Friday 8 August 2014

More Wild Life Problems and more pleasant things

Hello All
A warm Derbyshire welcome to Knittynutter and Leisha on Blog lovin
   Here I am again, after another week of not blogging. Though I have been reading other folk's blogs.
 I had a post sort of organised in my mind for today. Then this morning I went to feed the chickens and found that we had had another visit from the fox !! He had managed to move a slat in the orchard fence and squeeze  through. He had had to eat the birds in the orchard as the gap was so small that he couldn't get them out, So four hens and two chicks slaughtered, After going back in for a cup of tea and a little sniffle. I went out into the paddock with my daughter's dog, who is  currently on holiday with us, in time to see  a fully grown rabbit coming out of the paddock garden. More peas gone I suppose. I sat on a bench to "looker" the sheep. I noticed that Adam was rubbing against a wall... You guessed it ...Fly strike!!! So today has been about firming up fences and tending to Adam ( fortunately we have caught it early)
 Our honey and tomato sales have been pretty good this week, which is good. We have made enough money to buy the Apisan we need to treat the bees over winter for the dreadful varroa mite that causes them distress and death.
 We have had many courgettes, windfall and misshapen tomatoes... time for a chutney !!!! That's the first few jars down for the winter. woo hoo. Anybody else making chutney ?
  Our eldest granddaughter has not been at work this week and has spent a couple of days with me, cooking and sewing. As the blackberries are so prolific and there are many windfalls on the lawn, she has made smooth apple and blackberry jam. These jars are the first items she has made towards the hampers she makes for Christmas presents. We had a go at pineapple jam too as pineapples are so cheap at the moment. So far we have struggled to get a set that we are happy with so we will re-boil it this weekend.
As for the sewing. her partner "tidied" (put in the bin) away the pattern instructions and a couple of pattern pieces! So I've been helping her to cobble something together to make sense of what she has. We made great inroads today and she is feeling as though progress has been made.

 On two sides of our house and across the front of the barn we have a couple of beautiful wisteria. They flower just as the leaves are bursting and are magnificent. Later in the year we have a second bloom which is a generous term for a few little blooms among the heavily leaved branches. Here is a picture of the end of the house early in the year. The other plants are climbing roses, not in bloom yet.
Here is the front of the house last week, with the wisteria (sorry about the apple tree in the way) in its' second bloom.
And a close up of a bedroom window.. Look at those blooms. The best second bloom we have ever had.

When it has finished flowering we will cut it hard back, to ensure blooms next year. (and to let light into the room!)

  I have just re-read this and it really is  a random post even for me!
  Oh well.. To bed...
 Gillx


13 comments:

  1. I always used to make chutneys, but often they'd remain half-eaten. If I could make an EXACT copy of Branston I might start again, but I think that's best left to Mr Branston (my favourite chutney/pickle).

    I've cut my wisteria back 3 times already this year, and it's still growing all over the roof.... maybe this afternoon!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. We usually cut our back twice. As soon as it has finished this second flower it will get its second cut.
      Chutney is one of those preserves we eat a lot of. Turns left over meat and scraps of cheese into a treat. (I also often throw it into a curry)

      Delete
    2. I'm the same I love chutney but there's always a place in my heart for branston. We always have a few jars here - although my medlar chutney is a real winner and I'd happily have that as much as I have branston. I don;t like plants like wisteria that can cause havoc with buildings - I've had to fix too many roofs where things like that have caused leaks and then serious damage. they look nice though...

      Delete
  2. Hopefully thats your 3 bad lucks over with now, fox visits is something I dread, I lay in bed in the morning listening for the first cock a doodle do's then I know everything is alright for another day.
    I have not started any jams or chutneys and was only thinking last night I should have asked hubby to bring up the boxes of jars that are still in the storage unit, instead I let him fill his pick up with wood, never mind there is always next week.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. There's always a more pressing job isn't there? As the veggies have started coming in I get frantic (obsessive) trying not to waste anything. I was trying to pick plums yesterday before the rain came, until D. reminded me that we had a couple more hives to harvest before the rain came!

      Delete
  3. Mr Fox has certainly had it in for your chickens this year, lets hope thats the end of it! No chutneys or jams made here yet! We are still eating blackberry jelly and apple jelly from last year and the apple tree is loaded again. We onky have a small greenhouse and 3 raised beds but we are eating plenty tomatoes cucumber lettuce and french beans just now.

    Our wisteria has gone berserk this year and hubby is trimming the wippy bits back every couple of weeks. Yours looks fabulous!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Wisteria does take a bit of looking after doesn't it. But deffo worth the effort. People stop to admire and take pleasure from ours as they pass.
      I still have a lot of jams left from last year so I will have a go at selling some of this years form the door I think. We always use up the chutney though.

      Delete
  4. Really bad news about the fox attack and Fly strike is the most horrible thing. One year when we were short of grass we took the ram to a field a couple of miles away, the people were going to keep an eye on him but had never had sheep before, yep you guessed , bad fly strike and we lost him.
    You Wisteria looks brilliant

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. People underestimate the importance of REALLY looking at the sheep. At least twice a day I take time to "Looker" (sit in the paddock with a cup of tea) and get to know when things don't seem right. How awful for your poor ram.

      Delete
  5. I rather like the sound of pineapple jam -if you achieve a set, please let us know the recipe.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Going to a have go today as soon as we finish processing the latest honey crop. It smells really nice, but in constancy is more like a syrup with bits in than a jam. I am sure we are nearly there!.

      Delete
  6. sorry about the Fox. sounds like a bad time. Pineapple jam sounds intresting. I am watching a Elder tree so I get to the berries before the birds, so I can make jelly. And need a blackberry pick up the hill behind us.I love making Jams and Chutney.

    ReplyDelete
  7. There are lots of elderberries about this year aren't there?. At least up the hill is away from the road and the berries are of good quality. I love preserving too. A very satisfying pastime.

    ReplyDelete