Tuesday 29th May: We arrived back after a couple of days away in Wales, it was scorching down there and pretty muggy much like the rest of the country and overcast here when we arrived back but still muggy. Everything is still alive thank goodness, the farm has been well taken care of and even the grass has been cut 😀 huge thanks to Charlie and Macca and Sam for holding the fort x x
This morning at breakfast we met a couple who were in Wales looking for a smallholding to buy so as you can imagine we had a very interesting conversation with them and wish them well with their search, I know they were going to have a look at the blog so if you are reading this do keep us updated we would love to know when you find somewhere and next time you visit the Wildlife Park do call in for a cuppa and a look round 😀
John went off to visit his Mum and I did the afternoon feeding and egg collecting, everything is tip top order 😀 I noticed that the asparagus has shot up so I cut that, it’s pretty much going over now just the last few bunches left to be cut, had a look round the garden, everything has grown a good bit, the runner beans are curling up the poles, I pinched one or two strawberries that have ripened, then the rain came 😐
John came back and we had a cuppa and some gluten free coconut and pistachio cake that Charlie had made and with the rain still tipping down that will pretty much be it outside until shutting up time so I had better make a loaf of bread 😜
Bloody unbelievable, all the time we were away there was no trouble with the fox, the minute we get back there it is bold as brass running across the front paddock after the ducks at 8.30pm luckily John was out the back and heard a commotion so it was action stations. We managed to get all the birds locked away and we will run the electric fence all the way around the paddock tomorrow and connect to the mains. We also need to sort the duck pen, all this rain and it looks like a mud pit shame as it had dried out nicely with all the sunshine we had.
Wednesday: John was up early and did the animals this morning, felt something furry in the cat biscuits, tipped it over out ran a mouse and the cat had two breakfasts 😜 I did the goslings, quail chicks and then foraged for the rabbits as well as giving them the last of the stored cooking apples, they had comfrey, some thistle, weeds, mint and lemon balm.
Then as John had to go out to do a small job I thought it was a good time to have a go at making ricotta, while I was down at Dads he was asking how you make cheese so we found a simple method for him to try and I thought I am going to give it a go as well. I used whole milk and white vinegar, basically heat the milk up to 190f and then add white vinegar until it splits, strain it through muslin or a clean tea towel and leave it to keep straining for a couple of hours. That’s all there is to it, I added salt and powdered garlic but you can add whatever you fancy, nuts, herbs etc. I needed something to eat it on so I made some very basic crackers to which I added chives, I actually cut the chives to add to the cheese but forgot so put it in the cracker mix. There is a fair amount of whey comes off the cheese and I need to find something to use it in but I did use it in the cracker recipe instead of water which worked fine, if you had a sweet whey you could use it in smoothies etc but this is an acid whey as I have used vinegar (it doesn’t taste vinegary) so not ideal for that but any savoury recipe that calls for water you could substitute with the whey. I had a cheese mould from the cheese making course I went on so have used that to hold the cheese ball in but suspended above a dish/bowl in the cloth is all that is needed really. When I tested the crackers they are fab, crunchy but not too crunchy and will be great with the cream cheese on, I made the mistake of adding salt to the cracker recipe when I had already added salt to the milk to make the cheese (and then used the whey) so if there was one criticism I would say they have a tad too much salt in but not overly salty. The cheese was tasty but could do with more flavouring next time. There was still a large volume of whey left so I began searching for uses, I came across a Norwegian whey cheese that requires boiling the whey for several hours until it caramelises. It took about 1 and a half hours to reduce to a thick fudge like substance at which point I took it off the stove, I tasted it, not impressed, I will cool it and wait until tomorrow to see if it tastes any better, if not it was worth a try at least.
John came back and started moving the electric netting into the paddock we have four runs of 50 metres so we have used the whole lot and connected it to the mains electric, I went out to help him, it was raining and by the end the rain was actually running down my forehead and into my eyes………..come on foxy, I dare you 🤪
While I was out there the goose got off her nest for a while and I took a quick peek, one of the eggs had bust and was foul smelling, I’m unsure if the others are viable and I think it’s going over the time they should have hatched. I am going to candle the other eggs when I get a chance and if they are no good I may try to sneak in the incubated goslings, I have no idea how this will go and could be a disaster in which case we will end up with no goslings at all if she attacks them but I’m hoping that, if this is necessary, her mothering instincts will be strong enough for success, better for all of them.
My Mum made some calendula cream, it’s a beautiful rich yellow/orange colour and she bought a jar round for me, its for dry skin and can be used on hands and feet, it definitely made the back of my hands very soft, I will try it on my feet later 😀
I picked some rhubarb this morning, some for sale and some to stew with plums from the freezer and maple syrup to make a crumble for pudding, I had put the slow cooker on first thing with braising steak but someone (I can’t work out who) turned it off and unplugged it 😝 I didn’t realised till mid afternoon so then had to put it on the higher setting, luckily John has some things to do and will probably be late back.
There are lots of smaller versions of the garden birds about so I’m guessing they are fledglings, tiny blue tits and sparrows all making plenty of noise out there today.
Thursday: After the almost continuous rain since we got back, today seems like a better day all together, the ground is so wet underfoot that we must have had an awful lot of the wet stuff! John has some jobs to do today but did the birds beforehand, I did the goslings, quail and rabbits, then it was into the garden to see what needs doing, quite a lot 😝 I planted the next lot of mini corn outside, some tomato plants randomly, some runner beans again randomly in a spare bit of ground, I may as well get it all in and growing. Then I picked the peas from the small tunnel the ones that had overwintered, I have picked some in mangetout form but then left the rest to grow on. Nothing beats the humble pea, packed with flavour and goodness, and bit labour intensive for the return but definitely worthwhile, I have open frozen them so that I can bag them up and then add to them later in the year with more peas. After that I thought I’d better weed killer the paths, I don’t like doing it and I will hoe as much as possible up to a point but with the weather as it has been they have begun to romp, even the bindweed that I did before has put on new growth, I think it’s going to take an age to get that under control but I am determined to do it. In between all that I chatted to a couple of people, chased some escaped ducks back into the pen, cleaned and put the eggs out for sale and cut some more rhubarb. The rabbits have done well today as I pulled up the pak Choi that had run to seed and some salad leaves, sorrel and spinach that have all run to seed, lots have things have done that this year including some beetroot that self seeded in the poly tunnel so I pulled all those up, the beetroots are too tough to use 😐 Then I looked at the clock 11.56, that will do for a break as I feel knackered all ready, not sure if it’s the air pressure today or what but I’m flagging so a bit of recuperation and I will be good to go again.
Tidied out the fridge and the veg basket, made a smoothie with the fruit and orange juice that needed using up, put the washing out, get the washing back in an hour later as it started raining. I realised we had a close shave when I cleaned out the goslings, when the weather turned cold last week I lowered the heat lamp and raised it again when we came back, scorch mark on the mat 😧 it was a proper lamp with the guard and everything but um oooeer I won’t do that again. I wondered why one of the goslings had a wet patch on its back I thinking it’s sweating 😓 so I have turned the lamp off for the rest of the day and will only use it overnight in future, the quail can permanently come off of their lamp now as they have feathered up nicely and seem to be holding their own quite well, I still need to have a good look at each one to see how many females and how many males there are and decided what to keep and what to sell.
Oh yes and the damn rain, I am hoping it was two hours between the weed killer and the rain otherwise waste of a job 😝
Thunder, oooo I love a good thunder storm 😁
By the way I’m going to leave the Norwegian cheese to the Norwegians…..yuk, enough said.
I made some breakfast muffins, oats, almond butter, mashed banana an egg and some baking powder, and I added coconut flour for some bulk, mix up, spoon into cases, cook, easy peasy, I am terrible for getting breakfast, usually I just eat a banana then wonder why I’m starving at 10am 😆 I can’t be bothered to get porridge, even the two minute version 😜 and I don’t eat cereal or toast, I have to be in the right frame of mind for Greek yoghurt, honey and fruit, so these seem like a good, filling start to the day along with my decaf coffee.
It’s pouring down with rain again, the pathways had just started drying out, honestly it’s either raining or ridiculously hot this spring where are the mild springs we used to have, we knew where we were with them, this lot is up one minute and down the next.
We have lightening now too ⛈ love a good storm 😀
Well I wasn’t expecting that, as the song goes, huge clap of thunder a strike of lightening, a primal sound from the electric meter and we lost power! Luckily John had just come home and it was action stations to phone the electricity board and then get the generator up and running for the incubator, we had just got it sorted when the power came back on! The rain is flowing like a river all around the place, running through the back area because the drains can’t cope, poor quail are right in line but they should be fine it means I will have to clean them tomorrow and take out all the soggy bedding. On a positive note the water tanks will be full up 😀
According to the live lightening map the strike was right in the next field to us, no wonder it was loud!
Friday June 1st: Last night got worse when getting into bed I discovered it was soaking wet on my side, rain had found its way in through the overhead light fitting, not a happy bunny as I had to sleep on the sofa, John did offer but that was only after he had laughed hysterically by which time I had told him to F off!
This morning is clean up after the storms, John is working today so it’s down to me, mostly it was cleaning watery shit from the pen floors and we are forecast more of the same later tonight ☹️ The ducks, and rabbits need cleaning but I will wait for better weather as the rain is driving in so it would be a pointless task, oh what fun 🤪
Struggling today with the heavy jobs such as lugging buckets of feed and wet poo around, trying to fit a king size duvet into the dryer (not happening) when I just want to sleep. That is the result when I spend the day in the sun which I did on Monday, unfortunately even though I slapped on the lotion covered up and wore a hat, any uv rays and my immune system goes into attack mode which makes me very tired and normal function just does not happen.
I love that our slice of countryside is a haven for all kinds of wildlife except the one I happened to spot by chance when I was saying goodbye to Shelley , Josh and Flo, a ruddy great hornet flying behind a loose panel in the cladding on the front of the house. Out came the wasp killer and I sprayed it in, wether it is Asian or European I don’t know but I do know they are aggressive when they have a nest so pffft it gets a spray. I will keep an eye open to make sure it’s either dead or didn’t return 👀 As I was watching I also spotted a small bee going behind a different part but I will leave that one alone as it probably a solitary bee building a nest which is fine, I have come across those before and if you leave them alone they don’t bother you. Just did a bit of research and it’s most likely European which is better but still not good especially as it’s right by the kitchen window.
John came home in the late afternoon, just before the rain came luckily, and went up on the roof to see why the rain came in, we have an agricultural tin profile roof and there were 6 little pins holes in a row, how they got there is a mystery but they have now been sealed so I should not have a wet bed any longer! While we were stood outside I was telling him about the hornet and suddenly it flew right between the two of us, obviously the spray didn’t kill it, a bit more research needed.
Saturday: Up early helped John with the morning rounds then I spent a while squashing asparagus beetle which have emerged and are feeding and laying eggs on the plants, there must have been about 20/30 it’s gets more each year. They overwinter in the ground and emerge this time of year just as the asparagus is starting to go over, I need to go out with my glasses on and make sure I got all the teeny tiny eggs then I need to do it every other day really to see if I can knock them on the head, the first year it was just one plant affected now it’s most of them probably because I was slack last year. After that I got ready to go out for the day, I am off on The Cotswold Rally 2018 in aid of Adventure Ashram, I am going with my sister and niece in Daisy the 1968 Morris Minor 😀 hopefully she will make it all the way round (Daisy that is, not my sister 🤪) lol. It will be good to get out and about in the countryside we live in and really see it rather than just driving from a to b on a mission of some kind 😝
Well what day, we had a splendid time seeing some of the sights of The Cotswolds, we had a lot of laughs as Daisy struggled to get up hills and protested by flinging her glove compartment or the drivers door at every conceivable minute, no harm done though, we had the roof down and did plenty of singing along the country lanes, stopped for food and to see the areas of interest, noted where we want to return to and finally made home late afternoon 😀
Quick turn around as we were off to a wedding reception in the evening, another beautiful location on a warm Spring evening, what a day 😀
Sunday: Lovely morning, Charlie and Macca firstly babysat Josh for most of yesterday until the evening then they had Mia at ours last night so she was here this morning and awake bright and early just before 5am 😜 John did the rounds and we went out to see what he was doing, then we had a walk down the drive to see the cows in the field across the road.
It’s ridiculously hot out there even at 6.30pm, I had a walk round the garden and even the rhubarb is wilting today despite all that rain, I noticed that a lot of the soil has been washed away ☹️ and because of the extremes of weather things are bolting, running to seed or in the case of the potatoes, leggy, it’s hot, I’m tired, parts of me hurt and at this precise moment I’m thinking I won’t bother next year, I will probably change my mind by tomorrow but this year has bought different problems, I made a huge effort to cover and protect everything and the weather has dealt a blow instead 😆
frieslandfarm (flowers) 