I have been having occasional dizzy episodes ever since the labyrinthitus issue back in the spring, but today I woke to find the room spinning around and around…. bleuh! – apparently it was just me.. and the room was stationary (I checked).
I did decide, and was encouraged by himself, to take it easy. But.. there was so much to be done.
First off himself started a bonfire, and burned lots of twiggy bits from the winter’s hedging efforts, and the spent pea sticks etc. And I love a bonfire.
Then we decided we really did have to move the broody and her chicks around, as the coup they are in is not move-able, well not without letting everyone out by mistake, and the ground was getting mucky. So we had to catch the three growers, pop them into the broody coup briefly – one decided the best defence was to pretend to have died of a heart attack. Gah! but it was faking.. Then clean everything out, and move hen and chicks into the new coup – they went willingly, fresh grass and goodies beckoned. Then the growers into that coup – its a bit crowded, but it will only be for a week, when the last of the Light Sussex cockerels go (we slaughtered two yesterday, but it still takes us an hour a bird from killing to oven ready). So that involved a lot of lifting, moving and cleaning.
Then I went to see how the spuds were doing.. I’ve been watching for blight.. and we have it. All three remaining varieties had the spots. Not a pile of slime yet, but still infected. Not really a surprise, I’ve heard reports of it coming ever closer, and the bad weather of July..
So we set too and cut off all the the haulms (we have over 200 plants), and disposed of them. I can tell you, a dangerous business when dizzy, leaning over to cut, a few times I nearly followed through into a somersault!
In previous years, we have dug the spuds and washed them, and as that has worked before when we have had blight, this is what we shall do again. We dug up four rows, and made a few trips back to the house with our haul. I hope we get to keep most of the crop this year – as it’s looking good, and so far only a couple of rotten ones.
So along with blanching and freezing the spare crops – French beans, courgettes and calabrese, and roasting tomatoes for sauce, stored cabbages in the fridge, we have now started the potato production line – washing, drying, sorting, bagging.
Hopefully we will get the rest of the potatoes up this week.
