Daydream thread continues.....

Davesnave

Rummer wrote: »

Torrential rain here all day looks like I am not going to get gardening done for a long time

Looks not too bad for you over the next few days; bit of rain, perhaps, but no more severe downpours.

It threatened here, but despite DW watering everything in sight, nothing happened. I hate to say it so soon, but we could really do with a few good downpours, overnight of course! :cool:

We have two standard laurels in pots out at the front and a pair of goldfinches are nesting in one of them! The blue tits are more cautious; after 3 years they have finally used the nest box we put up especially for them.

Itismehonest

Oh, Rummer

Our corner gets rain tomorrow but should improve on Sunday.
Local weather for anyone in the SW for the Bank holiday weekend..... I note the coastal mist, though

http://www.bbc.co.uk/weather/forecast-video/21416949

lucielle

Not sure what we're getting weather wise but just opened the curtains to glorious blue skies, put the washer on so it'll probably rain now!

Got visitors this weekend and there is a heavy horse event I fancy going to, they're not horsey so not sure how to wangle that one. Out for a meal tonight.
L

ferretkeeper

Morning everyone!

I've been reading most days but brain's been too frazzled to put a sentence together!

CTC, the stand at wonderwool was great, love my blanket and little stash of fabric! Well done on the sausages too! It is nice when someone says they like your produce.:beer:

I took my big GOS pig to slaughter on Monday, she'll be returned to me mostly as sausages and I'll make bacon, I got 90kg of sausages from her sister last time!

I also did a run down to Devon on Thursday, to pick up some lovely new pigs:



they are special pigs-Tamworth x Wild Boar which is what I want to breed here.

When I was speaking to restaurants about supplying them they generally wanted samples but to 'grow my own' will take 10 months from conception to finished pig and I don't want 4 litters coming my way in 4 months time if I've got no outlets, so this solves the dilemma.

These guys will be ready in a couple of months so I will know soon if I've got a good product and then on with the breeding programme! I love them already, I think I will keep my favourite one to be a breeding boar.:j

Mangalitzas are indeed very fatty, good for charcuterie type products, chorizo, black pudding etc...

I've had a friend to help here this week, for motivation as much as anything.

One big job (which actually didn't take long) was to get the roof on over the goats' yard, did that yesterday, it's raining a little bit today, perfect timing! It'll help stop their feet going manky from walking on soggy straw/hay. I got two new goats on Tuesday, a mum and daughter, and they are all getting along after a day of Billy going mental, jumping hurdles to get to them, typical boy!

We did some stock fencing and I finally turned out the sheep/lambs, the twins aren't growing very quickly compared to the other two so I held back. The alpacas are soooo protective of them it's amazing to see, and the original sheep are getting on well with them.

We also had to do more dog proofing, for some reason they just kept escaping, literally four or five times in a couple of days, and we're on a busy main road :eek:

We are now planning how to lay a concrete base in the new pig enclosure - I really want them out of the mud, it'll save on bedding and give them some respite, just need a friendly farmer with tractor to fetch materials up and about 5 extension reels to get power to the mixer. Happy days!:rotfl:

My FiL has alzheimers and has been declining over the past few years, but recently contracted two infections and has been in hospital for a month so they can deal with his medication etc. Now he's got over them but it's knocked him back so much that he can't go home; getting him to eat is a mission, he sleeps a lot of the time and he's so weak he has to be hoisted in/out of bed with two people - MiL cannot possibly look after him now, she's mid 70's he's 90.

Thankfully FiL doesn't know what's happening to him anymore, but very sad for MiL, she's now looking for a good care home nearby (Weymouth). We don't get to visit often, OH is only home every couple of months, it takes a whole day to get there and back and we can only stay an hour or two. But we'll go later this month, he may be in a home by then so at least we can check the place out. Any tips peeps?

Oh well, must get back to jobs around here, the rain's put me off a bit I had big plans for today.....

COOLTRIKERCHICK

WOW you have been busy FK...

Sounds like a good plan with the piggies.. have you tasted J's wild boar sausages etc???

How many acres do you have??

Glad you like the blanket... next week we will be getting stuff ready for the smallholders show...So I really do need to start making more bits too...

Davesnave you might know:p We have a large wooden stand which might have come from a garden centre once upon a time, and its great for displaying our blankets on ( shown in the wonderwool pic) we are trying to get 2 made, so we can get more blankets displayed etc, but the few people we have asked have been dragging their feet, and saying the price of wood is expensive, it might be worth buying the plastic shelving:eek::eek:, for one thing it would look naff, and those plastic racking is not robust enough to put up with people pulling at the blankets..

so basically do you know where we can buy that type of thing:D

Raining here too, well more like a grey damp drizzle at the mo

ooo Ferretkeeper, what stan did you get those large/huge balls of wool from? and being nosey:p what was you going to make out of it?

Rummer

Dave you were right, I have woken up this morning to beautiful sunshine although the day is still chilly it will be ideal for getting those beds sorted :j

Just been out and watered the greenhouse and have stewed some of our rhubarb in clementine juice and ginger, yum. It is so nice to be eating from our garden again and I am so looking forward to a summer of garden based snacking

alfie_1

COOLTRIKERCHICK wrote: »

WOW you have been busy FK...

Sounds like a good plan with the piggies.. have you tasted J's wild boar sausages etc???

How many acres do you have??

Glad you like the blanket... next week we will be getting stuff ready for the smallholders show...So I really do need to start making more bits too...

Davesnave you might know:p We have a large wooden stand which might have come from a garden centre once upon a time, and its great for displaying our blankets on ( shown in the wonderwool pic) we are trying to get 2 made, so we can get more blankets displayed etc, but the few people we have asked have been dragging their feet, and saying the price of wood is expensive, it might be worth buying the plastic shelving:eek::eek:, for one thing it would look naff, and those plastic racking is not robust enough to put up with people pulling at the blankets..

so basically do you know where we can buy that type of thing:D

Raining here too, well more like a grey damp drizzle at the mo

ooo Ferretkeeper, what stan did you get those large/huge balls of wool from? and being nosey:p what was you going to make out of it?

would 2 nice old wooden step ladders [the open out to a V shape ones] and some planks of wood going through so they have an overhang each end [for balance], do ? i used that method when i did auto jumble stall. i just tied each ladder to an upright. simpler for transporting too. looked good.
just one of my ideas....:o

ferretkeeper

alfie_1 wrote: »

would 2 nice old wooden step ladders [the open out to a V shape ones] and some planks of wood going through so they have an overhang each end [for balance], do ? i used that method when i did auto jumble stall. i just tied each ladder to an upright. simpler for transporting too. looked good.
just one of my ideas....:o

Ooh like that idea... I thought of an old wardrobe/cupboard, vintage french looking, maybe with the door panels cut out and fabric/wire behind? could buy one cheap and paint it up distressed? But big and bloomin heavy if you can't unload right where you're stand is so ladders sound like a MUCH easier idea!!!

I got those big balls of wool from a company called woolyknit - they're for upholstery so quite tough and a bit felted already but 100% wool so can be dyed etc. I'm not exactly sure what I'll do with them but they were such good value, I'm thinking about ordering some more! Wanna share on postage?!

I might use it for some extreme knitting or on the peg loom, perhaps make a floor rug, mixed in with some other wool/textiles I have knocking about.

Oh I long for a day when I have time to play around in my little crafty caravan in the garden!!! And that reminds me, must get my fleeces sorted and sent away...so much for a lazy weekend!

No, I've not tasted the wild boar, keep missing it, but friends have and say it's very good. I have 5 acres here and a couple more rented for grazing, not a huge amount but enough for now!

Right, off to get some pork shoulder out of the freezer, just seen an awesome recipe on Saturday kitchen!

Rummer

ferretkeeper wrote: »

Oh I long for a day when I have time to play around in my little crafty caravan in the garden!!! And that reminds me, must get my fleeces sorted and sent away...so much for a lazy weekend!

Pics of the caravan please I would love to have my own crafty garden caravan!

ferretkeeper

Don't get too excited rummer.....



I think you were hoping for something like this:



I don't think sunshine will help, and the garden ain't much to look at either for now!

:rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

Sorry I didn't notice pic of piggies didn't work first time!:o