The Story of a Tunnel

It all started back in June 2009, we started to erect the polytunnel bought from HERE, well I should say Lovely Hubby erected it...... over the course of a weekend all by himself, with just a smidgen of help from Jason and me when it came to pulling the HUGE sheet of polythene across.  Luckily we had chosen a wind free day and all went to plan.

A week later Mum and Dad were on hand to help me build the raised beds and fill them with a mix of soil and compost, no mean feat it took us a couple of days and many, many wheel barrows full.  I snapped into action straight away, although it was relatively late in the season I still got all sorts of yummy food growing.  All our salad stuff was grown in the tunnel and a varied selection of veggies that I was keen to try out in its rampant heat.  There was lots of experimentation going on that year.

In it's second year 2010, I concentrated on tomatoes, courgettes and salad goodies, and started off all the seedlings for the outdoor raised beds, nothing failed.  I stopped popping two seeds in every hole in the seed trays, I got a 99.5% success rates with all my seeds so it saved time to just use one seed per hole.  I treated myself to a wind-up radio and spent so much time planting, weeding, watering and bopping away to music,  the polytunnel was the place to go.

Last year 2011 I was in my element I had mastered most of what I needed to know, solved a few earlier problems, mostly to do with getting the ventilation just right, and got my early crops on the go right at the beginning of January with early cabbages and lots of seeds planted for crops to go into the beds, both inside the tunnel  and outside in the Kitchen Garden.  My cabbages grew enormous and loved the mild atmosphere in the tunnel, being so early in the year there were no moths laying on them and nothing to nibble at them, we ate the lot and that left room for all the seedling that were coming on.

The side of the polytunnel has been used for many things too, the tunnel shelters the area from the westerly winds and catches and bounces back the morning sun, warming the ground and creating an ideal spot for our large Corn crop back in 2010 and then later the same year, just after the corn had been harvested .......

... we put up a fence and the Kune Kune pigs moved into their new des res.  They loved that Mum was just on the other side of the polythene and would watch my progress and would follow me along as I weeded the left hand side of the tunnel, peering expectantly round as I popped out the back door of it with all the weeds and trimmings for their supper.

Last years success story was the Grape Vine, planted at the very beginning while the tunnel was being erected.  It needed its root system planted outside the tunnel to keep them cool and inside the the tunnel the branches grew and grew, for the first two years dying back to just a dead looking twig each Winter, then last year with a vengeance it produced grapes, bunches and bunches of the small juicy fruits, along every runner they dripped in perfect bunches, needing hardly any thinning or care, just being picked regularly, mostly by LH as he worked near the tunnel.  Why come into the house for a snack when you can munch on a carrot, wrap a spring onion in a mix of lettuce leaves, pop a tomato in your mouth and then finish the impromptu meal with half a bunch of juicy grapes.

During 2011 I filled the tunnel with colour in the form of many types of Marigold, both decorative and edible.  These attracted the bees to pollinate all my plants and made my heart sing when I stepped into that mass of colour each day.  Dead heading them regularly meant they lasted right through the long growing season of the tunnel, only finally dying off with the drop in temperatures during November.

Due to circumstances way beyond our control the pigs all had to go during last year and the space by the side of the tunnel was left for nature to reclaim, now looking lush and green once again, this picture was taken in November. 

We were eating from the tunnel right until the last moment, with radish, spring onion, celery and carrots all still growing away, surviving freezingly cold nights and giving us the taste of homegrown.......

....... until the high winds of a week ago. 

I was in Manchester at my Mum and Dads' house ,when I got a phone call from LH to say the winds had done their worst, somehow managing to rip through the polythene and sending half of it sky high, somehow he managed to rope it all down and I came home to find my tunnel in a state of bondage and devastation.  The last few plants had fallen victim to the ensuing frosts, although some of the herbs have been saved and are living in the shed by the window....a poor alternative to their previous home.  Luckily we had boxed up all the little bits, plant pots, seeds trays etc only the week before ready for the move, so they didn't all take off across the fields.

We spent this weekend dismantling the structure, well mostly LH again, using his skills of erecting it but in reverse.  I  used the damaged polythene to cover our raised beds to warm the soil for this years planting, although it won't be by me.   We will be in our new home in the next few weeks, planting in the greenhouse that comes with it, missing dreadfully the space and atmosphere of my polytunnel.

When we reach our forever home in the next few years, the carefully packed away struts and staging will be brought out, new polythene will be ordered and I will be back in action.  Once you've had that amount of indoor growing space you can't do without it for long.

As Arnie said  - I WILL BE BACK !!

Sue xx

Chicken Frosty Mornings

At the moment we having hard frosts each night, the girls in chicken world troop to bed at dusk and huddle together and bring the temperature in the one chicken house in use at the moment up nicely. They stay warm and cosy all night with just their body warmth and the thick layer of bedding and newspaper I put in there, I can always feel the heat radiating from it when I go to close their door at about 5ish.

In the morning I open the door and they peek out, a couple of cockerels (we now have four) run out and make their welcoming noises to the new day, breaking the stillness on the farm with their cockadoodle doos.  The girls stay warm until the lure of the layers pellets and the need for water make a foray into the white icy world a real necessity.  Once out they are happy to peck around trying the frozen grass and look for frozen worms on the top, seemingly a real delicacy, think Magnum White but worm flavoured!

Once the sun appears they follow it round the farm huddling in groups on the patio where it raises the temperature of the paving stones and then luxuriating in its heat in corners everywhere, behind the shed, under the bushes, round corners.  Little clutches of hens enjoying these short, fresh winter days, not a bad life.

Over this weekend we are busy dismantling what's left of the polytunnel, the high winds the other week ripped it in half.   We are using the polythene to cover the raised beds to keep the chickens off for now and packing away the metal struts and raised beds to take with us.  The polytunnel won't be  erected at our next place but will be saved for our forever home, saving us money in years to come.  The raised beds (these are the plastic ones) will be used outside, a quick assembly, easy fix to get me up and planting as soon as possible.

But time for one more coffee and a bowl of porridge before we venture out into this frosty morning I think.

Sue xx

Clearing the decks......

It's been a funny old week, lots of clearing the decks, sorting and cleaning out the cupboards, really sort of a mammoth clearing out and packing session all tied up with a huge spring clean of the kitchen.  The idea behind this is that it should save time when we come to do the actual move if everything is already clean and tidy.  Just a wipe down of the cupboards as we empty them.

All the food that was on the worktop is now comfortably in the cupboards, ready for us to use as much as we can before we move.

The things that were in the cupboards are now all sorted,  excess items either put in the car boot sale box or packed away if we are keeping them, and we are getting rid of anything that we don't use, pretty ruthlessly.

The deep fat fryer is put away, this should be more useful when we move, much cheaper to use this than it is to warm the oven just for a few chips, we don't eat them that often so a few homemade chips is a real treat.

In it's place for now is my food mixer/processor/liquidiser, it's many component parts are now in the cupboard beneath the worktop much handier than it used to be.

All these cupboards now just hold our day to day pans, all things like pasta making machines, duplicate pans and griddles are packed away, we will put all these back to use after the move, in the meantime we will manage with the bare minimum.  

You may notice the dog bed has changed, Suky started off with a neat little shoe box, she is now twice the size so it was getting to be a tight fit, she let me know this by eating it !!  She now has Rosy's old, least favourite bed which she loves, although she loves to flip it over and lie underneath when she's in playful mode and I have to keep righting it when she wants a sleep.

Who me....eat a bed....as if !

I just have the cupboard under the sink to do now and as this is mostly full of cleaning things I will sort through them and get us a cleaning kit together to take with us on 3rd February, which is the day we get the keys and the place is officially ours.  Exciting stuff.

Off to clear a few more decks......

Sue xx

Condensing the packing ....... in a totally yummy way!!

Yesterday while clearing out the kitchen cupboards (yes.....I'm still doing it,. but notice on this photo the now cleared worktop) I came across one and a half bottles of Brandy, just the cheapo stuff nothing to get too excited about, then I found some empty bottles, remembering that I had two 2kg bags of our very own Damsons lurking somewhere in the depths of the big chest freezer, some sugar in the cupboard and empty jam jars rinsed out after making the cakes last week I suddenly had a brainwave.

Why pack all these things up individually when I can condense them all into just the bottles and jars, so this morning, once the Damsons have thawed out they will be left to steep in the brandy in my trusty big plastic containers and then bottled up as Damson Brandy the week we move, the Damsons left over from this will be turned into Damson Brandy Jam a slight variation on Lovely Hubby favourite ever jam Damson Gin Jam. Although I will have to make this in pretty small batches as I've packed away the jam pans!!

*** *** ***

Recipe

450g Damsons

170g Sugar

750ml Gin (or in this case Brandy)

If your Damsons are freshly picked, prick each one a couple of times with a pin, (if you freeze them for 2 weeks or longer  you can omit this stage, just thaw them out overnight before you use them, this will weaken the skins nicely for you). Put all the ingredients into a large container, and shake or stir each day for about 2 weeks.

Leave steeping for about 4 - 6 weeks and then taste, add more sugar if you want it sweeter and leave for another week. Strain into sterilised bottles and store in a dark, cool place until you want to drink it.

The longer you leave this gorgeous mixture the stronger and better the flavour. 

Do NOT throw away the strained Damsons.

Use them to make Damson Brandy Jam, place them in a pan with an equal amount in weight of sugar and a dash of lemon juice, boil until you reach setting point (skimming off the stones as they float to the surface) and then bottle in sterilised jars. 

*** *** ***

We drank only one of our bottles of Damson Gin over Christmas, it was absolutely gorgeous.   We are saving the other three for when our best friends come for supper next week, it should be a very nice final meal together here before we move.

So another busy day ahead.

Sue xx

Saving money without even thinking.......

As I was putting the washing in the machine at 7am this morning just before I had my first cup of coffee and let the chickens out, I was suddenly struck by all the little money saving things I do without even thinking about it.  Over the years I guess they become ingrained and just second nature - GOOD. 

Those are just the kind of things you need as the backbone of a frugal life.  I'm sure lots of you do even more but I thought I'd share a few of mine while they are fresh in my mind in case they are of any help.

All these tips are to do with clothes and washing them, I'll probably bombard you with tips on other things over the course of the next few weeks, my mind seems to have gone into money saving mode!

Firstly we wear mostly dark underwear and we have enough sets so that everything can be washed in one go once a week.  I always buy multi packs of socks all the same design (usually plain black) that way when one sock gets worn at the heel or just too many darned holes in to make wearing it comfortable just that sock can be thrown away and the remaining one can be saved to pair up with another lone sock in the future. 

I usually do about 4 or 5 washing loads a week.  One load is Lovely Hubby's farm clothes one is towels, two are dark clothes (one being underwear and jeans) and one is light coloured/white clothes, halfway through each alternate week I do a single load of bedding.  For each wash I use ONE washing tablet, I know the pack says two per load, ignore it extra powder just rots and fades your fabric, one IS sufficient. If we have an emergency and need to do a half load I use half a tablet.  I use large size highly concentrated containers of fabric conditioner from the farm supply shop, but I only use about a spoonful for each full load. That's all you need, it is merely there to neutralise any detergent left in the fabrics.   If I run out I simply put a dash of white vinegar in the dispenser drawer, it works just the same but with no scent.  (Honestly your clothes won't smell like chips!!)

Immediately things come out of the washer I fold them neatly and then I dry outside on sunny, windy, breezy or dry days being careful to hang things straight and peg carefully.  On damp or wet days I will simply put the washing on the airer at the top of the stairs where the heat from the kitchen rises up and warms the landing.  If I need things quickly or simply want to get them put away I will drape them all over the Aga, it can dry a full load of washing over the course of the day.  If you have hung things neatly you should not have to iron at all.

Since meeting Lovely Hubby with his complete non-iron tactics I have been converted.  Only his nice shirts for work need to be ironed, eveything else is simply folded neatly and put away, once you have put your clothes on most creases disappear with your body heat.  I even getaway with not ironing my jeans now as long as I have snatched them from the machine quickly and kept them straight!! 

If you look after your clothes they will last you longer and save you money in the long run.  I have also found that LOTS of my clothes that say 'Dry Clean Only' are perfectly happy in the washer.  I buy lots of things from charity shops and decided early on that I would risk my purchases by washing them rather than forking out ridiculous amounts of money for dry cleaning, I have only ever lost one item through this (and we're talking years worth of purchases here).  You do sometimes have to iron them carefully afterwards but that is so much cheaper than dry cleaning.

Something to remember is that you do not have to wash your clothes everytime you wear them.  My rule of thumb is that if it has been against your skin it will probably need washing, so that's all underwear and usually little vest tops or t shirts, but the jumper or cardigan you had over your t shirt or your skirt or jeans will most likely be fine for a few more wears.  Hang things up on hangers at the end of each day to air.   We have plastic hooks that pop over the outside of the wardrobe doors and things stay on there over night.  I use my nose the next day and if they smell fresh they get put back into the wardrobe ready for next time.  The only exception to this is if you are packing clothes away after the winter for instance ready for next winter, then everything should be clean and fresh before packing to deter moths.

Lovely Hubby wears his outside 'farm clothes' all weekend, changing in the evening to clean clothes so that his really dirty things can just be washed the once each week.

Money saved here -

At least twice as many washes per box of detergent as advertised on the box

Less washes mean saved electricy (get out of the habit of washing every day unless you really have to)

Save money on sock purchasing

Save at least an hours electricty by not ironing

Save money on replacing clothes by looking after them carefully and washing some things less frequently.

We don't realise how lucky we are having machines that do all the work for us (well I do, I lived without a washing machine until my youngest was a year old, hand washing everything for four people including bedding and terry nappies), but we should still use them wisely and not just bung everything in without thinking.

****

Just a few little tips that I hope will help some of you, most of my Frugal Friends will most likely be doing all this (and more) already.  If you have any more tips to share please leave a comment, I'm sure I do even more, but when it becomes second nature you simply don't realise all that you do.

Oh well back to packing up the kitchen, this job is going sooooo slowly, with lots of interruptions and...... well it is washing day!!

Sue xx

(pics from Google)

Sealed Pot Challenge

Well here it is - my sealed pot for the great Sealed Pot Challenge started by Sft over at SFT'S TRAVEL, MORTGAGE FREEDOM, 101 AND LIFE GOALS Blog.  I wanted a pot bought from a charity shop this year and when I walked in our local Hospice shop and saw this lovely bread bin for just £5 I thought what better receptacle (and the charity gets a £5 donation too), with 'bread' being one of the slang words for money in this country it's highly appropriate too.

Lovely Hubby drilled a couple of holes in the lid and then filed them together into a slot that it just the right size for £2 coins, which is what we are saving again.  I used strong double sided sticky tape to fix the lid in position and then another strip around the outside edge to fix a ribbon in place, doubly stuck - truly a Sealed Pot.  I emptied Spotty Jug (our temporary 'sealed pot') into this and guess what....we already have £92, I see next Christmas being a very good one!!

Unfortunately, I have had to play one of my Jokers already!!  I'm gutted, I went out yesterday to try to find a good supplier for milk, no milkman would ever be able to negotiate our pot holed 2 mile farm track without setting off on his return journey with a van full of butter instead of milk.  As we drink only Skimmed milk I knew I might face a slight challenge.

First I called to a rather posh village shop and found that instead of catering for the villagers with 'proper' food they seem to be aiming at some passing tourist trade with 'coffee to go', fancy jars of jam, wine and champagne and bags of pasta at ridiculously high prices.  I enquired about their milk and found they only sold it by the single pint for 65p.  I bought one in case that's all I could find, but they said they don't order in especially for customers.  This attitude actually annoyed me, how do they expect to stay in business when they don't actually cater for the people that could keep them in business.  So I moved on.

Next stop the village post office that I use in the next village, this was much better, as well as having the Post Office counter they have shelves of everything you could possibly need in an emergency, true a lot pricier than the supermarkets, but they are a newsagents as well AND they sell milk in two pint cartons for £1.20.  As they only had one carton of Skimmed milk I bought that and had a word with the owner who was more than willing to regularly order me four of these, to be picked up by me every Monday and Friday - result.  I pick up my first batch of four on Monday as he has already placed his order for this week. 

So .... I needed more milk, rather than drive for miles to gether single cartons from here and there I  bit the bullet and drove to Asda, merely 2 miles from this shop and got myself four large 4 pint cartons.  Two are now safely in the freezer and two in the fridge.  I do think we need to get our milk consumption down slightly, we seem to go through two pints a day on our breakfasts and hot drinks, slightly excessive.  I have tried black coffee but to no avail, maybe drinking less coffee would be better for me anyway.  The ideal would be to get us down to only needing a single pint a day.

So only 10th January and already a joker played...... not good!   I am also proving useless at January being a No Spend month, out of ten days I have only managed four No Spend Days.  I am staying firmly at home for the next few days to improve my average and get on with the packing.  Due to my tour of the shops yesterday I only managed to get one set of drawers and two cupboards in the kitchen sorted and packed up, so guess what I'll be doing again today. 

Oh, I will have to have a little break at 2.15pm to watch Escape to the Country, todays episode is supposed to be the one that we participated in.  Maybe I should have kept quiet until I have had chance to see just how bad we come over!!  Oh well....if you watch....no laughing (or if you do please don't let me know about it !!)

Added in - I  watched it while I was having a break and the pigs were definitely the stars of our little bit of the show (although Lovely Hubby is very good too)!  It took them FOUR hours of filming to get that little bit of television history!!

Sue xx

Packing up the kitchen.......

Well this is it folks, my large farmhouse kitchen in all it's messy glory.  Not tidied for the photos just there as it was first thing this morning when I came down. ....waiting for me to start the great packing up process.  Sorting through all these cupboards and packing away what is not used on a regular basis is my job for today, and maybe even tomorrow as well we'll see how long it takes.

You may be able to guess from the photos that I have already started the process on the display shelves either side of the utility room door.  I did them and put their more decorative contents to soak in the washing up water while I was making my first coffee of the day......see I'm geared up for action already!

You may spot quite a bit of food on the worktops, that's because I just got another Approved Foods order, they delivered a pre-Christmas order to the wrong address and couldn't retrieve it so they credited my account with its value, and as they had jars of Bonne Maman jam at 75p a jar last week I was tempted to put in an order to use up the credit.  Sooooo easily tempted...lol.

In this kitchen I have (using doors as a counting tool) 10 base cupboards, 6 wall cupboards, and a total of 8 drawers (two of the drawers to the right of the Aga are actually a cupboard), 4 open display shelves and a plate rack.

In my new kitchen I will have 4 base cupboards (although 2 are corner ones so go into the corners giving quite a bit more space), 6 drawers, 5 normal sized wall cupboards and 2 smaller ones, one of which is over the cooker extractor hood.  So although a slightly smaller kitchen this will not be too bad.

There is also a built in boiler cupboard in our new house with a bit of space to store teatowels or things that don't mind getting warm and a large built in cupboard that the current occupier is using as a larder, I may use this for all my homemade jars of food.

Here we have an undercounter fridge, an undercounter freezer and a large fridge freezer at the end of the run of units, as well as my beloved Aga,  these will all be staying behind.  In the new kitchen we will have an undercounter fridge, an electric freestanding cooker, a small dishwasher and a large upright fridge freezer.  We have a washing machine in the utility room here and will also have one (it's already there) in the utility room at the new place.  (We don't have a tumble dryer, prefering to let our laundry dry naturally.)

After a good look round and a measure up on Saturday we happily discovered that virtually all of our furniture will fit into our new home, the only casualty will be our large leather corner sofa, which we will advertise for sale soon.  We think our large farmhouse pine table, with it's chairs and bench, will just about fit, so we will take it with us.  If once there it seems too big or just takes up too much of the floor space we will replace it later, fingers crossed it looks okay.

Well I better get to work.  I'll take the same photos when I've finished to see how well I've done.  If I don't make it a challenge I'll never get to work...... well maybe one more cup of coffee and a bit of Blog reading first.......!!

Sue xx