Hello hello!! How was everyone’s weekend?
Monday now done and dusted and got a bit further in the yard clean up.
Not long ago I was whinging about the never ending rain! Look at the ground cracking already!! There has been daily forecasts for rain, but all we get are cloudy skies and wind! But it is warmer! Tonight was the first night we didn’t bother with lighting a fire!!
Yesterday Jeff mowed all the lawns down the back and tidied things up a bit while I looked forlornly at the duck yard garden!!
I took out some of the bigger thistles and weeded the garlic (which is somehow looking great) but will take on board readers advice, slash the lot and cover with cardboard/newspaper and cover with pea straw. The pea straw won’t be available for a while so I might start with some seaweed and maybe grass clippings. I just thought a big bale or two of pea straw would be more time efficient than multiple trips to the beach for seaweed.
As I just mentioned, the garlic looks great! But the plots I noticed very dry when I was weeding them so I put the sprinklers on them for a good soaking.
I baked the chooks a cake!! I had some lard leftover from some cooking so I heated that and mixed in the rolled oats. I also whizzed up a lot of scraps – including some ham, broccoli, bread scraps.
Anticipation was high
And I think I got approval all around!
More pretty things blooming
I think this butternut pumpkin sprout looks like it is singing!
I am excited to see the apple trees are about to blossom!
The cherry plums are getting fatter!
Guess who popped in today!!??
Ruby was down to one egg which was cramping her baking style – so I loaded them up with a dozen and also offloaded some asparagus, rhubarb, parsley and some snow pea seedlings!
We’ll have to go down for a proper cuppa again soon. At the time they dropped in Jeff was halfway to China trying to extract one of the steel droppers
haha – nice undies Jeff!! 😛
Honestly… it took him over an hour to dig down enough to get it up. It went deeper than pictured in the end. We both put our weight behind it to pull it up finally!
Jeff then spent the rest of the afternoon pulling out the bottom section of the old garden fence. Fiddly job with the wire (some salvaged) and the steel droppers although none were as hard work as the one above.
The back is looking better and better!
I decided to keep the two poles. I will run some wire between them and plant some runner beans. The poles are solid – might as well make good use of them where they are.
And what was I doing while Jeff was laboring away?
Digging a trench…
This is the start of the new fence. I needed to get a surface that was reasonably level. Up the top end its a bit deep, but gets less as it moves down. I had the spirit level out to get it mostly even.
The pesty little chooks had a marvellous time!!
Every time I turned my back they were in my trench and kicking dirt back into it in the quest for worms and bugs!
I dug up a lot of ‘treasures’. I am a bit sad we haven’t come across anything really cool – like a tin box with jewellry in it for example.
Got high hopes to cement in the first of the posts tomorrow.
The day was getting on, so we packed up the tools and did a lap around the river track (a shade over an hours hike)
I confess I am really really really sore tonight!! The bending and digging must be responsible…
Should have seen me try to get off the couch after dinner! Hilarious! Very dramatic!
Speaking of dinner – check out these little beauties!! Remember those two potatoes I found back in June and I just popped them in the ground in the hothouse? I dug the entire plants up today.
New potatoes in October!! Heaven!
Anyway, I need to puddle away and get into bed. Apparently I am on chicken wake-up call duty tomorrow.
Have a fabulous day!
Cheers!
It’s always nice to share with family and friends when you have extra. I think that is what gardens (and chickens) are for.
Take care. Love your blog.
I think so too Janet! While I love making a sale, I really enjoy being able to give food away! Glad you are still enjoying the stories 🙂 Thanks for reading!!!
It’s all looking lovely and I’m envious of your Spring blossom and weather- it’s all dark and damp here at the moment. I’m making myself feel better by looking at seed catalogues. (I don’t need any seeds, I just like looking 🙂 Though I may order some seed potatoes as I get a discount through my village garden club.)
Hi Hazel!! In a way I think I really missed out on my dark damp winter. I usually enjoy being a bit lazy!! This year hasn’t stopped! haha I can’t say I am sad though, looking at all the flowers that are bursting out about us! It is lovely!!
Oh – I adore looking at seed catalogues too! Its a little inspiring isn’t it?
Chickens eat meat? I have never had chickens before and thought they only ate vegetables.
Its easy to think they are vegetarians… until you remember how they love gulping down worms and bugs!! 😀 My best mate who has had poultry for years suggested feeding them meat scraps. They love a bit of the fat, bacon rinds etc. All good protein!! And they totally go mad for it! (Still reckon they are half a step away from being little dinosaurs lol)