A bit of charity.

My twin sister is raising money for a very worthy cause. She's going to Nepal to walk across the Himalayas to raise money for the Alzheimers society. She's doing so very well, she's almost raised £3000 so far.

A bit of progress.

Well. The last of my potatoes are up, it was actually less then the first lot but I'm pretty pleased with the overall amount. Especially as the haulms died down so early.
The broad beans Aquadulce Claudia have gone into the potato bed now. I must buy more, I've run out now.
The spiders this year are nuts, they are everywhere! I watched the chickens eat one this morning that had attached itself to their water bucket in the two minutes I'd been filling it. I also watched the Puppy walk straight into a massive web, with the massive spider still attached. it ended up on her face. She ended up punching herself in the face.

Talking of spiders.

I dropped my mobile phone down behind the sofa last night and when I was trying to retrieve it, armed with an old axe handle, I moved the sofa back after much effort and out jumped a spider that was as big or bigger than my palm! I almost soiled myself I can tell you. And no I didn't kill it. I don't kill spiders. Its still out there somewhere... Waiting.  

quick update.

I've only got time for a short post today as I'm at work soon.
My Garlic from the garlic farm finally arrived yesterday to much excitement from me. :) Its quite funny to he honest. The post lady has been delivering lots of parcels for my OH and I said Why on earth does he keep ordering all of this stuff, to her before she left. About 2 minutes later she turns up saying I knew I had something else for you and it was for ME! :)  My garlic. four bulbs of two different types. A hard neck and a soft neck.

If the nice weather finally coincides with my time off work I will dig up the rest of the potatoes, sow the broad beans in the bed and then take a look at the new garlic bed. Its going to be a few weeks before I plant the garlic I think. I need to wait for the pumpkin and sweetcorn to ripen or die off before I will clear the bed of this years stuff.

Stuck at home.

Runner bean, carrot and quorn sausage toad in the hole. It was pretty incredible to be honest. Just that with gravy.

The puppy really, really likes these dog chews. Might have something to do with their size. They're called 'pudding sticks' for some insane reason. 

I'm stuck at home waiting for a delivery to arrive and I'm going stir crazy. I'd normally be taking the dogs on their second walk by now but I can't, so I've been trying to keep busy cleaning the kitchen, bathroom, cleaning all of the chicken pots and topping up their bedding. 

I would be doing stuff in the greenhouse but I can't get in it. Its covered in loads of the biggest, fattest spiders I've ever seen in my life. And their webs are all at face height. I've tried removing them with the handle of the rake and hopefully I've got them all, but I'm all spidered out for the time being, so I don't want to go back in.

In fact I've just thought of something I could be doing. Cleaning the chick brooder.

Chuffed. :)

I walked to Wilkos today. At first I was disappointed as they had removed all of the gardening stuff to replace it all with Halloween and domdomdom... Christmas stuff. But I found all of the remaining plant and flower seeds for half price AND buy three for two!!! I bought seven packets for £2.50 :D :D :D

I bought kale, French climbing beans, dwarf sunflower, chard, Rudbeckia, cress (for growing inside) and I think I bought some sweet peas. Can't remember and I'm not going to look. :p Very pleased about all of that for £2.50.

Mucking about with the camera.

mayan gold potatoes.

This is about 40% of this years potatoes. I'm not too unhappy with it. The leaves died back really early this year so I am actually quite pleased. Its a five feet by five feet raised bed so its not a lot of space. I'll be putting broad beans in the ground as soon as I've removed the tatoes. The beans should be out in time for the squash to go in the ground in June next year. Look how organised I am :)

Trouble today at seven months old.

She's definitely taking after her mum, the collie side.

This is a very nice bread I made yesterday. a mixture of light and dark flour 

Look at that crumb. It tastes really good. :D 

I'm in the mood to make a pudding. I just need to decide which one. I'm thinking a boiled syrup pudding.  

Monday.

We have our new chicken coop up and running now.

Its been in use for about four days and despite a few teething troubles with the gangway, the chickens love it. They have loads of space and its way more cosy than the old coop.
Happily the old coop found a new home, housing our next door neighbours guinea pigs.  :D

Trouble seems to have stopped growing now, I'm not sure if she's reached her full height yet but at seven months old she can't be too far off. She's a little bit obsessed with our chicks at the minute. We've been keeping the chicks in our small original coop during the warmer parts of the day just until they're used to/old enough to be outside. Trouble will lie next to their run all afternoon if I let her.
I've discovered that two forty minute walks per day and a day full of chicken guarding is what is called for to get her to sleep at night.

Today has been an exhausting one for me.
I've walked the dogs twice, walked into town, picked up six Kilos of chicken feed, dog flea stuff, wormer and baking essentials, (including chocolate) walked back. By God it nearly killed me.
Deep cleaned the big chicken coop ready for the lady next door to have it. Made soup with home grown patty pan (not mine- a guerilla gardeners) carrot, runner beans and shop bought squash. I cleaned out the incubator ready for some eggs that I thought would arrive today, but instead I got a call from the lady who I ordered them from saying that she was unable to get the eggs I wanted. :'( Never mind though. I'll be getting three Dutch Hamburg eggs (so cute) and three frizzled bantams instead of the two frizzled bantams, two Dutch Hamburgs, one Lemon pencilled Friesian and a Speckledy.
Now in all honesty I didn't need to have the speckledy. I wasn't that fussed about the speckledy, but I really, really wanted the Friesian. Never-mind though. I can get some when we've moved house and gained a bigger garden, or when I've got an allotment.
I prepared a slow cooker meal requested by my OH, flea'd the dogs, moved the chicks and their paraphernalia out of the house, and then in again, cleaned their paraphernalia too, and moved the big coop next door.

I will sleep well tonight.