the daydream fund challenge thread

choille

Thanks for the good wishes - just looking forward to the Sun hitting the croft again on the 15th.

Worst time of year for me - I really don't like it. We had a bit of snow & it has gone pretty cold again but not ridiculously so - thankfully.

I turn into a right idle Devil at this time of year - sink into semi-hibernation. I seem to sit half-dozing doing little productive.

Sawing up wood yesterday OH found three little fir cones buried in a split limb - so we really have stolen a squirrel's? stash. There was the sweet chestnut we found the other day.....poor, hungry squirrel.

Davesnave

choille wrote: »

Dave - that's great the locals are going to take over the running of the PO. These places are really important in rural areas.

That's true, though in our village it's only a 2 mile drive to the next PO, which is part of the problem.

I would guess that of the 15 families living near me, equidistant between the two POs, most head in the direction of the town PO, because there's a good butcher, farm shop and a baker all within a few metres of it, not to mention the paper shop and a deli. Most don't see themselves as part of the village anyway.

The village PO is great for the village Mums/Dads left at home in the day without a car, the very elderly, the teenagers, including those living in a special school and those people residing in some outlying farms.:)

But if we can keep two pubs going.....!!!:rotfl:

Davesnave

choille wrote: »

Thanks for the good wishes - just looking forward to the Sun hitting the croft again on the 15th.

I turn into a right idle Devil at this time of year - sink into semi-hibernation. I seem to sit half-dozing doing little productive.

I understand this, because it used to happen with my old greenhouse, though I wasn't as organised as you in knowing when, exactly, the sunshine returned. I'd guess at the middle/end of February.

I really didn't do anything much in there until it did. There used to be mould and mildew on things, and it was so unwelcoming, even with a heat mat.:(

In your situation, Id just curl up with a good book or two, or the Interweb, and try not to feel guilty about it. You're only responding to conditions, and we don't blame animals for that, so why blame ourselves? Jobs will be much easier to accomplish once the light and the warmth begins to return.

I'm deliberately putting off a couple of things till it's warmer and I can concentrate on them properly. I tried to do one in the frost, and all that happened was that I mis-cut the wood and made myself grumpy!

alfie_1

lostinrates wrote: »

Today while we were out side a little wagtail was very interested in what we were doing (dh strimming, I forking the muck heap) and kept bizzing about and watching. I noticed it had a damaged leg. It looked totally wrecked....the foot limp and behind it, being held up, but incredibly distorted. Yet the wagtail seemed alert, healthy, relaxed and VERY nosey. I didn't know what they like eating, so got some chook pellets, a handful of a cuple of horse feeds and some corn. It liked the flacked grains fro the horse food best. Such a brave and personable bird, and I can't stop thinking about how game it was with that useless leg.

maybe it takes a simple wagtail to show us the way ????

COOLTRIKERCHICK

choille

I have been thinking since you mentioned the price you get for your fleeces,

this person on ebay seems to be doing ok by selling it by the kg, or smaller amounts

http://feedback.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewFeedback2&userid=jessicaf434&&iid=140494999092&sspagename=VIP:feedback&ftab=FeedbackAsSeller

plus if you could find a way of dying it etc, that seems to sell well too in small packs

http://crafts.shop.ebay.co.uk/Spinning-/3121/i.html?_nkw=fleece&_frs=1&_sop=1&_trksid=p3286.c0.m359


I know its only a few quid per lot etc, but it all adds up, plus its more money than what you are getting now...

Do you know how much it would cost to get your fleeces to the 'wool' stage? and how many balls of wool would you get out of one fleece?

lostinrates

choille wrote: »

Thanks for the good wishes - just looking forward to the Sun hitting the croft again on the 15th.

I think we should declare JAn the 15th Choille day and all celebrate the return of the sun.:beer::beer:

choille

Today while we were out side a little wagtail was very interested in what we were doing (dh strimming, I forking the muck heap) and kept bizzing about and watching. I noticed it had a damaged leg. It looked totally wrecked....the foot limp and behind it, being held up, but incredibly distorted. Yet the wagtail seemed alert, healthy, relaxed and VERY nosey. I didn't know what they like eating, so got some chook pellets, a handful of a cuple of horse feeds and some corn. It liked the flacked grains fro the horse food best. Such a brave and personable bird, and I can't stop thinking about how game it was with that useless leg.

LIR - We used to have a chaffinch come to the feeder where we used to live that had a deformed foot. It was like all balled up as if it had a sort of horrid condition, but it came for ages & I would point it out to people who visited us if it came to the feeder. You could only see it if you looked close & it was stationary & then the bird didn't come again. I would look out for it & wonder what had happened, where it was. It did seem quite adapted to its condition - remarkable really.
If you have animals then it brings in the birds - spilled grain, crumbs & dung that brings the insects too I suppose. Wonderful to just stare out of the window at the wee birds scudding about, diving in & out of the hens - they're so brave - well they have to be to survive.
We had another visit of long tailed finches - I think. They went through ohh maybe a couple of months ago. I thought they were blue tits but no. They were loads of them up the trees, ferreting about - for insects I suppose. Then as quick as they came they were off. I think they were passing through again.

Yes - The PO are handy places to keep going. I do hope ours stays. The poor people must wonder where they've come to after London. Must be a shock, a culture shock. I don't think I would wish to run a PO. If it shuts we have another about 7 miles off but it's up an amazingly steep hill that is nigh impassable every Winter. The people there have it on the market & they have a little filling station so that is really handy. They sell nice food - local smokehouse stuff etc. I like going over there & will miss them when they sell - they are really nice couple but he's been ill & I think they just want away.

There's a lot on the market & after this Winter I think there'll be a lot more. But listening to you fellow dreamers I think the Winter has visited most of Britain. A big company went bust ROK & there are one or two people we know who have really been left greatly out of pocket by them - it's rotten when such massive multi million companies takes out the small guys.

Well just rambling.......

lostinrates

OK, sheep keepers...I'm being ganged up on by DH and our neighbours. we will get a handful of sheep and see how it goes. DH likes the idea of soay or boreray sheep, but last I knew he was interested in Castlemilk Moorits. Any one got any experience with any of these....I have not. A moulting breed has an obvious benefit...but rare breeds, besides the obvious benefit to the breed and interest point, does it make anything harder?

choille

CTC - That's very interesting re the fleeces. I don't think it would be worthwhile having the fleeces spun into yarn. But young Shetland is really good & hardly needs carding at all. That's definately something I will try when they get their jackets off next, sorry this Summer!

LIR - The couple that split were breeding both of these breeds. I think they said that boreray have a sort of let's just dropdead gene. I know that most sheep do but there does seem to have been a bit of disaster - but I may have it wrong.
Maybe take a peek at the rarebreed survival trust website. Mind you if you get enthusiasts then they'll really sweep you off your feet & sometimes that's not good - that's what happened to me in many ways. They are not that practical money wise here. All that has salability here is Cheviots - so was being pummeled into me yesterday. Different areas different things.
I mst admit I do love my Shetlands & also my hebredians. The problem has been with me being persauded to cross-breed. I don't think in hind-sight that that was a great idea - okay for meat but how much lamb or mutton can a body eat?
If I could start again I would do things differently - but that's hind-sight.

lostinrates

choille wrote: »

LIR - The couple that split were breeding both of these breeds. I think they said that boreray have a sort of let's just dropdead gene. I know that most sheep do but there does seem to have been a bit of disaster - but I may have it wrong.
Maybe take a peek at the rarebreed survival trust website. Mind you if you get enthusiasts then they'll really sweep you off your feet & sometimes that's not good - that's what happened to me in many ways. They are not that practical money wise here. All that has salability here is Cheviots - so was being pummeled into me yesterday. Different areas different things.
I mst admit I do love my Shetlands & also my hebredians. The problem has been with me being persauded to cross-breed. I don't think in hind-sight that that was a great idea - okay for meat but how much lamb or mutton can a body eat?
If I could start again I would do things differently - but that's hind-sight.

Thank you...this is really good and useful.