Monday 26th November:
Wednesday 😜 I didn’t get round to writing anything Monday and Tuesday, that’s mainly because I didn’t do much, on Monday I had a rest day mostly, I still had to do things around the house and chop kindling for lighting the fire but on the whole I watched some cheesy films 😀 On Tuesday I had Mia so again not much other than the basics got done, Shelley, Josh and Flo came over to play and my Mum and Sister dropped in for coffee 😀 all in all the the weather was pretty filthy outside so we were better off in the warm watching the rain roll down the window 😁
I have been busy putting all my efforts into food for the AIP diet I am following, I’m not a follower normally but given the health issues I have and how bad they have been this year I thought it would do my body good to cut out a lot of harmful stuff ( even some veg can be harmful if you are that way inclined) and pump it full of good stuff. It’s just a different mind set that you have to get into really, the food is packed with nutrients and for me preparation is key otherwise I will go off the boil and reach for a sandwich or toast. I won’t bore you with the details but if you want to know more then please ask.
Back to Wednesday lol, it has been a filthy night and not much different this morning, the rain hammered down causing flooding in a lot of places due to the dry, hard ground and the water not getting away fast enough, we are due high winds later, oh joy, but at least they will dry up the surface.
This morning I completed a job I have been itching to get done, a bit of sewing 😀 I haven’t done any sewing for a few years really, I used to do quite a bit, I worked in a factory sewing coats before I was first pregnant over 30 years ago, I am not fabulous at it but I can get by 😀 I rather enjoyed it and the item was a cover bib for Mia for when she comes, I got some different materials from My Mums vast store of it and Mia chose the one she liked and voila, it’s a simple, light, easy to wash and quick to dry item, hopefully she will love it 😍
While I had the sewing machine out I might as well do another thing I have been wondering about, we bought sofas about 25 years ago with removable, washable covers, which have served us extremely well, one of the sofas has now gone and I could kick myself that I didn’t save the cover, but the other one is still fine apart from the seat covers which are threadbare. We have decided to get new ones at some point but as yet have not taken the plunge, I did have the foresight to keep the cushions though so I cut one up and patched the seat covers lol, not the greatest repair job ever but at least I’m not looking at the holes anymore 😝
Feeding the birds and collecting the eggs this afternoon you certainly know your alive, although storm Diana is hitting some of the country hard it’s not too bad here but it is very blowy! John was home early and staring cleaning out the drains that take the excess water away from the house, they soon fill up with debris after the rain especially a downpour like yesterday’s. I hate high winds more than anything the whole place feels like it’s going to blow away, although from the West, which is the direction these are coming from, is less destructive for us than other directions.
I found a chicken in the orchard with no head?? John says it wasn’t there this morning so it must have happened during the day sometime but there does not seem to be any other attack evidence, anyway he is going to use it to set the trap as we are losing birds during the day at rate faster than we can manage to be honest. Having said that, the egg sales are well down, they have been for a couple of weeks and over the last three days we have only had one customer a day! Not sure where they have all gone? During the Wet, windy, cold winter months is when you begin to wonder if it’s all worth it 😫 and I’m thinking that now in November we have a ways to go yet.
Thursday: High winds this morning, about 40mph which is not too bad, when you live on a site that is as exposed as ours though you do notice it and hear the roar through the trees. When we lived in the town I never took much notice of the weather extremes, I guess they didn’t really affect us as much apart from getting wet on the school runs or the brolley blowing inside out that was the only inconvenience I suffered back then 😂 I watched ‘A Yorkshire Farm’ the other night and how those two manage with nine children being that isolated without having breakdowns, I don’t know, made of tough Yorkshire grit I suppose, man up Dawn is what I thought to myself lol.
I had notifications that my broad bean plants have been dispatched so I should be able to plant those this week sometime, I caught another mouse in the poly tunnel trap yesterday, great for me, not so much for the mouse ☹️ I also have had notification that some trees I ordered will be arriving, these are goat willow or pussy willow, I really need to get a handle on planting them quickly as time is of the essence now, we could easily plunge into an artic episode at any minute.
I’m panicking about the whereabouts of our egg customers lol, seriously we have only had a handful over the last few days, I have no idea where they have all gone, at one time we couldn’t keep up and now??
I am trying to potter round inside this morning, I have been out to the egg shed a couple of times and the wind is quite fierce, trying to open the gate without the other one hitting me is a great game 😝, I have got bread and date and walnut loaf on the go and washing on, the winds are supposed to drop by 10am, here’s hoping. Some of these gusts are pretty hefty 😫 if you have ever watched titanic and the groaning noises that the ship makes well that’s what I am hearing only on a wooden structure instead, one day I’m sure we will end up with Dorothy in Oz 🤪
It’s very mild though, so mild that I have not been lighting the Rayburn until late afternoon and the only reason I do that is so that we can get the coats dry from the rain.
The wind had dropped and so I went out a bit earlier than normal to feed and collect the eggs, I wanted to get some of the trees planted that arrived today at the same time. I have planted a trio in the front paddock and put tree guards on them, I cut a slit and heeled them in so the chickens are not scratching at the bottom and so far the geese have stayed away but I know that won’t last forever. The trouble with the geese is that they will strip the bark which effectively will kill the tree, I say tree, they are just whips at the minute lol but still, I need to sort out some better protection for them. I in came and thought it must be nearly 4.30 as it was getting dark, nope, 3.30 just an enormous big black cloud coming over, good time for a cuppa I reckon 😀
The goat willow/pussy willow is an important tree for insect life, it flowers early providing a good nectar bar for insects emerging from winter, it is especially important for the purple emperor butterfly, the wood can be coppiced for firewood or bbq/open cooking and it it also used to make pegs😀 might have to have a go at that lol.
Friday: A bright sunny morning, no rain yet and quite mild. I helped John outside this morning 😀 that’s the first time in months hopefully at the end of the long road now.
I have to make Christmas puddings this weekend for 50 people lol, that’s why I chose the microwave recipe so I need to make a shopping list and get the goods ready to make them tomorrow. Didn’t have much else on the agenda today lol.
I got an early present from the girls, I am off on a day course with a lady who was Prince Charles official florist for a decade, I will definitely fill you in on that when it happens 😀 very excited and it will be lovely to go and do something different.
Saturday: December 1st 😀 Pouring with rain first thing. By 8.30 am I have the puddings mixed and the first one in the microwave, production is on target. This will be no mean feat from everyone providing a full Christmas dinner for 50 with all the trimmings and decoration in a hall, good job my family is fantastic at this kind of thing, everyone has different skills and we should pull it off with style. 🎄
One tree I realise I don’t have here is a Holly 😏 I really need to rectify that especially at this year of year!
Sunday: Well we did it, pulled of a Fantastic Family Meal, 3 courses of hot food, full Christmas dinner with all the trimmings for 50 people, plus cheese and crackers, mince pies, secret Santa’s the works, the hall looked absolutely amazing, we worked like troopers and everyone had a fabulous time, I’m now officially pooped and may not be able to move tomorrow lol
frieslandfarm (flowers) 