Christmas and Twixmas - The Accidental Smallholder

Posted: Monday 30 December, 2024

by Rosemary at 1:56pm in Smallholding No comments Add your own

Monday 23rd December

Dottie discovered the laptop screen. She's watching Yukon Wildlife Cams.

Type your caption here.

Tuesday 24^th December

Finally, I made a start on clearing the polytunnel. I knelt on some nettles – my knees were still prickling at bedtime. I’ve weeded round the nettles and will go back with better gloves. And knee protection.

A start on the polytunnel.

Paths round the pavilion completed.

Wednesday 25^th December

Beautiful sunrise.

Sunrise over the front garden.

We spent the afternoon at Linda’s, eating far too much buffet food. I built a Lego car showroom. It’s not fab, but will look better with cars in it.

And an equally lovely sunset.

Thursday 26^th December

Dan and I were chatting about our website, The Accidental Smallholder. We tried to sell it last year but it didn’t happen. I’m concerned that some of the information is no longer up to date; we either need to do some work on it or retire it.

Dan, Linda, Mickey and I spent the day ay Dan’s brother’s. It was good to see the family; Ben’s home on leave.

All Christmas’d out now though and started taking the decorations down when I got home.

Friday 27^th December

Finished taking the decorations down. It’s all felt a bit blah. I think it’s because I / we didn’t put much effort in. If you put in the effort, you get the rewards. Life lesson. We had a delicious Solstice meal but didn't do much else.

Diesel has such a go at poor Dottie this morning. In the pantry. They managed to knock over a jar of piccalilli, and there was lots of fur all over the floor. Don’t know why he’s so mean to her.

I left Dan weeding the last 1/3 of the carrot bed while I had a walk along the front at Arbroath with Lorna and did some shopping. Dan made soup – Lentil & Ham (carrots from the garden) and Broccoli & Stilton (reduced in Tesco)

Four seed catalogues in the post today. I can just about resist chocolate, but a seed catalogue is much harder.

Saturday 28^th December

Before allowing myself to indulge in the seed catalogues, I thought it would be wise to look at what seeds I already have. I have some left over from last year, plus I bought some from Seeds of Scotland and from Real Seeds. And lots and lots of sweet peas from Higgledy Garden. I did find a few missing, and ordered them from Real Seeds.

Dan finished weeding the carrot bed; manured it and covered it with black plastic. I finished clearing the polytunnel. Next job is to clean the inside of the cover – perhaps tomorrow – then weed it properly. SO MUCH ground elder.

Finished. At last.

Dan topped up paths in the front garden with wood chip; he wanted to get the tarpaulin that it was lying on, lifted, before the grass was too damaged. And it’s done; tarp folded and put away. What a hero!

We had a walk up to see the new hedge; just a short stretch still to be mulched.

New hedge in Home.

On the way back, we had a look at the spinney. We have some spare trees from the hedge that can go in there, but there’s still a few to buy.

The ivy that Dan and Murdo ringed on the trees is dying back. Bit sad, but it shoudl help the trees. You can have too much of a good thing.

Ringed ivy dying back.

Sunday 29^th December

Sunny and windy this morning, probably paving the way for whatever storm is coming this way tomorrow and Tuesday. My legs are still tingling from yesterday’s nettle stings.

Found Dot and Cooper on Lorna's bed. Don't think I've ever seen them sleep there.

Dot and Cooper.

Dan played football this morning; I did some reading, cleaned the bathroom and poo picked Near Ditch, to which the ponies will be confined for the next few weeks.

We’re making a list of things to sell; the livestock trailer, the hundreds of bottles for apple juice; the smoker; the meat slicer; the cheese making equipment. All things we’ve enjoyed and made good use of but that are now surplus as we move into the next phase of our lives.