brawn

We have cooked with a pigs head before, but last time we over salted it, and the stock was way too salty, so instead of brawn we made a stew- but this time success.

On the advice of a forum member, we basically followed the instructions in Jane Grigsons Charcuterie book.  Not being the fans of jelly, we used very little, and packed the dish with meat, and it was really very tasty.

tree down

First steps in our big little woodland project, the tree was felled. Before and after pictures: – the tor is now visible.

It was more ivy than tree, poor thing.  Still the sheep will be happy – only there is so much we are rationing it out, least they burst their tums!.

The bloke who came to cut it down also logged it for us, thank goodness – we still have 2 years of wood to cut up, and all those pallets.. slow going with the bow saws.  Now it will just be the long job of barrowing the logs back up the hill, and clearing up the branches etc.

I made a start – but one wheel barrow  load was only six logs.  Keeps me fit I guess…

advent

Advent is upon is.  I dont know how it can be December already – I am not ready!  the advent boxes are out – my son has opened the first one.  Which means I must get on with all those projects I mean to make in time

cold

Finally, after a week of rain and having the lurgy, and being largely confined to indoors, apart from occasional muddy, waterproofs clad outings to visit the animals, today was dry and sunny.  But cold.

We have been getting away with the mild weather all this time, but today was a sharp reminder of the cold that is winter proper.  And of course, I realised how I have let ‘project house warm’ get forgotten over the summer months.

Now plans are once again in place to improve the curtains and draft proofing, and wishing we had got the funds together to replace the front windows for double glazing.

It was nice to have the sun on my face again – and lifted my spirits.  The windy sunny weather dried some clothes and I  cut a load of wood into woodburner size pieces. Of course there is so much more time to cut wood during the long summer days, but it is never on my mind as much as they days we are actually feeding the fire with it.

the big little woodland plan

We can’t hope to supply all our own firewood, although we are doing surprisingly well so far – we haven’t bought any wood for three years, using what was here already, wood from demolition projects etc, fallen trees, pallets (we have a pallet mountain, and could get more if we only got through cutting this lot up), and wood from hedge laying.

We crave a little woodland though.  Finances and space do no allow.  So we thought we would do what we could here.  So that means continue to use scrap wood, try and get the hedges back into health, and plant some trees.  The bottom of our two fields are both very very soggy. This is where the fields meet the leat that is the boundary, and well, it rains a lot here and all that water ends up at the bottom of our fields.  The bottom edge is always wet, very little grass grows, it’s not good for our sheep (think foot rot and fluke), so we thought we would move the fence back a few metres and plant a few native trees.

We were chatting about this to a friend, who happens to be a local tree warden, when he asked if we had applied for the tree grant.  The local council were offering grants to plant trees.  It seems this was almost confidential information – certainly there was nothing about it on their website.. but we tracked it down and applied. We only got the whips on the grant (not the new fence!), but it all helps. So this winter we have some Ash, Willow, Alder and a couple of sweet chestnuts to plant. All whips -but they are supposed to do just as well as older saplings in only a short while. Obviously we wish we had got on with it as soon as we moved in,   the willow sticks, left over from making the willow tunnel, we shoved into a gappy bit of the hedge are really big now…but plans have to develop.

Before they go in, we have to move the fence back and fell a tree.  Not long after we moved in a large ivy clad alder fell down and there are still two large (ivy clad) trunks of the same tree there. A big branch fell off a couple of months ago, and we decided the tree has had it, and was dangerous and best if it was brought down before it fell on us, the sheep, or our new planted trees.  Because we live in a national park, we had to apply for permission.. the local tree warden came, and agreed it should definitely go.

So all we need to do now  take down the old fence (saving as many of the little saplings that have grown into it as possible), cut back branches from next doors field (more light please!) and fell this alder (we shall get help in.. it’s too dangerous and too much for our little bow saws),  put up a new fence, collect the new trees.. plant them all.. and keep the undergrowth down and …..wait….

new pullets on the block

Yesterday we moved some of the hens around.  Brown-neck, who was with her two chicks came out of the growers coup – and settled back in with the main crowd straight away, without so much as a backward glance at her charges.

Then we threw the three girls we are definitely keeping out of the ‘cockerel run’.  They were not too pleased – not seeing that they had a future, and a bigger run to play in, but only that they wanted back in the cockerel run.  Still, by this morning they seemed to be getting into the idea.

The new girls are Speckle - a welsummer x cuckoo maran x something, Bluetwo - a welsummer x blue maran (she looks like she took all her genes from her blue maran mum!) and Badhairday, a rather small and daft looking cream legbar.

big bird

This morning was ghastly – so much rain for so long. Still, count our blessings etc, the house was dry.

The hens were not amused at all though, and I could see their point as the hen run was underwater. The nice dust bath they had dug under the ark shelter was a pond.. it is just a mud fest.

At least the sun came out this afternoon, in complete contrast, but it will take a while to dry everything up.

The improved weather enabled me to take this picture of a couple of our growers. they like to stand on the roof of their house keeping their feet out of the mud..

The black Australorp is slightly further forward in the picture , but it is still clear how much bigger they are than the other birds. The other, ‘blue’ one is offspring from our existing flock.. so welsummer x blue maran - I’m surprised to get a blue one from that gene mix.  ‘Our’ chicks – ie parented from our own flock are about normal size for this stage (18 weeks), the Australorps are big in comparison, and the exchequer leghorns and the cream legbar are tiny next to them, yet they are all from the same hatch.

We hope in increase the size of our future meat birds with these introduced genes…

stir up

Yes, stir up Sunday today, and for us the first hint of that winter festival thingy.. Christmas.. as we made our Christmas pudding  today. It will get steamed tomorrow.

Pudding was stirred, wishes made.

 

We did manage to do some hedging today, but the weather made it difficult, was ok, then suddenly windy and rainy.. then ok again.. etc.  A dead ivy covered tree had fallen down by itself, which was good.. as we wanted to take it down, but strictly speaking it belonged to next door.. but its down now anyway, and we let the sheep in to scoff the ivy.

Inspired by things willow, I tackled my willow tunnel, which had got very overgrown and lost its shape, now re tied and some big bits cut off.. which will either go into basket fiddling, or maybe we shall plant some more…