Chased by a Chicken

There was a commotion in Chicken World yesterday evening.  As I ran to the door to see what was up luckily my camera was at hand as one of the chickens was chasing a squirrel round, clucking angrily at it ...

 



 

... swerving and almost keeping up with it as dashed this way and that. 

 

The other chickens were completely unperturbed by all this sudden frantic activity and carried on their usual evening business of scratching around for insects and tasty nibbles, and grooming themselves ready for bedtime.

 

Soon she lost interest and gave up the chase and peace resumed very quickly but I had spotted the little chap run under the henhouse so I kept watching.

 

 

He had a drink of water to quench his thirst after the unexpected tag game he had just played ....

 

... he then spotted a tasty snack ...

 

 

.... and quickly got stuck in before he was spotted again.

 

Sue xx

Rhubarb, Rhubarb, Rhubarb

 

While we've been concentrating on the hillside, over at the back of the house the Rhubarb patch left to it's own devices was slowly going rampant.  Lovely Hubby spotted how sad it looked, overflowing and desperate for a drink, so he nipped out and had a good chopping session and then gave it all a good water.  It now looks lovely again and there are still lots of stalks waiting to be picked.

 

One good thing has come about from leaving it alone for a while though, the little Strawberry plants that are in there have been hidden away from the wild birds and from Amber the chicken, who nips over the fence every day to forage for tasty snacks, and so we have a few more Strawberries ripening up in the sunshine that maybe this time we'll get to taste.

 

 

Once the rhubarb was washed and chopped I put together a couple of crumbles, using up a couple of sorry looking apples as well from the fruit drawer in the fridge, and the last of the Approved Foods Oaty Crumble mix from the freezer.  I'm going to buy a block of cheap butter and whizz up some of my own to replace it, it's handy to always have some prepared, makes an impromptu pudding or snack much simpler to knock together.

 

 

Four trays were filled with the chopped rhubarb and put into the freezer to open freeze for a couple of hours.

 

A couple of handful were quickly stewed and added to some Scone Mix for a tasty treat for my hard working man.  You should have seen his eyes light up, he thought he was coming in for cup of tea and a biscuit :-)

 

A couple of hours later I tipped the now frozen rhubarb into a box and stashed it back in the freezer.  So now we have many more tasty snacks to come.

 

At last something completely homegrown stored away for later.

 

Linking up to my other Blog, '365 Days - £365' which is also about this Rhubarb today so you can see how my Challenge is doing.

 

Sue xx 

Father's Day

 

I was sat at the computer feeling increasingly maudlin, of which the dictionary definition is 'self-pityingly or tearfully sentimental'.  It's Fathers Day here in the UK and everywhere you look, both online and in shops and well just everywhere really there are messages for Dads, gifts for Dads etc etc.

 

Then suddenly there was a shout from Lovely Hubby who is putting up a run of rabbit-proof fencing in the paddock ..... "look out of the bedroom window".

 

The top picture is what I saw, and I managed to get almost over to her and record it for posterity before she moved.  Rosy was sat in the shade of Dad's tree.

 

 

Dad has had two presents this Fathers Day, the first was from me, this Veronica, 'Ulster Blue Dwarf' and the second .....

 

 

.... was from my darling girl, a freshly caught rabbit buried neatly next to mine.

 

I have dug it up now and returned the bed to it's former state, but she did it very neatly  .... and the thought was there!!

 

Sue xx

 

Dad's Bed

 

This is Dad's Bed.

 

 

After a week spent filling it up a couple of barrow loads at a time, it was finally ready and settled enough to plant into yesterday.

 

It started the day looking like this.

 

After carrying the plants, tree and bird bath over from the house, I played around with where things would go.

 

With plants lifted from his previous bed at our last place, a couple of new plants and baby plants, grown specially by Mum all in their chosen places, everything was given a really good drink .....

... before being covered with a good layer of mulch.  The oak chippings from our own felled oak tree.  Dad would have approved, using such special chippings from a magnificent tree that we intend to use every part of.

 



 

Dad's view down the hillside and across the valley.  He would have loved it , he would have sat and drunk in every tree, bush, hedge and movement of animal, insect and bird life.  He would have watched the traffic going past, bustling about in their rush to get from here to there, and he would have relaxed and breathed in the calm of the hillside in comparison.

 

He would have loved it.

 

 

I'm sure he does love it.

 

Because Dad is there .... his ashes, in their oak box are buried snugly beneath the Heuchera. 

 

He always slept on the that side of the bed, and one day as is Mum's wish, she will join him on her side.  But for now I will savour having Dad safe with us, close to me as I work on the hillside and in the tunnels growing food and flowers just as he loved to do, as we keep our promise to him .... to take care of that which he treasured most in the world .....my Mum.

 

Sue xx

The View from the Window

 

 The view from the window last night was so spectacular I had to grab the camera.

 

 

The light was wonderful ....

... although of course I couldn't do it justice.

 

 

But I had to give it a go.

 

 

It was peaceful, and so calming just standing there and drinking it all in.

 

Sometimes you just have to be in the moment and let it be all encompassing, feel your soul sing and your batteries re-charge, and you know after a good nights sleep you'll be ready to start another day.

 

Sue xx

Revisiting the Past

 

I've been away with Lovely Hubby down South for a whole three days, I guess you wouldn't have noticed .... the Blog was set to publish every day while I was away, the beauty of technology eh!!

 

We spent a happy couple of days revisiting our old stomping grounds in Oxfordshire and Berkshire.  Eating out at our favourite places getting free coffees with our old loyalty cards and just generally relaxing after what has been a stressful and busy few weeks.

 

 

A gorgeous cottage that I have always admired in Thame ......

 

... just along the street from the Aga shop where I did the one day course years ago to learn how to cook to the best of my Aga's ability.  Worth every penny.  Fortunately for my purse as it was Sunday the shop was closed.

 

We had lunch at the branch of Prezzo in the top picture also in Thame and I have finally cured my addiction to 'Penne con Salmone', the new chef just didn't make it as well as I remembered, or maybe he had just changed his recipe slightly, whatever, I wont be hankering after it anymore.  I can do so much better at home now using Jack's recipe for 'Creamy Salmon Pasta with a Chilli Lemon Kick' and yes, it's me she's referring to in her book on the page with this recipe :-)

 

Calling to the kennels to pick up the doggies (yes they have had a little holiday too), the owner and the kennel manager both accosted me with "it's you isn't it".... err yes I replied "it's me", no they said "you're the couple on the hill just up the road working so hard to transform things", of course I had to admit it was us scrubbing up the Welsh hillside, they were totally impressed with the level of work being undertaken, that we are doing it together and just getting stuck in, and they are looking forward to following our progress as they drive past on a regular basis. 

 

And hopefully with the order for the polytunnel going in today soon there will be even more for folks driving past to watch and marvel at.  Yes, it's back to normal, everyone's home and there's soil to be dug .... now if it would just stop raining I could get on.

 

Sue xx

 



Yay .... Good News

 

I'm about to be back in business, the food growing business that it.

 

We have just heard that Planning Permission has been granted for us to erect the poly and net tunnels on our paddock.  We are both so pleased, so exited and so relieved that we now have permission.

 

As soon as I have the letter in my hand confirming what our architect has just told us I will be on the phone to First Tunnels (see HERE) to confirm the order that I placed with them many, many months ago and which they have kindly kept on record for me, just waiting for this day.

 

   Happy Happy Happy 

 

:-)       :-)          :-) 

 

 

Note:  you do not normally need planning permission to erect a polytunnel on your own land as they are classed as non-permanent structures.   Unless like us you are right against a main road, in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty AND right on the edge of Snowdonia!!

 

Sue xx