Happy New Year to All

Hi everyone, I hope you all had a fabulous Christmas and New Year. Ours was so nice, I can honestly say it was one of the nicest Christmases I have had in a long time. I was thoroughly spoiled and despite only having Christmas Eve and Christmas Day off work, it was so lovely to spend time with my family that it's a real anti-climax now that everyone has gone home and it's back to being just the animals and me, at least during the week. Weekends are now full of hard graft trying to get the poly tunnel up and running, finishing off the raised beds on the front lawn ....... only one more to construct, paint and get into place and then it's sorted, and then, generally tidying things up and getting rid of the "building site look" before the growing season starts in earnest. I am simply so excited that it's getting harder and harder to face the drudgery of my hideously boring-but-essential day job. I know it provides the money for things like seeds and compost and plant pots and poly tunnels and paving slabs and the endless other things we need to help us on our way with the self sufficiency venture we have planned but the reality of grumpy, stroppy and downright nasty customers I have to deal with on a daily basis can be a tad trying after a while. Still, I am very hopeful that by the end of the year I will be able to quit my job and concentrate full time on growing, harvesting, making and baking and there won't be a pair of shoes or a grumpy customer in sight :-). 

Anyway, here are a few of the pictures we have taken over the last few months of the progress we have been making. 

The poly tunnel has gone from this 

The beds are laid out where they will be and the internal patio/potting/cooking/filming space has been marked out and once the ground has thawed out, we can get on with the levelling of the area ready for the paving slabs. There is loads more to do, mostly stuff I don't quite get because I can't picture it in my head but hubby assures me it will be "a piece of cake". I'm withholding judgement until I see what happens but he's pretty good at doing stuff like this so I'm hopeful it won't take too long. 

I drew a little picture on my whiteboard of how I wanted the poly tunnel to look. After my husband had stopped laughing at my awful drawing, he then sighed with resignation when he realised I was actually being serious and we set about designing the space ........ including the bunting which everyone thinks is bonkers but I don't care lol 

The cover will be going on now that the wiggle wire has arrived!! I kid you not, that's what it's called lol, it's a very cool way for stretching and fixing the plastic in place without using nails. It's been MIA for the last week until about 11am this morning when I donned my metaphorical "Sherlock" hat and went to find it. It had been delivered to totally the wrong place but after a process of elimination I managed to track it down and bring it home. Case Closed lol :-)

The chickens are under lockdown because of the avian flu risk. They'e none too pleased about life in captivity but it's for their own good. They have a new toy to play with. My husband read somewhere that chickens are inquisitive and that one woman had bought hers a child's xylophone to play with so I hopped online and bought them this.

I've not actually seen the using it yet but they like to go and look at it. They also have loads of shelves and ladders for them to hop about on and I've ordered them a chicken-safe mirror because apparently they like to see their own reflection lol. I have no idea if this is true or not but I'm happy to give it a go if it makes them more contented while they're on lockdown.

They've also been having the odd treat every now and then. They love water melon so I have been adding a few chunks to their bowl a couple of times a week and this morning, it was so cold and frosty that I made them some porridge. They totally love it. No milk or sugar, just oats made with water and given to them while it's still warm. Only as an occasional treat but they seem happy and contented enough and I'm still getting a couple of eggs a day from them so they must be doing ok.

The girls tucking into their breakfast this morning. 

Anyway, that's all I have time to write for now. Got to go chop and collect some firewood, fetch llama food from the feed store and make something hot and delicious for my supper because it's absolutely FREEZING here in Cornwall just now. I will just leave you with my favourite picture of my house this Christmas. I've never had outdoor lights before but this year I decided I would give it a go. I totally LOVE them and I'm never taking them down :-)

Happy New Year Everyone XxX

2016 ....... Bring it on!

Here's wishing a Happy, Healthy and Prosperous New Year to everyone out there in Blogland

Well, it's 2016. Wow!! It's come around so fast I can't believe it. Things were very hectic in the run up to Christmas. I was working lots of extra hours at my job which although slightly inconvenient time-wise, cash-flow wise it was a lovely boost to the flagging bank balance and helped Christmas go much more smoothly and with a lot less stress. In true Christmas disaster fashion, the water pump that brings our water up from the well in the garden decided to pump it's last a week before Christmas, on a Friday evening no less, which prompted frantic phone calls to plumbers and a weekend without water ..... not fun but luckily, fixed in time for Christmas. 

The weather, the same as everywhere in the UK, has been awful. Luckily, although very wet and windy we were fortunate enough not to have had any flooding in the field this year and apart from a dead tree stump being blown over, we seem to have come through the past couple of weeks relatively unscathed (fingers crossed, touch wood or whatever good luck charm is used around the world). Having watched the devastation elsewhere in the country, I'm very thankful for that but feel for the poor people who lost everything not once but twice over the holidays. Christmas itself was quiet as was the New Year and although I had the "joy" of working both New Years Eve and New Years Day, I was lucky enough to have three days off over Christmas when I was thoroughly spoilt by my lovely daughters and had lots of amazing presents. And now, here we are. A new year and a new start.

So peeps, what are your New Year resolutions?? 

I have only one. 

To figure out what I want in my life, both personally and professionally and to take the first steps towards getting it. I'm going to be taking time to really think about things, how I want them to be and how I can make that happen. I have given up alcohol for January after totally over-indulging during the festivities and I am going to be watching my diet for the next few weeks to drop a few pounds before a little trip I will be taking in February :-) I can't wait to tell you about it.

Happy New Year

Yesterday I made the mistake of going into Plymouth to have a look around the shops because I am in desperate need of new clothes. NEVER AGAIN!!! I hate shopping. I can't stand the pushing and shoving and the ignorant people who barge around with no thought for anyone but themselves and at sale times it's even worse. It didn't help that it was absolutely pouring with rain, blowing a gale and I had a bit of a headache which may, or may not, have been the result of a glass or three too many of delicious Prosecco the night before. I didn't manage to buy any of the things I needed and I came home cold and tired and thoroughly fed up. The last time I went to Plymouth was over a year ago. An amazing feat really, considering I only live about 16 miles away! This year I managed to do all my Christmas shopping online but I don't like buying clothes online. They never seem fit properly and it's a real pain to have to send them back, so at some point I am going to have to brave the shops again.

I did, however, buy some lovely books. This always seems to happen and is probably why I have hardly any clothes because when I go to buy clothes, I always seem to get distracted by books. I love books. I considered buying myself an eReader but I have always preferred the solid feel of books. I was playing with a kindle fire in a bookshop today and while they are lovely, I think I still prefer books. I mean lets face it ...... books never run out of battery :-)

This is book number one that I bought. The Camper Van Coast by Martin Dorey and Recipes by Sarah Randell. I have always wanted a camper van. I love the idea of packing it up and setting off with only a vague idea of where you're going and the freedom to stop wherever you like. Of course living in Cornwall I'm in the perfect place for one but they seem to be hideously expensive so for the moment, until I win the lottery, (which as I don't actually buy lottery tickets could take a while) this is likely to remain just a dream. I spent a blissful couple of hours reading through the book, looking at all the delicious recipes and dreaming of blue skies, golden sunshine, sandy beaches and outdoor living.

The second book I bought was Gifts From The Garden by Debora Robertson. It has 100 clever ideas for gifts to make from things you can grow in your garden. Brilliant! And it's not just foodie things, it has a fabulous recipe for a scented wax polish and another one for mint lip balm. I think this is a fabulous idea and I'm going to try and work my way through the book making things as I go.

The third book is Jams and Preserves by Igloo Books. Jams and Chutneys are things I have always wanted to have a go at making and never seem to get around to doing it so now, I don't have any excuses.

My resolution for this year is simple. I am going to do more. Get out and about more, get into my garden more, craft more and aim to achieve one "thing" each day. Even if it's something small like planting a few veg or weeding a flower border. I am going to finish each project I start and not leave it half-way through and I am going to make my house and garden productive this year...... and who knows, maybe earn a little money along the way.

And finally ...... I would just like to wish everyone out there in Blogland a Very Happy New Year

 :-)