Thursday 18th November: Yes it’s Thursday before I get to write anything down and that’s not just because I have forgotten. It’s is because Monday, Tuesday and four hours Wednesday morning I have mainly been doing paperwork ready for it to go to the accountant before the self assessment deadline 🙄 Our end of year is April but that and the following months are pretty hectic times on the Smallholding and so it gets pushed to the back of the to do pile. Then of course we had the hen do and the wedding and so I couldn’t really focus on anything other than those events. Well now the time had finally arrived when I could take a couple of days to plough through it all and get it sorted which is exactly what I did. I look forward to not having that nagging voice at the back of my head and being able to focus on what is ahead of me 😁
The rest of Wednesday I spent getting Christmas card orders done, in all honesty I never expected to have two big orders, I was just making them as and when and putting them out for sale in the little shed. On top of that I have had a request for some for a Christmas craft fair and so I need to make quite a few up for that 😜 I am not complaining as I love doing them but all the while I a thinking about the bulbs that need planting, the wood chip that needs moving as well as the daily jobs that need doing around the house and on the Smallholding itself.
The egg numbers have dropped off drastically and we are at the point where we have to decide how we want to move forward. Do we buy in more laying hens, we have been doing this for years and we have also had fox attacks for years on and off that wipe the flock out. Or do we move in a different direction entirely, I have tentatively started with the fresh flowers and it is a direction I would like to go in but I need to do a bit of research first and I also need to either commit fully and use some of the paddock space or not commit and tickle along until I need to expand 🤷♀️ decisions, decisions 🤔
The weather has still remained mild and really I should have been outside getting the veg garden bedded down for winter but in my head I am thinking, it will wait until spring if necessary but then spring will be a frantic affair 😂
This morning I spent a bit of time doing some more cards while FaceTiming with Shelley, the children have chickenpox and so she is holed up at home with them, after the lockdowns we have already had that can’t be any fun. Sam has messaged to see if she can come visit with the twins, of course you can, time has to always be made for grandchildren especially while they are young, other things can wait they are not that important on the scale of things.
Well it’s Monday 22nd and I have been poor at doing this again lol. What have I been up to? Mostly making cards and tags whenever I have time, I needed to get some made for the Christmas Fayre at the farm next door next week and so I have spent a lot of time doing that inbetween mundane every day jobs. I did get the Christmas cake done and that will need a feed this week. I also got the Christmas pudding mixed yesterday on stir up Sunday 😁 though I am waiting for a pudding basin to arrive so that I can steam it for a few hours. I usually use a Pyrex glass bowl but it is very difficult to tie the grease proof and tin foil top onto the bowl so I finally gave in and ordered a proper pudding bowl.
I went to Oxford on Saturday to the Victorian Christmas market, slightly disappointed with the Victorian side of it but the stalls were mostly artisan goods so that was brilliant. I hate the markets where the stalls are full of things you can buy in the shop or cheap stuff from the internet 😏 While I was out shopping, John was busy screeding my pantry floor which is now ready to fit out. I am getting a second hand door that Martin has taken out on one of his jobs and all the fixtures and fittings will be upcycled or recycled things. I am having my sister give me a hand with this as she has a much better eye for styling than I do but it also needs to be practical as well.
The temps are set to fall quite a bit this week, to nearer normal for the time of year, we have had it too good for too long 😂 but it was very nice while it lasted and hopefully it will make the winter seem a little bit shorter 😝
Have a great week and once again apologies for the lack of dedication to writing things down 🙄
frieslandfarm (flowers) 