Weeds / Carrots / Nestboxes - The Accidental Smallholder

Posted: Monday 17 January, 2022

by Rosemary at 10:19am in Smallholding Comments closed

Monday 10^th January

Why does it feel colder when it’s dull, even though it’s not?

Tuesday 11^th January

Had to shut Tom in the office tonight, to starve him for his vet visit tomorrow. Not a happy cat.

We should have been husky sledding today but the ground is too hard. Took Smokey out for a walk instead.

Wednesday 12^th January

It’s been a day of beautiful sunrises and sunsets.

Sunset.

Tom’s at the vet today having some dental work done. He has two impacted roots to be removed and he’s to have a scale and polish. His bloods show normal liver and kidney function, which is good. He’s to go back next week for a check up.

Grey’s getting much more relaxed with his daily scratch. Buster is getting a wee bit more relaxed – it all takes time and patience. Buster's growing apace. He's catching up with Bronte, even though she's five months older than him.

Buster.

Diesel popped up in my Facebook memories today, when I had shared a photo of him a couple of years ago, relaxing on top of the mugs and teabags in the pantry. In my comment, I said he was weird.  He’s still weird. He’s taken to sleeping in a box of Lego. That cannot be comfortable.

Weird cat Diesel.

Thursday 13^th January

Dan cleaned out all the nest boxes, ready for spring. All except one had an old nest in it and the empty one had clearly been used for roosting. This is good news – means they are all in places the birds like. He dusted them with DE before replacing them – kill any critturs, hopefully. One box has been hammered by woodpeckers making the entrance bigger – they’d worked hard enough on it to take it off the tree. Never had this before.

Dan dealing with the nestboxes.

He also took down the red tops. Yeuch!

My new lick holders arrived. Some post Christmas retail therapy.

New lickholders.

I did some work on our cattle website, so that I can put Buster on it when we come to sell him.

Friday 14^th January

I hate pruning roses – I love roses, but can someone not breed spineless ones?

Saturday 15^th January

Very cold and raw this morning, but it warmed up into a really mild, if cloudy, afternoon.

Dan brought me tea and toast in bed, which was lovely – and seemed to re-energise me.

I’ve swept and washed the outside toilet floor; turned out the plant room, vacuumed it and put all the footwear, jackets, gloves and hats back tidily (having removed the stuff that’s worn out or never worn); finished tidying up the potting shed; planted out raspberries (Joan J) that have been heeled in for a few months (all look like they are coming away, which is great);  and weeded one bed in the vegetable garden (pulling the last of the carrots).

Tidy potting shed. For now.

The last of the carrots.

I have some brassicas I can’t name; my biodegradable labels have biodegraded a bit too quickly.

Still haven’t pruned the blackcurrants though

Dan has been equally busy; he’s been to the skip, made a cover for a compost bin then came into the veg garden with me and did some weeding, hoeing and Remin-ing. He also took photos of the cattle this morning for the Rosedean Shetlands website.

New lid for the compost bin.

Big plans for tomorrow – better have double toast.

Sunday 16^th January

Glorious day! I did some more weeding in the veg garden. On my Facebook memories, last year, we were underwater. So very grateful. The poor locked down hens liked the weeds.

A treat of weeds. Win-win.

Dan and Andy cut and split more wood. We saw a bee!

We’ve started watching “The Great British Sewing Bee”. We’re on to Series Two now. Really enjoying it but not feeling inspired to buy a sewing machine. I think you have to be far more interested in clothes than I am to make it worthwhile.

All our cats were gathered in the garden. Very unusual. Bit scary. Are they plotting? Spymaster Bryn listens in with his 'normous lugs

Cat convention.