Snakes.

My lovely Buttery boy.

Yes I know he's fat. I've changed his food to once every ten days instead of once a week to address this... Isn't he lovely! >_< 

Mrs Wiggle has always been shy.

And Bitey Brian is moody as usual. 

Today I made double chocolate

chip cookies with maple syrup. Yes they taste as good as they sound. :D No I can't give you the recipe, because I just threw everything into the bowl without looking... Sorry. 

Leaves!

On the walk to work this morning.

Catch up.

Sorry I haven't posted in a long time. My temporary job ended recently so I've been busy looking for something new. I've also been battling with a chest infection which has slowed me down.

On a lighter note I've made some progress with Bitey Brian who hasn't tried to bite me the last three times I picked him up. Yey!

About a month ago I had to give up my allotment due to time and energy restraints, which means I have taken quite a step back from my self sufficiency goal. But my health comes first... I guess. 

Dogs and drought.

I'm making the effort to get more photos of the dogs together.

Yes, she does have to wear a muzzle, she's very dog aggressive with dogs she hasn't met.

I'm so happy they love each other. It was hit and miss at the start.

Hobbiton.

And the woods. Today really was the most perfect day for a walk. 

Busy morning before the rain hits.

Quick trip to the plot.

I had a quick trip to the allotment today. The boyfriend and I dropped off 250 litres of peat free compost and I weeded the brassica bed before adding the compost.
All of that compost covered only about 40 % of the bed! Thankfully I covered 40% of it last year too so hopefully one more bag of 125 litres should cover up the rest.

I need to make some smaller beds.

Three trips in one week is pretty darn good though. Hopefully I manage to keep it up. I want to make some serious progress with it this year.
 

The garden.

We've had some really sunny days recently and it's causing everything to flower or speed up which is lovely. As you can see I have some serious de-cluttering to do, we're meant to be getting a skip once we have some spare cash. 

It was so hot that I filled this bowl with water for the dogs and cat. I filled a similar one for the chickens too. 

This is the most weedy and in new of attention part of the garden. I'll aim to get around to it at some point soon. 

I planted some broad bean seedlings out here under and around the lilac and red current bush.

And I did some weeding too.

The broad beans look sad as they had been transplanted only thirty minutes before. The two lacecap hydrangeas (good in shade) that I planted are either side of the lilac and should hopefully create a bee haven and background of green and blue. 

The lilac is finally flowering for the first time in four years or more. :D

This is the full price hydrangea that I bought, I am pretty smitten with it. 

This is the reduced hydrangea that I rescued. Hopefully they both do well. 

I have two oriental poppies growing very nicely in the border. They should bring in some lovely bees. 

As you can see (yes clutter) I have enlarged the compost to double the size it was last year. This will allow me to turn it over more easily. 

Dog update.

Its very hard to take good photos of Troubs when we're walking so this is an older pic. I was out with both dogs at 7:30 this morning so that we could avoid the heat. We were still overheated when we got home.

Trouble is now three years old and much more grown up. She is very well behaved in the house and on walks (apart from the dog aggression-that's still there) her coat is very thick and soft and she loves to snuggle with you on the sofa. She is a dog of contradictions as she hates the heat and won't do anything while its hot... But she loves to sunbathe. 

She still takes good care of the chickens (all eight of them) the cat, Niche and her humans. She's the most loving dog I've ever had.

Niche is going to be fourteen in July. She's become unsteady on her legs and grumpy but she still loves her walks and she loves Trouble and her humans. For some reason she has stopped liking the cat, which is sad because the cat adores her. Her hearing is shot and her mind isn't as sharp as it once was but she's still Niche.

Today was glorious

I went to the allotment again this evening. I’m slowly chipping away at it. I strimmed my main paths and some of the more nettle filled paths of my neighbours plot so she isn’t stung.


















 I started to build one of the two low tunnels I intend to make but had to stop when my electric screwdriver ran out of power.












 I did some more weeding and planted half a bed with onions both planted separately and in clumps. I look forward to seeing which do the best.

I also added some onion clumps to gaps in the garlic bed.

I also found time to just sit and listen to the birds and to finalise this years planting plan. I’m doing things slightly different from previous years as I am attempting to plant more things together and more closely spaced. I also hope to fit in more flowers and have more fun with it all.

I hope you all enjoy the sunshine while it lasts.

I've not posted in a while.

I got up early today. I walked the dogs at 5:45 am until 7 am. Then I went to the allotment and I built a cold frame which I've used to cover part of the old strawberry bed that I started to dig up this morning. So far I've removed about half of the strawberries. 

Once I've dried out the soil I will be adding two different kinds of broad beans and maybe some amaranth to the edges of the bed. 

  

I also trimmed the lavender. You can see that I've planted garlic around the small lavenders. I'm trying to grow things together. 

I dug out the few weeds left in the onion and leek bed but sadly the photo I took didn't save to my phone so I can't show you.

At least things are slowly getting sorted now. I just hope that we get some decent weather soon.

New job.

Hello! It's been six weeks now since I lost my job and I start my new job on Monday. I am so happy with the job I found. It's part time again which I NEED. I didn't cope with working full time well at all. The job is actually gardening related. I am so happy to have found this job. :)

I really, really needed the six weeks off work to recover. I feel like my old self again, and my eyes are no longer red raw and painful. The dogs have enjoyed having me back and I've been able to give really close attention to the chickens.

Yellows poorly again, so she's living in the kitchen for the time being. The three bantams aren't cold hardy so during this cold snap they spend the night with Yellow. She seems happy to see them.

I'm looking for a new job again.

Yep, looking for something else. While I have the time though I'm enjoying spending some time with my dogs.

I walked them separately so that they could go at their own pace. I think they had a great time.

An hour and a half with Troubs at full speed.

And 40 minutes with Niche at a much slower pace. 

I even got to spend some time with this monster... Before she bit me.