VEGGIES HERE WE COME!

Well I've bitten the bullet and made the beds myself! Went to Wickes and bought the wood and bits and pieces. Spent a couple of hours hammering, being all butch etc and ta da! Here they are!


Yes, that is weed suppressing membrane - only 50 m2 of the damn stuff, stapled round the edges and inside each bed to stop the bl@*dy weeds that infest the garden. If any do get through, they deserve to live!

And with 15 bags of bark chippings!








Mortimer the Mini did extremely well with the carrying of compost!
How many bags can you get in a Mini??


With only a minor injury to my finger, (hand modelling days are over) the job was done in just under 2 days!!! Saving several hundred £££ and the knowledge that I have done it myself. How happy am I feeling right now???



I had another physio appointment this week. She cracked me and prodded and pillows were used again! She was very impressed with my flexibility (must tell OH :o) - down to years of yoga and pilates I told her) *nose growing longer* She has given me exercises to do every day *mental note, get lycra out of wardrobe*, which will strengthen my back and i'll be a good as new!

We are driving to Scotland tomorrow to visit OHs Mum. Only 480 miles sat in the same position, I'm sure my back will be fine! I've made up a cool bag of delicious, nutritious snacks; Rolls, chocolate hobnobs, ritz crackers, crisps, fairy cakes, crunchie bars and the token banana each!!!! That should fill us up with 'good' cholesterol for the journey!

Enjoy the weather and see you all soon!

Good and Bad News!

On the positive side, my OH has finally gone back to work after nearly 4 months off. He had a benign tumour removed from his head at the beginning of Jan. The latest MRI scan is clear so all seems well and can breathe a sigh of relief. Getting up at 5-30am is a shock to his system, but he'll get used to it! Hehe.

Well here goes...................! After waiting patiently for months to get my veggie garden sorted, with new deep beds, paths etc, the guy didn't show up yesterday! I have called and left messages, but no answer. I'm raging. I hate being let down like this. (i will feel really bad if something has happened to him, but until i know otherwise his name is mud).

Really not sure what to do now, as the house has been taken over by seedlings ready for planting. God i'm so mad.

Just taken a fresh loaf out of the oven and will 'drown my sorrows' with that and a packet of Lurpak 'slightly salted'!!!!

Its been raining on and off for 2 days which hasn't elevated my mood either. Luckily OH is at work so doesn't have to suffer my crabiness today. Think I will pop to the garden centre to cheer myself up. Chilli plants should be ready by now as mine are crispy things in pots!

More to come when the bread kicks in and i'm in a better mood. Peace and goodwill to all men - yea right!

UPDATE!
15.53 and still in a stinking mood. Been out to one of my old beds and those B@st*rds slugs have eaten some of my carrots and lettuce. More bread I think. Maybe chocolate? Chinese? Pizza? I can't lose weight and I have no idea why. God i'm depressed.

Days off again

My hazel rods are finally in place!!! Yay! I hammered a deep hole in the ground for each stake to make sure they stay in place with the wind we get here. Each one has a couple of sweet pea plants next to it, and I will plant some beans too, when the weather is warmer. It looks ugly at the moment as i've had to chicken proof the sweet peas from the raptor hens! I'm sure it will look fab when the beans and flowers start growing.

The veg garden is just outside the kitchen window, with this bed at the front so it will look lovely from the house! I hope!







The house has been taken over by seedlings! The window sill in the lounge, the dining table, shed and outside the back door!







Here are French marigolds, sweet peas, nasturtiums, sweetcorn, borlotta beans, french beans, chillis, tomatoes, sunflowers and onions in individual pots (had to plant in pots as the mice ate all the others)!

My next door neighbour has just popped over to give me some spinach and lettuce seedlings as she has too many! She also has 30 or so tomato plants to give away! I am dedicating a whole bed to tomatoes this year as we use so many. I can always make tomato and chilli jam with the rest, so will gladly take her spares!

Had a major incident with Laverne the other day. She had laid a soft egg, but not the shell. I heard a shout from OH and by the time I arrived the crumbled shell was half out of her backside! She was straining so hard that her 'vent' had prolapsed and was blood red. I got some clean gloves on and managed to push the innerds back in! She jumped down and was happy as Larry afterwards! The joys of chicken keeping!!! It was a bit icky, but needed to be done. Luckily I had the Omlet website and had read up on medical procedures. Was tempted to 'scrub up' and wear a face mask before the op, but decided clean marigold gloves would do!!!! :o)
Isn't she beautiful!?



Back soon as I keep being reminded to update my blog! (c/o Martin :0p) See you soon!

No more free lunches!

As you can see, I've 'chicken proofed' another raised beds from the marauding hens! This is one of the original beds that is staying.
They still managed to get their beaks through the mess and grab a free lunch though!

Had another physio appointment yesterday and she worked on my lower back and neck! Once again weird positions, lying on my side pillow between my legs, trying to hold my stomach in!!!!! why are they always so thin?????? Its a conspiracy! *mental note - must get bike out of shed* Got another session in a couple of weeks! (2 stone weight loss before then).

Finally got the curtains lined!!! Only been sitting there since August! I was sat at the sewing machine for a couple of hours, pinning, hemming and stitching! Felt like an Indian sweatshop! But they look fab and it stops the sun waking me up at 6am like a floodlight!

Back to work no Sunday for 4 days - booooo - but then have a few more days off. Hopefully the weather won't be as pants as it has been today. In a mad fit of green fingeredness (?) i've planted peas, french marigolds, chard, spinach, beans and pumpkins in home made paper pots. The dining table is covered! Must get a green house - project for next year me thinks!

Weathers good!

I finally managed to get some hazel rods from our local log man, have been trying to get some for months as they look nicer than bamboo canes. We drove over to the saw mill yesterday and picked up 20 and several bags of wood chippings for the chicken run. He didn't want any cash for the wood so I gave him some fresh eggs from the hens as a thank you.
With OH's land rover stacked up (not having that mess in my Mini!) and hazel rods sticking out the back window, we headed home!
After a real struggle getting them in the ground, I finally have a frame for beans and sweet peas. It might be an effort picking them though, the rods are 8 foot tall! I put chicken wire all the way round and planted sweet peas from the garden centre. Within 2 mins Shirley had ripped 2 plants out and was happily munching. Bless.

With reinforced protection, they are now safe from marauding chickens.

With the warmer weather here, i decided to plant my potatoes, They won't come up for a few weeks so they should be ok. Will sprint across the garden with fleece if frost is forecast! (Probably in dressing gown and wellies as is the norm-neighbours are used to me letting the chooks out in the morning dressed inappropriately)

Not sure why, but decided to make Easter fairy cakes at 8.30 this evening. Popped into Tesco to get a few bits (£27 later, nothing new there). Have now made 12 cakes and an orange cheese cake. OH helped, probably just so he could lick the spoon!
Its now ten to one and we have a friend coming over tomorrow, so off to bed now.

Here I am again

Its a shame really, but I only seem to get time to write when I have my part time week every month!

Well today i visited a physiotherapist as I hurt my back on a flight at the end of December. After trying and failing to convince myself that she could help without me taking my t-shirt off, I finally relented and stripped down to my trousers.
She looked me up and down and I felt really self conscious, 'well Christmas wasn't that long ago' I mutter under my breath!
She had super human strength and managed to pop several bits of me! After lots of tugging, twisting and cracking (my god, wierd when your bones crack), lying in very questionable positions with pillows between my legs, I walk out of there feeling taller.

Shame I didn't leave 6'4 as then I would be weight in proportion to height. Back is now killing me and I'm sure she has done me serious injury just so I will go back for more. 2nd appointment next week..........

Need to speak to the Gardener/builder about the veggie garden raised beds and path to the chicken area, as am desperate to get the garden looking a bit tidier. Sick to death of dragging mud and chicken poo through the lounge!

Got a sewing machine for Christmas, which is still in its box, so am determined to sew the bedroom curtains and line with black out fabric. Hoping to do it this week but sooo many things need doing! OH's Mum helped with the last set, but doing it alone???? Not sure. I'm a bit spacially challenged, when it comes to measuring.

More soon. Take care!

A week off

Just had 7 days off work, as its my part time week and have done nothing! The rain has been constant, the garden is flooded and am thinking of investing in a boat to feed the hens! They dont seem too bothered by the rain, but a flash hail storm yesterday sent them running to the log store for cover!
Finally have some news about my raised beds and paths for the veggie garden! The gardener/builder will start on the 23rd April, but seeing as we moved in in May last year and it was freezing, I will just have to wait to get planting! The lounge window sills are covered in seed pots and root trainers with seedlings starting off! Will have to work on the OH to get a green house.

Managed to get a pear, apple and cherry tree at a bargain price, just need to decide where to put them!

I'm back to work on Sunday for 6 days :o( Wish I could give up and just make jams/chutneys etc and live off the land! A few more chickens, a couple of pigs and proper productive veggie plot and i'd be happy! Oh well maybe one day!

BACK FOR A BIT

Hello. Finally a bit more time to type. Have a few days off now, but with OH not well and things to do, just no time to catch up on things!
Managed to find a perfect dust bath for the chickens- a cat litter tray filled with sand and dry compost. They love it!
Not the best photo, but you get the idea!
I'm still waiting for my raised beds to be made, so I might make them myself as I want to get planting soon.
I'm back to work on Thursday for 3 days then off for a week, so might try and build them then, weather permitting!

Snow Day!

I'm back from work and a beautiful drive down the motorway! The trees were covered in snow! Like a winter wonderland, fields covered and no footprints! OH took lots of pictures of the garden and the girls. They didn't seem too bothered as all 3 laid eggs this morning!
Back to work tomorrow, so thats it for now.

ITS FREEZING!!!!

I woke up this morning and its -4.7!!!! Trekked across the frosty veg garden to let the girls out, with a steaming cup of water to defrost their drinking water. Out they came, clucking away, straight to the food! Typical! Hehe. Checked for eggs, but none as yet. They tend to lay an hour later each day, now that spring is on its way.



We moved to this house in May last year, after living in a town. The village has just 8 houses, 1 post box, no pub, paths, or street lighting and we love it! People are friendlier here, the Postie pops in for a cuppa and the views are stunning!

Have to go back to work tomorrow, after having 6 weeks off with a bad back. Not really looking forward to it, but need to earn some £££££s.

Well thats enough about me!

Speak soon.

C x x x