I was off work for quite a lot of August (I think I worked seven days in total, towards the end), and at the time, it felt like it did nothing but rain, and the sun only came out the day I went back to work. My photos tell a slightly different tale, of course - although I am always less inclined to take pictures when the weather is grim. Whatever the weather, let's see what we got up to in August. Scything I'd done two rows by the end of July, and in August, things stepped up a gear. The long evenings helped, as did knowing I had a couple of friends coming to stay for the weekend to help. By the time they got here, I'd done four rows, and while one scythed another row and a half, the other helped me to rake up everything we'd done so far. Quite an achievement by the end of the weekend, and I will forever be grateful to them for their weekend of haymaking. I carried on myself after they'd left. The evenings were light, although the weather was rather hit and miss, and I think I was up to nine rows done by the end of August, slowing down considerably after my initial flurry. Plenty still to do if I want to get the whole thing done this autumn. Oh, and we also had an exciting moment when we found what appears to be star jelly in the hay field. Opinions vary as to whether this is some kind of animal secretion or 'meteor snot' (more likely the former...) but I've certainly never seen anything like it before. Very odd. In the garden My friends gave me lots of advice and encouragement about the garden, which I've been finding rather overwhelming. Seeing things through someone else's eyes is always revealing, and I did manage to start focusing on some of the good things, rather than a to do list. There's not much veg in the veg patch, but it's filled with calendula, raspberries, sage, rosemary, and lavender. The apple trees round the edge look like they are still holding onto some of their apples. My friends did point out that they looked a little choked with grass... So I spent a few evenings, just half an hour at a time, clearing the grass, adding some comfrey leaves, some earth from the chicken run, and some wood chip. They seem to be thriving. That small achievement in a small amount of time made me feel empowered, and I ended up clearing the whole of that bed down the outside of the veg patch, and moving some rhubarb and some more comfrey in. Just opposite this area is the edible windbreak - also looking rather overgrown and neglected. I didn't get any gooseberries or blackcurrants from there this year, the birds had them all while I was looking the other way. I wasn't going to let that happen to the bumper damson crop though, so I set about clearing space for me to get at the damson tree. By the end of the month, a few courgettes had appeared (although one was promptly devoured by slugs). Mostly, though, the calendula ran wild and free in the veg patch. I must harvest it and do something with it. I've made calendula balm before, and it's about time I made some more. Inside the greenhouse, the tomatoes were looking rather better after being topped up with compost. I've still not fixed the window, so it's not exactly warm in there at the minute. I'd like to sow some overwinter seeds this autumn, so I need to get on the case. Hanging around Towards the end of the month (just as I went back to work), the weather picked up considerably. We found an old hammock we've had for years, and I finally ordered some straps and hung it between two trees. It's a shady spot, so not very warm, but I spent quite a lot of time there, just hanging around, gently swaying. My other favourite spot in the garden is the swing near the house. I spent quite a lot of time hanging around there too. There's a footpath that runs down our drive, right outside those gates, so I occasionally sneak a bit further into the fields for a bit more peace and quiet. Brambles Every year I forget the brambles. In my head, they need picking in September, but really it's August, even round here. Fortunately, because the weather was so nice, I did remember this time, and managed to pick a few. I didn't pick enough to do anything as elaborate as jam - I've just thrown them in the freezer, and they're being added to my breakfast each day. Windowsills Inevitably, we don't have any actual windowsills yet. But I did do some experimenting with cleaning the stones, this time using brick acid. There are very mixed opinions on using brick acid on this type of stone, so I did one, rinsed it, and left it for a few days to see if it completely disintegrated. Needless to say, it didn't. The brick acid removed some of the stains, but not all of them, so I tried a few different stones. The results have been mixed. I don't have after photos, but while these stones look generally cleaner, those black spots are still there. I'm genuinely not sure whether to use them as they are for a very rustic look, or have another round with the brick acid, or something else. Watch this space...
Overall, August was mellow, relaxed, and sociable. We saw a LOT of people while I was off, and it was nice to have the odd day to myself here and there too. The sunny weather was very welcomed, although things did start to take a rather autumnal air towards the very end of the month, and September has turned distinctly in that direction so far...
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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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