Adventures in a field

In by Christmas?

2011-12-24T12:57:00.006Z

Happy holidays everyone :-)

I was hoping to be writing this saying that we're 100% in by Christmas - but that would be rather untrue. However, our kitchen is now 95% done, so our home now has a beating heart. It is amazing the difference that makes.

It is odd though, feels like being on a film set -you open a door and look out onto the chaos of the remaining woodpile and 'the build'. I promise that I'll post pics over the holidays. I've just been so busy DOING the build, I haven't found the time to post about it. I have lots of pics though, so they will get uploaded.

Right now though, I'm putting my feet up. It's time for a few days R & R before we get back to finishing off the downstairs.

We'll be having Christmas dinner in our wonderful new kitchen tomorrow :-)

Be well everyone XX

A day in the garden

2011-11-05T17:30:00.007Z

After what feels like a very long absence, I finally got a day in the garden today - what bliss.

We've been (nicely) distracted from the build by music and guests for the last couple of weeks, and before that the house building had me distracted from the garden, so things are quite 'natural' (weedy) in the garden right now.

It was a beautiful sunny day, so it was a pleasure to start sorting things out.

First, I tidied the potato patches - removing the last of the potatoes (I even still had some earlies in .. and they were fine!) and then mulching the beds.

The 'eariles' potato bed is just seen in the right of this picture.

There were still a few nice spuds hidden away - bambino variety.

There is still some colour in the garden, with a few nasturtiums and marigolds hanging on. I even saw a butterfly.

I love chard for colour this time of year.

However, frost has already started to affect some of the nasturtiums.

I still had some nice second earlies too, (hmm, must remember what variety they were!)

The beds where the second early and maincrop potatoes were planted has been partially invaded by renegade mint - that has spread wildly during the past couple of years of semi neglect. So, I patiently dug up all that had spread to the beds today.

Here are the sneaky white roots that I spent some time removing!

Last, but not least, the few remaining maincrop Cara were dug up.

I then quickly covered the two beds (seen in the last pic) with some weed suppressing membrane, as a temporary mulch. I may use a different mulch, I haven't decided yet.

I was really pleased with how dry the beds were - and the good condition of the potatoes, considering the unusually high levels of rainfall recently. I'm sure the fact that the beds are slightly raised (and aren't just clay) helps a great deal.

I still have a lot of work to do tidying up and deciding how to manage the paths (I may mulch them rather than having them as grass or bare soil) they're very messy and weedy.

As well as the garden to tidy up, I still have to finishing preparing the polytunnel, so I missed out on overwintering crops in there for this year. Never mind, next year I'll make good use of it.

Here's me, catching a minute in the garden on another sunny day, earlier this week. I'm glad I don't mind things being messy for a while - it's still beautiful to me, even if it is a bit wild these days.

Next week, we get back to the build :-)

On my mind .. the kitchen

2011-10-14T17:34:00.002+01:00

This may not look like a kitchen yet - to the untrained eye it may seem like empty space - but to me ... its our kitchen in the making, tantalizingly close .. the hub of the home, ready to take shape over the next week. The excitement of the closeness of it all is a great feeling. I'm so ready for it!

'On my mind' is a Friday picture post shared from the Down to Earth blog by the lovely Rhonda Jean.

September update

2011-09-17T21:32:00.002+01:00

We're been making steady progress here on the build over the past few weeks. Apologies for not getting posting more frequently - the time just seems to fly by.

I've FINALLY finished oiling the upstairs ceilings and I'm now finishing the dry lining upstairs (see side pic) and painting the walls.

Sam has still been tiling away .. in the downstairs bathroom ....

and the upstairs bathroom .....

Here's our handywork in the office .. which may just become slightly greener in shade.

The rest of the flooring has been laid in the master bedroom.

Our supervisor, Leo, was caught in the act taking a 'power' nap in this photo - yes, he is cuddling a battery from a power drill, silly fella.

Of course, the garden has still been growing .. and I've had a few moments to venture out and collect some produce and seeds.

The garden is still flowering really well actually - there are always butterflies and bees buzzing around.

As usual, the red orache makes a great show.

There hasn't been much going on at the polytunnel (apart from having to retrench the end after the high winds - the end had untrenched itself and was flapping ... but all is well again and re-trenched now). I did get a couple of loads of mushroom compost - some fresh and some rotted, so I'm using the fresh as an under layer - on top of cardboard - and will use the rotted stuff to make my raised beds.

The Brussels sprouts are shaping up nicely in the veg beds outside.

And, the sunflowers are still amazing me with their large heads brimming with seeds.

Just now, the bath came out of storage and has been put in position ... very exciting.

I'll endeavor to post again sooner rather than later - as things here are changing on a daily basis.

Have started some seeds in modules in the hope of getting them in the tunnel to overwinter and I have some starting in the old tomato bags in the greenhouse. Ah, there's never a dull moment here.

Going with the flow

2011-08-24T21:47:00.010+01:00

This may not look too exciting, but we've been waiting for this moment for a long time now. We finally have running water :-)

It really feels very exciting .. to turn on a tap, rather than just using jugs!

We finally got the necessary water treatment filters fitted, last Friday, so now our water is EU drinking quality standard. We had a LOT of manganese and iron and some bacteria, so we did need it. Also, our water is very hard, which wouldn't be good for the aerating taps.

Here's our water treatment system - which we managed to shoehorn into the shed.

The blue cylinder is the 'mixed bed' filtration for iron, manganese and water softening.

This is the Ultra Violet light to kill any bacteria.

This unit contains salt and some water and is used to wash out the mixed bed filter.

There are the salt tablets, in water.

It's strange having soft water now. Very good for washing as it lathers easily, but not so nice to drink. I may put in a re-mineralization filter under the sink, with a separate tap for drinking water, so I can drink alkaline (hard) water. Seems silly, but I am 70% percent water and I do drink a lot of water, so, for me, it's worth it.

Prior to that excitement, I've STILL been oiling and Sam has been busy tiling the bathrooms (after we sourced some fab cheap tiles when we couldn't get more of the tiles we bought back in 2009, we looked for ages and it held us up a while, but now we're all set).

Here's himself in full flow.

This is the floor in the downstairs bathroom.

Here's Sam working on the upstairs bathroom floor.

Nearly done ...

All done ...

and approved by myself.

Sam's also painted the walk in wardrobe (which is bigger than my first home from home).

and laid the wooden flooring in it,

which I have also given my seal of approval.

Next up, is tiling the bathroom walls, so we can get the sinks and toilets plumbed in, trying some on oil the wardrobe floor and more dry lining and painting. I've also just started getting back into the garden (just picked the last broad beans and some onions) and may even plant a few bits in the tunnel soon. It's even possible that I'll finish oiling the upstairs ceiling soon.

A BIG week

2011-08-03T21:52:00.009+01:00

What a week - at last we have mains electricity and it's great fun.

There is great novelty value in staying up after dark and having the fridge in the caravan actually cooling things and being able to run tools, charge phones etc without having to put on the generator and find lots of things to run at the same time. I have a feeling I'll quickly get used to it again, but for now, its quite luxurious.

Here I am all excited about having lights :-)

As if that wasn't enough, we also had another landmark moment last week. I got re-untied with an old friend - the polytunnel :-)

It may be in a different location and have a different cover, but its still my dear friend and I'm REALLY excited about having it back up here.
This time it will be no dig. I've covered the area in cardboard and some tarpaulin for now and soon I'll get some compost to mulch over the card - so I can plant some winter salads and other winter and spring crops. I'll probably just plant up a small area this year and do most of it next Spring. Sam was REALLY worried that with power (meaning potential to be online all the time) and the tunnel up that I'd disappear from the build, but I've been very restrained and am still mainly doing 'house' stuff (but will be able to blog a little more often).

For the past while I've been oiling the upstairs ceilings - with a mix of linseed oil and white pigment. (The pigment helps give the wood a pale almost limewashed finished, which is handy as the wood had darkened too much while we were away .. we'd planned to oil it in 2009).

Here I am paintbrush in hand.

You can see the difference the pigment makes in this picture.

Other than that, I've been sorting out water filters - so we can have running water in the house (that will be BLISS) Sam's sorting plumbing and dry lining and I'm occasionally remembering to weed the garden.

Our supervisor and morale officer, the wonderful Sally Bongo, is on light duties for a while after having a cruciate operation a couple of weeks ago. She thinks she can jump as normal (which won't help her heal) so we have ramps to the doors and barricades on the stairs. Luckily she's on great form, now has her stitches out and is putting up with us lifting her in and out of the site office caravan very well (she looks at us like we're very silly, as she KNOWS she could jump up just fine).

Once the ceilings are oiled and the dry lining complete, we'll be able to paint the walls upstairs. Then we can put down the floors up there and when the bathroom is done that will be the upstairs pretty much DONE. Happy days.

Weedfest 2011

2011-07-11T22:00:00.009+01:00

Think I must have blinked and missed it, but somehow thistle like weeds have sprung up everywhere over the past couple of weeks. True, I had been weeding quite well for a while, but I've been a bit distracted lately - and have paid the price now.

Some of them are going to enrich the compost heap whilst others I may try to re-use as mulch on the beds (so other weeds don't take over the bare soil).

I did try this before ... this time, I'm taking off the roots, so they don't just re-grow!

I think I'll be busy in the garden for a while yet.

Some things are going well though. Interplanting with flowers has been a great success.

The strawberries are doing well this year.

The sweetcorn is doing its best (may be a tad short - but it could stilll work).

The shallots taste great.

The sunflowers amongst the peas are starting to show.

Marigolds look good with the cabbage.

Night scented stock has done well.

Indoors, we've been busy finding bargains.

We got our kitchen reduced in the Ikea sale - just in time, as its being discontinued!

Got the cooker ex-display.

and even got ourselves a well needed discount on our paint - yes, I held out and got the eco-stuff .. luckily it covers really well, so we didn't have to buy too much of it.

Still lots to do inside - haven't finished the dry lining - haven't even started oiling the internal wood.

There's also still a rumor that we'll have mains electrics next week.

Right now, I'm on my last few minutes of battery power, so thats all for now, folks.

Midsummer check in and greetings

2011-06-21T13:35:00.012+01:00

Midsummer greetings everyone. It's been far too long since my last post and there has been LOTS going on.

So, here's a quick catch up.

Firstly, are the roses in the hedge - gorgeous.

Here's the field full of buttercups and grasses.

Hopefully, the meadowsweet will have time to bloom before the first cut.

The iris in the reedbed are looking lovely.

The peas are flowering.

I love the purple flowered pea bijou.

Even the potatoes are flowering.

Shallots are ready.

Sweetcorn are in.

Crops AND weeds are flourinshing.

The reedbed has had its controversial overhaul and extension. Here it is prior to last weeks extension.

Heres the pond we dug - for the ducks - after the reedbed and willow bed.

Heres the extended reedbed and the willowbed, being planted with the willows we had further down the field. Boy was digging that ground an adventure - I'm glad my crops are no dig!

Inside, we're getting on with second fix electrics.

Outside the electricity trench is now READY.

Here's Sam using the bend as a giant crumhorn .. as you do.

Here's the utility room taking shape.

The taping and jointing is going at a pace upstairs.

So, good progress has been made by the longest day - we hope to be well settled into the house by the shortest day.

Hopefully, blogging will return to a more frequent pace once the electricity is connected .. sometime in July, we hope.

Happy summer solstice everyone :-)

Like the pheonix from the flames ...

2011-05-25T20:50:00.006+01:00

... she will arise again!!!

Oh yes, the lads took it upon themselves to resurrect the polytunnel frame - further down the field (out of the 'development' site) yesterday afternoon.

It'll be a while before I get the plastic to cover it and get the ground properly mulched and trenches dug .. but its lovely to see the old girl again .. I had missed her. Hopefully, she's be operational by August / September, so I can overwinter some crops .. to avoid a 'hungry gap' next spring.

Here she is, all set up and ready to go.

Really, we're too busy inside the house to do more than that right now. With visitors still here - and still happily working, it has been really busy. I've, finally, got stuck into doing the dry linings (taping and jointing) .. here's my early handiwork in the hall coat area.

Yes, thats up now.

The upstairs bathroom is boarded out now .. and the shower tray is awaiting fitting in the near future.

Theres been more doors fitted, more plasterboards put up - its been full on. We've been here most of the time for 3 weeks now - its been strange - just building - and having the 'simple' life while on site i.e. sans lecky and running water ... I spend a LOT of my time cooking and washing up and drying dishes .. but - a team needs feeding, so its well worth it. Its been strange being without mod cons for so long and away from our normal routines and lifestyle. In a way its been refreshing.

With all the focus on the house, the garden has taken a back seat and I just occasionally get time to tend to it. Still, its doing well and the plants are growing well .. and the weeds are slowly being cleared. (I've put white plastic over areas where I'm going to plant out very tender crops, such as sweetcorn or french beans or courgettes).

The paths are still being mulched with straw - and the outer ones topped up with gravel, so its starting to look a bit neater now.

There have been some fierce winds lately - that have been blowing the windbreak netting over !!! A few taps with a sledgehammer has helped keep in in place. I'm hoping that it keeps the worst of the gusts off my plants. Its also been very wet, but the plants don't seem to mind any of that.

Neil goes back to England on Saturday and I have a feeling that we might just have a day or two off 'building' to rest up and come back to the build refreshed next week.

Battery is running out -so I'll sign off for now

(I'm still looking forward to mains electric and seeing how the rest of the world is doing these days .. miss reading all your blogs dear friends XX Ferris)

Storage

2011-05-17T12:20:00.006+01:00

Work cracks on a pace here - and as we've the gennie running, I thought I'd give a quick update.

We've been doing the last of the structural bits inside - both are storage areas.

Yesterday was the larder / pantry - vital for storing all those home grown veggies :-)

It was packed full of cardboard - but on Sunday that was lifeted and deposited down the field .. to mulch the spot where the polytunnel will ressurect itself in the not too distant future.

So, once it was cleared the lads got it studded out (its amazing how many decisions there are to make - exactly where to have the door - what size of door etc .. it can all get a bit mind boggling after a while - and it all needs to be done quickly .. no time to ponder. I'm sure I had it all figured out at one point .. but it feels a bit like decision making from scratch).

Then they got it insulated (there's an air vent in it that runs to the outside - so the larder stays cool ... but we don't want that cold air to easily get into the warmth of the rest of the house).

Now its ready for taping, jointing, painting, shelving .. and storing all our produce.

The pile of plasterborads is finally gone from the hall - which now looks bigger than some places I've lived in before now. Before I get too used to it, we need to put in the coat storage area.

Of course, Sally has a supervisory role.

Wasting no time (after some final decisions on size) work begins.

And it progresses as I type.

The cat flap will go into the coat storage area and I'll have a curtain up, so there can be a buffer from cold air that could come through the flap. We'll also store shoes in there. It'll be the first time we'll have a 'shoes off' policy indoors - I reckon it'll be relaxing (and it will a lot less muddy than if we didn't - especially with oiled wooden floors). The house should be warm underfoot .. and I've plans for obtaining and making a whole load of different house slippers for ourselves and guests.

We shall see.

Anyway, power is just about to be turned off again .. and I have, as usual, a lot of tidying up after the lads, cooking and sorting out to do, so best sign off for now (I dream of future times where I can leisurely browse and catch up online .. but for, now, that part of my life is still mostly 'offline' .. but at least I now have good internet connection when I do get some online time).

Happy cat, happy me :-)

2011-05-15T08:21:00.005+01:00

Elvie has found his new favourite place - on the chair in the greenhouse (which was also the chair in the polytunnel - which he loved).

Its good to see him happy, as he didn't settle as well as Leo at first, but he is doing better now and is getting more confident again.

So, that makes me happy - but theres something else that has really got me grinning yesterday ... broadband!

Yes - I have the new broadband - and its a vast improvement - so I'm delighted - all hail the National Broadband Scheme :-)

So, now I can blog from site (as long as I have some laptop battery - which I'm nearly out of today - so I'll be QUICK).

Last week we pulled wires through the upstairs walls.

This week Neli is over from England, so work goes on a pace - they're insulating walls upstairs and ready to put the other side of the plasterboard on already.

The garden has been a bit neglected - and there is a LOT to do. There's the mint to tame ..

Spuds are coming up well.

We got the windbreak net up.

The ducks have been hunting slugs in the straw mulch in the wet weather. (There has still been a little bit of slug damage to some plants, so I'm unsure whether to continue with the straw mulch)

I'm still hardening off some plants too.

There are also seeds to sow for the flower border - which is still in poor condition, so I need to get at that, so I can get seeds sown in may.

Battery low - time to say goodbye.

I look forward to having mains electricity so I can catch up with all my friends here in blogland and see you (and your gardens) are all doing.

Won't be long now - a few weeks maybe.

Rooms upstairs and greenhouse outside :-)

2011-05-05T21:24:00.006+01:00

Its been all go on site lately. The 'dream team' re-assembled - as our wonderful helper re-appeared for a few days - and the results were wonderous .. not least the fab structure seen to the left here .. but more on that later.

First up was the plasterboard on the stud walls upstairs. The pile of plasterboards downstairs is rapidly dwindling .. which is somehow very exciting.

Now the stairs are boxed in - luckily there's light from the veluxes up top AND the window at the bottom, so it doesn't feel dark.

The veluxes look great now.

Here's the view into the study / guest room .. from the landing / library. Its fun to have the doors in place already.

Heres the current view of the veg beds from the study .. they're shaping up well.

As its been so dry, I've left the straw mulch on some of the beds that I'm not ready to plant out yet, and I've spread it over the earth paths - to stop weeds. Its a thin layer - too thin for slugs, I'm hoping. Not sure if I'd have tried it if the weather had been very wet. Its been warm and dry for 3 weeks now (the rain just came tonight).

I seem to have a 'self-seeded' Sally dog on the front straw bed...she likes the feel of it!

Here are the peas, settling in.

The broad beans are flowering well.

The garlic is enjoying the heat.

Actually, the past few days have been VERY windy - from the east / south east mainly .. so the plants have had a hard time, it was very strong, so I suspended planting activities.

Mind you, I had good distraction ... the creation of my greenhouse - from old plastic from the polytunnel and some old / mis-shaped wood.

The dream team lived up to their reputation and had this knocked out in a few well spent hours.

I'm delighted to have shelter for my tender plants, room to sow and re-pot .. and to grow on my tomatoes and peppers. Also room to shelter from showers in.

Finally, Sally got a trim, as she was wilting quite severely in the heat during the day - with her long coat. Don't you just love the bows!! (They won't last long I can tell you).

Now, while we're up North .. time to find those cats and get them down to site.

Once we're back down, is time to look at the upstairs wiring, then get the other sides of the walls plasterboarded, then tape and joint, then paint ... then maybe have a wee rest ... and potter in the garden :-)

Plants are going in and walls are going up

2011-04-27T18:20:00.007+01:00

Here's a glimpse of the back of the van loaded with plants

(you can't even see the instruments and ducks!!). In true cat fashion, Elvie did a disappearing act when it was nearing time to go - so the cats didn't come down on this trip).

There's plants on the seats and under the seats - all did just fine, despite the hot day.

Here's a close up of some of the seedlings - ready to go.

When I got down to site, I found that Sam hadn't been idle whilst he'd been down. His creative brain had overcome the lack of grill - meet the new toaster (aka the gas fire). Thats a classic.

Another ingenious idea was born from my brain - and I suggested assembling the old polytunnel doors as a temporary cold frame / cloche - to protect the plants we'd brought down which were used to being under glass. I'm glad to say that its working really well ( and the weather is lovely and warm anyway).

Here's the vegetable garden as I found it on my return. Before I could plant anything out I had to put up some canes and re-mark my beds .. as it was all getting a bit 'organic' in shape. If I had put in wooden edges to the beds I wouldn't have had this problem, although I like having the beds just shaped out of earth, it means I can change them if I feel like it (and that I don't have to get hold of a load of timber for edging), so I'll stick with mounded beds for this year.

I marked the beds out with coloured string .. and tripped over the string a lot too - I'll get some pegs so the string is at ground level and not such a hazard. Sam was great - helping with weeding and marking out, so I could get on with the planting.

First in where the two batches of broad beans.

Here's a marked out bed - with some self seeding corn salad .. and some unwanted companions - but even the weeds look easier to deal with then its one square at a time!

Here's some peas, onions and garlic all happily out of pots and in the ground - at last.

Some beds were still mulched with straw and are being uncovered as the plants go in. I think I'll re-mulch them with a thinner layer of straw - in between big plants. It should save on weeding .. and it seems that the slugs prefer a thick layer of straw - we shall see.

I've covered the path between the two long beds in membrame, as the grass was coming through the old membrane! The bed to the right of the picture is fine, the one to the left needs a lot of work, as its very grassy. It will be a flower bed this year.

While I was out in the garden, Sam was working away inside the house.

Here he's set out the stud walls for the upstairs bathroom.

Here are the stud walls for the study / guest room (they'll open into each other so I can use it as one big study when I want to).

Here's the guest room side.

Here's the study side. If you peer out the window to the south you see the vegetable beds .. I have a feeling that could be quite a distraction for me and I'll spend as much time musing about my plants as I will doing useful work.

Soon we'll plasterboard the walls and set out the electrics. Then it'll be time to paint the walls ... I still have to source my paint .. but first there are still a few plants to plant out .. and some wayward cats to re-locate (and some - hopefully- better speed broadband to try out .. so I can blog more often). There's also the sunny weather to enjoy.

I intend to make the most of it.

Cats come first

2011-04-20T14:27:00.004+01:00

Those of a severely energy efficient bent - please look away now Actually, they'd probably best avoid this post altogether, as for some, what I'm showing is a terrible crime.

It is - a cat flap. Not too awful, some would think, but in a highly energy efficient home it is considered to be a big compromise - but one I wholeheartedly endorse - because I LOVE my cats and I like to be able to go away overnight, or even for a weekend, knowing that they can come and go as they please.

Here is the controversial cat flap in all its glory. (There are actually two flaps - an outer and an inner flap .. I just hope the cats figure it out easily).

I guess its very clear that animals rule the roost. Thats ok by me. They give me a lot of pleasure.

Sam has been busy getting ready for the animals to come back down - this means we can work on the house more often - as we're not popping back up north all the time to tend to the cats and ducks.

Here is the new and improved poultry pen - pretty swish .. and ALMOST finished. It will have electric fencing and an automatic pop hole (just like the original), meaning that we can easily go away overnight and know that the girls are ok.

Now we're animal friendly, I get to come down to site again - AT LAST.

I daren't take pictures of all the plants waiting to come with me - there are a lot.

Thankfully, we've just got our beloved Bongo van up and running again - this will be her first big run - complete with dog, cats, ducks and plants.

I'm very excited to be getting back to the build - and our land - and our garden. Sam's done a great job down there on his own over the past few weeks, now I can give him a hand .. and get some plants in the ground.

We certainly have the weather for it right now.

Lovely and sunny Leitrim - here I come :-)

(not sure we'll fit the laptop into the van with all else - so it might be a quiet week on the blog while we're down)

Bon voyage alliums

2011-04-12T20:21:00.007+01:00

At last, some of the plants that I've started this year have travelled down to Leitrim :-)

Today, Sam took the garlic, onion sets and leeks down with him in the car.

I still won't be down until next week - but they are hardy enough to manage until then.

Sam was down last week, working on the vents for the heat recovery system and setting up for the plumbing. He didn't take any pictures. Mind you, pictures of tubing / piping might not seem to exciting - but I'll remind him to take pics this week.

Here's what the car looked like before he went down.

Garlic and onions in the boot.

More garlic (including 2 elephant garlic) on the back seat.

Some leeks .. and some more garlic (with more unseen in the footwell) on the front passenger seat.

That should keep any vampires away for a while. I didn't mean to plant THAT much, but every time our shop bought garlic started sprouting, I just had to plant it, especially the scrawny ones that are hardly worth peeling. So, garlic is in good supply.I might add some of the tiny ones to the flower bed and keep the 'proper' ones (2 cloves of Flavor) for the vegetable bed.

There are still a lot more seedlings to be moved down. This picture is just SOME of them. I fancy sticking to my planting plan, even though I'll have more ssedlings to bring down next week. I've also purchased some more flower seeds (tagetes, poached egg plant, nigella) to sow in situ soon - to divide patches of bed and make the place colourful.

Here are some of the broad beans waiting to go down.

All we need now is to get the Bongo van cheered up and running again. Otherwise it'll be a few trips in the car, especially with ducks and cats, which could be quite a juggling act.

I'm sending the Bongo Van good energy and trusting that Sam can get it sorted when he comes back at the end of the week.

Meanwhile, I'm busy trying to source paint - and we need a LOT of paint that is benign to us and nature and also affordable - and source other materials, while I have good internet access.

I reckon we can have the phone line in soon - a good neighbor came today (impromptu) and helped Sam feel the telephone cable down the piping . Luckily it was sorted easily (he put some flexible water pipe down it and ran the cable through with it - then removed the water pipe).

We'll need to remember the rope when we lay the piping for the electric - the ESB won't touch it if you don't.

I'm really looking forward to getting the phone in, as the mobile signal is very weak and I fancy conversations that last until the end without breaking up or dropping. It will make ordering things a bit easier when we're down.

And the electricity - well - it'll be party time when we have that in - and can run the well properly and easily run gadgets, lights and things other than tools (which naturally get priority with the generator).

My fingers are crossed that the good weather will remain (or at least return by next week), so I can go re-aquatint myself with the garden whilst basking in cheery sunlight. The sunshine lately just makes everything look lovely and lush and gorgeous. Long may it continue.

Setting the scene

2011-03-30T21:51:00.010+01:00

I thought it was time to 'set the scene' of where we are and what we're currently doing. As more people come to visit the blog - I like them having an idea of where we are in the world and what it all looks like.

So, I may as well start at the beginning.

This was our first view of the land we bought, near Carrigallen, Co. Leitim, Ireland, back in 2008.

We weren't even 100% sure at the time that this site was 'the one'.

Well, as you can guess - it was - and we bought it. Below is a map showing the land we bought - a thin strip, of 3.35 acres, including full planning permission for a house. The red section is where the building site is - with the house location marked and the blue section is our field beyond the house, which finished at the stream. The inset shows just where Carrigallen is in Ireland - the middle of the X marks the spot.

Here's a rather rough and ready site plan - showing where everything is in relation to each other. The house is set well back from the road. The main living areas face south (a must for passive solar gain .. and good for privacy too) and the land slopes downwards after the vegetable areas. The plan shows where we'll put the willow bed and possibly a second pond (so the one near the house can be for wildlife and the other one can be for the ducks - who muddy a pond up in seconds).

Here's what we saw looking up to the road from the stream, back in 2008 (the road is about 3/4 up the picture).

Here's a picture looking down from the house towards the stream (you can see the chicken house in it) taken just a couple of weeks ago. We have a lovely view of woodland in the distance from the back of the house - not another house in sight out the back - very peaceful.

Here is the wonderful and magic 'secret' stream at the bottom of our land.

This is the front of the house and the driveway.

Here's the back of the house (taken from the pond - which you can just see).

Next are the internal layout plans for the house (changes from the original ideas are marked in red - when you do it yourself there is room to change your mind as you go along - although it is a slippery slope!).

Downstairs we have a large entrance hall and on the left as you walk in (the right in this picture) we have 'working' part of the house - the music room / studio to the front (and boy do we have a lot of instruments to fill it with) and the guest bedroom to the back, which may double as a room for my holistic therapies (it gets the best sun in the house). The main living area is to the south west (bottom left of the picture) and is an open plan kitchen / dining / living room. We cook a lot and see the kitchen as the hub of the home (and the kitchen garden will be straight outside - so I can keep a close eye on my veggies). There's a wee sitting room to the north west - which is really a tv room (no tv in the kitchen), where we can chill out and watch a good film (I love a good film) or listen to music etc.

Upstairs, we have a lovely large landing which will double as a library - with bookcases and can be a space for yoga / meditation too. (This is where my chaise longue will be in my fantasies).

To the east (right) is the main bedroom which is very spacious (another potential yoga / qi gong space) .. and could even be divided into two rooms if we ever needed to in the future.

To the west (left) is the study (central hub of paperwork and 'sorting things out') which, if I have my way, will be only partly separated from the guest bedroom behind. My plan is to have a moving screen that I can use to separate the two rooms when guests stay, but open it out as one large room otherwise. Having had a separate spare room before, it can be wasted space and I love being able to spread out with my paperwork or being able to catch the last rays of sun, sitting on the sofa bed as I read / make notes.

The bathroom upstairs is an official compromise. There are no upstairs windows to the north (for energy efficiency reasons) so it has no natural light - which isn't ideal - but isn't a big deal either. We have the bath downstairs anyway, so I can have my relaxing baths in style down there.

I sometimes wish that I'd put more velux windows upstairs (one in the bedroom and one in the study) as I love the idea of having light from two sides in a room. We didn't, partly for energy efficiency reasons - (well that is at the core of the design) and partly for cost. I had even toyed with trying to steal light from the landing (by putting glass bricks or a wee window in the internal wall between the landing and study) - but I don't think it will make a lot of difference and it would look odd. I reckon now that some mirrors to reflect light from the windows will be sufficient. The rooms WILL be bright anyway - I just love LOADS of light.

Outside, we currently have the vegetable plot on the site of the old polytunnel (which we had to take down during the planning fiasco - long story - old news) .. and which I adored. The beds have been neglected for a while - but will spring into life this year.

Here's the garden plan for this year. The two beds in the foreground of the picture above are the two long beds to the left of the plan below. The long bed nearest the house will be just flowers (well, there may be a few sneaky vegetables, knowing me - very cottage garden style).

Then there's a mix of veg. This year, I decided to work in metre squares. Previously I had 4 beds together in a row that were the same rotation group. This year I've mixed it up and Iwonder if it will help to confuse pests and hinder the possibility of disease spreading. I'll find out this year, I guess.

I have a version of the plan just listing the contents of each bed, but it was MUCH more fun to draw it out like I've done below.

So, the scene is set. Next - on with the work!

Progress upstairs - ceilings and stud walls

2011-03-28T20:43:00.004+01:00

We have a new secret weapon on the build - as seen in this picture. He is a certain newly recruited (self recruited no less) occasional member of team 'build the house' who has offered us a helping hand - which we've happily accepted.

He came down for a couple of days to help Sam put the ceiling in upstairs - and he's been great (and is a super skilled and speedy worker - just what we needed).

So, the ceiling is now pretty much complete upstairs.

Himself and Sam got it sorted last week (while I was up sorting the animals - I haven't actually been on site for a couple of weeks).

Here's what they got up to.

When they started there was ceiling on the north wall up to the joists (which are covered below in green plastic - as there will be blown in cellulose insulation laid to the depth of the rafter - once the ceiling is up).

In the picture below they've started boarding the top section.

Now, the top is done.

Then they moved in to the south side - trickier because of the velux windows.

All done now.

As they got the ceiling up so quickly, they decided to make a start on the partition / stud walls upstairs.

Here they've laid out the wall for the walk in wardrobe in the bedroom.

Here we are, looking the other way - through the bedroom - with the walk in wardrobe to the right.

This is the bedroom wall as seen from the outside, upstairs landing.

Here you can see the stairs and the bedroom beyond.

I can hardly wait to get down to see it for myself. I'm relieved that it looks well - it was really gorgeous when the upstairs was just one big open space .. but I'm not one for open plan living - I like a bit of separation of rooms, so, the walls must go up.

Upstairs will consist of our bedroom - as seen above, the large landing (with the library (i.e. bookshelves) near the velux windows (and a chaise longue for lounging in - if my fantasy world comes to pass), then past the stainless steel stove flue will be the office on one side and a guest bedroom the other (I'm planning on having an opening partition between those rooms so I can use them both as the office, but partition 1/2 off as the guest bedroom when people come to stay). The upstairs bathroom will be the other side of the stairs.

I think I may have to put up a couple of 'plans' of the house interior up on this blog - so people can have a sense of where all the rooms are - ditto with the garden.

Of course, I'm still busy sowing seeds and getting plants ready to bring down to the garden - more on that later (there's been lots to blog about - just not a lot of time to do it in lately).

For now, it's just nice to be able to show some actual, physical, real PROGRESS.

Happy days.

This is on my mind - Water

2011-03-25T19:22:00.003Z

In need of a pick me up earlier, I decided to explore the images created by Dr Masaru Emoto. He took pictures of water crystals from different environments and pictured their 'response' to different factors - such as words and music. The pictures are exquisite and the whole subject fascinates me. There are pictures of his work here.

Inspired, I'm off to write loving words on my water bottles and contemplating writing them on my watering cans .. and maybe the tank from the well.

Of course, we are over 70% water ourselves, so it was a good reminder to positively influence my own 'watery realms' .. and it gave me that pick up I needed.

(This is on my mind is a Friday theme from Rhonda at Down to Earth. What's on your mind this Friday?)

This is on my mind .. 'potatoes'

2011-03-18T21:22:00.003Z

As I look at my chitting potatoes today, I can't help but wonder at the lives of those in past generations who depended almost entirely on this crop for their food source - and the risk of such reliance on that one food crop.

I feel privileged to have such an abundance of food to choose from today, such variety of healthy crops that have been developed (from their wild counterparts) to be bountiful, nutritious, delicious, beautiful .. and self sustaining (i.e. real, non hybrid, seeds that we can save and grow on ourselves).

Thank goodness for all those salads, legumes, brassicas, seeds, herbs and grains that I love to sow, grow, admire and eat - their diversity of colour, shape, flavour and habit. I love that diversity.

'This is on my mind' is a Friday theme from Rhonda Jean at Down to Earth .. what's on YOUR mind this Friday?

This is on my mind - 'vision'

2011-03-11T20:16:00.002Z

This small stone 'vase' is, in a way, one of my favourite possessions. I love to fill it with seasonal greenery and flowers. It uplifts me every time I look at it.

In my minds eye I can see it in our new home, the arrangements changing with the seasons. It helps keep my vision of what I want - our new home - strong, in these times of putting up walls and ceilings (when a finished home seems far away).

One day, maybe in the not too distant future, our lovely home will be finished... and I'm glad that my simple vase helps me to hold onto that vision :-)

'This is on my mind' is a Friday theme by Rhonda Jean

Feeling rusty

2011-03-09T21:19:00.014Z

Like these poor tools, I'm feeling a little rusty at the moment. I was using them for doing the taping and jointing before we left the build in Autumn 2009, so they've had a lot of time without being used.

In fact, coming back to the build, a lot of things felt a bit 'rusty' - a bit disheveled.

Of course, the more we looked around, the more there was to do.

Once the tools are cleaned up - I'll have to get back to that taping and jointing ... and in a weak moment I caught myself wondering how on earth, I (novice) was meant to do a great enough job at it that we won't need to plaster the walls - no pressure then! Hmm, a novice perfectionist - smells like trouble to me.

There are wires sticking out of walls everywhere waiting for connections and sockets .. and plans to come together.

Outside, the rendering needs to be done in those small awkward places (and get which novice perfectionist will get to do that?)

Inside, mess abounds. Here's the pantry in waiting - filled with cardboard (mulch in waiting)

The hall is full of plasterboard, waiting to go upstairs, when we put the walls up.

The kitchen is full of insulation, also waiting for upstairs.

Upstairs actually looks pretty calm right now - and I do love the openness of it as it is, but rooms are very useful, so the stud walls will go up - once the ceiling is finished (which will be completed once the plumbing for the solar panels goes through the roof).

In the picture below you can see the the ceiling is up (part way up anyway) on the left hand side only.

Outside is looking a bit rough too. The pond is covered in green sludge, see below.

Nice, huh.

At least there was some frog spawn in a clear patch.

In a sunny spot my beloved Melissa (Lemon Balm) is starting to show - there is nothing quite as lovely as fresh picked lemon balm tea in the summer - bliss.

I removed a lot of strawberry (Sophie) runners from the gravel by the old strawberry bed and potted them up - not too late I hope.

It's looking a bit messy there, as you can see. I felt like more of an archaeologist than a gardener at times - trying to figure out where the bed edges had been.

Of course, I was under the supervision of Miss Sally Bongo (morale officer extraordinaire) so I managed to tackle a bit of weeding.

The membrane (that was at the entrance of the tunnel and is now just the entrance to the veg bed) was really weedy and has become very brittle, so I'll have to put another layer on top and will gravel over that.

Here is some path excavation that I managed before rain stopped play. I'll need to memebrane all the paths. I didn't want to cover them in gravel - as it can be uncomfy under knee - but we have spare gravel so I might do it anyway .. and use my kneeler.

We'll be down again tomorrow and will be sure to celebrate, as it's the house's 2nd year anniversary. The shell went up on 10th March 2009. It was such a memorable day. The huge lorry that had our house on board (that almost toppled over on the way in - all the fun of the fair before 8am), seeing the house being craned into place, section by section (and playing guess where the section will land). I don't think there'll be another day quite like it. Here's a quick reminder of the flying house.

So, we have come on quite a bit since then (I hardly dare wonder what it will look like this time next year).

100% official

2011-03-03T13:21:00.008Z

We have the letter - our retention is officially through.

Time to breathe a sigh of relief. (Just time to breathe before we see the form to register the development with building control and pay for the privilege .. which we already did in 2009 ... but we'll let that go for now .. no point spoiling a well anticipated moment of relief).

So, it really is time to get back to lovely Leitrim and get our hands dirty again.

Here's what we did on our last visit - clearing the straw that had been left for the horses (that were illegally left on our land).

Waste not want not came to mind, so I raked it up ..

.. looked at some bare / slightly weedy areas of the vegetable bed, cleared the weeds and ..

.. added the straw on top - to stop any more weeds from thriving too enthusiastically.

So, the vegetable bed is resting under it's straw blanket, awaiting our return.

Of course, inside the house awaits too. Walls to build, plumbing to sort, electricity to get ready for .. it's a long list.

Here in the utility room is a spaghetti junction of pipes for the high pressure plumbing, waiting to be civilized!

This is the heart of the home - the kitchen and dining room. All that wood is for stud walls and architraves (apart from the bath - which we won't try to build walls with). As we make progress the wood pile will decrease to reveal our kitchen / diner to be. Very exciting.

That pile of wood will partially be disappearing upstairs, where we still have all the stud walls to put up .. and the ceiling to finish. There's a LOT of work to do up here. Insulation in the roof, the bathroom to install. Yes, a fair bit of work. Once we have the stud walls up we can sort the electricity, get certified .. and get connected. That will be a milestone. Proper electricity means we can run the water from the well as well as power up the solar hot water panels (how ironic that they need electricity - I wish I had a bit of extra money to get a pv panel to do that job!!) and do all those things we love to do with electricity, light, tools .. computing!!

There's more too, much more - taping and jointing, tiling, laying floors, decorating - lots lots more. I think I'll take it one step at a time for now!

Ready To Spring Into Action

2011-03-01T18:57:00.007Z

We've had two sunny days in a row up here in Castlewellan - bliss.

Sally has been taking advantage of the good weather and has taken to sunbathing on the doorstep. Good move methinks.

I have been joining her as often as I can. I'm nursing myself through a cold right now (I rarely get them) and although it is cold morning and evening the warmth of the sunshine is delightful (and with all the sneezing and nose blowing I haven't really been fit for much else).

I'm glad to be on the mend, for its really time to spring into action with the house building again.

Our official letter, the one they send a month after the initial decision - giving time for people to comment etc, was apparently sent out today. That will be 'the end of it'.

The couple of days of sunshine has been a morale booster - I'm dreaming of a sunny and warm Spring and Summer, with picnic lunches on the grass and moments of caught sunshine inbetween flurries of activity and general getting on with things. (Sally will be morale officer - usually found snoozing, as below)

We'll return next week - Sam wants the letter in his hands before he starts anything!

There are stud walls upstairs to put up, taping and jointing for me to do, the reedbed changes to sort out - it won't be dull, thats for sure.

Leo, another doorstep sunbather, is head supervisor - and cats are no pushover, so the work will have to be good.

In between my snufflings and sneezings, I've had moments of pure excitement - that we'll have a home again, that we can actively make progress and be where we want to be.

Until then, fingers crossed that there will be some more sunshine for Sally to enjoy.

Of course, it wasn't only the animals soaking up the rays. I've been tending to a few plants too. Here are the broad beans that we'll bring down to Leitrim to plant out.

Here's some garlic that will come down with us too.

Here are some saladlings that I sowed late last Autumn, as a trial. Now, there isn't a lot there, but they are coming on. There's pak choi that I might use soon and I'll probably pot on the lettuces and other wee orientals.

I did a similar trial, sowing last autumn, in the glass roofed barn. These are really coming on well (even though there isn't a huge amount, its good fun to see how well they do). Again, I have a mix of orientals - pak choi and mizuna, some lettuce and corn salad.

I also started some broad beans inside the barn early in the year and I've kept them inside until now. I'm not yet sure if I'll keep them in, for a very early crop, or harden them off - so they get to experience the great outdoors. I've interplanted them with some white viola - just for fun.

Earlier in the year, I sprouted some peas, to test their viability, and I used the tips as pea shoots. I decided to stick the remaining shoots in a pot in the glass barn. I don't know if they'll grow well - as the tips have been trimmed - but I intend to find out.

Last, but not least, are the tomatoes and peppers that were started indoors. I repotted them today and I'm hoping to transfer them to the glass barn now, before they get too leggy.

Next time, I'll post some pics from our last trip to Leitrim .. and soon, that will be our main focus again - thank goodness.

Time

2011-02-13T15:47:00.003Z

Where does the time go?

The past couple of weeks have been quite hectic, with organizing our return to the build, site visits and work and family commitments.

Haven't had a chance to blog - or even read any of my friends blogs, but thats how it goes sometimes.

Luckily, I get a bit of quiet time today and normal blogging shall resume shortly. (I really do appreciate having quiet time, I realize that more when things have been hectic).

There is plenty going on - trying to sort out the cost of the changes to the reedbed system that the planners have as condition to our retention being granted (I'm still waiting for the quote to come in ... the guy who designed our system is most unimpressed and says that the changes won't really do much ... I just hope they won't cost much! It feels harsh to be paying out now, when our spec was fine to begin with - but - we need to get back to the build, so I'll hold my desire to appeal or demand that the planners pay the cost).

Of course, there are seeds sown, more waiting to be sown and garden plans in progress. All shall be updated shortly.

We can officially get building again after the 26th February, when the final grant is official (they need a month for people to comment etc), so we're gearing up for that!

Good news

2011-01-26T20:10:00.005Z

Yes folks, I can finally announce that our planning permission - for retention and completion of our build has been granted.

We haven't seen the 'conditions' yet, but for now I'm just relived that we can officially return to the build.

I'll admit that its been very hard with all the unforeseen complications, it dragging on, the feeling of limbo and costs while we waited ... and the massive unfairness of it all - as the map mistake was made before we owned the land and should have been sorted very quickly - without us being subject to regulations that came into force after our permission was originally granted.

That being said (i.e. rant over), its time to move on - and let go of of this issue that has driven us mad for 16 months (see, I'm still counting). I thought about it this morning, before I had officially heard the news. Despite all my self work to be happy anyway etc I really had been holding onto this - all the blame and all the pain of having our plans unhinged and messed around.

Now, I really an 'justified' in that - BUT - I can't justify it enough to keep it up. It doesn't help me move on or feel better - so ... I'm letting it go now - water under the bridge.

I am pleased that we can now move forward. In truth I am also a bit scared, as its been a poor year financially last year and our budget for the house is somewhat reduced.

So, its one step at a time. Get back and re-assess, plan what we CAN do, attempt to get down as much as possible, esp once the warmer weather kicks in (ie March) (it gives a month for the 'white' planning paper to come through), do what we can do with the materials we have to hand and finish jobs that had been started and abandoned when the 'stop' was enforced.

Of course I do have seeds to plant and a garden that I have really missed, so I'm delighted that I can tend to it while we're down ... and provide some food from it by summertime if I'm lucky. It will also be great to catch up with friends and neighbors.

Lovely leitrim - we'll be back soon.

This is on my mind ... a dog.

2011-01-20T18:08:00.005Z

This dog is on my mind (this is usually a Friday theme, but I'm early, as this is so fresh and large in my mind).

This dog is a stray. I think he's been in the area for a while, but used to be very scared and would run off. A couple of days ago I saw him outside the front door and I gave him a bone and then just sat on the step and watched him.

He came over and put his head on my knee - looking up at me with big brown eyes.

He's a very affectionate dog (and every time I open the door he appears, wagging his tail and he follows me round .. and even tries to herd the ducks).

I am moved by this creature, with his big loving eyes and gentle nature. Part of me wishes that I could keep him, but it's not possible.

So, after checking locally I made the decision to ring the dog warden, who picked him up today.

I am crossing my fingers and toes that he either is lost and gets re-united with his rightful owners, or, if he is abandoned, that he gets a loving home asap. (I'm hoping that as he is so friendly that he WILL get a home ... sometimes - hopefully rarely - if dogs are not re-homed they get put to sleep). It is the right thing to do - he needs a proper home.

It breaks my heart to see animals, like this sweet dog, abandoned, mistreated or unloved.... and it amazes me to see how this dog, despite his hardships, still trusted enough in people to come close to me and how much love their was in those big brown eyes of his.

I don't think I'll ever forget him.

P.S. If anyone in Northern Ireland, would like to rehome this dog, he will be available to be rehomed in five days time (they leave five days for the owner to come forward before rehoming) from the kennels in Downpatrick.

This is on my mind ... optimism

2011-01-14T17:35:00.005Z

I spotted this daisy by the driveway as I was in the garden today.

Optimism is on my mind today, the importance of optimism in my life, helping me to see the glass as half full rather than half empty.

By being optimistic - looking for the best outcomes and being hopeful - I'm more likely to see the best of things when they are in front of my nose - like this little daisy, a welcome and cheery flower to see on a January day - and its easier to appreciate all the good things that are in my life right now.

'This is on my mind' is a Friday thread started by Rhonda Jean at Down to Earth.

What's on your mind this Friday?

Seeds - sprouting to eat and testing viability

2011-01-09T22:48:00.009Z

I love seeds - little packets of potential, each and every one.

In fact I'm sure that my excitement at seeing growth burst forth those seeds is part of my enticement to sprout seeds to eat, like these green lentils, that are just starting to put out their first shoots (or is it roots?).

Anyway, it genuinely does excite me every time I see my seeds come alive.

At this time of year I have to resort to putting them into the airing cupboard at night to encourage them.

I always have something in my seed sprouter. As well as green lentils (which taste mildy spicy) I like a steady supply of alfalfa -

Here it is ready for consumption (usually in salads or smoothies)

I also liked sprouted beans, these are some adzuki beans I'm sprouting in an old cotton tea sock.

Mung beans are also a favourite. There is something very fresh and alive about eating these tender wee shoots. They are also very nutritious.

Luckily, the time has come when I can do more than sprout my alfalfa. I have a plethora of seeds thats I've collected and part used over the past few years. I'm not sure which are still viable, so I test them by sprouting them.

I soak them in water for 6 - 12 hours and then pout them in a container on some damp kitchen roll and put them in the airing cupboard for warmth.

I can already happily note that my pea bijou and cherokee trail of tears beans from 2009 are still viable. I'd nearly given up on my Jacob's cattle bean (below) but even they are making a belated .. and slightly begrudging attempt to come to life.

I have many more to try and I think its better to do it now, than try to sow them in the spring, find out what isn't viable, order more and wait for delivery. This way, I'm pretty sure of what will grow and what won't. It also keeps me busy in these 'lean' sowing times, before things really get busy in March.

Of course, I couldn't resist starting some onions from seed today. I've decided to pre soak them overnight although I don't know if they need it, but there's no harm in it.

In the clear glass we have onion batalan and in the pink glass we have long red florence.

Last week I started some broad beans (Super Aquadulce) - which I'm sure do benefit from pre soaking, as it really helps them swell and take up water. I'm sure it gives them a head start.

I had to start them off in the house, in an unheated propagator. I tried starting them last year in the glass barn, but my first sowing was eaten by mice.

This time, I'll wait until the shoots appear before putting them out or in the barn.

In the picture below, if you look VERY carefully, you can see the very first signs of shoots coming up. I'm starting to salivate at the thought of them already - silly me.

I'll do some successional sowing of my broad beans this year, as they were very popular last year and I'd love to extend the season. I'll start them off in modules and probably plant the first batch in containers (they did well in containers last year) and, fingers crossed, I might be able to transplant the second batch to the Leitrim garden .. or put them in containers that we could bring down to Leitrim, if we get to start building again.

The date for the planning decision is set for the end of January. I've asked the engineer and councillor to talk to the planners now, so if they have any issues with the new reports we can sort it now. Otherwise, their favourite game is to wait and send a letter asking for further information on the decision due date, thus postponing the decision (they must have done this twice already).

So, fingers and toes are crossed that we get it sorted this time. The environmental impact report is glowingly good, we've made more changes to the reedbed spec, including better drainage around the bed, and added a willow bed to the sewerage system to comply with their new regulations (that came in after we'd built the reed bed and had the plans for it approved) .. and we've been waiting since the end of September 2009 to get this sorted. (At the time they said it would take 6 - 8 weeks. Things really do move at their own pace in Ireland).

It really would - will ? - be lovely to tell you all that the 'adventure' is resumed and that we'll get down to resume the build and the gardening in Leitrim this Spring.

Until then, I can keep planning the details .. and dreaming of having our own home and garden again.

Flowers with my veg

2010-12-30T23:04:00.011Z

I've been looking back over my plans that I made for the Leitrim vegetable garden for 2010 and never got to implement. As I looked at the list of different veg, I began thinking of how I love colour and flowers too and I'm wondering about trying a more cottage garden approach where there is a mixture of vegetables, herbs and flowers.

In part, I was inspired by the interesting creation that nature designed in the Leitrim garden this year - in my absence (see the pictures above and below).

I love a bit of bright colour - the orange of the calendula or the striking red of the red orach among the sea of green.

So, I've been wondering about interplanting some of the vegetables with flowers. When I had the poly tunnel I planted a lot of nasturtiums and, to be honest, they were a bit rampant .. but they did well here with the leeks, which managed to hold their ground!

I was thinking of trying them between the cabbages this year (I hear that nasturtiums and cabbages are good companion plants).

Another plan is to grow sunflowers (like this one that self seeded this year)

with some tall beans - these are barlotta de fuoco, which are colourful in their own right too.

Maybe its the misty, grey days we've been having since the snow thawed, but I keep thinking of bright colours ... and I'm wondering if I'd try some Californian Poppies....

... underneath some red curly kale.

Of course I could maybe even squeeze in some calendula nearby too.

I'd be tempted to use them for edging, but I find they can get a bit too tall and lanky to be truly fit for that purpose.

So, I'll probably stick to the tried and tested marigolds for edging, at least in places.

May have to sneak a few pinks in somewhere too.

Anyone out there any other good ideas for flowers to intercrop with veg?

I know some people sow carrot with flowers, such as Nigella ... and I'm considering trying my parsnips with blue flax.

Anyway, it's good to dream (and my garden dreams are all in vivid technicolour right now!).

Happy New Year everyone.

May 2011 be a good one for us all.

Yuletide Greetings and a seasonal song

2010-12-22T17:06:00.005Z

Well, the festive season has started in style with the fabulous solstice eclipse yesterday morning, see previous post, and I'm getting into the festive spirit myself - getting ready to put a few decorations up .. and having mince pies for breakfast this morning.

I just wanted to say that whatever or however you are celebrating - solstice, yule, Christmas, New Year - have a good one.

Thanks ever so much to everyone who has been dropping in to my blog. I've really enjoyed blogging and following other people blogs. There's been great beauty and inspiration through following the journeys of my fellow bloggers and friends.

I really do appreciate this media for being able to connect with people, near and far.

At times like these, when the weather means travel is best limited its a real treat to have time to catch up with you all and to have made some new friends too.

Also, I'm glad to say that I have some good news to report. A report came from a neighbour that the horses have finally been removed from my land and garden and ... finally ... the further information for the planners (the revised reed bed report and Environmental Assessment) have been lodged with the planners. That feels like progress to me - and just in time to give us a some peace of mind over Christmas.

Finally, our band, Nuada have, as usual, provided a seasonal musical morsel for your enjoyment. This year its the Coventry Carol, a plaintive song, with lyrics from the 1500s, with lute and recorder accompaniment. Click on the song title to go to the link or use the link below. Enjoy.

http://www.nuada.net/media/other/cov.mp3

Solstice lunar eclipse

2010-12-21T14:04:00.006Z

We were really lucky to get clear skies here (in Castlewellan) for the lunar eclipse this morning.

We got out around 6:30 am and the eclipse had already begun.

The scene was truly magical. They sky was a deep blue, the snowy ground sparkled under the moonlight and the stars twinked. The clear cold air and cold blue sky gave an almost arctic feel to the event. It all felt very fresh and clear.

Here are our pictures of the event, taken from the top of the garden. They can never do justice to the atmosphere and to how the scene looked (it all looks so much darker in the photos) but they are a nice reminder for us.

This first one shows just how small the moon looked from there - it's the wee speck in the middle of the picture.

Now we're following the eclipse as it engulfs the moon.

By now, the sky is lightening to a paler blue as dawn hovers and the moon is fading into a gently dim pink as it is eclipsed. With the snow shining out and the moon descending behind the snow covered mountains it really looked otherworldy.

It was fantastic to watch the eclipse, to be in that atmosphere, of clearness and peace, then to feel the shift to early morning light and winter solstice sunrise.

I'm delighted to have been able to experience it .. and to be able to have a wee nap afterwards (well it was quite an early morning!)

Solstice greetings everyone and a warm welcome to the lengthening days of new beginnings.

This is on my mind .. a well stocked larder

2010-12-17T22:08:00.003Z

A Well Stocked Larder

Today I'm very appreciative that we have a well stocked larder, as the snow has come back and heavily too, so we might not be venturing out for a few days.

We were wise enough to stock up during the week (when the last snow had thawed), so now we can relax, keep warm and cook up a storm. Its great to have fresh vegetables, especially the brussels sprouts still on their stalks. We're lucky enough to have an organic box scheme locally, yet I'm hoping that by next year most of the vegetables can be home grown (last years home grown stuff, especially the sprouts were amazing).

This is on my mind is a Friday blog theme started by Rhonda Jean.

Ups and downs

2010-12-13T21:36:00.014Z

I've been blogging a lot lately, I guess that there's a lot on my mind these days.

It's felt like life and especially anything to do with 'the build' is a real roller coaster of a journey.

This picture was taken back in 2008 in summer when everything felt so exciting, new and fresh. We'd go down and see how the land looked through the seasons, mark out the house position with string, plan out the interiors.

This was our first glimpse of the field... from the road ..

.. and from the stream (with the house digitally added in)

Building in 2009 was great too - from the groundworks, supervised from the caravan, to the exuberance of seeing our home arrive on the back of a lorry and magically erect itself in a day.

I'd spent months imagining what it would look like, what the views would be from all the windows, how far the light would come into the house etc.

It really was amazing to see walls fly through the air.

I also had the fun of the poly tunnel and I had a ball growing all our vegetables.

Yet, as much as there have been fun times, there have been hard times too.

It was hard work doing most of the inside ourselves, running low on money, having to leave out the renewables .. and then the planning fiasco .. which was (and still is) just horrible (they'd promised it was a mere formality and it would be sorted in weeks).

With Sam's health problems this year (especially the finger end he'll never get back), losing the chickens

and having to take down my beloved poly tunnel it has been very hard at times.

It easily feels like the shine has rubbed off this project, that somehow the innocence and exuberance of it has faded. Yet, I'm pretty good at remaining optimistic - and seeing the positives (that we do have the land, the build is underway, we'll be back soon and the neighbors are great).

Yet, I'm struggling right now. There was an incidence last week thats really getting under my skin.

Somebody took advantage of the fact that we'd put up temporary fencing (to keep out livestock) and has put horses on our land. We haven't fenced of anything but the boundary so the horses are free to roam over our lawns, building site, reedbed as well as the field.

We never gave permission for this (apart from in spring 2009 when we let a man fence of the field and graze there for two month before the house went up). God knows what damage they could be doing - or what danger they could be in, as there are building materials all over the site.

Here's some pictures of when we put the fencing up .. and it's hard not to imagine what damage has been done since then.

This is the fence so livestock can't come in from the road (they can escape from nearly fields).

Here's the view from the back of the house, from the pond.

I'm really nervous about the vegetable plot too.

Most of all I'm concerned about the reed bed, which cost £1000s to put in. If their hooves break the liner, it's useless.

Here are my covered beds. Is the membrane pierced from hoofs?

This is the sort of damage that the cows did, poaching up the grass (and the membrane around the veg plot).

I appreciate that the neighbors told me about the horses. I was in touch with the police last week but the horses are still there - and there is uncertainly as to who owns them. I was hoping that they would have gone by the weekend - when the ground began to thaw, but with each passing day, it's hard not to wonder what the extent of the damage is ... and how it can be repaired?

On days like this it can seem that 'the dream' has turned into a nightmare. With Sam's health still poor and with money dwindling, sometimes I just want to run away and hide.

I've got myself through the past year of trials and tribulations pretty well (I couldn't have done it without EFT and the other energy techniques that I use) but it's at times like this that I feel my resolve waver.

Below is the model of the house that we drew up early on in the project. On paper and in a model it all looks so simple, so straightforward.

Here's me, Sam and Sally outside the kitchen of our model home.

That kitchen seems a world away right now.

I've just got to find a way to move away from the negatives of our current situation and instead keep moving towards the 'dream' (which I still hold dear) of having our own home and homegrown produce in Leitrim.

I've also got to remind myself that worrying doesn't help (if it did I'd happily worry 24/7, but it doesn't) and start to trust that maybe, just maybe, things WILL work out.

RIP Bennie, the last hen standing

2010-12-11T22:58:00.011Z

Today, Bennie, this is the the last picture of her - taken just before the snow came - left for brighter pastures.

She was our last remaining rescue chicken.

She started to sulk a while after the snow came, so we brought her indoors and nursed her. She'd been ill in the summer and recovered, but this time she didn't make it, despite all our efforts.

She will be missed, as will the other three ladies that came to us with her back in July 2009 who died earlier this year.

There's always a risk with ex battery hens that they may not live too long - as they had a hard life beforehand. Although they lived a much shorter time than I expected, I trust that they had a happy extension to their time on earth living with us.

So, here's a trip down memory lane to remember our first (but I suspect not our last) hens.

When we got them in 2009 they were in a bit of a mess, with feathers missing, pale combs and beaks and pale faces, yet their colour started to come back within a couple of days, but really it took a month or two for them to make their transformation into healthy looking hens.

Here are Madge and Winkles early on.

Winkles again.

Here the ladies are trying to gain entry to the polytunnel (why are out of bounds areas so favored?)

Here's Frenchie. They also loved to take dust baths in the pile of builders sand (no photos of that though, sorry) and roam around with the ducks trying to find gaps in the hedge !

Here's Madge and her big comb - she was still looking a bit scruffy back then .. in fact, she was always a bit scruffy .. and completely daft .. but she could run fastest when pasta was offered! She was also the most docile .. and the easiest to pick up .. you could even cuddle her .. although she wasn't greatly impressed.

Here's the girls up in Co Down last winter, braving their first snow.

Here's winkles this Spring.

Here's the whole gang, with the ducks, waiting for bread or pasta - ever hopeful.

They also loved to 'help' me with the gardening i.e. to scratch up where I'd just been working in case I'd unearthed anything interesting. The ducks were always the best slug catchers - they even tried snails (by drowning them in their pool .. I jest not) but the chickens would have a go too and try to catch moving insects.

So, I have greatly appreciated the eggs and antics of my feathered friends over the past year and a half, they all had great personalities and made me laugh a lot.

It's really sad to have lost them all too soon (Winkles disappeared, maybe to visit Mr Fox, Frenchie dashed under the wheels of the van, Madge got ill last summer and died and now Bennie). Thank goodness the ducks are young, healthy, amusing and still laying!

I found it a challenge to deal with sick chickens. To us they are pets, but they aren't quite as docile / well handled as really domesticated pets - like our fancy rats, dog and cats. I find myself very short on expertise about their state of health (I can't spot things as easily as I can with my better known pets), handling them easily etc - but it's always a learning curve with 'new' animals.

As I said earlier, we will most likely get some more chickens in the future, but I want to wait until we're settled back in Leitrim before we even think about it.

I hope that the girls did have a good life with us and that they enjoyed their new found freedom. It really was heartwarming to see their first excursions onto grass (they hardly knew how to walk on it at first, but instinct quickly returned), to see them basking in the sunshine, taking a dust bath or chasing butterflies.

So long ladies, it was good knowing you .. and you won't be forgotten.

This is on my mind ... my house

2010-12-10T19:00:00.004Z

I'm thinking of our half built house in County Leitrim today.

We're still waiting to sort out the planning issue (all spiraling from a wrong location map on the permission we bought with) which means we are still waiting to resume building. Its been over 14 months now since we had to down tools.

I miss my house. We're currently living with relatives nearly a three hour journey away from site, so we don't get down too often to check up on things. It looks very bare in the photo above - I long for it to look loved and lived in.

I'm still dreaming of good times ahead, when we'll be lovingly completing our build and able to properly tend the garden again. I think often of our house and land, waiting patiently for us to return, yet mostly on my mind today is the sustaining thought of us having a home of our own again.

'This is on my mind' is a wonderful Friday photo thread started by Rhonda Jean. Why not join in and share what's on your mind this Friday.

A week of snow

2010-12-05T21:28:00.011Z

We've had snow for over a week now. The wild birds are getting very hungry, so I've been leaving out food for them (and letting them help themselves to the food for our domestic birds too).

The snow is very beautiful, but the small roads are still quite icy .. and it feels very cold.

This picture is taken on the first snow day, as the sun started to shine through the trees.

Here it is on the same day, by the hen house.

Here's my aunts house. It's an old farmhouse and the insulation is poor, especially in the roof (which is hard to access from the inside), so the heat escapes very quickly and it can easily feel cold inside. To the other side of the picture, the kitchen extension gets VERY cold, especially as the windows are single glazed. I need my hat on before trying to start cooking!

I'm sure that if Ireland had a generally colder climate (like Germany or Sweden - they have GREAT houses) that the standard of insulation in houses would be much better, but because winters are fairly mild, we just seem to put up with the draughts and the cold.

I remember when growing up there was no central heating and in winter it could be cold getting in and out of bed etc. Even as a student I remember icicles on the inside of the windows. People were made of harder stuff in days gone by.

Of course building standards are improving, but people often miss out on insulation (better insulation means less fuel and heating costs). I keep reminding myself that soon we'll be in our own super insulated, warm and cosy home, where all the rooms are an even temperature .. and until then I'll put on extra layers when needed!

If I think we have it bad indoors, I feel for the birds outside!

Here's one of the friendly Robin's (they're all called Bob to me).

A bit of evergreen colour (Laurel?) with a smattering of snow looks very seasonal.

Here's one of the views from the top of the Drumlin.

Here's another.

The trees up top look great against the snow and the sky.

Here the ducks brave the weather.

They even go exploring (Bennie, our last chicken, takes a while longer to be convinced).

More snow falling.

I must admit that the cold and the increasing dark nights have led me to crave greenery, life and flowers. I'm not generally a fan of unseasonal produce, especially in plants, but I just had to have some colour, some growth, some bling ... so I succumbed to a bright and cheery chrysanthemum.

I've also still been sprouting seeds to eat (and putting them in the airing cupboard at night to keep them warm!), they make a welcome bit of freshness.

My need for greenery to look at has been so severe that I've taken a few microgreens and put them on my writing desk .. just so I can see something grow.

Ditto with some alfalfa sprouts.

I've never been one for putting seasonal decorations up early, I think that the pizazz would wear off too quickly, so I usually wait until winter solstice, but, this year I feel I understand the need for brightness and colour in a new way and I understand better how people want to brighten the place up earlier.

I am loving the open fire at night in the sitting room. It's makes the room very cosy (the room has a low celling and holds the heat well.) During 'snow' week, I've enjoyed spending time in the evening just playing tunes on the whistle and watching the flames dance. I imagine I'm not the first .. and I hope I'm not the last to enjoy such simple pleasures.

Sam has been joining in with the tunes when he can (he's had an ear infection and is only just able to play again) and it's a relief to see him starting to feel a bit better .. and to have him playing music again.

I don't know how long the snow will last, but I know we'll have enough tunes to see us through.

This is on my mind .. snow and leaves

2010-12-03T13:13:00.002Z

Snow and leaves

Snow has come really early this year, while the last of the leaves have just fallen from the trees.

I've spent a lot of time outdoors tending to the birds, our ducks and chicken .. and the wild birds who also appreciate some extra food in the cold weather.

It's rare for us to get much snow, especially snow that lasts, and it's very rare to get it so early in winter.

I like the crispness and sparkles of the snow, but I'm less keen on the icy road conditions.

If I could just find a BIG pile of leaves , I'd be very tempted to hibernate until Spring ;-)

Thanks Rhonda for suggesting this Friday photo thread.

No Dig Gardening, books and Winter Colour

2010-11-26T19:21:00.009Z

The light at this time of year is really beautiful, the colours have a real vibrancy.

As well as the autumnal colours and foliage, I'm cheered to see a few flowers adding their brightness too.

With the days shortening and nights getting longer I've been catching up on some reading and finally got myself a copy of Charles Dowding's 'Organic Gardening: The Natural No Dig Way'.

I highly recommend it - I haven't quite finished it yet, but I love the idea of leaving the soil structure as intact as possible and minimizing disturbance.

I had already come across the idea of 'no dig' gardening in permaculture literature and I'm enjoying looking into it further and using it, hopefully exclusively, on my plot.

I already learnt this year how silly it is to weed and leave bare soil (and what a waste of resources / nutrients that can be) as nature is very quick to recover it. From now on I'm a complete mulch convert.

I tend to grow my plants in modules anyway and that suits a mulch system, as the plants have germinated and strengthened before being transplanted through the mulch.

I love what Charles says about how healthy plants generally suffer less from pests and diseases.

I also love his ideas for successional sowing - similar to Joy Larkcom - she has great ideas for creative vegetable gardening too.

There are a few things in Charle's book that I've had different experiences with e.g. rocket - luckily nobody told me not to sow it until after midsummer, so last year I had a great crop all summer - with no problems from flea beetle. Maybe the leaves did bolt slightly early - the the flowers are so pretty that I don't mind much.

Another great book that I got to read recently was Masanobu Fukuoka's 'The One-Straw Revolution' which looks at one mans journey of discovering natural farming techniques in Japan. It has a great feel to it - feels very wholesome to me.

So, thats my inspiration sorted for a while. Now all I need is my garden. It is challenging being over two hours away from 'my' garden, although I am lucky to have my aunts garden here, which is very natural and lush, and a few pots of things to keep my green fingers happy.

I must admit to getting itchy fingers and also longing to have my garden properly up and running. I want to see the seasons go by on my own plot, watching the successions of planting and harvests etc Patience must be a virtue I'm still cultivating!

Anyway, there is distraction here, for example a few experimental winter salads in pots in my aunts barn. They won't feed an army, but I like to see things grow .. and to see how much they WILL grow over winter.

Here are some late sown lettuces (sown end Sept / early Oct) which are coming along just fine.

My calendula was still blooming earlier this week (although now sulking after a couple of nights of hard frost).

I love these violas, which have self seeded in cracks at the edge of the bed near the front door.

Surprisingly, the tall shrubby Escallonia is still happily flowering away and has been for months now.

Of course, there are still a few roses too. They don't have much scent when picked, but when I dry the petals on the radiator the room is filled with a delicious lingering scent.

My aunt's ornamental pyracantha also gives great colour this time of year.

I love how it has crept over the wall, so we can see it from the house now.

The girls are doing fine also - and add bucket loads to winter cheer.

Here's Benny, patrolling the drive.

Here Anna and Esmie are having a great time rummaging through the leaves and undergrowth.

Here they are again, setting off from the doorstep out into a hard frosty morning.

Wonder if the frost will turn to snow soon?

It's trying to snow as I type.

Until next time ...

Mulch, oca and cows

2010-11-15T19:11:00.006Z

I haven't been posting much recently - as there just hasn't been much going on.

We're in the process of meeting the new planning regulations - so have to sort an Environmental Screening Report for the planners and further adapt our reedbed plan to meet new specifications. Once they're in the planners should be able to make their decision.

With the weather turning colder and the days shortening, we haven't been down to site as much lately. However, at the end of last month and early this month I decided to cover some of the vegetable beds for winter.

I had weeded them earlier .. and left the earth bare. Silly move. They just got weedy again. So, this time, partly with the help of a friend, we covered the beds with the weeds (pulled them and laid them on top) and then covered the bed with an old tarpaulin and some cardboard.

This way, the nutrients stay in the soil. It doesn't look pretty - but then again, I'm not there much to see it right now. Next year, if I have any 'bare' patches, I'll try using a green manure over winter instead.

In the foreground of the above picture, I've used some spare weed suppressing membrane to cover a long bed. Rain will get through, but it should warm the soil .. and loosen the grip of the unwanted grasses etc.

I've also covered the other long bed (to the left in the picture below) which is really overgrown (no picture yet - sorry) and I'll be interested to see if it suppresses the weeds and grass at all.

Nature was kind enough to provide me with some oca from the plot this year - guess I left a few tubers in the ground last year. I picked them on our last visit, when the foliage had completely been frosted. The tubers aren't very big - but they are tasty - even raw.

Funny thing with the oca is, I'd planted pink and white tubers in 2009 but only got white ones this year.

I also got a nice surprise crop of mizuna - where I'd weeded the month before, which has been sheltered from the frost by brassica seedlings that have also sprung up.

Back up at my aunts I started off a few salads in late Sept / early October. The most sluggish of these is the rocket, pictured below.

The peppers and tomatoes did really well this year (in the glass roofed barn) and we're only coming to the end of them now.

The red curly kale is still looking .. and tasting .. great. It really brightens up the garden at this time of year .. and looks great with dew drops on the leaves.

I also have some baby leaf salads on the go. These are outside in one of those 4 tier 'plastic' greenhouses.

Here are some that lettuce and orientals that I'm raising in modules. Not sure how fast they'll grow at this time of year, but I'm curious to find out.

I even have a couple of cabbages too...

.. and we've just got through the last of the container potatoes.

Back down in Leitrim we've had a mini disaster. Cows got in and have been over the lawns and the veg beds etc. We'd never got round to putting up a fence before we had to stop building and we hadn't had a problem before. They've made quite a mess really, poaching up the ground, so we'll have to go back down and put up some temporary fencing for security.

In the meantime, we're down to our last two long red sweet peppers .. might have to try stuffing them. They're delicious. Will have to grow more of them next year.

Surprises

2010-09-28T20:06:00.013+01:00

We managed a couple of trips down to site this month, mainly to keep tidying up the 'garden'. We made some fun and tasty surprise discoveries while we were down. The yellowstone carrots had been planted last September, in some pipe, and although they had split a bit, they were really, really, tasty.

The beetroot (also planted September 2009) were really making the most of their time in the ground. Could they be a world record? Not quite a record for the tastiest veg, especially not the big ones, but some of the little ones were pretty good.

Here I am on discovering some of my beetroot surprise.

A close up ...

and here's the rest of them .. (with the glove for scale)

Some of the kale had sprouted under the old foliage, and as I'm partial to the joy of sprouted seeds, I was delighted to get a free and unexpected snack.

The kale nero was still going strong.

and the goji berry (in the middle of the picture) is really growing strongly .. no fruits yet though

The lemon balm is delightful

and nasturtiums are still flowering well

as are the calendula

We started to 'rescue' the two beds that were at the side of the tunnel, near the house. They had sunflowers, peas, brassicas and flowers last year .. and the ducks and chickens loved to hide away under the brussel sprouts to nest :-)

As the picture shows, they've been completely covered in grass (and nettles etc). Here, Sam has been strimming and I've been clearing.

Here they are a little later. The bed on the left is going to take more work to sort out, as the grass was strong there. The one on the left fared much better .. and I'm already itching to get planting... well, I could put onion sets and garlic in now).

There have also been surprises of a less desirable nature. The planning permission was set to come through yesterday, but instead we received a letter asking for further information about our sewerage (which they passed initially). We sent them a professional survey and report, agreeing to their suggestions, with the last application and nothing more was said, but now they aren't satisfied with it. We're now officially a year trying to sort this thing out.

It would try the patience of a saint. Were it not for the beauty of the place, the loveliness of the local people and friends we have made there and my determination to be positive ... we'd be demented by now.

I'm not completely zen about it - I've cried, shouted, sulked, been terribly upset, worried, fretted etc, but, it doesn't do any good (and it is surprisingly difficult to snap out of such negativity and feeling that things are out of our control).

I have to keep reminding myself that in a few years, these troubles will just be a distant memory and we'll be well settled and well productive!

Nature as garden designer

2010-08-31T21:48:00.022+01:00

It's been a while since we were down in Leitrim - for many reasons beyond our control. I'll confess that it's been a bit 'out of sight, out of mind'. As I haven't been able to be there, I've left nature in charge of garden design this year - and she's been VERY busy!

We took the poly tunnel down at the end of March and apart from one trip in the end of April (in which Sam had the accident with his finger) we didn't make it down until late August.

The first pictures below are of the blank canvas that we left nature with once we'd taken the tunnel down.

It's quite bare, with uncovered paths between the beds.

Here you can see where the trenches were.

Well, upon our return ... this is what we saw ...

Nature has been busy indeed.

Even though it may be a bit wilder than I would have chosen, some of it does look really pretty - the sunflowers are all self seeded - everything is.

The birds are really loving it (especially with no cats around). I love the combinations nature has made e.g. red orach, sunflowers and nasturtiums.

The sunflowers are really very cheerful and welcoming (and helped me face the inevitable job of weeding and clearing paths).

The kale nero, planted last September has survived and I collected some seed.

There was even a Russian Mammoth Sunflower, which had bent over to survive the winds (last year they reached to the top of the tunnel).

Here's more sunflowers - as I like them so much - and the natural variations that are springing up. I only planted Russian Mammoth and Red Velvet last year and these seem to be a mix of both.

My calendula and Melissa have survived well.

Here I am with a few weeds .. at the end I'll show you just how many!

A potted blueberry bravely gave us a few berries.

There were even two mystery giant swedes (and tomatoes!)

The mint has been having great fun - spreading like wildfire - under natures watchful eye.

The red orach has seeded well - I just LOVE the colour of it, so vibrant.

There was masses of seed from the Pentland Kale - and I collected a fair amount.

Some, touching the ground, had even started sprouting in their pods!

Here is a delight - some quinoa - ripening very well too.

Here I've done some clearing .. and Sally is helping.

More clearing.

Even more clearing .. I can see gravel again now.

Here's the side of the 'tunnel bed' reclaimed.

While I was busy weeding, next door, they were bailing the grass - and a great job they made of it too.

Unfortunately that wasn't an option for us up top, where natures scheme was a bit too wild for the likings of most people - so Sam had to get strimming.

We had a lovely red shy that evening.

But not before Sam had done more strimming ..

..and a but more strimming...

and made sure the frogs DIDN'T get strimmed.

So, here with are with a neater frontage again

and a serious pile of weedy stuff - all barrowed by yours truly.

We still don't know when the planning permission will come through, so have no idea when we can resume building. I must admit to being disappointed in losing the whole summer and facing the dropping temperatures and longer nights now. It can all seem a long way off - us being in our lovely warm home, but I know we will get there in the end - and it will be fantastic when we do.

In the meantime, we'll keep a better eye on the garden - and myself and nature may return to a joint gardening effort from now on.

Container gardening

2010-07-12T15:24:00.022+01:00

We have blue skies again here in Co. Down, after a couple of days of rain, which was very good for the plants.

Anyway, I thought it was time that I shared my cobbled together attempt at container gardening this summer.

It was a bit of a mish mash, as I'd planned to garden on site in Leitrim, but, that wasn't to be, so luckily, I put together a few containers so that I wouldn't miss my gardening and home grown veg fix - whatever the circumstances!

My aunt's fantastic barn with the glass roof (see above picture) has become home to lots of crops this summer and works great as a greenhouse .. but I'm trying not to take it over too much.

The picture below shows the half of the barn that I've been using. In the foreground are peppers - sweet and chilli, behind that is the sweetcorn, to the sides are tomatoes and right at the back are some cucumberesque vines, a cucumber and a late bloomer of a melon .. and some peanuts.

Here to the side are some squashes (do I ever learn??) - both are courgettes in this picture (do courgettes officiallly count as squashes? .. they do to me) and another tomato.

One of the courgettes has good flowers and already a growing fruit (you can see it in the middle of the picture if you look carefully).

I tried cucumber, in too small a pot really, and was pleasantly surprised that I already have a lovely fruit forming and couple more looking promising.

Here are the sweetcorn. They are the riskiest of all. I'm not sure if they are meant to do well in pots, but as I had seed ready I thought I'd try. I half thought of trying them outside, but it gets windy up here and I thought they would be stressed. Anyway, the barn is warmer.

They are very close together, so it will be interesting to see if they do ok.

You can already see the stalks forming that will have the tassels and cobs, so I might be in with a chance - as long as I keep them well watered etc. I just can't pass up the chance of super fresh sweetcorn, there's nothing quite like it.

I have a few different tomatoes. This one is a purple ukrainan plum variety, you can see it starting to elongate already.

My other type are cherry tomatoes I think. The seeds are from plants that I grew in this barn in 2008, so I'm hoping they will do well. They already have good fruits forming.

I also tried some peppers this year and they are flowering also. I think this one is 'Nigel's Outdoor Pepper' from Real Seeds. I didn't risk him outdoors!

This is Sweet Chocolate Sweet Bell Pepper, as from Real Seeds. I get lots of my seeds from them.

Here we have hot purple pepper, the foliage is quite dark on the plants and the flowers have a lovely purple hue.

I also started a couple of peanuts - in big pots this time - to see what happens.

Well, that all that's in the barn. Of course, I did do a few things outside as well.

We have some carrots (that I forgot to photograph) and some celery that is nearly ready.

I put a few flowers in containers to brighten the place up. They got a bit slugged, but there are some survivors. I think this is a scabious - from a mixed annual packet.

I'm very excited about the broad beans. The pods must be nearly full size by now. (I can be caught hovering nearby with a pan of boiling water, desperate to get shelling and eating them)

The ducks are enjoying their pond lots - here they are 'poolside'. As for the chickens, Bennie is doing well but unfortunately Madeline passed away, soon after my last post. So, Bennie is our only chicken right now. The ducks keep her company so she's not too lonely, I hope. We'll figure out what to do soon enough. I don't really want to get any more hens until we are back down in Leitrim. We shall see.

I love this kale, with it's pink stems and veins. It's really tasty too.

Further into the garden - Elvie suns himself near the teepee (his favourite spot when he's not on my knee).

I took the risk of putting a couple of squashes at the base of the teepee, to see if they would grow up well through it. (It also means they aren't hogging valuable barn space and it's ok if they get thuggush - as squashes ofthen do).

On the right is a blue banana squash (the trick with them is to cook them whole, as the skin is hard to cut into) and on the left we have a summer yellow patty pan squash.

Here's a close up of a dianthis (carnation) - aren't flowers amazing natural works of art?

We also have some fruit in the garden - not in pots. Here are some of the raspberries we brough over in 2007.

Here are some of our lovely apples, also brought over in 2007. Can't quite remember wnat variety they are .. some sort of Russett maybe .. but I do remember that thy're very tasty.

Here are some of my aunt's currants - black and white. They've been here for years, never fertilized or tended to and yet they come back strongly year after year.

I couldn't have a summer without a calendula somewhere (in a pot this year). I never have the heart to eat them, they're just too pretty.

I have no such hesitation with the parsley though. This is a french curly parsley ..

and this one is an italian giant flat leaved variety.

Well, thats about it for now.

I may not have a polytunnel, or a dedicated garden this year, but it doesn't matter. There is always room for a pot or two!

I also have some salad leaves and new potatoes .. and peas .. and beans .. that I forgot to photograph.

I'll let you know how well everything crops.

X Ferris

Diamond days and stone days

2010-06-28T21:50:00.007+01:00

A friend said to me a while back ' Some days are diamonds and some are stone'. Well, I have my eye always out for diamonds, but we've run into a fair few stones recently.

Mind you, the weather has been great and the garden up at my aunts has it's share of diamond plants, such as this scented rose.

So, it's been a while since I've posted - I guess we've been a bit distracted.

Since the end of May its has been a bit crazy.

On Monday 24th May I found out - by checking online - that our planning application had been .. REFUSED. Needless to say, I was utterly shocked. I found out later that it was due to 'technical errors' made by the engineer. Long story short, we have to put the whole application in again, from scratch and so it looks like it will be late August before we're able to return to the build.

That day went from bad to worse when Frenchie the hen decided to dive under the wheels of the van as we went off for a well needed breath of fresh air after the shock of the planning refusal. She died instantly. Normally, the hens run FROM the van and we make sure that they are nowhere near it. She ran direclty towards and under it. RIP sweet Frenchie. (Here's a picture of her from last winter).

That was certainly a 'stone' week - with Sam being called to the GP to be told that the blood tests from his finger showed high blood glucose levels. They diagnosed him with type 2 diabetes that same week. That was another shock - but we've got on top of it .. and we're now exercising more and refining our diet even more and he's showing great improvement!

We've even started painting the outside of the house up here - brightens the place up a bit.

Sam did make a trip down to site in Leitrim last week. Our beloved house is still standing. Here it is .. in case you've forgotten what it looks like by now!

The beds where the polytunnel was have gone a bit wild - here's the mint - enjoying the rare hot, dry summer.

Here's a few onions..

Solstice came and went, with just a quick candle lit in celebration as Sam took quite ill, a kidney infection, and had to spend a few days in hospital to recover (he got rather 'toxic' and they were worried the infection could spread). He was out before midsummer's day though and is making a good recovery now. It also seems that the diabetes might have been misdiagnosed somehow, as the doctors noticed how normal his BG levels were when he was in hospital. Actually, they are quite confused by a lot of things, including why he got the infection so badly. Anyway, he's doing really well now - and BG levels are still tip top.

The garden is still glowing, with roses and other wonders.

Our last 'stone' is that my favourite hen (I know I shouldn't have a favourite but I just can't help it), Madeline, is quite poorly. Both her and Benny, our two remaining hens, were a bit ill, but some meds in the water soon sorted Benny out - who is in rude health again - but, alas, Madeline has not responded so well. She has good and bad days. The vet said to nurse her and thats what we're doing. We're trying to entice her with tasty food and giving her lots of attention. I'm not sure if she'll pull through or not, but we're doing all we can. Here she is, the hen in front, in this pic taken last winter.

She really is the sweetest hen, very silly, with a daft floppy comb and gentle nature. Fingers crossed that she pulls through ok. Whatever happens, she's had a great year with us - a world away from her previous life as a battery hen. To remember their first taste of fresh air, to see them get used to the feel of grass under their feet, chase a flying insect or tsate their first piece of pasta - they've all had a good time.

Of course, I haven't been able to resist doing a bit of container vegetable planting. I'll elaborate on that in the next post, but for now here are some carrots ...

tomatoes .....

and sweet and chilli peppers....

I'll post again soon, showing some more of my container experiments.

Fingers crossed there are some diamond days ahead!

Free ranging chickens

2010-05-06T22:14:00.009+01:00

I just love to see my girls out 'free range' wandering around and having fun. In fact, there's hardly anything more amusing than watching their antics or having them following you about.

BUT I've always known that there were risks and downsides. The fox is the most obvious risk and there are other downsides, such as droppings in unexpected places.

Actually, when I first got the ducks and then the chickens I was all for keeping them permanently penned up - but as they got a bit stir crazy and ever more desperate for larger areas to roam I relented. After all, why keep them cooped up when there was land for them.

So, I took on the risk and enjoyed their freedom.

This week, I've had to come to terms with that decision. Winkles (pictured below) has been missing since Tuesday and is now presumed to be a foxes dinner (although I can't help hoping that she's just gone broody and will wander back soon - I'm ever the optimist).

We miss her. She was the feistiest of all four chickens. If she is gone for good, at least her last year spent with us was, presumably, more fun than her earlier life as a battery hen.

I shut the birds in all day yesterday (not that it stopped Bennie, who went 'over the top' and had me convinced that she also had become a snack for Mr Fox - before sauntering back, unharmed, an hour later).

By this afternoon myself and Sam decided that it was worse to deny them their freedom to free range (after them having it for so long ... and after them having NO freedom as battery hens) than to risk the fox, so we've let them out again to do what they do best - poke about and have fun.

We know it's risky, but, thats life. I just hope that we - and they - don't end up paying a high price for their freedom now. We'll keep a close eye on them, of course, and will try to improve on security, but I can't help being a bit nervous.

Here's all the girls ( a while ago) helping out with the gardening.

Here's Frenchie being garden supervisor.

Here's a picture of their pen (pictured last winter) up here at my aunts. It is a reasonable size and can be moved about. It does need the electric tape bringing up from Leitrim if security is to be improved.

I don't think there are any easy answers for this situation. Sam reckons that in a way they are safer free ranging because if a fox comes he may just take one and the others can take cover, whereas if they were penned up and the fox got in they would have nowhere to hide.

Of course, the set up is better down in Leitrim, but, as there is no movement on the planning yet, I have no idea when we'll actually get them - and us - back down. It's a real shame to be missing the lengthening days.

Fingers crossed that we'll good news on the planning front soon and that Mr Fox won't be coming to visit in a hurry.

Oh Dear

2010-04-30T20:54:00.004+01:00

Well, this blog is our warts and all account of our adventures in our field. This post tells of one of our wartier moments.

Unfortunately, this Monday we had a rather nasty adventure, well Sam did.

We were down checking over the site, Sam doing some mowing and myself sorting out the old tunnel area (we're still not able to resume the build so were busying ourselves with other stuff) when Sam had a bit of mishap with the lawnmower and we had a serious trip to the Accident and Emergency of the hospital.

I won't go into the details - a bit gory and long winded, but the whole experience has left Sam with quite a bit less of his right hand ring finger than previously and some injury to his right hand little finger also.

We're still in a bit of shock really, but he's come through the surgery well and is determined to be back playing music as soon as humanly possible.

I must say a huge thank you to Kim and Alistair for looking after Sally and for driving us from Cavan hospital to Drogheda hospital (so Sam could see the surgical specialists) and to Milly and Tony for putting us up in Drogheda and recusing the van. Thanks also go to everyone who saw the ambulance and was concerned and to all friends who have sent good wishes and healing. Thank you all.

Here's hoping that next month will bring some better luck and that by this time next month Sam will be well on the road to recovery .. and that we might even have our planning through.

Here is a picture of himself smiling through his adversity!

Mice, slugs and Spring blooms

2010-04-17T08:44:00.013+01:00

On Tuesday and Wednesday of this week I had a mammoth seed sowing fest - and have these shelves up now in the barn to accommodate all those new seed trays. I had the seed and even if i don't know where I'll put all the plants I couldn't face not growing them this year.

The weather has been quite warm during the days for a while, so I've also been hardening some seedlings off outside.

I thought, with the weather warming, that I wouldn't have a problem with mice anymore. If you remember, they ate some broad bean seeds - from the pots - back in February.

Alas, I underestimated the dedication of mice to finding a good snack. Stupidly, I'd put some seeds on the bottom level of the shelves and that proved too much of a temptation to Mr / Mrs / Miss Mouse.

I noticed on Thursday that I'd lost some cauliflower, calendula, sweet peas, sunflowers and nasturtiums. I've had to re-buy the nasturtiums and sweet peas. I have reserves of the rest.

If you look closely at this pic you can see that Mr Mouse likes a nibble of nasturtiums, but won't finish the lot!

On Thursday I also noticed that the broad beans I'd put out this week have started to get slug damage.

You can see it here on these leaves. I did a night time patrol yesterday and caught three big slugs!

Yesterday, Frenchie the chicken had a relapse (she was a bit poorly over Easter - but improved again). The vet thinks it's a gut infection. So, we've had to separate her, so we can give her medicine in her water. She isn't impressed. We put Madelene(the friendliest and daftest chicken) in with her at night to keep her warm and cosy.

Here's Frenchie this morning in her makeshift little pen.

Hopefully, thats all our 'bad luck' for now (I'm trying to not even think of the ongoing planning hold ups - we're now waiting on the reedbed report, which we need before we can make our next submission. We were meant to get it three weeks ago - but it's hard to hurry anything up in Leitrim - even if it drives you daft waiting!)

Anyway, it's a new day today and I have some replacement seeds ready to sow.

Our potatoes are starting to make an appearance now in the bags.

My red lettuce if finally turning red (after being green with nasty dark blotches).

Outside, work goes on clearing the drive at my aunts.

I even got her a couple of herbs for the sunny south facing bed, which should be done soon.

For myself, I couldn't resist a wee anemone that will probably come to Leitrim with us. It's always out so early in the year, I find it really cheery.

Outside we have some willow cuttings that I'll try to plant up.

They are this years prunings from the teepee we made a few years back.

Out in the lane, the spring flowers are well underway. Here's the aconite (?).

and here's some wood anenome.

I'm not sure what this is, but it's growing up the wall of my aunts house. Small, but beautifully formed.

Here's her Camellias, just coming into flower now.

Even her redcurrants and showing signs of life.

I've even taking some cutting some rose prunings. It's a big, old fashioned, shrub rose. I'll pot it up soon and see if it 'takes'.

The Edible Garden and seed sowing

2010-04-07T18:21:00.007+01:00

There is a very interesting programme on the tv tonight (BBC2 at 8pm) called The Edible Garden. It seems just my sort of thing. As I may have said before, I love the idea of having edible gardens and landscapes, especially forest gardens. I'm hoping this programme will give give me some ideas and inspiration (and eye candy!).

It seems that the presenter, Alys Fowler (as seen on Gardener's World I think - didn't have tv on site so am out of the loop on such things) will attempt to live off home grown vegetables, without turning her garden into an allotment.

I must admit to secretly dreaming of living mainly off my own produce, but I think it will be a gradual process. For one thing, I'm vegetarian and have had a difficult time trying to get soya beans to germinate for me this year. I had planned to try some in the tunnel, but that is no longer an option. I think I'd starve if I had to rely on my own resources for soya. Mind you, I do have a plentiful supply of protein from eggs.

Anyway, I digress. I do love the idea of integrating vegetable growing into the garden as a whole, rather than in lines or rows - or even formal beds. Now, I haven't quite managed this in the tunnel last year. Yet, looking back, I did integrate some flowers in with the veg.

I had a herb and flower patch by my folding chair.

The flax had beautiful blue flowers (gone to seed in this photo) as well as giving me edible seeds.

I planted nasturtiums on the edges of the borders, but they are thugs and did take over in some places. The worked really well in with the leeks. Here they are at the base of some sunflowers.

Nasturtium and flax made a good combination.

Of course, some vegetables look very ornamental and pretty anyway. Climbing beans are an obvious example, but there are others, such as these onions below.

I do plan a mixed cottage garden / herb garden which should have some veggies dotted around the place, but I'm wondering now if there is a way to grow the majority of my veg 'in a garden setting'. Hmm. Since the tunnel came down, the beds there are looking VERY linear. Yes, lots to think about.

As well as such musings, we (well Sam actually) did some more 'weeding' of the drive at my aunts (after a couple of days where wind and rain stopped play).

I decided to tackle some more seed sowing. I'm not 100% of this years 'revised' plans yet, as we still can't be sure when we're back on site (so don't know when we can plant down there) but I can also give away any excess seedlings.

Inside, I have my 'pet' peanut - I grew it as a trial, from supermarket raw peanuts. I'll try it on a windowsill this year.

Here are some basil and celery that I started a while back.

Here we are today, in my aunts barn .. which is slowly being taken over by my plants and seeds - oops.

On the ground are some mini salad leaves I started in January (they were a bit sulky after spending too long indoors on the windowsill).

Here, left to right are my tomatoes and melons, onions and salad and todays mixed sowing of all sorts (marigolds, rocket, celery leaf etc)

Here is a cucumber (from an early test to see if the seed was still viable) and a tray with oriental leaves (up as seedlings) and some new sowings - leeks, lettuce and other goodies.

Here are some onions I started from seed earlier in the year. Even if they don't grow full size, I find them useful as small onions.

Here's a close up of the melons and tomatoes (from seed testing earlier in the year - I just can't bear to throw them out if they germinate - so I'll have to find some cover for them this summer).

Here, I've decided to test some potato planters and I have put 2 first earlies and 1 second early in today. It's a little late, but better late than never. I'm unsure if I'll get a good result - and generally find spuds good for breaking up new ground, but, this year planters are an easy was to get a taster of home grown spuds.

The browny orange bags are also 'planters' and, getting desperate to get planting I thought I could start some things off in them and they could later come down to site with us. Have to decide exactly what to put in them now.

Happy Easter

2010-04-05T10:58:00.008+01:00

Happy Easter. After days of crazy weather, including heavy rain, storms, snow, heavy frost and freezing winds, it was a great relief to have a fairly mild and sunny day yesterday.

We thought we'd better 'make hay while the sun shines', so ventured outdoors to continue to work on my aunts garden, clearing the overgrowth by the front of the house.

Sam was first out, shovel in hand, getting rid of the grass that is always attempting to take over the drive.

He cleared almost the whole frontage of the house - aided by the dedicated team of chickens!

I worked on clearing the old borders and ended up doing more archaeology than gardening. Here we've unearthed an old concrete slab that we think was a stand for the water butt many many years ago.

Here is the old edge to the border that was hidden under the encroaching grass and brambles. It was fun to 'discover' the edging. I've never been on an archaeological dig, but feel now that I've had my own equivalent.

Here are the chickens (and a duck) helping with the cleanup operation.

It wasn't an easy task though and we filled many a wheelbarrow with grass, brambles and saplings of ash and sycamore that were hard to dig up.

We also dug up a lot of pieces of brick - I'm sure we'll get to re-use them somewhere.

Everyone enjoyed the sun and the adventures of the day including the ducks ..

.. and our supervisor, Leo the cat.

Hopefully, I'll get out again today to tackle some more brambles and grass!

How to take down a polytunnel

2010-04-03T14:39:00.011+01:00

Well, we did take the tunnel down last Saturday (see previous post), as we said we would, with the much appreciated assistance of neighbors Brendan and William - thanks guys, we couldn't have done it without you.

Thanks also to everyone who offered their help, sympathy, food and suggestions - it all helped.

Here are some pictures of the event, in the hope that they might be useful to anyone having to take down a tunnel themselves or just change the plastic cover - which does need to be done every 5 - 7 years.

First thing to say is that it isn't a task to be taken lightly. It's messy and really does require at least a few helpers and a sunny still day is preferable. Luckily, we had helpers and good weather.

First things first, uncover the edges of the plastic (if you used the trench method, like we did). If you used base plates that you can attach the plastic to feel free to grin smugly and you watch the mess unfold as we uncover our trenches.

When we put the tunnel up, last May, we put weed suppressing membrane over the trenched soil and then gravel over the membrane - to make it neater. In this first picture I'm in the process of moving the gravel and membrane away from the trenched area.

Now we (I actually) have got to the soil that the plastic is buried below.

Next step is to evict the happily sleeping dog (and apologize to her and the plants that their shelter will soon be removed).

Here Sam has removed the plastic from around the doors.

Here Brendan is unearthing the western trench, so we can lift the plastic.

Now the cover is off (I was too busy helping to take pictures of that bit - sorry) and the tunnel is in skeleton form. If you are just changing the plastic cover, you just put on the new plastic and cover it using the soil that has just been excavated from the trenches. If only we were that fortunate.

Here you can see the trench depth - not too big at all, but it held the plastic firm through some rough winds last year.

The ladder is up, so we can start dismantling (it's the royal we this time, I'm helping from afar).

Here are the three lads taking down the hoops - there are already two hoops leant up against the hedge in the background.

All done now, time to survey the chaos left behind. There is a lot of spoil (unearthed clay soil) on the long bed that was beside the tunnel. Mind you it was looking scrappy anyway. To be honest, it all looked pretty dreadful once the tunnel was down and a few plants got damaged while the lads were maneuvering the frame.

Here's the view looking south. Even the planter on the right got damaged as we moved it out of the way in order to remove the tunnel. Yes, there's quite a bit of fixing up to do.

The planting beds were just shaped out of the soil and mushroom compost when I created the beds last year. With the tunnel up the environment was dry and the paths stayed relatively weed free. I have a feeling that now the whole area is open to the weather I will have to cover the paths or they will easily get squishy if wet and weed filled. I may use black membrane and tiles to start with (as I have them already available).

Here is a good example of the benefits of the tunnel for shelter. The two plants together in the foreground are sutherland kale, planted last spring in this borer outside the tunnel and overwintered there. They did well and have some nice new growth even though there is some wind / frost damage. The plant seen behind them is the same kale, planted inside the tunnel last spring. The leaves are all soft and tender and more lush - because of the shelter they got over the winter.

Here are the 'inside' and 'outside' kale again.

By now, I have made progress in backfilling the trenches and re-covering them with membrane and re-instating the gravel. It was harder work than I expected and I really felt it in my arms and back for a few days afterwards.

This is as far as I got with 'making good' before we had to leave site on Monday. There is still a lot of soil to move at the far end .. I'm not looking forward to it (and dread to think what it all looks like now after days of heavy rain).

I had better success on the western side, which I've completely leveled and covered with membrane and gravel.

Here is the south end after some hard graft.

Here's what's left for next time! The rest of the east side.

Yes, there is still work to do to 'make good'. At least then I can re-shape this long bed .. and the bed beside it that has been half taken over by grass. Hopefully things will start to look better then.

At least now we have the pictures taken of the tunnel being removed and so can proceed with the latest round of submissions for the planning authority. All we want is to be able to get back to our build and our land. My fingers and toes are crossed .... but, judging by recent experiences, I'm not going to hold my breath.