Shhhhh......the sun's shining......

...and I'm off the harvest the last of the Aubergines in the polytunnel. This is the first year I have successfully grown Aubergines and they have been delicious, added to all sorts of dishes either to eat straight away or to store for Winter.

~

Also the last of the tomatoes are being picked today and the plants fed to the chickens. The Courgettes although still fruiting are turning to mush as soon as they reach any size, so they are for the chop later on too, with the pigs being the recipients of the greenery (they love the leaves and stems because they are so crunchy). It's nice to watch a happy pig chomping away.

~

Sue xx

Every Girl Needs a Hero.....

Mine is Lovely Hubby.....and Sophies' hero is Gorgeous George!

~

Visit the lovely Sarah over at Landcuckoo to see these pictures of George in close up and you'll see why she's smitten!

~

Sue xx

Less to dust.......

After this weekends brilliant Car Boot Sale, I've been whizzing around the house, sorting out the remaining bits and pieces into their new positions. Looking at the things we decided to keep and remembering the clutter beforehand makes me smile. We have all the things we love and none of the things that just took time looking after and keeping clean. My clothes are sparser and I somehow found myself looking at new and smaller wardrobes on this wonderful site.

~

Remember when I did a review earlier this year on my lovely new kitchen things from them, well ever since then I keep popping back and comparing their products with others you can get, and guess what, they compare VERY well, so always now my first call is to CSN, the only drawback to going on their website is the vast array of desirable and lovely things I could order and there's even free delivery on everything, always a carrot worth dangling under my nose!.

~

I hope to be doing another review for them soon, in the meantime I'm off there now to look at my favourite department....the kitchen goodies, well, I have room in my cupboards now!!

~

Sue xx

Clearing the beds.......

It's that time of year, time to clear the beds and the ones that aren't containing overwintering things will be covered to rest over the winter. As there could be a move coming up I'm not putting too much pressure on myself to fill all the beds with things as was originally planned. Just a bed of over-wintering onions and a bed or two of cabbages for us, the pigs and the chickens. The rest can lie dormant.

~

And because it's such a grey day I couldn't possibly just leave you with a picture of bare soil, so here's a bit of vegetable goodness, one for us, one for the chickens and one for the pigs.

What lovely sunny, yummy colours!

~

The advert in the Farmers Guardian that started this little adventure, (if you can't read the words, go back through my archives to the very first entry).

I am amazed that a little mention of 'mobile homes' has created such an interest! Lots of comments and even more emails begging for an explanation, soooo......I suppose it would be unfair not to let everyone in on our plans for the future wouldn't it?

~

Well this was only ever going to be our experimental home, to see if we 'townies' could really live the 'Good Life'. Could we truly stand the mud, mess, animal catastrophes and escapades, or would we running panicking and screaming back to civilisation.

~

Well guess what, we're made of stern stuff us 'former townies' , we intend to find our very own bit of land and restart our adventure, planned from the very beginning, built to our, and our animals specifications. Instead of making do and muddling through with the wrong type of layouts, building and space, we are on the lookout for 20 acres of mixed woodland and arable/pasture. That we can live on, and one day own completely, our only major requirement is that it is within one hours drive of Lovely Hubbys' work, so the world , or rather just this bit of it is our oyster.

~

You all know we like a challenge and this is the next one - our future.

~

Sue xx

Turquoise is taking over.....

Suddenly everywhere I look there is turquoise, isn't it weird. As a colour I have always quite liked it, but never gone out of my way to buy turquoise coloured things but in the last few days it's everywhere.

~

My gorgeous new casserole (an early Christmas present from my lovely Mum and Dad).

~

The beautiful tissue paper on the order and gifts from Charlotte at Cottontails Baby.

~

My newest book, the Dukan Diet book to help me on my healthy eating quest.

~

And then today.......we went to look at the mobile homes we may be living in by this time next year, when we embark on our next big challenge, and there, everywhere were little touches of turquoise, in the decor, the fabrics and even the bathroom tiles.

~

Is somebody somewhere dropping big, big hints that I may not be the 'Lavender Lady' for much longer!!

~

Have a lovely weekend.

Sue xx

Soggy Chicken World

A few brave souls out in the rain.

Well after a week (up to now), of sunshine and lovely warm days, we've woken up to a rather different picture this morning. The rain lashed down for most of the night, and looking out of the window at first light was a dismal affair.

~

On days like these I feel almost guilty letting the chickens out, but they quickly run to grab their share of the Layers pellets for breakfast and then zoom back into or under the houses, the Eglu or just hide themselves under the trees.

~

Alice in the house while the others are underneath.

The Pekins quickly feed and then go underneath their house, either side can come off during the day to provide them with shelter from the rain or to act as a wind break, whichever is needed, clever design by Lovely Hubby. You can just see the Welsummers sheltering in the Eglu, sometimes this looks like a bus stop of chickens queueing up, as they pour in one by one for the al fresco companionship.

Usually on a wet day only Norman is immune to the rain, standing by the large feeder until he is sodden, seemingly not minding at all. Since his late promotion to Cockerel-ship he does a grand job of guarding his ladies, always on the lookout for dangers to warn them of.

One thing I at first found unusual is the chickens love of wet Layers Pellets. On a drizzly, wet day they always search out the soggiest pellets first, obviously they taste much better wet.

Shhh....but as I type the sun is struggling through, things might be about to change!

Sue xx

Tread lightly.....

This year.

Last year in our bid to be more self sufficient we raided the hedgerows for Brambles in our every spare moment, but even then with our 'towny' ways, we knew to leave some for the birds and some for regeneration. We took what we needed and no more.

Last year - not a blackberry in sight.

This year we are reaping the rewards for our forethought. The hedgerows that were sparse or only lightly berried last year (which we left well-alone) are virtually throwing blackberries at us. There are so many we could go wild. But once again we always take care to leave some for the birds and insects that rely on this bounty of nature to see them through the Winter.

~

If we tread lightly on our journey through life we will always reap the benefits.

~

Sue xx

Living in a box......

Poor little Rachel Rock Star has been living in a cardboard box for the last three days.

She started being off colour on Friday night so we brought her in for a warm, then she got VERY warm so we decided to she was simply going a bit broody and gave her four Pekin eggs to sit on. This is always a good idea if you have a hen that's off colour as it gives them a reason to live, the thought that they are going to be a Mummy.

~

She loves her little eggs and has been steadily sitting in them and living in her box until this morning, then I thought (after clearing up the biggest chicken poo ever seen, and having to open every window in the house to let out the rather pungent aroma), that it was time for her to re-locate to somewhere with a bit more fresh air, for her benefit and ours!! Maybe she just had a very bad tummy upset and now that she's expelled the poo mountain/backlog she'll feel a bit better.

~

After setting her up in the Eglu (also known as chicken hospital) she is now back on her eggs and sleeping peacefully. The house is almost back to it's usual smell of lavender and wet dogs and I have just got to get out the hoover......I'm not into a straw covered carpet in my living room!!

~

Hope your day is going well. Now to get on with the jobs I had originally planned, a final big sort out for our last big Car Boot of the season on Sunday.

~

Sue xx

A Lovely None Farmy Post

Sometimes when Mr Postman visits you get a very lovely surprise.

~

I ordered some ribbon and one of Janes 'Hen' notebooks off Charlotte over at Cottontails Baby

~

The ribbons are gorgeous and just what I am after to decorate my labels on the stall. The notebook is to record our chicken information, so very appropriate I thought, the little bar of handmade soap is what Charlotte pops into her customers parcels for a little treat.

~

And the little chicken toy......a very lovely pressie to me from Charlotte, isn't she just lovely?

~

Now this is why some smaller businesses do so well, a level of customer service this good keeps people coming back time and time again and spreading the word to all their friends. So if you have a spare moment pop over to Cottontails Baby, not just things for babies and children, lovely things for all folk with good taste. Also have a peek at Charlottes' Blog to see just what some of her little toys get up to!!

~

Thank you Charlotte for the super speedy service and the lovely little extras, much appreciated.

Sue xx.

The Passing of Summer

Autumn has pushed Summer rather rudely to one side. The light in the sky has altered and there is a change in the air. The animals sense it too and spend each day searching for the last snippets of the tastiest morsels. ~

Now is the time to gather in the last of the summer goodness, to preserve it for the dark, short days of the coming seasons. There is a slight urgency in this, as day by day there is a kind of beautiful decay setting in. I feel the need to be watchful, for what I’m not quite sure, but the need is there. Maybe it’s the way the old peasants felt when they knew the bountiful summer was about to leave them. Leave them to fend for themselves, with the earth hardening and cooling, no longer the hospitable place for seeds and plants to thrive.

~ Of course there is no real urgency nowadays to rely on oneself for survival. A trip to the supermarket brings the world to your fingertips (and your kitchen), but where is the satisfaction in that after the bountiful harvests and good eating of the summer. Where is the joy of strolling the garden or perusing the pots to plan the next meal.

~ More and more we, the people are taking control of our own food supplies. Learning once again to rely on our own resources. Feeding ourselves and our families from the earth around our homes. Be it acres of land, gardens or yards or simply pots and tubs, we now know the pleasure of the simple task of sprinkling the seeds into the rich brown soil and reaping the rewards of the freshest of fresh, tastiest of tasty produce.

~ We will lament the passing of this summer. It has brought with it a magic, a re-discovering of the joys of simple living. Now we face the challenge of trying to elongate the shortening days, to make the most of the time we have left with the big glowing orb in the sky. The last of the plants will be nurtured and cared for to eek out their productivity, and we shall pander to their slowing development and rush to protect them from any sneaky frosts.

~ Now we look to the wild plants to provide us with the bounty that will be ours in autumn, the berries on the brambles, the rosehips and damsons on the trees, the falling apples that signify a going to sleep of the big old apple tree, shedding its leaves for the winter ahead. Curling back into itself to rest for the next coming of spring. Like it, we will take comfort in our homes, retiring early to our cosy rooms and pull out eiderdowns of the softest warmest down, fill our rooms with twinkling lights and draw back into the warmth that is home and family.

~ There is no need to worry, the next season holds magic too! We need not lament too long the passing of summer, we have other different things to look forward to.....

~

Sue xx

We All Like a Happy Ending

Remember the sad tale of Nellie and Nora, well some stories DO have happy endings.

Nora and Nellie...sisters?

First out of the henshouse in the morning to check for worms and grubs, then straight to first pickings off the Layers Pellets tray. There's no keeping him back now. Still wonky of gait but with a confidence that is blooming more and more. ~

After Nellies' switch to being Norman, life has got better by the day. After a slow start with the ladies, he is now in the very priviledged position of being loved by two of the girls with a devotion that is sweet to see, one Hyline and one Speckledy think the world of him and he nows sleeps side by side with the un-named Speckledy, in fact her name could be 'Norman's Number One'.

~

The others all give him a level of respect only someone this handsome deserves.

~

(The only thing I have to watch is that Lovely Hubby picked Norman up last week and realised what he weighs.....I could almost see a cartoon thought bubble above his head with a picture of Norman popping his head out of a giant chicken pie!!)

~

Sue xx

Never look a gift log in the mouth......

~

I had lots of help cleaning out the henhouses this morning so we were quick to get away for our doggy walk.

~

I can almost feel the dogs hearts sinking when I nip into the kitchen to grab my basket......'oh no another one of those slow, slow walks'! ~

After a while though they settle into the routine of walk, stop, Mum vanishes into bushes and then popping out and starting the walk again. Soon they spend my 'bush' time mooching about and having a good sniff at what the wildlife has been doing over night, following tracks that sometimes a delighted Rosy finds leads her to a bird hiding in the long grass that she can flush out in a cacophony of squalks of indignation. Each time I pop out from the bushes my basket is a bit fuller and a little more of natures wonderful bounty is gathered in.

~

Soon the slow walk loses its appeal and Sophie starts placing sticks behind me as I pick. At first these are just normal sticks, but as time progresses they get larger and larger, as if she thinks the slowness of the walk must be linked to a form of diminishing eyesight for her Mum.

~

The last one is usually log sized and that is the hint. If I ignore this one some poor tree will be gnawed down in frustration, I barely dare throw the large logs in case (with my atrocious stick throwing aim) I render one of the dogs completely unconcious. But pleading eyes make me throw carefully, 'fetching' after all is an important pastime and one that requires regular practice!

~

Still once Sophie has carried the log all the way home it would be a crime to leave it outside, I add it to the log pile, or if it's damp, place it on the hearth to dry out in front of tonights fire....never look a gift log in the mouth!

~

Sue xx

Welcome to the Great Haseley Farmers Market....

Welcome to the Great Haseley Farmers Market, step in the door and join us.

~ Watch in wonder as rough wool is spun into the loveliest yarn for knitting.....

~

...or turning into these gorgeous little felted baskets.

~

Across the hall Caroline on the fruit stall will tell you what's in season now...

~

and sell you the ingredients for the freshiest seasonal lunch.

~

Back on the other side, there's the brilliant Berkshire Pig Company selling their wares....

~

...sausages, black puddings, bacon.....the list goes on and on.

~

And what goes well with bacon, why lovely fresh Free Range Eggs of course, supplied by my ladies (zero air miles here!!).

~

Next, step up to Soumyas' stall, our newest recruit she contact me through the Blog and now here she is.....

~

...with the yummiest looking chocolates....see I said 'yummiest looking chocolates', I was good, maybe too good and kept my diet firmly in my mind.....but it was a close run thing.....milk chocolate surrounding white chocolate......mmmm!

~

Feeling thirsty.....then grab your free tea or coffee, still got that lovely bacon on your mind...

~

...well there's someone working hard behind the scenes preparing you a bacon butty all of your own...

~

...he wouldn't show me his face....only his bacon, supplied by the Berkshire Pig Company of course!

~

Feel better after your snack, then move around the hall to the lovely lady in the corner, seen here explaining to a customer about the uses of a Lavender Rollerball. Lovely Hubby always gets me in the funniest pose on a photo!! Selling my wares from the pinkest stall in the hall, this weeks biggest sellers were my handmade cards and lavender bags. If I'm not behind the stall I'll be snapping away with my camera....they're getting used to posing for photos here!

~

Now here's a man that's happy in his job.....and wouldn't you be? Selling Fine Wines for a living, dashing around the country wine tasting like mad just so the good folk of Great Haseley and surrounding villages can drink only the best!

~

As a side line - a glorious little side line - he has his own bee hives somewhere nearby (secret location....shhh)and he makes his own honey, mmmm....one of Lovely Hubbys' favourite things to spread on his toast (second of course, to my Lemon Curd).

~

And what would you like to have with your wine......why it would be criminal not to sample one of Nadines' delicious cakes. All hand made using the best quality ingredients......

~

...and wrapped to perfection, finished with a bow.

~

Now she makes the most divine Millionaires Shortbread known to man or beast, ask Rosy our Jack Russell, she pinched the last one we bought!!

~

Next along the hall is Kelly, manning the Flower and Plant stall, a slow time of year for plants at the moment, we're all waiting with baited breath for her lovely display of bulbs and autumn plantings.

~

While we wait, she treats, and tempts us with the prettiest little Violas in terracotta pots.....gorgeous!

~

And that's it, we're back round to Carolines' Fruit and Veg stall and then the door, but it would be criminal to leave without one more trip to the chocolate stall to buy a chocolate lolly to nibble on the way home......!

~~~~~~~~~

This is how I currently spend the first Sunday of every month. The Farmers Market is open from 10 am til 12 noon. We are all, the stall holders, organisers and volunteers that man the kitchen, dedicated to keeping it going, and keeping it as a useful and important part of our village, but without local support this would end.

~

It's so sad when this happens, as I know only too well.... next Saturday for the final time I will be at the Tetsworth Village Hall Farmers Market, unfortunately, this has not been well supported locally and many of the stall holders have had to drop out for financial reasons, and now we are closing.

~

If you have a local Farmers Market or similar, support it. You don't have to spend a fortune, a couple of purchases, even just calling in for some fruit and veg and cup of tea could be the difference between being able to use it and losing it!! Sorry if I sound like I'm preaching but everyone talks about how wonderful these Markets are, and how nice it is to be able to see the people that produce your food, but we do need support to continue.

Sue xx

The Downside to an Aga......

One of the few downsides to having an Aga is that you don't smell the food burning, unless you're sat outside near the flue pipe, which luckily for me, I was the other day.

~

I had put some giant pasta shells in a roasting tin in some water, not something I usually do, but these we're just for the chickens as a treat, as we have stopped eating white pasta, and I didn't want to leave the lid up on the Aga while I was doing something else in a different room, I thought they would be okay in the oven for 10 minutes.

~

A couple of hours later I was sat on the patio having a lovely phone conversation with my eldest son, when I smelt burning. He was hastily cut off as I dashed into the kitchen to open the oven. Cue billowing black smoke and the aroma of.......burnt food and tin. Luckily the good side of the tightly sealed doors is that when fire breaks out is contained and extinguished quickly by lack of oxygen...phew!!

~

I phoned Simon back and explained the reason for his being cut off mid-conversation and it was his suggestion for a Blog post, Lovely Hubby had the idea of calling my burnt offerings an 'Art Installation'......any offers? The price can start at.......oooh.....about £2,500 and I'm more than willing for it to hang in any art gallery!

~

Sue xx

(Update now on the Sue and Joans' Diet Blog.)