Bronte / Leeks / New pen - The Accidental Smallholder

Posted: Monday 20 May, 2024

by Rosemary at 9:33am in Smallholding No comments Add your own

Monday 13^th May

Jings, we had a fair bit of rain overnight but it turned into a lovely day.

I dug docks out of the vegetable garden paths and we had our first new potatoes out of the polytunnel. I don’t usually plant early potatoes – these just came up from some missed last year. So good, I think I’ll grow some next year.

Caledonian Rose as new potatoes.

Tuesday 14^th May

Our 14^th anniversary here. Didn’t quite turn out as planned. Our car, an 09 plate Mitsubishi Outlander, failed its MOT. The cost of the work required is more than the car is worth so we’ve decided to scrap it. We had planned to at least look at replacing in over the summer – once the cattle are away, we don’t need a towing vehicle. Anyway, our chum, Mike, has a Landy that he’s said we can use if we need to tow meantime, so the Outlander will be away in a couple of days. Now we have to buy a new car – so stressful. Our daughter has a Ford Puma, which we like very much, so we’ll probably try and get one of those.

And I finally planted out the brassicas apart from the purple sprouting. That will go in tomorrow morning, swede sown and covers on. Fingers crossed nobody notices the plants tonight. Jobs are banking up a bit and I’m out on Thursday.

Bit cloudy this morning, sun breaking through making it 15C then rain this afternoon.

Wednesday 15^th May

We’ve had our chum’s dog staying with us since Friday. She’s a lovely lurcher but has always been petrified from our cats; Diesel has chased her a couple of times. This visit, D was completely chilled about her, but Cooper thought she was a new friend. What he thought was “running with” was interpreted by Kiera as “chasing with a view to kill”. Thankfully, he seems to have lost interest.

The timber and weld mesh arrived for the new meat bird pen. That will be Dan’s project for the next few days.

We had a photoshoot here for an arts project. Keira took part but there were no parts for corgis.

Purple sprouting in and swede sown; covers on tomorrow. It’s been lovely today, so watering required this evening.

Thursday 16^th May

Visited the Japanese Garden, Cowden, near Dollar. Stunning, especially in the sunshine. I visited for the first time, must have been 2020 because we had to sit outside. Huge development since then. Well worth a visit if you are in the area. Nice café too.

Friday 17^th May

Dan’s been working on the new pen for the meat birds. Should be finished at the weekend.

Mickey's enjoying the beech.

Mickey browsing beech.

It was so lovely today that we ate dinner outside. Home produced mutton kebabs, tabbouleh and salad. Delicious.

Mutton kebabs.

Saturday 18^th May

Blizzard is now D-6. She’s stopped looking at me with disgust when I shine a torch on her at 1am.

Strange day, weatherwise. Periods of full sun interspersed with threats of haar. The wind got up in the evening and cooled things down a bit.

Dan did all sorts – pen, front garden, strimming edges, cutting grass. Oh, and made pizza for lunch. This retirement nonsense is OK.

Pizza in the garden.

I planted out most of the bedding plants – candytuft and cosmos that I grew from seed, and petunias I bought as plug plants. Finally got the brassicas covered and the leeks potted on. I've potted up 45 of each of two varieties - Zermatt and Neptune.

Type your caption here.

I took some photos from around the garden – they’re at the end.

Sunday 19^th May

Cool and damp at 5.30am. And pretty much overcast all day. The vaccines for sweet itch I got for Smokey don’t seem to have made any difference. Poor boy.

Dan and Andy were doing comfrey this morning so I baked. I’m tired – broken sleep and earl mornings are taking their toll.

Dan's made good progress with the meat bird pen. Shouldbe finished tomorrow. Weighs a tonne. Just as well he's putting wheels on it.

Meat bird pen.

Pen wheels.

Got a couple of photos from Anna; Bronte has shed her horn casings. I have no experience of this. Vet has seen it and it’s managing it with fly control and Stockholm tar. The casings might grow back. Must be so sensitive. Ouch.

Horn casings.

Bare Bronte.

I couldn’t believe my eyes. Cooper and BERTIE. I guess Coop’s just worn him down. Nice to see though. Bertie has simply ignored the kittens. But Cooper IS hard to ignore.

Bertie and Cooper.

And does this count as “No mow May”?

No mow May?

Self seeded fern, allium, geranium and Welsh poppies.

Vinca and self seeded geranium.

Clematis.