Annie - Update

Nothing !!! Arrived early this morning to find her grazing happily. As soon as she saw me she came racing across for her concentrates, ate them as if though she hadn't eaten for a week and then contentedly stood by the gate chewing her cud.

She looks less like lambing now than she did last week. Maybe yesterday 'things' were just moving in readiness.

2.30 pm still nothing !

5.00 - 6.00 pm still nothing

8.00 ish check not really interested in her concentrates, little nervy more checks to follow !!

On the upside I got 3 eggs from the four elderly hens today and an attempt of an egg from one of the new Silver Dorking pullets!

10.30 check still nothing........maybe tomorrow

Something is definately happening

Poor Annie just can't get comfy...

This morning she refused her concentrates.Her udder is fully distended now and the lambs have dropped.The poor girl is most uncomfortable, she is showing all the early signs of labour - flicking her tongue, curling her lips, stamping her feet and scraping the ground.

I have spent the day up the yard passing the time tidying the feed shed, untangling the electric wire for the pig fencing ( when does it tangle, we never put it away tangled ?) and cutting the remaining apple branches. No sign of lambs yet - so I have come home to make tea and catch up on a few things.I left the house at 7 a.m intending to return within the hour not 11 hours later.I will go back up again during the evening.

Hopefully she will lamb before the early hours.

Update: 11.00 pm check. She is contentedly munching hay, looking less like lambing than at any time during the day and happily came across for a scratch and head rub.

Will see what the next check brings but I'd be surprised if she lambs before the morning now.( famous last words )

Cuckoo in the nest

Well not quite....

Every year swallows nest in the feed shed - one either side of the beams and another in the corner opposite. This year however a wren has decided to 'go green and recycle ' !!

She is using one of the nests as her own, adapting it by 'recycling' the material from the other nest to construct the roof.

What the swallows will make of it I have no idea. Hopefully they will still nest in the building. Why they do I'm not sure, as it is constructed of iron sheets it gets very hot (we place insulation on the roof outside to prevent them over heating) and I am frequently in and out of shed for various things, so they are hardly left in peace, but it must suit them.

Photo: Recycled swallows nest ....now a wren's

Poultry Auction

I didn't intend to buy.... honest !!! but there were some lovely birds and the prices were good. I could have bought a lot more, so I was restrained well my husband was and he had the bidding card, ( note to self : in future maintain possession of said card .)


All birds entered were inspected and had to meet breed type, a red card was given for exhibition quality and a blue card for any rejects and the reason for rejection given, so we were confident that we were buying good quality birds.We bought two POL Silver Dorking, smashing birds. For now they are in with my other hens but will eventually make up part of the breeding group for 'meat' to be crossed with an Indian Game cock.

I also bought two dozen hatching eggs.! One dozen Welsummer and a dozen Speckled Sussex. So they will go in the incubator tonight and in three weeks time we will see what we have.

A brilliant day!!

Annie - one week to go !!

Annie: 1 week to go

Annie has a week to go tomorrow.... this weekend if she is as early as last year.It's not easy to tell from the photos but she has definitely got a lot bigger in the past week, much more solid.This morning she was a little more subdued than usual and her udder is noticeably larger, although her teats aren't fully extended yet. So she is now on more frequent watches.

Tomorrow we are hoping to go to Newton Abbot's rare breeds poultry auction. I have never been before, a couple of weeks ago we went to the first auction of the year, thinking that was the rare breeds one.It was the first poultry auction I had ever been to and in fact it was helpful going to one we didn't intend buying from just to see how it all worked. Not that we intend to buy from this one but I have disinfected and set the incubator running and have sorted out some carry boxes...just in case !!!

Knowing our luck Annie will have a difficult lambing or will have just started to lamb first thing tomorrow so we won't be able to go.

Broody goose

The young goose has been sitting on her nest since Sunday and although still very early days seems quite determined. Early Monday morning when I went to change their water, feed them etc. she was off the nest. My heart sank as she quite happily waddled off into the Fowl's run with the other two. However the eggs were still warm ( there are 10 in the nest) so I hurriedly did all I needed to do and drove the three geese back into the orchard. She immediately went back onto her nest. I didn't see her off the nest any time on Tuesday, although I'm sure she did take a break. Wednesday morning I took the camera down first thing hoping to get some photos, chaos had broken out. The young goose was off the nest and the older goose was on it, all three were shouting. I think the older goose had kicked the younger one off so she could lay.Later in the day the young goose was back on her nest and a broken and eaten egg was on the house floor. I am fairly sure it was the newly laid egg of the older goose. Tomorrow should be interesting as the older goose is due to lay again. If she continues to insist on laying in the nest in the house, despite having the option of several other nesting areas we are going to have to fence off the young goose and her nest.Not quite sure how yet without separating her from the gander and upsetting them all !

Weekly Garden update

In the greenhouse:

The sweet peas are growing well now.I remembered that you are supposed to pinch out the growing tip after the second set of true leaves, now they look better ! The second sowing is still to germinate.

The tomatoes are still slow to develop further leaves.I am going to leave any further sowings until April, the peppers are also standing still.

The first sowing of radish is doing extremely well and the second sowing is coming through strongly.

The lettuce is also growing nicely. I need to put in a second sowing.

The spring onions sown last weekend are just coming through. Also through are the nasturtiums, sunflowers and marigolds.


In the veg plot:

The first of the broad beans were planted out at the weekend and so far have avoided the ravishes of any pests.

The turnips that were sown directly into the ground started to germinate a couple of days ago, as did the lettuce.The rhubarb leaves have started to develop.No sign of the shallots or other seeds as yet.

Weather forecasting

My husband is interested in the weather, to say he was obsessive or fanatical would be unkind. He will often watch two or three television forecasts one after another ( until one forecasts the weather he would like ! ) He also has metcheck automatically logged on on his computer. A couple of Christmas' ago the children bought him a weather station, a digital one, that you can store on the computer records of years of weather conditions. He loves it !

Recently it had to be moved from the old shed to the new, now I don't know what has happened but it has an alarm that will alert you to changing weather conditions, before the move it never went off.....now.....4.15 am beep beep beep Pressure is dropping.....5.15am beep beep beep...pressure still dropping.You get the picture, my pressure was rising.!!

Just now it beeped at me again...goodness knows what for! Looking out of the window I would say it is going to rain soon. I also know there is a cold wind today and it's not as sunny as yesterday, but then what would I know (without consulting the gadget lurking in the kitchen)

Broody ??

Another glorious day, blue skies and sunshine, warm too, although we are still waking to a white frost each morning and the evenings are still cold enough to light the wood burner.

Another busy day.The usual livestock duties and then more work on the shed interior for my husband, gardening for me.

The shed is coming along great.The outside is very new and stark, but will soon weather in and will be softened with plants. It measures 12ft X 8ft and is divided into 2, my section is 4 X 8, my husband's 8 X 8. I did try negotiating for more !! His side will be a work shop, mine for my poultry. We have designed it so there is a wide shelf at the back for the incubator and underneath an area for the brooder. The back and sides are insulated to keep the temperature stable, the window has a mesh cover to stop anything getting in or out. As soon as the electrics are connected I can start incubating !

I think, fingers crossed that the young goose in the orchard may be broody !! She was on the nest first thing this morning, still there tonight and my son said she was snuggled down tight on it during the afternoon.I 'm not sure she'll stay broody for the whole 30 days as she is very young, but there is a good nest ..in the house as well ... with I think 9 or 10 eggs in. An ideal number. If she does get up part way through and my incubator is up and running all may not be lost.

Photos:

Shed, looking very new. I have since sown wild flowers seeds in the ground between the two doors and plan to plant in front of the rest.

The baskets are for hanging tomatoes and sweet peas. More tomato plants and strawberries are on the ground in front.

Annie

Annie - 2 weeks to go.

We are now ready for Annie to lamb.The stable has been mucked out, scrubbed and lime washed, the Fowl's run has hopefully been made lamb proof, now we are just biding our time. Annie I am sure isn't as big as last year, but there is still two weeks to go. She has bagged up quite a lot. Zwartbles are dairy sheep so I am not too alarmed by that.

Today we also fenced the area destined for this year's weaners.We have placed the ark under the shade of the cherry tree.During the week we will phone a local pig breeder to see if he has any weaners available soon.

The broad beans have been planted out, so the veg. patch is now beginning to look as a veg. patch should.That is until the pigeons, slugs and every other imaginable pest starts to attack, but we can dream of what might be for a few days at least.

We have also started on the interior of the shed, more of that later I need to take photos first.

The Countdown has started

The countdown has started ...less than 2 weeks now before Annie lambs ( less if she lambs early like last year)
The time when I start to see every twitch, every stiffness of limbs as a potential problem/disaster.
I started her step feeding at 8 weeks, a little earlier than usual, but it was when I was trying to feed Whitestripe up. She was wormed and her feet were trimmed before she came back from the ram, so that's done. I gave her the heptavac jab a couple of weeks ago. So most things are now sorted.

Tomorrow I am going to muck out, scrub down and whitewash the stable. Also make lamb proof the Fowl's run. Part of the wall/hedge of the churchyard has slipped and needs fencing off until we have time to rebuild it properly, there are also a couple of gaps that need blocking up.
I can then move Annie down. The Fowls run is smaller, more sheltered and away from the geese, and closer to the stable. It has been empty now for several weeks so is clean and the grass has grown well.

Annie herself appears fine. I don't think she is as big as last year, but then again she is bigger in herself. Last year was her first time lambing, also her lambs were large.She is bagging up nicely, maybe getting slightly slow and less energetic but otherwise OK.
We will start more frequent checks on her and just hope all goes as well as last time.

March 19th 1987

Today the weather is beautiful, bright blue skies and sunshine. There was a slight nip to the fingers very first thing but otherwise glorious. Today 22 years ago it was snowing. I was in labour with my youngest son. The midwife lived in an outlying village and was snowed in. On her advice we phoned the hospital and were told to come in immediately because the minor roads were becoming impassable. How different today is...Happy Birthday .

22 how old does that make me feel ? I was a child bride of course !!

So far so good

I decided now the other hens are well again ( still not sure quite what the problem was) that it was time the young ones joined the flock. For the past 4 weeks they have been in a small run within the larger one. They are approx 16/17 weeks old and probably should still be on growers rather than layers pellets but it seems a shame to keep them enclosed.

After reading a variety of books etc. it appeared that the best way to introduce them was to put them in the larger house with the others after they had gone to roost.The theory being that in the morning they would all wake up happy. So last night after they had all gone to bed, I took each of the older hens from the house and dusted them with Barriers organic louse powder and then did the same to the younger ones ( another theory is, if they all smell the same they are less likely to fight.) We also clipped a wing of the younger two as they are quite small and flighty. We then returned them to their own houses to settle and planned to put the young ones in when it was truly dark....I 'chickened out' ! worrying that they would wake before I was up to let them out in the morning and they would be confined to the house with nowhere to escape.

So this morning after returning from seeing to the geese and sheep I opened all doors to the ark ......nothing. After a while the two did venture out. True to her name Mona complained loudly but continued to eat the corn I had scattered in the hope of distracting them. There have been a few feathers flying and much squawking but now there is a stand off with the two groups in their separate corners. So far so good ...I think

Update: The younger hens stayed out and explored their new area for most of the day. There was very little scrapping, each camp preferring to keep apart. They were instinctively more nervous of what flew overhead than Mona and the gang complaining of their presence.Tonight each group went to bed in their own homes...I think I will continue with this arrangement for the time being.

Seed Diary update

The weekly seed diary update is simply for us to keep track of the seeds we have planted and how they have fared and I am sure of no interest to anyone else..so please bear with me.













The broad beans are growing well, we started to harden them off over the weekend and will plant them out soon.

In the greenhouse:

The sweetpeas are beginning to look less straggly now more leaves are developing, although
not all the seeds germinated - I am sowing more today.



















The radishes are looking sturdy and I have sown a second pot to follow on. The lettuces are also coming along fine.
































The Shirley tomatoes are slow and look as if though they have been affected by the colder
nights as they still only have their seed leaves - the ones in the dining room are beginning to develop the second true leaves. The sweet peppers in the dining room are also growing well.

At the weekend I sowed some Marshalls Spring onions - White Lisbon to grown on in pots.

In the Veg Plot:

At the weekend we started planting up the veg plot.
All Marshall seeds.
Turnip - Aramis: Carrot - Amsterdam Forcing 3: Parsnip - Cobham improved marrow: Radish - Trial pack yellow: Lettuce - Tom Thumb, Dazzle & Little Gem: Parsley Moss Curled 2 : and I thought Beetroot ( but can't find the packet )

The ladder & wood is to keep the cats off the garden .. works really well (not) although she did stick to walking on the wood not the garden,

Also shallots and 2 crowns of rhubarb.

A Days Gardening

Today has been beautiful, really warm. We spent the day, after the usual livestock duties, gardening. It made a nice change from 'doing' things to the house or for the livestock. We carted yet more bags of compost from the yard to the garden, planted seeds both in the greenhouse and directly into the veg. patch. weeded, cut back, planted out, moved plants, fixed baskets/troughs to the shed for the hanging tomatoes and had a general tidy up after all the trench digging last week. Built a few more feet of the stone wall and planned a head. It was good, now I ache. I couldn't help thinking of the post Colour it green wrote a few days ago about exercise....I have stretched, bent, lifted, carried, dug and walked up and down the steps and slope of the garden dozens of times... but no I don't 'exercise' !

Paying their way.

When we first decided to keep livestock we both agreed that they would have to pay their way. Not necessarily make a profit, that would be asking a lot but to cover their costs in either food or usefulness and as we have very little land we wouldn't be able to carry any that didn't.

So three years on this Easter how are we doing ?

Pigs: They have done extremely well. We buy them in as 8 week weaners and keep them for 4 - 5 months. In that time they dig over the ground ready for re seeding, reason 1. They provide, at the end of their time, fantastic meat both for ourselves and for family & friends. Much of which I swap for produce we don't grow ourselves, also from one friend scallops, lobsters and crabs, from another all veterinary requirements, reason 2. They also provide an added bonus..they are such good company, fun and entertaining and a pleasure to look after. I could possibly sell their meat if I was looking for further income from them but at the moment we are happy with the way it works.

Turkeys: They too have been successful. Last year was our first year. We bought four 7 week poults. They too were no problem to look after and also great fun. The time we had them fitted in well with the rest of the livestock. The killing and plucking was easier than anticipated, in fact strangely it turned into quite a pre Christmas family event with three generations mucking in together and ending with an outdoor picnic of mince pies, sausage rolls and home produced cider. In fact the turkeys were so successful we are planning to hatch our own this year and keep a breeding trio for the following year.

Sheep: OK.We started off Easter 2006 with four cade lambs.The idea was to make use of an acre of land that had pretty much been neglected for the past ten years.The lambs did well, 2 went back to their owners, one a male we had for the freezer and the ewe lamb we kept to breed from. We bought a second to keep her company. Last year both ewes produced twins which we grew on for meat, again sharing & swapping between family and friends. This year I lost one of the ewes to liver fluke, the other is due to lamb in three weeks. They do pay their way both in meat and in keeping the grass down. I am sure we could make better use of their fleeces and skins but haven't yet done so.

Geese: Now we come to a different story.Mostly, no definitely my fault and inexperience. We have seven, two pairs and three of last years goslings. The goslings were due to be culled at Christmas but due to family circumstances it didn't happen.We don't have enough grazing for that many geese and the sheep. The two pairs live separately which isn't ideal as we can't rotate their grazing so easily. Breeding hasn't been very successful so as yet I haven't sold any goslings or hatching eggs and until this year we didn't eat their eggs. So we have pretty much been carrying them, but I do think now I have got it sorted. A friend is interested in the 'paddock geese', which will just leave me with the three in the orchard, a nice family group. I will then be able to move them around to follow on from the sheep. Also the goose lays and broods well. This year she has built a nest, in the house !! and at present has four eggs so fingers crossed for a more successful year! and their presence does seem to deter strangers.

Chickens: Yes well, this is where I fall down completely ! After months of planning etc I bought 4 geriatric hens from an elderly gentleman. Not in the plan! but they came with a fantastic hen house and all necessary equipment for a silly price. So I guess they have paid their way so far. However they have laid very few eggs and are now unwell, I am not sure if it is old age or an illness, so I can't buy in anymore until I'm sure. Also we now have the unenviable task of deciding if they are going to improve or if we should call it a day...and I have grown very fond of them.

General Chat

After spending yesterday ridding the house of mud and wet washing and then looking after a friend's four children I have been spending today, in between the usual daily livestock and household chores doing ' nice ' things.

So far I have sorted out the house plants and re potted the aloe vera, sown some marigold, sunflower and nasturtium seeds, planted out the strawberry plants, spent time with the hens, watched the sheep and lambs in the field in front of the house, also the egret in the stream at the bottom of the field and the blue tits popping in and out of the nest box on the house wall.

I know all the flower seeds can be planted directly into the ground but I thought I would try giving them a head start and hopefully they will be able to withstand the slugs a little better....I did say hopefully. The marigold and nasturtiums are part of my companion planting trial. Tagettes are suppose to be better but I have a dislike for them, too Parks & Garden. Sunflowers I just like.

This year I have planted the strawberry plants into a container. Later in the year I will take runners and next year the front garden should be ready for a strawberry bed.

Today the rhubarb crowns arrived, they can go straight into the ground.Things are beginning to take shape.The Ildi tomato seeds have germinated since being brought into the warmth, although I am still waiting for the sweet peppers to shoot. The radishes seem to grow as you watch them and the mixed lettuce are coming along nicely.

The hens aren't such good news. Spalsh is almost back to her normal self. She never showed any of the usual symptoms of a poorly hen i.e hunched up, eyes closed or sneezing, discharge or trouble breathing. I do think her heart is just failing. Her comb still has a purple tint and she is slow and deliberate in her movements, but is eating, drinking and scratching around as all hens do.
Peggy on the other hand is hunched up with eyes closed. I have picked her up,checked her over, no discharge, no smell from her nostrils, no rattling, no sign of being egg bound. I just don't know. I think they are just old and maybe this winter has been just too long, too cold and too wet for them.
The two new ones ,which we have kept separate, TOUCH WOOD, are fine.

I think now I will move the primroses and miniature daffodils from the front onto the hedge bank, not the ideal time to move them but the front is being dug over ready for the fruit bushes and trees.

Mud

I swear there is more mud inside my house than out !! All last week and today they, husband etc. have been working on the outside of the house, digging trenches, rendering, building a stone wall and so on, today laying slabs outside of the greenhouse and putting gravel down the path. I really do appreciate it but the MUD !!

I'm not house proud but when the mud is in lumps and you can hear it rattling up the cleaner and the windows are so covered in stone dust from the stone saw that you can't see out ....it doesn't help that I am feeling lousy.

Also the utility room and dining room are full of wet sleeping bags, rucksacks, clothes and walking boots hopefully drying out. Both sons help lead the school's Ten Tors training weekends and this weekend was wet !

Moan over. I'll go and do something productive now.

Seed Diary round up

Broad Beans: Sown the 14 th February, in cold greenhouse.

Photo above: 1 March 09 (1 week) Photo below: 8 March 09 (2 weeks)






























All but one of the beans have germinated and the plants are looking strong ( better than in photo) Hopefully next weekend they can be planted out.

Sweetpeas: Sown 14th Februaury in the dining room.Germinated after 5 days - Straggly, moved to cold greenhouse. Still straggly germination sporadic.Will sow some more seeds soon.




































Photos: Above 1st March. Below 8th March.



Tomatoes: Ildi - Sown 23 February in cold greenhouse,have failed to germinate.Brought them into the warmth 8 March if not germinated by the end of the week will start again.

Shirley - Sown 1st March in the dining room.Germinated 7th March moved to greenhouse.Looking straggly.











Peppers: Sown 1st March in the dining room. I think they are just beginning to germinate.

Radish: Sown 2nd March in cold greenhouse, yet to germinate ( old seeds)

Lettuce: Baby leaf Salad mix. Sown 2nd March in cold greenhouse, germinating.

Bought yesterday 8th March: Strawberry plants: 3 Cambridge Favourite and 2 Honeoye

A Day Out

Today we had a day off from the usual 'must get things done' weekend. After the daily morning livestock duties we dropped the dog off at a friends and went to the Newton Abbot poultry auction. I have never been before, it was good. It wasn't the rare breeds one I thought it was, just the usual once a fortnight one. The rare breeds one is on the 28th March, I think we will go to that one too.

I was good, didn't buy anything. I hadn't intended to ( unless of course there was something special there.) it was just to see how it all worked, what condition the stock were in and the prices they made. It was interesting to see that there were also hatching eggs for sale. Worth taking a chance on for the price they were selling at I thought.

Splash update

Just after writing the blog on Spalsh yesterday, I popped out to see how she was.She was out having a little potter around and in the evening went to roost along with the others, in her usual place. So she is still with us. This morning she came out the same time as the others and is wandering around keeping up with the group, but is quiet and not eating or scratching around. Not sure what to do for the best now, if she was stressed I wouldn't hesitate to take her to the vet or put her down. Another day of chicken watching I think and tonight I must make a decision.

Splash

Splash is dying, she's not ill, just reached the end of her life. Yesterday she was a picture of health, eating, drinking, scratching around and squabbling amongst the others for the earthworms we threw into the run. This morning she didn't come out of the house first thing but as it was a little earlier than normal I left her until I came back from seeing to the sheep and geese. She was still in there when I returned, her comb had a purple tint to it and her breathing was laboured. She's not hunched up, her eyes aren't closing, there's no sign of mucus in her eyes or nostrils. I think her heart is just failing. For now she is in the nest box and isn't showing any kind of stress.Tonight if she is still with us I think we will 'do the decent thing' as I don't believe she would benefit from any veterinary treatment.

When we got her the gentleman who owned them said he thought they were about 5, we have had them for 6 months. I wasn't expecting to have them for much longer. Sad all the same.

For Colour it green

Our Berkshires on arrival from Sue's. March 2007

Photo above L - R : Sage, Onion (renamed Taz as she looked like the Tazmanian devil ) & Apple




Photo above: Apple ( the smallest ) a couple of months later

The Forecasters were right

The forecasters were right, today is wet and windy. All work on the front extension has stopped. It isn't a good idea to render walls in the rain. If it is only showers we can continue to dig the trench for the water pipes .. which will result in mud everywhere ...again !

As I am stuck inside I am 'researching' the possibilities of different ideas we discussed on Sunday whilst shovelling s***/ turning the compost heaps.

The conversation started by deciding where we would run this year's batch of weaners.From there it developed into what would be our ideal set up.....sticking with the land we have. We both love pigs, my husband especially.

His ideal would be just to keep pigs - two or three breeding sows, then sell on the weaners.

This could be possible.

1: I would have thought there was a ready market locally for weaners,especially rare breeds. I know we have had trouble sourcing stock.

2: If we gave up the other livestock we would have enough space to grow on any weaners that didn't sell and if we had too many porkers for our own use I am sure we would be able to sell the meat, failing all else we could sell to the butcher. They were keen to buy our last pigs. (quite a compliment but we wanted the meat for ourselves.)

3: I would be happy to learn to do the AI ( I do all the injections etc. necessary already ) and have a 'vet friend' to show me how.

4: I have bred pigs before.


The drawbacks...

1: Giving up the other animals.

2: Pigs aren't so neighbour friendly.People have the idea they are smelly, noisy, dirty things. None of which are true.They do have a distinctive smell but like all animals if kept well and not overstocked they are fine.

3: It is not so easy to find people happy to look after pigs if we need to go away. Then again our children are quite prepared to 'do' the pigs.

4: Quite a large initial investment i.e housing, fencing, sows. etc.

5: High feed costs.

I don't know ...tempted.

My ideal (as well as the pigs but both wouldn't be possible) breeding and selling poultry.

The drawbacks.

1: I am the only one really interested in poultry so 'helping hands' are less readily available.

2: We would need to do a lot of fencing and build more houses. Time consuming.

3: Cockerels aren't neighbour friendly

4: The land we own is a distance from our house, hens need more regular daily care.

5: Security would be more of an issue.

I don't seem to have any possibles... there must be some other than I would like to !!

We both seem to agree that although Annie is lovely and her lambs tasty and sheep aren't really too much trouble to care for neither of us would want to increase the sheep side of our livestock.

We will probably just potter along sticking with the status quo !!

Seed Diary Update.

It has been just over 2 weeks (16 days) since I planted the first seed of this year.

The sweet peas are showing their second pair of true leaves and are looking a little less straggly after their somewhat neglected start...well the packet said germination 7 - 21 days not 5 !! Some later ones are still coming through, so a little sporadic, most likely due to the huge day/night temperature variation in the greenhouse.

The broad beans are beginning to break through the soil and it looks as if though most will germinate.

I have three different kinds of tomato sown so far. One I left in the greenhouse and the other two in the warmth of the dining room. It will be interesting to see which fairs better.

Today I planted Gardenline - Radish French Breakfast a free out of date packet of seeds, so no idea how they will do.I just thought I'd give a few ago in a pot in the greenhouse. Also Marshasll's Baby leaf - Salad mix. Again to grow on in a pot in the greenhouse.

Today we also put our main crop - Maris Piper potatoes to chit. Our first and second earlies are coming along nice and steady.

After a lovely weekend we woke to quite a sharp frost and tomorrow's forecast is for heavy rain and gales, a timely reminder that it is still early in the gardening calender.

The weekend's work

The 1 st of March already !!

The weekend has been beautiful and we have managed to get a fair amount of work done, although not as much as we hoped /planned to do. ( Never do ! )

Saturday: We worked hard all day and by the evening all I was fit for was a quick, easy tea, bath and an early night.

The weekend always starts with the usual clean out /tidy up of all the animals.After that it was a day of cutting back and pruning. We started with my mother in law's garden, she died just before Christmas and there is much sorting out to do both to the house and garden. We cut the hedge bordering the pavement, it is quite neglected and could really do with a hard prune, but we just trimmed, removed the dead wood and as much ivy as possible without creating too many holes.We then tackled the brambles along the church side and cut down an old Laxton apple tree and sorted the wood into logs and sticks for next year. I never like cutting down trees, but it was diseased and in an awkward place.

Next we finished pruning the old Bramley.We probably won't get much fruit from it this year but it does look so much better for it.

At home we (husband) added more compost to the veg. patch and worked it in.

Sunday: Today has been a little easier going. First the animals sorted and then we took the bags of brambles and clippings to the tip. More raking of the garden, more compost. I topped the grass in the hen's run and moved the houses and runs around. Planted more seeds...Marshall's - Greenhouse Tomato - Shirley and Marshall's Sweet Pepper - Carnival Mix.

My husband made an emergency pond for the Orchard geese ( long story involving the electricity board and resulting in one damaged paddling pool) out of a cut down cold water tank. It works a treat.

Then yet more compost!! Digging out the good and bucketing up for bringing home, turning and mixing the rest and returning it to the bins ( old pallets tied together.) and the usual cutting, bagging up of wood for the woodburner.

and all in the sunshine too !!