Month: September 2018

Posted in Friesland Farm

Hygge, Hops and a Hedgehog 🦔

Posted on by frieslandfarm

Monday 24th September: The Autumn equinox has occurred, the end of the light time of the year and the beginning of the dark time is upon us. Time to reflect and look back at what has worked, what hasn’t and a time to look forward and think about what to do next year. A time of myths, legends and rituals of all kinds, harvest is one of my favourite times of year, the word derives from an old English word meaning Autumn. I like the fact that it gets dark early and you can hunker down inside all cosy and warm having fed everyone with a hearty supper, Hygge as the Norwegian and Danish would say.

Talking of myths we heard a lovely one in Guernsey, some of the older houses have a large stone protruding from the chimney of the building, a witch seat, the belief was that a witch out flying on her broomstick could rest on one of these stones and get warmth from the chimney and if you provided one of these you would be spared of any witchy spells she might inflict 🧙‍♀️

The temps plummeted last night and I think there was a grass frost this morning, good job the Rayburn is ready when we are although the temps are set to climb again during the week.

John did the main of the birds this morning then it was just the orchard lot for me to do, my main thought is to lock up the house while I’m out on the farm, sad times but I’ve heard another report from just down the road that occurred yesterday so there is still skullduggery going on and best to be safe than sorry.

There were plenty of walnuts all over the floor so I have picked them up, washed them off, rinsed them in white vinegar (to stop mould forming) dried them off and put them in open trays in the kitchen to dry off. Quick coffee then outside again to see what else can be done, Sun is shinning this morning though you can feel a real nip in the air.

Managed to get a good bit done, two loads of muck into the polytunnel, plant a shrub in the duck pen and secure round it, plant a bush in the orchard and secure round it, pick a trug full of greens for the rabbits, harvest all the small broccoli florets and collect eggs and put them out for sale, the biggest pain in the arse though is keep locking and unlocking the doors to go in and out!

Tuesday: Mia arrived early in the morning, I had managed to just get the orchard lot fed and watered so that was ok, we did go out about 10am to pick up some eggs but apart from that we spent the day inside. Mia is in the middle of potty training so it doesn’t do to venture too far from the bathroom at the moment although she is doing very well, amazing, as I keep telling her 😀

I am practising Hygge tonight, an extra cardi on, a nice cup of milky coffee and my Norwegian slippers which are very warm and cosy, I have already worn them out once and Mum kindly re-felted the bottoms so I could carry on wearing them 😀

Wednesday: Another sunny, dry day 😀 After doing the orchard lot and re filling some of the bedding in various houses, I decided to try and start sorting out the garden in preparation for the winter. The garden gets ravaged either by the weather, the ducks or the chickens and so putting everything away or securing everything is a must, especially any plants in pots that you want ready for next Spring. The ducks walk over everything squashing it all, the chickens kick everything over then scratch through it and the wind just blows it all around, so it seemed like a good day to start organising stuff. I now have two areas that have plants in that are cordoned off and covered with mesh, I have planted a few more bits along the edible hedge in the orchard, when I say edible that includes food for the birds and bees as well as the chickens and ducks 😀 A bit of egg collecting and sorting in between and suddenly it’s already lunchtime.

I have decided to pull the plug on the new greenhouse for now, we haven’t got round to dismantling it and putting a base down and to be honest I’m not sure I can justify the money really, so I will use the old one again next year and see how things go. No point spending a fortune on something if I’m ill again and can’t get out there to use it to it’s maximum so for now it’s on the back burner.

I’m quite tired after all that so going to have a sit down and maybe a quick nap 😀 I’m am very fortunate to be able to stop and rest when I need to if I had a regular job I think I would have got the sack by now 😝 Don’t get me wrong, what I really want to be doing is ploughing into jobs, the mind is willing, the body is most definitely not!

I tried a little shut eye but I couldn’t so I thought I would read the rest of my book instead, after visiting Guernsey the obvious choice for new reading material was The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. What a delightful gem of a book 😀 I thoroughly recommend it if you are a reader, now I just need to watch the film and see if they managed to capture the essence of it? (I watched it, they didn’t)

I have been eyeing up the light Sussex chickens, they are pretty big now but need to put on weight before we process them, ideally I would like them to get a couple of months on the garden free ranging, some will be selected to hold back for breeding for the next batch and I think there are at least 4 cockerels in there. The joy with writing a blog diary is that I can look back and find out exactly when they hatched, on investigation I find that they are 16 weeks so plenty of growing time left yet 😀

Did a bit of hoovering, polishing and cleaning, the place needs a proper good going through really but I will save it for rainy/colder weather.

I’m still picking up walnuts and there are still loads left on the tree, I need to make a real effort to use them this year especially in cooking but by the time I have cracked them all open I have lost the will to cook 😝

Did the afternoon egg collecting, the pullets are laying really well now, at least half of them, though the eggs are small they are still mighty fine eggs 😀

I need to decide about Tuesdays, it proved quite a logistical event especially as its potty training time as well as having to lock the doors behind me, I can no longer, nip out so I’m contemplating putting a notice out to say there will be no egg collections on a Tuesday until further notice, it would give me a bit of a break from the pressure of having to get them out there on time and who knows we may be able to catch up with sales instead of constantly selling out.

Think it, do it, lol, that’s what I have done, put a notice out, no eggs on a Tuesday for the foreseeable future.

I lit the Rayburn 😋 just for a couple of hours to take the chill off the air during the evening and I must admit it will be nice to have dry, warm towels again. The problem with this time of year is that it’s not quite cold enough to have it full on but it’s too chilly not to have it at all, probably be sweating in bed later lol.

It will take a while to get to know how she has decided to perform this year but I’m sure we will all settle into a routine soon enough, the one regret I have is that there is not enough space to have a chair right next to her, that would have been perfick 😋 mind you, you would have found me sat there all Winter long 😝

Thursday: Fabulous morning, sunny with a hint of mist rising from the ground, beautiful. By 8am I had done my morning bits and was stood having a coffee outside. My neighbour had ask if I have anything for the harvest festival display so I went round and had a look, some hops, a few little pumpkins and some sweet corn stalks is about all I have this year, hopefully they will be of use. I cut down all the hops and put some aside and the rest I have harvested ready to dry, I want to make hop pillows and need to dry the heads. They are very tactile little things once they are off the vine and as light as a feather, I will leave them in the sun for today and finish them off drying indoors for a couple of days. I don’t have very many as I try to keep the vine under control, it’s suppose to grow along the fence but it keeps creeping up the pear tree and strangling it!

Did a bit of pottering about which was nice, I watered the shrubs I had planted on the front paddock fence line and the apple tree, collected a couple of ‘keeper’ apples there are not many this year, sat and ate the last pear I found hiding on the tree, beautifully succulent and tasty 😋 picked up some eggs and put them out, saw a dragonfly which made me smile, a fab day for pottering out there.

I have a large amount of tomatoes to use up so I’m going to roast them with some olive oil and garlic then sieve them and freeze them for winter use, it’s such a good year for them that you can’t even give them away let alone sell them lol.

I ordered a bulb planter for the daffs, it’s a good strong one which I was surprised as it only cost £24, I took it up the back paddock to have a go but the ground is still much too hard! It needs a bit of rain on it dare I say 😋

Friday: No sun as yet this morning but it’s still early, John was up and out to do the birds just as it got light, patch the dog was barking incessantly, I got up to investigate couldn’t see anything, when John came in he told me it was a hedgehog 😀😀😀😀😀 A hedgehog, I couldn’t be more delighted 😁 they are in decline here in the UK and I haven’t seen one on the farm for about 5 years now so it’s an exciting find and puts paid to any idea that I had about using roundup on the veg garden paths, it will have to be hoed instead 😝

The wildlife has steadily increased over the years, frogs, toads, hedgehogs (well at least one of each) multiple different garden birds, the sparrows that seemed to have gone over the last few weeks have suddenly all come back to check out the roosting areas they used last winter, dragonflies, butterflies, insects galore, it’s a great feeling to nurture nature.

I’m walking back from doing the orchard lot and what do I see in the middle of the driveway but a rolled up ball of prickles covered in leaves, the dogs must have managed to roll it out to play football with it! So I went and got appropriate hand wear and picked it up and took it to the greenhouse along with some cat food, it’s not hungry and I’m pleased to say it looks in good condition, no ticks. I watched it walk around looking for a way out and so went and built a quick hedgehog house out of wooden posts and a broken slab with some leaves and straw for bedding, and then popped it in there. Hopefully it will at least hang around, taking care to stay out of the way of the dogs in future 😋

Blood tests this morning, I was supposed to have them last week but didn’t ring up in time.

Popped in to see my Mum and Ken as they have just come back from caravanning in the south west, came home with lots of killer jars and a couple of shrubs 😀

Went for a walk along the downs road with Josh, Shelley and Flo this afternoon, we played hide and seek behind the trees, ‘room on the broom’, ‘pull me out of the rabbit hole nana’ and conker football 😀

The woodpecker is about, I spotted him hammering a tree trunk this morning, then when I was out doing the afternoon feeding I heard him and then saw him take off in the unmistakable, undulating flight back toward this mornings tree. It is a greater spotted woodpecker the green ones tend to stay more in the hedge-line at the side of the long paddock so I don’t see them as often, one day I will get a picture but they are very quick.

Saturday: Another lovey sunny Autumn morning, I know the bubble is going to burst eventually but loving it while it’s here 😀 Today we are off to the local ploughing match, heavy horses, tractors galore and plenty of ‘Old McDonalds’ for Josh to see 😝

Fabulous day, glorious weather and bone dry under foot, we have seen heavy horses in their finery, steam engines galore, tractors old and new, eaten ice creams, doughnuts, hot dogs and baked potatoes (some of us ate some of them, not all of us ate all of them 😜) had a beer, looked at the produce competitions, watched some old crafts, thank goodness there are people who keep these going and chatted to friends and acquaintances, all in all a great time had by all. I am pretty sure Josh will fall asleep early and not wake up till morning, dreaming of the vintage tractor parade 😀

I bought a Hardy plumbago plant while I was there, mine died over winter and it’s a plant that I miss.

Sunday: I almost forgot it’s blog day! Perfect day for me outside for getting some work done, pleasant enough, not much sun but a hint now and again. I have been planting, barrowing, weeding, covering and generally trying to get things in order ready for Winter. Plants that I have bought and needed to plant out or on, barrowing muck from the heap onto beds, weeding the pathways and covering bare soil that has been weeded. By 2pm I was quite exhausted but feel I have achieved something at least. I pulled some carrots, they are in a raised bed and so not getting waterlogged (chance would be a fine thing as rain is mostly a distant memory this year) I’m hoping to get some cooking and baking done this week and tomato soup is still on my radar, carrots add a great bit of flavour to the soup. I am still picking outdoor tomatoes though it won’t be long before the frost gets them, I would make green tomato chutney but we have enough pickles to last us a while. My Dad always says ‘you should try green tomatoes fried’ hmmm not sure on that one, maybe I should at least try them?

John has been busy, tidying up and burning the bits of wood that couldn’t be cut up for the fire, we always seem to have wood lying around that needs burning, then he cleaned out the front hens and he has a plan to move them off of the front paddock and make a bigger pen where the hens for sale used to be housed seeing as we won’t be doing that anymore. He has now gone to do his Mum and I’ve sent him with a shopping list so I don’t have to go 😜

I washed and dried another load of walnuts today, that’s it now I’m not gathering any more! It’s weird because when Johns Dad was alive he used to ask me for walnuts and we never had that many, the two years since he died have been bumper years and the squirrel has been nowhere near, coincidence? Or is he giving me a helping hand?

I saw a green woodpecker flying around the farm today 😀

Definitely going to light the fire tonight, it’s chilly indoors at 3pm already.

Posted in Friesland Farm

Back from holibobs, back to work & and thieving little s***s 😡

Posted on by frieslandfarm

Wednesday 19th Sept: This is the first chance I have had to write anything, as you can imagine it’s been pretty full on since we got back from our holiday. We had a splendid time, mostly spent relaxing, some acupuncture and massage and lots of eating, drinking and talking. The farm has been in the most capable hands and nothing died or was amiss 😀

We returned home Sunday and I got on with the washing and catching up with everyone and everything, we hadn’t quite got our land legs back yet as we didn’t get off the ship at all until the Saturday in Guernsey so it’s all a bit wobbly at times 😝 We went on a vintage coach trip around the island and it was a fabulous afternoon which included afternoon tea and some views to die for, one of my favourite things to watch out for was ‘hedge veg’ what a fantastic name 😀 Basically anyone who grows anything and has an abundance puts it out for sale in with an honesty box (and they are very honest over there) even the main supplier of Guernsey goat butter leaves his back door open for people to access his fridge when he is not there, imagine that! I saw one sign that said ‘shop or swap’ which I also thought was a great idea.

On Monday it was more washing and then some nut gathering as the winds have picked up a bit and they are all over the floor, hazelnuts everywhere and the walnuts are dropping as well. It was Samantha’s birthday so we went out for tea and cake in the afternoon with a bit of Park time for the little ones.

Tuesday: Starting from today I will be having Mia from 7am till after tea time so I won’t be getting much done on these days in the future.

Somebody local put up on social media free grapes and there were a lot of them, my sister was going to get some and so I asked if she could pick up some for me as well which she did and bought them over.

Wednesday: I better get started in earnest today on prepping and processing things or I will get a bit behind. First up is the grapes and grape juice so I got that under way, then went out to do the orchard birds and animals, once back inside I have some pears that have gone a bit wrinkly and as I have always wanted to have a go at fruit leathers, I puree them along with a bit of melon and they are now in the oven on a very low setting for the next 6 hours 😀

Go round and collect any eggs available to put out for sale

Out to check the torts and give them some more food, the sun is still pretty hot when it’s out and though they are slowing down they are not ready to hibernate just yet. Then pick the tomatoes, I have an abundance this year, a fair few of the outside ones get spoiled or eaten so pick those off and throw in with the chickens, then back to pick the good ones to finish ripening on the window sill.

Get the chops out for dinner later, make coffee sit down and find more grape recipes 😜

There are plenty of things you can do with grapes it turns out! The obvious one is wine but to be honest we are not wine drinkers at the best of times so I’m giving that a miss. I had a banana and grape smoothie mid morning and washed another third of the grapes and de stalked them, some I have put on a tray and into the oven to dehydrate along with the fruit leather, the kids love raisins, great snack, and so I’d see how they turn out. More grape juice I think and I will have to freeze it as I don’t have room to pasteurise it and store it in bottles. I’m definitely leaning towards some grape jam, I’m curious to see how it turns out and let’s face it most jam is pretty good so that’s a contender, and you can freeze grapes, bonus, I will definitely be doing this as well.

It’s very windy out today, squally, as I call it because the wind is blowing in all directions, consequently it’s noisy in here as we have a tin roof and a very large crab apple tree above the roof, bonk, bonk, bonk, bonk every couple of seconds 😜 I have used the apples to feed pigs in the past and we have had people come and take boxes and boxes of them away for making cider but I have never done it myself, mostly because I just don’t have the time in amongst everything else there is to process!

When looking into the jam/jelly making process for grapes I found that it was mostly for seedless grapes, these have seeds in them, most seeded recipes are juice extracted, I think that’s an awful waste of skin and goodness so I did a quick bit of research to make sure the seeds are ok for you and it turns out they are very beneficial 😀 so whole grape jam it will be 😀 I personally don’t mind seeds of any type in my jams, adds to the texture.

So I just finished making the jam and I’m no expert, but I have made a lot of jam and even though it reached setting point, I don’t think it’s going to set, in fact you will be able to knock me down with a feather if it does 😲 in which case I can either boil or I have five jars of grape sauce to find recipes for 🤣

Well the grapes have been a bit of a disaster really, the jam is still not set, the raisins have been in for hours and look like they will take a hundred more so I abandoned that, the juice is lovely, looks like cold tea though, the rest I have open frozen to use another time. It takes more time than you think to process everything. On the good side of today was the fruit leather 😀 although the sides shrank it turned out very much how I thought it would and tastes great so a big thumbs up for that. I am tired again today, the meds they upped have not seemed to help the condition get better, the acupuncture did help in terms of less stiffness and associated pain but I was hoping to feel ready to get back at it, not happening 😏 I sat down for forty winks (may have been a little bit longer 😉) and when I woke up it was raining, and the washing, that had blown around nicely all day, was wet again 😤 hey ho, tomorrow is another day.

Then my Pyrex casserole dish that I’ve had for many, many years fell out of the cupboard when I opened the door and smashed 😏

Thursday: Raining this morning and although it will make things mucky I have to say I’m glad, it was getting very dry and dusty so a change is as good as a rest as they say.

I was looking through all the photos of the summer and if I get time I will do a round up of them, it’s amazing to see what I have grown and produced with it all and a great reminder in the times that I think ‘I should give it all up’, this year has been difficult not only because of the weather but due to the debilitating effects of this damn disease. When I was first diagnosed this is what I expected but after a year or so it went into remission and life was good, I’m hopeful that I can get back there some day but the road is longer than I thought it would be ☹️

Gosh just had a whirlwind of a half hour, someone at the gate to tell me a chicken is on the road, I suspect it’s the same one I keep getting reports of and that she is laying somewhere and crossing the road to do it, I go and look for her but nowhere to be seen 😋 then when I am re boiling the jam and it’s just near setting point the house phone rings at the exact same moment my mobile rings, I answered the house phone, quick convo about going away for the weekend with relatives, then I phone John who was trying to get me on the mobile because he couldn’t get through on the house phone, he has had to call a paramedic for his Mum who is not well, in all that Sam pops in to pick up the travel cot as they are going away for the weekend, and then calm is restored again 😀

Fingers crossed the jam will set this time, it has reduced by one whole jar and I put half a lemon in for pectin so hopefully…

I have been costing up the sale of nuts, we sold quite a few last year and so I will put them out again this year, I have to order paper bags with windows though, they don’t sell in just a paper bag we tried it then changed the packaging and voila, weird but I guess that why marketing is a real job!

On a whim, as if I don’t have enough on the ‘to do’ list, I made granola 😀 I found a great chart and used up items I had in the cupboard, oats, linseed mix, almonds, coconut oil, molasses, mix it and bake it in the oven then added dates and desiccated coconut, I hope it tastes good 😀 I struggle with breakfast because I don’t want to eat toast and porridge gets boring, the supermarket cereals are full of hidden sugar either that or it’s bran based ☹️ so I figured I would make my own lol I’m pretty well practised at granola though because every time I make flapjack, that’s how it turns out 😂😂

My writing is interrupted by about the 6/7th phone call from numbers I never answer probably cold calling, I’m fed up with the phone constantly ringing so I have gone on to my BT and blacklisted them all 😝 oooo feels good 😀

Picked up half a bucketful of hazelnuts, this morning I was picking up walnuts, the wind has kindly made the job easier by dumping them all on the floor 😜 I have just seen a warning from our local police force for the impending storm and possible damage to buildings and trees 😲 scary.

Friday: Well the winds were not too bad though it did wake me a couple of times along with the rain 🌧It’s sunny but windy this morning and I have picked up another load of walnuts, that’s a bucket and half, I think I will give up picking up hazels there are thousands of them! As well as the walnut picking I have fed the orchard lot, put on some washing, cleaned the bathroom, collected eggs and put them out for sale, now I’m having a sit down. I’m having to pace myself today, yesterday was a good day, it’s not too bad today but I feel exhausted already 😏 pain in the bum as I really want to get on but can’t physically do it.

I harvested the pumpkins some of them are ripe and some needing ripening so I have put them in the polytunnel, they are early this year and the foliage has now died off, if I leave them they will either get eaten by the hens/birds or with the rain and damp, go soft so I’m hedging my bets and getting them in. Not a bad haul from one plant 😀 Since the grandchildren were born I try and grow them so they each have one for Halloween 🎃 They are only a small variety but sweet when eaten as well so I will probably sell a few of them at the gate.

Saturday: Well if the rest of the blog is a bit uninteresting that’s all about to change! So we did the usual jobs this morning, I manage to relocate a cooking apple tree into the front paddock as well as a dogwood for the fence line, put barricades around them so the chickens don’t scratch back to the roots. John put a new gate post in on the duck pen (he accidentally caught the old one with the tractor) then went and extended the electric fencing round the new hens. He came back to the house and made tea, gave me a yell as I was in the polytunnel clearing the ground, we sat down and were chatting and drinking, the dog, Mia, looked towards the driveway with her ears down and wagging her tail, I thought, that’s funny because both Shelley and Sam are away for the day so it’s not them coming. Nobody appeared so I got up and looked in the driveway and saw who I thought was Charlie crouching at the back of her car, she must be cleaning it was my thought then I realised that when I had gone in to the loo just minutes before she was busy hoovering. At this point I realised someone was pinching her number plates, I yelled ‘oi’ and started running out there along with John, they took off in a car but we got the number plate (one letter wrong we found out later) I ran back shouting the reg number so I didn’t forget it to report it to the police, John and Charlie got in the car to see a) if they had chucked the plates in the hedge along the lane and b) to see if the local community officer was down the road where he often visits. Meanwhile I checked the cctv and found that they had pulled up, had a look in the egg shed, then reversed the car behind Johns van, rifled through that and nicked his drill, rifled through Charlie’s car and then nicked the number plates which is when I saw him. Through the power of social media we quickly found out that the car was pinched yesterday from a village not far away and it seems that there have been a few other incidents in our village. Lessons to learn 1) don’t get complacent, lock your vehicle even if you are going back out in it very soon 2) the dogs don’t always bark but they do act funny, check it out. This was 11am while we were out and about on the farm and it disrupted our day completely not to mention Charlie is out of pocket having to quickly get new plates made up, on the other hand it’s only stuff and nobody was hurt. Hopefully they will catch the little turds soon enough 😡

Life goes on and I decided to process the walnuts so took all the husks off, washed them then rinsed them in white vinegar and put them in racks to dry, my fingers are now a lovely shade of brown, it would make great fake suntan dye 😋

Sunday: Filthy morning weather wise though the sun came out in the afternoon. After the morning feeding etc, John cleaned out Rosie the Rayburn and put her new firebrick and grate in, still need to clean the flue but not while it’s raining 😝 I set about weighing and packaging up the hazelnuts and printing off a bit of random information about hazels, always good to educate myself and others 😀

We went round to see Shelley, Martin, Josh and Flo and hear all about their trip to West Midlands Safari Park, Josh wanted to see a real ‘Ephaphant’ 😀

When we got back there was a message from Thames Valley Police to say that Charlie’s stolen plates and the stolen car they were on, the same one we saw yesterday, had been recovered, this was a direct result of quickly sharing the information on Facebook, well done everyone and thank you very much, it will mean that Charlie does not have to worry about what her number plate is going to get up to, hopefully the stolen car is in good order and can be returned to its rightful owner who no doubt works as hard as everyone (almost) else does for the things that they cherish.

On the upside of yesterday’s escapade, the adrenaline rush seems to have done my aches and pains a power of good 😀 or maybe the meds are finally kicking in 😜

Posted in Friesland Farm

Visitors, busy week, lots done 😀

Posted on by frieslandfarm

Monday 3rd September 😝 What, September already! A busy morning this morning, John is home this week, and by that I mean not going out to do plumbing work, I would say he is not working but he still has to work for his supper here 🤪 We do however have some help this week so they got an early start on the mountain of wood that needs cutting up and stacking away. We don’t usually say no to free wood but we have got so much at the minute we can hardly move, if we have a cold winter then we will be totally grateful, to be honest I think we have enough for about 3 winters at the minute. I will be both looking forward to lighting the Rayburn and dreading it lol, once it’s going full time I will spend a lot of my time feeding it but in return we have FREE hot water, cooking, heating and washing drying facilities so I can’t complain 😀

The other thing happening today is Dad and Sue arriving to stay until the weekend so plenty of preparations in the way of good food, the bread is proving, the veg and meat are prepped for dinner later, the ham is in the oven cooking ready for lunchtime sarnies, they both appreciate good, home grown, home cooked food and so it’s a pleasure to provide the very best of what we have to offer, just need to make apple pie and I’m sorted 😀

Tuesday: Blimey it’s a hive of industry here today, I kid you not, John and his helper are working flat out on the wood mountain, Dad is busy on the ride on lawn mower cutting the paddocks, Sue is out picking vegetables. We have had numerous deliveries and egg customers and I have Mia so it’s been chaotic at times but all very productive indeed 😀 I have been busy on a never ending round of coffees and teas, sausage sarnies and lunch I am definitely going to need that holiday next week 🤪

I have powdery mildew on the summer squash, these were a heritage variety and that’s probably why they are heritage so maybe I will stick to newer resistant varieties in future 😜 The butternut squash are ready to harvest and it looks like the melons are on the turn too, the hazelnuts have begun dropping so Mia and I have been collecting some of those and the Miribelle plums are just about ready to pick though I have only had time to pick a few so far, they are very tasty and nice firm plums, not as many with maggot as I had first thought so that’s a bonus. I still have cooking apples to pick from the tree, I managed to get all the lower ones and need a hop up to get the rest down. We had a good downpour yesterday so that has spurred on the courgettes which are still producing well.

More harvesting in the afternoon, Sue picked the butternut squash about 13 of them she thinks, I got the broccoli that she picked in the morning blanched and frozen, then after Mia went home we had fish and chips and Dad, Sue and John had an early night (all worn out lol) while I had to stay up and bake some more bread!

Wednesday: If it was busy yesterday, it’s even busier today! The sun is shinning beautifully, Dad was up early and out on the mower, John and his helper are out on the wood pile, it’s gone from a mountain to a pile now 😜 Mum also came up and did some sorting out in the garden, the powdery mildew foliage etc and some more potting up and potting on including the poor peris which has been in the same pot for at least 20 years! I have been feeding, watering, collecting eggs, putting them out for sale along with some veg and plums, putting on wash loads and hanging them out to dry, making breakfast and umpteen coffees, picked a bucketful of plums and prepped some pears for the freezer, I feel exhausted already and it’s only 10am! Sue is up the ladder as I type picking the rest of the cooking apples, I may have to make this a yearly event 😀

I have the consultant this afternoon so a trip to Oxford, goodness knows what time we will get back it depends on the traffic which is usually diabolical.

Well that was a successful consultation, they agreed with what I thought was still going on and have increased my meds so that should knock the last bit of activity on the head hopefully, although I’m back to fortnightly blood tests it’s a small inconvenience I can put up with.

Sue had the dinner under control by the time we got back (cottage pie) so I can relax this evening 😀

Thursday: Sunny again although much cooler first thing and another hugely busy day, Dad has carried on topping the fields where he can, some of it has not been grazed and is long and wet, the horse will have to graze that bit off I think, John sharpened the blade first thing so he could get going. Sue has been helping John and I get the new hut ready with electric fencing, Dad and John moved it into position with the tractor last night. She has also been up the apple tree picking again 😀 John has been busy with his helper and the side area is nearly clear of wood and debris 😀 I have no idea what I have been doing mostly running around like a blue arsed fly 🤪 Then John went to power wash the pen where the POL that are arriving this afternoon will live and it’s FULL of red mite, so they won’t be going in there after all, he had to quickly do a bit of creosoting to try and contain them. Honestly it really makes you want to throw in the towel! We had to search for the Apple picker before Sue could start again today as she couldn’t remember where she put it, eventually we found it up the tree 🤣🤣🤣 And like my writing today my head is all over the place 🤪🤪🤪

And then the chickens arrived on time at 3pm. I also have Mia today for a few hours, I don’t normally on a Thursday it’s a one off but luckily she was fairly tired and had a sleep for a couple of hours, Shelley, Josh and Flo popped in and made a few cups of tea, Josh helped me with the egg collecting and feeding.

Friday: Sunny but chilly this morning, there is a cold breeze. Dad and Sue are having a day off from working today lol, they came for a holiday and have been working every day, I think they have enjoyed it though. Johns helper is on his last day and the side is nearly clear 😀 John had to pop out first thing to do a job that was outstanding but he is back now and straight back at it. The new chickens have come out of the hut this morning, not sure what they make of it all, hopefully they love it enough to start laying soon. I have been busy doing the usual feeding and putting veg and fruit out for sale, bacon sarnies, coffee etc etc. I really need to think about packing as we are off on Sunday morning but there are lists to write and things to tidy up as well before we go.

Yesterday I came across a notification about new a animal license law which comes into effect on 1st October apparently you need to have a license to sell animals, including birds, if you are running it as a business. Not sure what happens if you don’t have internet access because I did not know about it through any other means than Facebook! Anyhow we have decided to stop selling hens as it will cost to buy the license and the act is 96 pages long, I only got to page 30 something and thought, bugger that, I can do without the hassle 😀 It’s a shame because it won’t stop the puppy farms etc all it will do is cost more for the people who do it properly anyway or make them give up because it’s too much paperwork for the small amount you are selling.

I decided, after watching a programme about learning a new language and it helping your brain, that I would learn Spanish lol, I found a great little app, and it’s surprising how much I recognise just from travelling and life in general I suppose, I will be able to practice some of it next week hopefully 😀

Saturday: Raining this morning but that’s ok as we have worked hard outside all week. Dad and Sue had breakfast and then left to return to Wales which some bags of goodies for their hard work, jam, chutney, plums, beans and potatoes, John did the feeding then went to sort his Mum out, I did the orchard lot then waved Sue and Dad off and then did a quick hoover round and change bedsheets before starting with the packing 😝

In the days before the smallholding the routine was take the dogs to the kennels and then go 😀 these days I have to spend time making sure everything is in order and everyone knows what they need to do, it takes quite some organising so that whoever is left in charge can run the place as smoothly as possible, no doubt they are more than capable and I need not worry, indeed I shall not be 🤪

So it’s over and out for this week and Hola to Spain, plenty of relaxation, great food and a bevvy or two.

Posted in Friesland Farm

Scotch eggs, Jumble crumble and Catherine Parr.

Posted on by frieslandfarm

Monday 27th August, Bank Holiday Monday 😀 only thing is for us it is just another day lol, John has actually gone to work today to catch up with all the plumbing before he has the week off next week when his phoned will be switched off for a fortnight 😜

Dry this morning after yesterday’s downpours, the temps are still fairly low though, it’s all or nothing in a temperate climate like ours, I said to John yesterday wouldn’t it be nice to have steady weather lol.

I must just show you a picture of these, I bought them home from the picnic yesterday, Home made scotch eggs made by my Auntie Louie, I can tell you they are delish, which is why I didn’t hesitate to have the leftovers 😀 One day I will get round to making some and hope they taste this good.

I fed the orchard birds and the rabbits have had hay, apples, pears and plums today, we have started a week of worming the birds in order to get them in top top condition going into the Winter, a fair few of them are in a moult so I need to get a spice mix made up as well to help with recovery. I make my own it’s cheaper than buy special tubs of it, I just buy the ingredients wholesale and mix it all, smells the same and a bit of a treat for them when the weather changes.

Just sat down for a coffee, it’s 11.30, I have been picking and prepping and processing 😀

John has got a one pot chicken dinner for tonight, basically everything goes in the pot at once and cooks in the oven, that’s it very easy and he likes it 😀 veg in there that I picked this morning, carrots, beans, broccoli, potatoes, some leftover chicken from yesterday, stock and cornflour, simple and tasty with all the fresh veg packing in the flavour. Then a jumble crumble, I just invented that, for pudding, which is a mix of blackberry, apples and plums, I was going to have scotch egg and salad but Macca and I ate them this morning 😝 thinking about it they make a very good breakfast on the go, egg, sausage and bread, I really need to get on and make some of these, I want to try them with the quail eggs as a small snack, maybe in the winter when I have more time. It’s surprising how much time everything takes to do, picking, prepping, blanching, freezing, no wonder we love Birds Eye (other frozen brands of veg are available 😆) really they are a working woman’s/mans saving grace and I have watched the process they really are very fresh when frozen, I see no shame in using them.

Tuesday: Dry again, did the orchard lot and a bit of tidying then I thought I better take a look at the mobile coop John is repairing. I did say to him last night that he needed to get it creosoted as time was ticking away and it needs at least a week or so to dry before the hens move in there. Personally I would have creosoted first then done the repairs as time is of the essence but it’s still sat there so I got the brush out and started the job especially in the nest box area. Then Mia arrived and that was the end of that job or any other for that matter lol.

When John came home we spent a couple of hours creosoting the chicken coop, him on the inside and me on the outside 😋

Tonight for dinner we had sea trout with a breadcrumb & pine nut crust which was delish and I take no credit for because Samatha made it before she went home, I need to get the exact ingredients off her so I can make it again.

Wednesday: Small amount of rain over night by the looks of it. Like a lot of people I sit and check my phone first thing in the morning, mostly to make sure there are no urgent messages and the to catch up with any goings on. This morning I had notification through from the neighbourhood watch scheme that another vehicle that was involved in poaching and ramming a game keeper just up the road has been caught and crushed, they caught one last week and they have crushed 5 in 3 weeks linked to rural crimes 😀 That’s a great result because rural crime is endemic round here and most rural areas feel the same I suspect. We are in a particularly affluent area and so it attracts those of a dubious nature from far and wide, and we are always on the alert for ‘strange or unusual’ behaviour. It’s funny how your senses become honed after a while and you can definitely get a feel for something that isn’t quite what it seems, you know instantly when a vehicle pulls in if it is a legitimate customer or not. Sometimes they are lost and that’s fine we can help them with that but sometimes they are up to no good and I have had to deal with this on a few occasions, mostly when you march out there and ask what they are doing they back off quickly, like the time they were rifling though our skip, and sometimes they are more persistent, luckily I had two egg customers with me when one lot were very shifty and not taking no for an answer, eventually we got rid of them, took the number plate and reported it to the police. So remember if you ever pull into a farm/rural gateway/driveway, to use the phone, have a smoke break, change the baby’s nappy (yep we have had that one too) that somebody will be clocking you and taking down your reg number 😋 of course if you are genuine that’s as far as it goes unless it’s a regular occurrence, and if you are not genuine you are probably not reading this anyway 🤪

Did the orchard lot and got a bale of straw from the hay barn to top up all the nest/housing boxes, filled up the rabbit ‘burrow’ etc as the night are getting a little chiller, now I have tiny bits of prickly straw all stuck in my clothing 😝

We have had notification of an increase in feed prices in September then another increase in October 😏 this means we will be putting up the price of the eggs. Demand for feed is going to be high, the yield was lower than usual and most farmers have used their Winter feed already due to the lack of rain and the heatwave over Summer, it is going to have a real knock on effect for food prices, the news said approx £7.50 per month for each household but I think it’s likely to be higher than that in the long run.

When Sam came back from work yesterday we set about taking down the fence at the side of the building and starting to clear the wood that is there. A couple of years ago we started taking down the huge conifers that are just inside the boundary fence, unfortunately we didn’t get round to doing all of them as the ground in front built up with felled limbs, then the grass grew over it all and it was just a mess which is really annoying. So we have begun to clear it, we have someone coming in next week to help John cut up and tidy it up so hopefully we will eventually reach our aim of getting all the trees down and opening up that side of the property to use as the main entrance to the yard at the back. At the moment we use the other driveway which goes right past the back door and curves around the building making it a bit difficult for deliveries such as hay and straw trailers, only taken us about 5 years so far 😝

Thursday: Dry but noticeably fresher, the past few mornings have been slightly warmer than this one however the Sun is already up and doing its thing. Shelley, Josh and Flo are coming over this morning to help with some jobs and I have the ideal one in mind for Josh as he loves to use the broom, the stones all need sweeping back from the drive onto the hardstanding area 😀

A friend dropped off a jar of honey that is produced in the village, so food miles are minimal, well for us not sure how far the bees fly 😜 I couldn’t resist dipping my finger in the jar, oh my, totally delicious 😋

Had a busy day all in all with the hoeing and sweeping and raking and tidying, Shelley picked and processed some runner beans as well and then it was time to go to yet another family birthday 😜 The only thing is at this time of year we always have to leave early (before the cake, much to Johns annoyance) because the chickens have to be shut in before foxy sniffs them out!

Friday: Another lovely early Autumnal morning which turned out to be very warm. Mum came over and set about clearing one side of the poly tunnel, the tomatoes have not been ripening properly and the leaves have gone funny, now I would say it’s blight but these have only ever been watered with mains water so I’m puzzled by that. Anyhow they might as well come out as I have plenty more growing in other places, not least the ‘extra’ plants I shoved in the ground outside which have done better than all the rest! Just goes to show that mollycoddling them isn’t necessary. Meanwhile I did some picking and also cutting back the herbs on the herb bed, later Mum dug up and divided the bee balm, Monarda, and replanted, potting up the other divisions to be planted elsewhere later in the year or maybe in the spring depending on how far I get with things.

Sam and Mia came over in the afternoon and I rested with Mia while Sam did some jobs, then we collected the eggs and did the feeding in the afternoon.

In the evening John and I went to babysit Josh and Florence while Mummy and Daddy went out for a couple of hours.

Saturday: Fresh and sunny this morning, I think it will be another very warm day, did the animals then John went off to sort his Mum out, I need to start getting sorted for our holiday next week as in between that Dad and Sue are coming to stay, they will be staying in Charlie’s room as her and Macca are away in Cyprus for a wedding 😀

I am really looking forward to getting away, more than most holidays in recent years, as soon as we get there it will be ‘and relax’ 🤪

Cut the grass in the driveway and had to wait to cut the lawn as it was pretty sunny out there, when I could do it, it was hard going because the bottom end had got long and thick, it’s the only grass in the place that has grown 😝 John carried on fixing the hen coop ready for delivery of hens next week, had to do some watering as it has got amazingly dry again. I have a resident frog in the big poly tunnel, goodness knows why he has set up in there but he has been there a couple of weeks now. In light of the fact that Mum cleared it yesterday and most of his cover has gone, I filled up a bowl of rain water, put a brick in it and another on the outside, found a piece of slate to cover it put it under the melon foliage and hopefully he will be very happy 😃 great slug eaters so I’m glad he is in there.

I strained the pear and spices in the vodka and now I just have infused alcohol, so I have added sugar and this will now go into a dark cupboard for a couple,e of months, the colour is wonderful, a bit like sherry, can’t wait to try it on a cold night.

Sunday: Another fresh but sunny morning no doubt temps will climb again today, after doing the morning bits and some bits round the house, I am going out for the day 😀 Sudeley Castle in Gloucestershire has a Catherine Parr day and I am going with my Mum, Sister and Niece, a rare day off, Johns in charge 😝

We had a lovely very day and I thoroughly recommend a visit if you are in the area. I made a good discovery though as I was beginning to think that all the work here was what was causing problems with my feet and hands but nope, even on a day out without any work my feet/ankles swelled and hurt and my hand, not really sure where that gets me but at least I know and can report this to the consultant next week.