Best wellyboot forward. Pips frugal edible garden adventures.

Pippilongstocking

Oooh chickens I do love chickens Mila - I have only three left of eight rescue hens - makes me a bit sad but as DH keeps saying they had a cracking last couple of years exploring the garden and wrecking havoc with the dogs mainly.

Visitation rights are pretty important

Today is an at home, working a bit, gardening and catching up a bit kind of a day.

DS is still here. The forecast is for rain later so I'm taking the morning outside. Always good to plan a bit.

I'm currently bidding on one desk, and have a 'reserve desk' in mind if that one gets too pricey.

Whilst it would be nice to have it, there is another one sitting at a decent price. We'll see.

Must check banks etc but first a cuppa.

Few things to sort out for holibubs and need go into town at some point and give ID to the new bank account folks. That all came through.

Time sheet filled in for 35 hours plus expenses (PO) for this week - not too shoddy. Although with wombles its 42 - so need make sure I don't keep doing that.

Same again for next week potentially and then two weeks of no earnings at garden - but it will be OK still have womble work and that extra project.

Starnac I meant to say no not avoiding tax more shocked I've earnt enough to pay some thing this year - so looking at putting some into a pension is my first time ever of extra

EH when does it open the tax thingmy - sets self on the starting block.

Pippilongstocking

Womble wages cleared
CC sitting it 1700

1000 of that is 0% so I might pay the wombles to CC and get that to 0% for the next few months and pick that off.

Other CC needs cleared (petrol/food card) - must look and see what balance on that one is.

£200 in one kids uni account - must transfer some to the other one although that needs to wait for garden wages.

Timesheet and expenses sitting in the car - whoops. Forgot to put that in last night.

Pippilongstocking

starnac wrote: »

That's great that TRG doubled his investment in the flat. And yes you took the deposit for his house from it but what else was the money for but to set you both up in wedded bliss I hope that the sale money can ease finances somewhat, whatever it's earmarked for.

EH yes I'd be wary of them wanting that money back too. I have to admit I'm a month behind in my accounts at the moment. I need to get up to date so I can pull all the figures from the summary sheet ready for the form.

Hey there Mrs what accounts form do you use again? Is it free and easy I do like the one I found, but now I think of it maybe you suggested it? :rotfl:

We have each got a wee treat from the house money (mines is my desk if its not too expensive). :money:

I tell myself it will inspire good writing.:D

And then some money is needed here for some maintenance and the rest is earmarked for a holibub over RT's neck of the woods.



Then we're looking at overpaying this mortgage - we can overpay by 10% each year and now the other mortgage is gone we figured if we do it now, it won't really be missed.

:T

rtandon27

Pippilongstocking wrote: »

...And then some money is needed here for some maintenance and the rest is earmarked for a holibub over RT's neck of the woods...

Really?!? Are you talking down south or across the pond?!? We've got a spare room if yer down our way!:D

Across the pond? - we can chat offline if yer looking for tips & tricks etc.:D

Envious of your end-April off! but then again you've earned it!!!!!

Pippilongstocking

rtandon27 wrote: »

Really?!? Are you talking down south or across the pond?!? We've got a spare room if yer down our way!:D

Across the pond? - we can chat offline if yer looking for tips & tricks etc.:D

Envious of your end-April off! but then again you've earned it!!!!!

Thanks sweetie - over pond adventures - to make up for lack of Huge mountain adventures - probably next year involving snowy hills that Whistle......

will indeed pick your brains.

I feel ridiculusly guilty taking garden time off in April - but hey - I need to get my own under control and those veggies won't grow themselves. I'm really looking forward to a bit of sun then home to some garden at home catch up time.



Hope all is well in your lands today - machine on - fly lady'd the bathroom and must do a blessing later. I'll wait til its raining though if you don't mind.



two of the four main veg beds dug over - of the remaining two ones terrible (grassy still) and ones not bad.

Need finish the beds beside the greenhoose - and I need to move me spinach - I grow perpetual monster kind as the chickens love it and its sprouting so I need figure which bed its going into for this year before it turns all triffidy and attacks me.

Will get tatties in before I go and spinach moved. Should have time to plant onions/shallots too.

Everything else will wait til end of month as its still polar bear weather up here.

Kettle is on again and time for some toast.

No eggs though - pesky lazy chooks.

ETA really must get to englandshire this year. Didn't make it last year I don't think. Or only once. I do miss it.

Pippilongstocking

Spinach moved and spaced but not in yet just checking book for spacing.

Third bed dug over its worm tastic so I'm pretty chuffed.

Bark paths are really degraded do need to chop down the flowering currant and the fushia - will wait til flowering currant has finished being a bee fest and then top up the paths with shredded home grown stuff. Will top that up nicely and thats why I chose bark.

Hens well fed on weeds and grain.

Still NO eggs.

Tatties barely chitted - lazy things. Will get some manure for the beds and then plant up. Sprinkled pelleted chick manure on two of them for now.

Deciding what to do with my crop rotation this year.........

Autumn rasps are breaking bud - will do the 'two crop' technique on these as the new canes are also emerging. Lets hope its a better season than last year. Although they were only planted last year.

Gooseberry to go in by green house - and a lot of non-edibles sitting around looking for homes Might get on that later.

Pippilongstocking

Hens fed again - second load out

Pippilongstocking

Rain finally stops play for a bit - got quite a lot done and lifted my Jerusalem artichokes.

If anyone wants a few let me know they went a bit nuts. Its one of the things on my perennial edibles list for bulking up but I can of course spare a few.

rtandon27

Pips - how do you cook J artichokes? We had a few in the veg box a while back and had no clue what to do with them - ended up as compost!

Pippilongstocking

rtandon27 wrote: »

Pips - how do you cook J artichokes? We had a few in the veg box a while back and had no clue what to do with them - ended up as compost!

I'm lazy and tend to roast them and have them with meat. But there's a good account here from Nigel Slater

http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2016/jan/31/nigel-slater-jerusalem-artichoke-recipes

BBC good food does this with them. And saying they're half way between parsnip/tattie is quite accurate.

http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/glossary/jerusalem-artichoke

I've never boiled them - I thnk they'd disintegrate quickly but I have had puree out with fish and soup.

Also had 'crisps' they were nice too.

I got a handful from a pal and thought they hadn't done much

:rotfl::rotfl::rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

I'm still thinking of doing online edibles so I'm bulking some of them up for selling for growing but do have some spare if anyone wants to grow some.