We'll see.
This week has been a veritable flurry of activity and adventure. First of all I took myself off on a solo adventure to Lyme Park, after spotted it on a road sign last week and realising it wasn't actually as far away as I thought. Only a small part of the house is open, so it only took about twenty minutes to walk through, and I spent most of my time out in the gardens, and wandering about through the grounds. I confess I can never quite enjoy these places as much as some people can - my mind always goes to the unfathomable levels of wealth it would have taken to build (and where that wealth came from), the sheer number of people who would have been servants (or worse), and the general inequality that lets some people live like this and others very much not. I did spend most of the day there though, wandering around the herbaceous borders and up through the woodland. Yesterday I had a very different type of day out - an impromptu visit to my sister. We'd booked both a 10k race and a half marathon this year, and of course both were postponed, and later cancelled, and we missed the opportunity to ramble about the countryside for a few hours putting the world to rights. Then it dawned on us - why not do that without a race? We walked out to Hilbre Island, and it was more seaside than countryside, but it did the trick, and the sun even came out eventually, and our mum met us for lunch in a little cafe by the beach. I don't get to see the sea very often so this was just the thing I needed. Today has been different again - a friend and I went to the gardens at Chatsworth. I didn't think I'd been before, but it turns out I have, probably about 17 years ago. We were more interested in the kitchen gardens, and cottage gardens, so we headed there first, and weren't disappointed. What a huge number of gardeners it must take to keep this lot in check! I can barely keep up with my tiny veg patch. I confess I was secretly pleased to see their kale had caterpillars too.... I definitely had shed envy on the way round. I was interested to see they were growing ginger, which I'd always thought needed more heat. I think it was quite sheltered there, but it gave me hope for starting my own ginger experiment in the future. We both came back with plenty of ideas for our own gardens (some of which might even be implemented). The rest of the gardens weren't quite so interesting (to us, anyway), but we did manage to lose nearly four hours in there, as there was plenty to look at. Again, the sheer unfathomable wealth to be able to pay someone to design your garden to fit with the landscape - and to be able to shape the landscape because you own that too was quite mind-bending. There were a few other ideas we came away with - less on the scale of a massive fountain, and more like making a fence from old branches. We brought ourselves back down to earth with a cuppa at Cauldwell's Mill on the way home. It started to rain while we were in the cafe, and hasn't really stopped since, so I think we timed our visit pretty well.
I've been underlyingly grumpy this week, for no good reason. It's been really windy, which I always find unsettling, and I've had a sense of my days slipping away without me really doing very much. I'm trying to pin them down, to be more deliberate, to at least create a record of what I've done so I can look back and remember. Thursday was pretty cheerful. We started with a cuppa in our favourite cafe, and then I spent quite a lot of time sitting in the garden shelter, plotting and scheming. It was windy outside, but not in the shelter itself. The chickens sat with me for a while - they can be pretty settled and restful when there isn't food on offer. Thursday was also the day I finally got round to weeding the veg patch - with the chickens patrolling the perimeter looking (unsuccessfully) for a way in. I'd been pretty pleased with the lack of slug damage so far, but this last week the kale has been full of caterpillars. Any illusions I had about the chickens acting as pest control were shattered when they wouldn't even eat a caterpillar that was plonked directly under their beaks. Thursday was also the day I harvested some veg! Not much, just kale, chard and a few peas, which I cooked up later with a massive risotto. I've been slowly shifting my 'hay sponge' onto the edible windbreak to use as mulch, so I did some more of that on Thursday too. The garden (or at least the veg patch) was looking pretty tidy by the end of the day. Friday was quite different. I woke up in a bad mood, and grumped myself into an even worse one by stomping around trying to tidy up the house. Eventually it was 'suggested' that I meet a friend, and so we had lunch in a cafe near her house, and it was most cheerful indeed. We managed to lose our only set of keys for one of the cars (it seems we may have thrown them out with the recycling), and then later in the evening there was a power cut as I was trying to cook my tea. Written down in the cold light of a new day these things don't seem so bad, but they piled up on one another and by the end of Friday I was Quite Fed Up. Fortunately, sanity has been restored this morning, as a lovely locksmith-magician turned up and created a new key out of thin air, and a spare for both cars (and a spare for what I thought was a front door key, but which apparently isn't). I've been pottering outside today, but the weather is a mix of sunshine and showers and I keep having to dash back inside. I did stay out long enough to find some windfalls though - half of our apple crop and all of our plums (er, one). Sad casualties to the weather. I'm never gloomy for long though. This afternoon I'm off to meet some friends for a cuppa in a place I've not been to for years, and later we have a friend coming to camp in the garden. I've got some adventures planned for next week, and it's nice to have something specific to look forward to. All good.
Yes, I'm off work again, for a fortnight this time, and I should have timed it better, as we've been basking in sunshine while I was at work, and then having torrential downpours the minute I was off. Still, it's been a good excuse to get a bit of knitting done, and I'm delighted to report that I've now finished my sock. It's always a bit of a deflating moment finishing a sock - cheerful, because you've finished - but of course it's rather useless unless you do the whole thing again to make a second sock. It's Thursday already, and my holiday feels like it's running away with me. I do like an at-home holiday, but I often feel the need to pin down my days, document what I've done, or it all blurs into one and I go back to work feeling like I never left. We've had plenty of visitors recently - one set the weekend before I was off, another who stayed Thursday to Saturday, camping in the garden, and yet another set on Saturday afternoon. Two lots of visitors brought hammocks, and I think a hammock might just be on my things-to-acquire list. We've spent lots of time knocking about in the garden shelter, which has been such a success we're working out how we can recreate it in a slightly less ad hoc way for next year. I spent a day editing a video for a voluntary project, and where did Tuesday go? A nice leisurely trip to the cafe, and some hay making, and a little trip to a local town for supplies. The sun shone and I lingered for a while by the river. Yesterday we were up early, and got takeaway tea and sat by a canal for a while, but then it rained and rained when we got home, and I spent the day cooking things for the freezer, and finishing my knitting. Yesterday I also made a start on the DIY - about time really, as we've been without a kitchen for almost ten months. And today? Today the sun is shining, and I'm trying to spend a fair bit of the day outside, although it's quite breezy out there too. I've got a list of garden things I want to do, and it would be nice to spend some time just sitting around out there before it starts raining again.
I last waffled on about scything a few weeks ago, and I'd had to stop as my scythe was cutting the dry grass, but not the green underneath, and it felt very inefficient. I've made lots of progress since then though. First of all, I bought a peening jig, and learned how to peen my scythe to make the edge properly sharp again. I shouldn't have been surprised, but I was amazed how much of a difference it made. Once the scythe was sharp, I could cut right down to the ground with ease, and scything became an enjoyable, meditative task rather than a chore. I also bought a holder for the sharpening stone to clip onto my belt - this has been revolutionary as I no longer have to prop it in a pot of water on a wall and walk back and forth all day. The sharp scythe and the stone holder made me quite efficient, and combined with a window of good weather, I got quite a bit of hay cut in a relatively short amount of time. Raking and turning isn't quite as much fun as scything, but it has to be done to dry the hay out properly. Eventually some of it was dry enough to make bales, which we did in the wheelie bin, same as last year. We made four, and stored them in the garage, and turned the rest of the hay one more time. Then our brief window of sunshine disappeared, and thunderstorms were forecast. There was no point making damp hay bales, so I decided to experiment with a hay rick, having read some interesting things here and here. The hay still wouldn't dry out properly, but I reasoned that most of it wouldn't get any wetter, and I could do this by myself, whereas bin bales takes a couple of people and is rather more labour intensive. I built it up in layers, stacking each one carefully at right angles to the previous layer, and was pretty pleased with it when it was finished as the sun was setting. Then the rain came... And then the strangest storm I've ever witnessed, no rain, no thunder, just lightning flashing constantly around the sky for several hours. We've had a fair bit more rain since then too. The hay stack is still standing, but looking somewhat slumped, and is now more of a hay sponge, having soaked up quite a bit of water. I'm going to leave it standing and gradually use it for mulch in the garden.
I've still got most of the field left to mow. I'm off work for a fortnight now, and the forecast is rain, rain and more rain. I'm hoping to get it cut between showers (the grass is easier to cut when it's wet), but it's unlikely to dry out. I think there's going to be quite a bit of hay mulch this year. July was a month of cycling, and then in the last two days I broke both of my bicycles. Nothing drastic - a new wheel for one is waiting for me in the bike shop, and the other just needs punctures repairing in both wheels - a bit of a faff as it's a folding bike and the folding mechanism has to be removed to take the wheel off. On my last day of cycling (when I got a puncture - fortunately just half a mile from the car), I went down the Manifold Way for a change. I normally cycle down one of the other old railway tracks, and haven't been down this one for years. I'd forgotten how different the landscape feels. The other trails have expansive views of rolling hills, whereas this one is more wooded, with high rocky outcrops and cliffs, and a small river running alongside the track. I'll definitely be heading back here when I've fixed at least one of my bikes.
July has been filled with cycling and gardening, but I think I've managed to get a few other things done too. Let's see, shall we? 20 things mended (7/20) Nothing mended in July (I don't think). 19 letters written (10/19) I finally got round to replying to some letters in July, so three more added to the total. Getting there! 18 days without internet (3/18) I did finally remember to have a day without internet in July, and it was great. Lots of reading, most of the day out in the garden, and a good night's sleep. Since then, I've been leaving my phone downstairs overnight rather than taking it to bed, and I've gone to sleep earlier and got out of bed more quickly in the morning too. A good habit to be in. 17 books read (achieved in March) 16 household items or pieces of clothing made (15/16) I made another couple of masks in July. We've been wearing ours in supermarkets etc for a while, but it's now mandatory for most people here, so it's good to have spares. Our previous ones tied behind the head, but that was getting rather tiresome, so I've gone for a different design with ear elastic this time. I can't find the exact pattern I used now, but it was very similar to this one. 15 meals with friends (14/15) Since the lockdown restrictions eased a little, we've had quite a lot of visitors, so our 'meals with friends' count has increased considerably. Pizza with friends in their garden, and then a succession of people here, including friends who camped in the garden for a couple of nights (I've only counted that as one meal, although we ate breakfast and tea with them each day). Gosh it's nice to see people again, and to cook simple food outdoors. 14 meals from home grown produce (0/14) No whole meals, but we're getting closer. I made some gooseberry jam, and I suppose if I'd made some bread as well I could have counted that, but I didn't. We have a plentiful supply of eggs now that the new ladies are laying, and the veg patch and fruit bushes are producing a little now too. I'm going to make a special effort to make at least one entire meal from scratch in August (and yes, it will likely be a kale omelette...). 13 evening lectures (0/13) Nope, although I have signed up for a HarvardX course which I'm enjoying immensely - especially as they have filmed the actual Harvard lectures and put them all online. I'd highly recommend these - they're all free, and I'm learning so much, both about the subject and about teaching style. Not really what I had in mind when I was thinking of evening lectures (which were more about interesting talks run by local groups) but an excellent substitute in the current circumstances. 12 donations to the foodbank (5/12) Financial donation again this month. 11 solo days out for me (0/11) 10 loaves of bread made (0/10) Still no progress on either of these. 9 bike rides (11/9 - target achieved!) So many bike rides! I really got into cycling in July, not surprising really given the nicer weather and long hours of daylight. I've been regularly going down the old railway trails before work, and been cycling eight, ten, even twelve miles at a time. Sadly, in the last week of July I noticed a problem with a back wheel on one of my bikes, so switched to the other, which I knew had a slow puncture in one wheel - and I ended up with a puncture in the other wheel too. New wheel on order for the big bike, and I'll have to fix the little bike as well before I can go out again. Hope my cycling enthusiasm doesn't wear off in the meantime. 8 organised runs (2/8) 7 new places visited (1/7) 6 attempts at cheese making (0/6) 5 'No Quibble' weekends away (0/5) No progress on any of these still, and probably won't be this year (except perhaps the cheese making). 4 pairs of socks made (0/4) Socks still aren't finished, but progress is being made at least. 3 days volunteering (0/3)
2 LAND centres visited (1/2) 1 holiday (0/1) No progress on any of these either. Not bad all round for July, I don't think. Targets now achieved for reading and cycling, and getting there for household items and meals with friends. Not at all bad under the circumstances. Let's see what August brings... I know it's barely been five minutes since my June post, but I'm trying to get back to posting at the beginning of the month rather than the middle, so here we are. The veg patch The veg patch at the end of July was looking rather lush, and finally it feels like we might actually get some food from it. Well, some kale at least, and some chard, and perhaps a couple of turnips. Everything else is still touch and go. It seems that most of what I thought were cabbages were actually turnips (in my defence they looked VERY similar when they were small), and I barely have any cabbages at all. My swedes took an early battering by a chicken, and never really recovered. The spinach seems to be growing in long stalks along the ground (maybe I've acquired some special variety?), I've only just planted out the leeks, and the poor beetroots are still in their pots. I'm not holding out any hope for cucumber or courgette, which now don't really have enough time to mature. Oh well. I'm hoping that now this veg patch is established, I can get on with sowing seeds and planting out earlier next year. Edible windbreak The fruit in the edible windbreak is faring rather better, and this last week I've harvested gooseberries, blackcurrants and, finally, rhubarb. A bit of jam-making coming up, I think. We've got quite a few damsons developing, but only one apple and one plum, so it looks like we're not going to be entirely self-sufficient in those this year. We've had a few raspberries too, and rather excitingly the fig tree my sister bought for my birthday back in April has a few little figs developing. (That chicken is Bessie, by the way, and her new hormonal implant seems to have fixed her fluid retention and egg-related problems (poor Bessie!), and she's now feeling well enough to steal raspberries and chase the new chickens). Chickens The new chickens are settling in nicely, and finally all six are acting vaguely like a flock, although there has been quite a lot of sorting out of the pecking order, and we've had to have the anti-peck spray out a few times. Visitors July has been a month of visitors, including some who have camped overnight. Our garden shelter has been very well used. Water harvesting I finally caved in and bought an industrial bulk container (IBC) to use for water storage. It was rather a faff, as the company didn't read my delivery instructions and sent an 18 tonne lorry, which did not cope well on our narrow lanes, and couldn't get down the drive at all. Still, I dragged it down the drive myself and it's now in place next to the greenhouse. Of course there was considerably more faffing as it's so big that it's impossible to collect water from the greenhouse and put a watering can under the tap. I'm having to dig a hole to put the watering can in... DIY Well, not much actual DIY, but some preparation. I've finally measured the kitchen ceiling, and ordered plasterboard, battens, screws, and 25 tubes of glue. Hopefully by the end of August we'll have a functioning ceiling (don't hold your breath though - I've got an acre of meadow to scythe as well as a full time job). So there we are - July on the homestead. Lots of things have been happening! I love the long evenings and it has been so very nice to host visitors (especially as they're all staying outside, so we don't have to clean the house, tee hee).
What's in store for August? The kitchen ceiling of course. I'm crossing my fingers for a decent veg harvest, of kale at least. Will I get the French drain dug? The hazel tree planted out? The meadow scythed? Who knows... I do have a fortnight off work though so there's a small chance. Watch this space... |
Hello!Sit down and make yourself comfortable. I'm Jenni, and I write here about our new foray into country living, which includes growing food, knitting, baking, wandering around the fields, and seeing which local cafe serves the best cake. Categories
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