Merry Christmas everyone.

I hope everyone has a lovely time tomorrow and the best of luck for the new year. :) 

An Imbolc cake. Updated many times.

Ok, so its a Christmas cake that I didn't have time to make in advance, I had all of the ingredients, but I didn't have the time. So I thought it would be a nice idea to make it now, while I have a day to do it, and time to feed it brandy ready for Imbolc. So far I've got the fruits soaking in brandy, waiting until I've found a big enough cake tin. I know that my dad has one but he is currently in Scotland.

30 minutes later: I've added the flour, salt and spices and it smells amazing. 

2 and a half hours later: And finally, finally! I got the tin from my dads house and it's now in the oven. It went in at 7 pm and its going to come out about 11:30. :/ I hope I haven't over filled the tin.... Or added too much brandy.

I am going to be tired at work tomorrow. 

I would like to thank my other half for cutting out and arranging the grease-proof paper for me, for driving me to my dads and for possibly being the one to remove the cake from the oven when I've passed out from exhaustion.

Ta dah! 

Parsnip. Updated.

I dug up my first parsnip of the year today. Its a big one. :) 

When I was cleaning it up and chopping off the rust I noticed that my parsnip had a little friend. I painstakingly put him on some foliage and popped him in the compost pile.  

I put the pen next to them so that you can see the size of the thing. 

That one parsnip filled the tray completely, and a bit too much to be honest. 

So after putting it in a bigger tray I added olive oil and salt, and I'm going to make parsnip mash and lamb ribs. :) 

                                   
                                       And then I'll start wrapping some Christmas presents.

Update:

I really, really liked this. I added orange juice, plain yogurt and a tiny bit of milk to make the mashed parsnip a little bit more runny. 

I looked out of the window while I was cooking and I saw the most beautiful sunset. The photo doesn't really do it justice, the sky was so, so pink and just beautiful.  

Can't think of a title.

It took me ninety minutes to get home today! NINETY MINUTES TO TRAVEL ABOUT FIVE MILES! Within sight of the house I heard a very loud, sad meow and I ended up helping a young cat climb down out of a tree and when I got through the front door I discovered that a nice lady that I have never met had sent me some mashua tubers in the post for absolutely free. :)

Well, I guess that's one way to deal with cocoa...

But its actually a precaution against the bird flu that is unfortunately floating across Europe.

My girls have all moved into my greenhouse for the next 30 days.

We'll have to carry them into their coop at night but it could be worse, and they seem happy enough.

Cocoa.

We need to trim cocoas wings.

We really need to trim cocoas wings.  

A bit early.

We've decorated our house for Christmas, its a bit earlier than I would have liked, but that's life.

I've bought some really. really cute decorations this year. :D 

Chicken Breakfast.

I made the chickens some porridge with water, scratch, grapes and mineral boost. I also gave them a huge head of spring cabbage but unfortunately my phone ate the picture. Its important to give them nice things when its cold out. They need the extra calories and it cheers them up. 

I made myself some grape porridge too. :)

First really hard frost.

Well I guess I'm safe to start digging up my parsnips now. :) They've finally been flattened. 

I know that my Rudbeckia will probably die now, but I think it looks beautiful frozen.

I've got a doctors appointment today and I'm getting a blood test that I was meant to get weeks ago whilst I'm there, Because of this I'm sitting here unable to drink tea or coffee or have any breakfast.:/ I will also need to walk to the doctors which is all uphill on a massive steep slope without anything in my tummy. 

I also intend to visit the job center and the very nice looking new gym that has just opened to see just how much it would cost to join.

Allotment.

I finally got to go to the allotment today. :D Yey! Bring out the cake, it finally happened!!

Anyway. I was only there for around twenty minutes as I have work today. I cut back some brambles, pulled out some bind-weed, sawed down the Jerusalem artichokes (which had flowered! In the Midlands!) and harvested a load of artichokes, All of them from one plant and I left quite a few behind. I have three other plants that I haven't taken anything from. :)

Trouble came with me and she'd behaved very well. She just lay down in the sun and had a good sunbathe.

I think I'll plant a few Jerusalem artichokes in my backgarden somewhere as the last lot managed to die, but I can't decide exactly where...

Working.

I'm working a lot pretty much until Christmas. I can't say that I've done much on the self sufficiency front in a while. Its not really the time of year. I'm mostly just planning. I'm considering putting a bit of paving down so that I can put some chairs near the plants and put pots around the place. It would also make things nicer for Trouble as she hates the grass and the wet (I know, she's a freak) It would give her more places to lay around and stay dry.

I don't have much time to do much at the minute. I just walk the dogs, try to keep the chickens happy and keep the house ok-ish. Having such limited daylight sucks. :/

A "relaxing" weekend.

Yesterday and today are my days off work and happily they have been dry (so far) Yesterday I ended up taking both dogs on an epic dog walking adventure because I got lost. Now it won't be lost on some of you that Niche should not be going on two hour and forty minute walks at her age. I totally agree, and if I'd done the walk I thought I was doing then it shouldn't have been more than a ninety minute walk. Still a long way but acceptable with rest breaks.

Anyway it also turned out that we had to take Trouble to the vets yesterday. She had gotten hold of a cooked lamb bone and eaten it. The alarm bells started to really go off when she had bloody poo the next morning.
With the help of my boyfriends mum I got to the vets and it took the both of us to hold on to her to stop her launching herself at other dogs. Oh the life of a reactive dog owner. Well anyway, we got the all clear from the vet who had a good feel of her tummy and gave her some doggy rennies to settle her tummy. And that was yesterday.

Today has been quieter. (touchwood) I've done laundry, poo picked the garden, given the chickens a very nice breakfast, planted a lovely cyclamen that was bought for me by my boyfriends brother for my birthday and a lovely Hellebore that was bought for me by my boyfriends mum because I'd embarrassingly enough... Locked myself in my own house. Don't ask.

The chickens breakfast, corn, cucumber, lettuce, savoy cabbage, tomatoes and green peppers with seeds.

The cyclamen right after planting. 

The Hellebore right after planting

The border. Its looking a bit sad now that the frosts have killed off most of the flowers, but it'll be good again in the spring. Look at the lovely Esme enjoying some time out without the dogs because they refused to go out in the cold weather.

Porridge.

I've been going absolutely crazy for porridge lately. Up until today I've been mixing in a big t-spoon of this Chocolate fudge frosting, to make a homemade chocolate ready brek. Today I ran out of the frosting so I made an apple and cinnamon topping, that looked like this.

Both the chocolate and the apple were amazing. The perfect way to start these cold mornings.

This time of year is frustrating.

Its dark by 4:30 now. For me this time of year is a time of waiting, I'm waiting for Christmas and new year to be over.
One:  For the awfulness of Christmas and new year to be over
Two: So that the days are getting longer again.

All I manage to do is get the dogs walked, check on the chickens and maybe to a tiny bit in the garden before its dark. I live in a scary neighborhood so I'm not happy to go out in the dark now. which is saying something because I was out day and night when I lived in Heanor.
Five weeks and four days left until the shortest day.

At least I've paid to play World of Warcraft for the next two months so I'll have something to occupy my time.

R.I.P Orange.

You were a good chicken. :'(

We still have a chicken in our living room.

Orange the chicken was looking a bit perkier yesterday having been filled up with all of her favorite treats. This morning shes sleeping but she seems to be worse to me. It might just be because I dreamt that she died last night. I've wormed her, flea'd her, we bathed her, gave her apple cider vinegar. I've bought some probiotic, seaweed and mineral liquid for her but I ordered it online and I don't see her making it that long.


Whilst I was writing the above, I saw Orange choking. I tipped her upside down to help her dislodge whatever it was but now she's fallen on her side so I'm thinking it was actually her heart. She's still with us but she's very, very weak. I don't think she'll last much longer.

November 2nd.

Ok. So, I don't know if you guys know without looking but I live in south Derbyshire and the usual frost day is any time in October. Well, we didn't get one frost in October. We finally got our first hard frost today. November 2nd. Everything is white and spiky from the frost. I guess I can dig up my parsnips now. :)

You just never know...

whats going to happen... I have a poorly chicken. A really rather poorly chicken indeed. She went off her legs this morning, soon after I'd written this mornings post. She's now sitting in the living room fast asleep. I can't say that I'm hopeful about her survival rate to be honest. :(

To do list.

Well this morning I have been trying to make a dent in the to do list before I have to head off for work at 12. I have done a deep clean of the chicken coop, cleaned out the chicken water, cleaned out the snake water, walked the dogs, done some bank related stuff and cooked my food for my packed lunch and *cough* written to a man selling Brahma chicks about acquiring some. :)

A bit of Halloween decoration.

I just thought it was quite cute, with Esme our black cat, two pumpkins and two little floating ghosts.

 :D

Another beautiful ninety minute dog walk.

Both dogs behaved incredibly well today. :) 

Trouble wants my food.

It certainly is autumn.

I got the dogs walked for an hour and a half before I had to leave for work. The air is so rich and autumnal. 

I love this time of year. You can see just how many leaves had fallen from this tree. It made a carpet!

It felt very odd walking through it. Both of the dogs found it a bit strange too. 

I'd like to say this was troubs after the walk  today but I can't. This was troubs last night. When we got back from the walk an hour before I had to leave the house, I had to bath her. She had coated herself with poo. :/ After that I had to have a shower too, she was that gross. I almost missed my bus. D: 

We had a very busy day.

We knocked down the shed and removed all of the old dustbins and rubbish that the old owner of the house left in the corner. We spent over half an hour digging up panes of glass, We've filled a wheelbarrow to the brim with smashed glass.

we got out everything we could see and re-covered the area with soil and then wood and brick. We aren't taking any chances.

You can see just how much space they have now. :) 

We moved as much of last years compost as we could manage. Six wheelbarrow loads, all of which went onto the borders. We covered about two thirds of the border with two inches of really good compost so I'm quite pleased. :) 

All in all we've had a very productive day.

Breakfast!

I made a really lovely breakfast this morning, it sorted out the weird craving I had, and it used up some of the chicken eggs that we have lots of.

I had a craving for potato this morning. Potato, for breakfast?

I fixed the weird craving by peeling some really thin sweet potato slithers, chopping shallots, yellow peppers and slithers of carrot. I added three eggs, herbs, salt, pepper and a tiny bit of cheese. Behold I had made-uff an omelette. A 475 calorie omelette which is only marginally more calories than a 90 gram bowl of Alpen with a cup of milk.

It was soooo good and MASSIVE!