Smallholding
Frost / Weeding / Sitooterie
Sunday 17 November, 2024
Monday 11th November
Dan finished the preparation for the hedging plants and got the first bed planted up yesterday. I think it looks pretty good.
Final bed prepared forhedging.
He and Andy also split and stacked more wood. A session next weekend should see the backlog (pun intended) dealt with. The woodstore looks fair braw.
Beds / Bedding plants / Hedging
Monday 11 November, 2024
Sunday 3rd November
So we got home on yesterday after a lovely week in Gardenstown. The weather was kind – the only rain was on the Friday. It’s just a great wee place – made even better by the advent of a fish and chip van on a Thursday teatime. That was the only time our car turned a wheel between arriving and setting off for home.
Sadly, the pub was closed – it’s changing hands and there was some legal hold up – but Eli’s, the café, was open and just as good as we remembered. Next year, we’ll book a later week so we don’t have the dogs mixed up by the changing of the clocks and so we can go to the village bonfire – which, this year, was the day we left. Although, by the size of it, we thought we might be able to see it from Carnoustie. Apparently, it’s the time for the village annual clear-out of anything that will burn.
Post-Festival / Cake / Holiday
Saturday 26 October, 2024
Monday 21st October
Awake and up at 4.30am. So windy. Still, was able to crack on with the cattle movements and other paperwork for the Festival clear down.
Dottie did NOT like Storm Ashley. When I took their chicken up last night (they’d been put in their room early because we were going out to dinner) at bedtime, I couldn’t see her. She was tucked right at the back of the box with a blanket in, wild eyed. I tried to get her out but she spat at me but I persevered because I couldn’t believe it was the wind making her like that. But she came out and darted into the cat carry box. She didn’t come out this morning, finally appeared at lunchtime once the wind had dropped, went outside for 15 minutes, came in and has slept all afternoon except for a brief waking to eat some chicken, the back in the land of Nod. Poor baby.
Rain / Festival / Ashley
Monday 21 October, 2024
Wednesday 16th October
Heavy rain overnight and through the day, but mild. Dottie has been asleep in her box most of the day, and the boys are through the house. The dogs are outside, but they’re nuts.
No idea where Monday and Tuesday went. Tuesday, Lorna, Linda and I went clothes shopping in Dundee – maybe my brain has shut out the trauma It was fine – got some clothes for Lorna, which was the objective.
The parts for our car are now not going to be in until 22nd October – that’s over two months since the accident. Hope we have it back to go on holiday.
Autumn / Cleaning / Festival
Monday 14 October, 2024
Monday 7th October
There’s been a fair bit of rain overnight. I thought I heard thunder in the very early hours, and heavy rain. Still loads of midges though. And it’s very mild. We need a good hard frost to kill the wee b@ggers.
Mickey is resisting taking his Prascend, wee pest. Need to find another method than apple.
Managed to get out in the vegetable garden for an hour or so. Pulled up the runner bean, spinach and rocket, then weeded the bed. We can get most of it covered now. What long roots rocket has. I was driven indoors by the dreaded midges.
Inverness / Diary / Dawn
Monday 7 October, 2024
So, it’s Thursday and I haven’t written anything in my diary for this week, but here goes.
Monday 30th September
This is easy, because we drove to Newtonmore to visit the Highland Fok Museum – well worth a visit, would recommend. The weather started grey but the cloud broke and we had blue skies and sunshine. Then up to Inverness for a disappointing Indian meal (naan bread out of a packet) and an overnight.
Friends Jeni and Jo were housesitting – a trial run for February, when we go to Gran Canaria.
Cat flap / New planting / Pigeon
Sunday 29 September, 2024
Monday 23rd September
Real autumn feel today; cool, overcast. The trees are starting to change in earnest and the ponies’ coats are thickening up.
Spent three hours at our new Indy Hub, then delivered some leaflets. Festival stuff next. Really need to get a shift on.
Dottie caught a pigeon. Don’t know who was more surprised. I thought she might have peaked with butterflies. Cooper killed it.
Dottie's pigeo, with Cooper.
Bridge / Equinox / Fires
Monday 23 September, 2024
Monday 16th September
Beautiful start to the day and the week, with a good forecast for the week that will end with the Autumn Equinox.
Apart from tidying the garden, the next five weeks will be about the Scottish Smallholder Festival. My last one. Hope to make it a good one.
Dottie found a box to sit it. To watch Dan weeding. It’s perfectly Dottie-sized.
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Dottie's box.
Frost / Harvest / Anniversary
Monday 16 September, 2024
Monday 9th September
Feels very autumnal now; cool this morning, then warm and sunny, fading to cool, pretty breezy and a bit of drizzle just as I took the dogs out this evening for the “Big Sniff”. They’re out most of the day with us or in the garden, but they do like a daunder along to “The Green” where many local dogs are walked, for a sniff. Gwenna does every blade of grass; Bryn’s more a “sniff, pee and go” dog.
Paperwork first thing, then off to Balgove Farm Shop to meet my good friend, Carol, for lunch and a chance to put the world to rights. I may have bored her with my new found love of economics and Richard Murphy.
Jungle / Yarn / Land Justice
Monday 9 September, 2024
Monday 2nd September
Rain overnight and most of the day. I’m less tired from the weekend at our Party Conference than I thought I would be. But since it’s raining, we’re having a restful day and doing some Festival stuff. Dan is knitting his sock entry for the Festival.
Zoom meeting tonight with the Festival livestock Stewards.
Tuesday 3rd September
MUCH nicer today; wet underfoot this morning but broken cloud and warming up nicely as the sun got out. We have so much grass.
