Monday 9th August 2021: It’s lunchtime and I have just sat down for a little rest after bombing around this morning trying g to get all kinds of things done. Picked 7 cucumbers 🙄 about the same amount of courgettes and some blueberries before going on to tidy a few things up. I did a slug hunt in the greenhouse last night and after cutting back some foliage and watering this morning I have found a few more, serious invasion 😛 Onto weeding the big tunnel which is where I picked the cucumbers, I assessed the tomato plants, at first I thought they had bought but I don’t think it is or if it is it’s early stages but I am inclined to think it’s not but some other kind of problem or natural die back as Lenny of the foliage is fine and green. Then onto clearing some of the debris in the fruit cage that I had cut back and left on the ground for pick g up another day (that’ll be today then 🤪) Let the ducks out when I remembered, collect and wash the eggs and put out for sale. Sort some ordering out online, back into the garden to clear/weed and pick a bit more before having a sit down. I have plenty more to get on with today and all the rest of the week.
I put the Turkey eggs out for sale and they went as quick as that so anybody else will have to wait a while now. When I was looking under the squash plant foliage I found and enormous banana squash, I guesstimated around 10lb in weight, it was actually 10 and a half lbs so not a bad guess at all, good job I spotted it as I was t expecting them to be ready just yet and it would have been huge by the time I went looking. Though banana squash can grow to something like 100lb in weight that is not very practical for home growing 😝 10lb is about as big as I would want to harvest them. There are plenty of recipes online for them and of course they are a squash so can be used just like butternut squash or pumpkin, curry, stews, soup, one that I might try is a squash and tomato bake as a side dish for chicken maybe 🤔
Shelley came over last night for a walk through of the things that need to be done, in what order and who gets fed what, she made three pages of notes and that should just about cover it 🙄 I did a bit of hoeing on the weedy front bed and I will try again towards the end of the week so that it’s not a j gone when we get back.
Tuesday: So far it’s been a mixed bag of weather, warm sunshine, cloud cover, humid the rain 🤷♀️ I have been going round tidying things up so they are not potential hazards for Shelley and the children when they are here. Also things really need a tidy up but I never get round to half of it except when it becomes necessary, like now. I have done all the usual morning things and also contacted the honey people as we have sold all but two jars so hopefully there is more coming soon. I picked a load of tomatoes, watered the big tunnel, tried to sever the bind weed from their roots, half of me thinks left it get on with it but it does strangle everything so not such a good idea. I tried to keep on top of it at the beginning of the season but once the jobs ramp up there is not time and it soon gets a hold, I have tried for years to eradicate it and now I am just learning to live with it and knock it back whenever possible. Charlie called in for a coffee and to get some fresh produce 🥰 I had just fed the torts any tiny toms when it started to rain so I took that as my cue to come in and have some lunch and a sit down.
Had to walk into the village to return something a customer had dropped and on the way back I spotted some cherry plums so I came in and grabbed a bag and went back to pick some. In the evening I took a bag up the other Lane and picked some yellow cherry plums that in knew were there, love a good forage 😁
I spent some of the afternoon sorting clothes for packing but I can’t remember what else lol, did a few bits in the evening outside but mostly tidying.
Wednesday: This morning I got all the jobs done, washing on, cooked down some blueberries for purée ing and putting into the ice cube tray for later use. I was diving here there and everywhere doing all the little things before getting my hair cut mid morning. Sam came for a short visit with the kiddies and then I sorted all the last bits for packing, some ironing, shoe cleaning, ticking everything off as I went along, mostly it’s all done and ready to be zipped up. Both John and I did a lateral flow test today which were negative, we will do one of Friday as well, might as well test before we leave as there is no point travelling if any were positive 🙄
A squirrel has suddenly appeared over the last few days, nicking my nuts no doubt, it makes a funny noise though, never heard one make a noise like that before I wondered what it was to start with. A cross between chuntering and growling 😂
Ooosh I have been busy this morning 🙄 started out with all the usual feeding, egg shed, washing up, get some washing on etc etc then outside to get cucumbers picked and watered (which reminds me I have left the hose on, deliberately but still) picked some courgettes, get the things I won’t use out to the shed for sale. Prep some beans for open freezing and the whizz up some cucumber for pouring into ice cube trays, I deal for juices or smoothies or Gin and Tonic ice cubes 😁 next it was onto cleaning the bathroom and the living room, hoovering and polishing. Shelley did say leave it but you can’t can you lol, when someone else is coming to live here it’s nice for it to be clean and tidy when they arrive.
I had a few bits of veg that were not much use for anything other than a soup bag, a small white beetroot, a couple of knobbly runner beans and a small courgette, now chopped and frozen.
OMG what an afternoon 🤪 Sam came over to help move all the electric fencing to keep the horses in while we are away, at just about THE ONLY POINT in the afternoon, day even, when it decided to fing lash down. Mia was with Sam and we were all completely soaked through right to the underwear, we had a short window as Mia had to go swimming and wouldn’t you just know it 🤣🤣 almost when we finished the sun came out, yeah thank you for that Mother Nature, we love you too 😘 As I got wetter and wetter I totally forgot that the lady was coming to drop off more honey as well 🥴 dangnabit what a twit. Soaked through we came in and started stripping off to get clothes in the tumble dryer, Mia sat in my dressing gown to get warm again, just at that point John came home from work, at least he made a nice cup of tea for us 🥰 You couldn’t write a more perfect ‘sods law’ story than reality sometimes 😝
Friday: I keep thinking it’s Saturday because John is at home lol, he has spent the time creosoting the POL pen because it has red mite, we have moved the hens to the stable for the week while they mite die off and they will go back out when we get back. They had severely gone off lay because of the mite and so might as well bite the bullet and sort it out now, at least they will hopefully then lay well into the winter months. We had to nip to town to do some bits, return and item at the post office, pick up a couple of bits of shopping, pick up my prescription, have a costa 😁 I spent the morning sorting the last bits of putting stuff away before we go away and making sure all is in order. When we got back from town Sam was here with the kiddies and we poo picked the eaten off restricted paddock and then mowed the areas that had got tufty grass (it bloody rained while we were doing some of it 🙄) I found another big banana squash that had escaped from the veg garden and was growing in the walkway down to the paddocks, 9lb in weight this time. I don’t have time to do anything with it today so I will leave it for Shelley to use.
Having a sit down now for an hour before we do the afternoon rounds and zip up the cases ready for the off tomorrow morning.
I picked some more flowers from the garden this morning, so far I have been able to have totally different displays which is lovely.
This will be it for this week as I will hopefully be sipping champagne this time tomorrow 😋 Have a good week 🥰
frieslandfarm (flowers) 