Getting to MF one step at a time

PermacultureGirl

Ok,  as Cheery_Daff says, photos of good forests are tricky! This is a photo from yesterday, looking the other way from the previous one (so as if sitting under the big tree from next door). This is our shady area, and is separated from the rest bya living woven willow screen. There is an apple at the top, with wood ruff, wild strawberries and marjoram ground cover. This also supports Welsh onions, a josta-berry, a dwarf sumak, and a lot of clover (nitrogen fixing), as well as Rhubarb, Nanking cherry, Angelica, Aronia, hyssop and Autumn fruiting rasps. The Rowan (wild type) was gifted as a seedling from our neighbour to keep us safe from witchcraft!
This area gets the sun (what is this phenomenon?!) at 4pm until sunset, so I have a bench here too. We call it the secret woodland as it cannot be seen from the house. 
You can see the building work in the background...we have some roof now, woohoo!
I love the lush abundance in the garden. I do get a bit antsy over the field grasses....but trying to be relaxed about it. Our view is that anything living here is doing a job in an ecosystem that wasn't present just a few years ago. 
Permie x

PermacultureGirl

Food forests, not good forests in the post above (I must remember to check the autocorrect when adding from my phone!) 

The above is my Scotch Bridget tree against the wall (it's semi fan, but obviously has put on some rogue growth this year). Builders say they will clear the rubbish once the roof is finished...hopefully before the apples are ripe.
The tree is in a guild (group of complimentary plants) with lupins, nettles, a Japanese wine berry, yarrow, and a red currant (currently in a pot). No idea how these plants are doing as I cannot reach them (though I am sure the nettles are doing just fine lol).

PermacultureGirl

Yesterday, the builders were away at the back of 5, the sun came out and the chickens decided to take advantage of the piles of rubbish and discarded soil 😍.

PermacultureGirl

And on the MFW front, not a right lot🫣. I travelled south to see the folks for a few days and was organised enough to take coffee in a flask and snacks, so no spends on the way down. I put the £7.50 I could have spent onto the mortgage. Yay!
However, the proceeded to have quite a spendy few days with DD (but it is the holidays). A nice time was had by all and we even had a wee bit of sun.
Permie x

PermacultureGirl

Extension update: we have a fully functioning and very beautiful roof! Just in time for the forecasted deluge this afternoon 😅. 
We had to use reclaimed slates for planning permission reasons. They look so 'in-keeping' the roof looks ready aged, in a good way. It does make my actual old roof look a wee bit shoddy mind.
Harvested 3kg of blackcurrants yesterday - yum. 
Have a lovely weekend, everyone. 
Permie x

PermacultureGirl

2kg Redcurrants and 6 blueberries (6 in total, not 6kg) harvested! Half the redcurrants in the freezer, the other half about to be 'jellied'.
Been a spendy week, but at least I'm not forking out for fruit 😅
Hope everyone is enjoying some sun, here and there. 
Permie x

VintageHistorian

Were the 6 blueberries consumed immediately, or frozen to wait for a larger harvest? 😅

PermacultureGirl

Ha ha 🤣 @VintageHistorian we split them equally between us and solemnly consumed 😜. Fortunately, the more established plant will be cropping soon so should have at least 6 more!
Sent back a dress I bought that I loved the fabric of, but really didn't suit me (I looked like I was wearing a pair of curtains, which is not the style I was going for 😅). £32 back in my account, so popped that to OP the mortgage this morning.
Looking forward to a bit more sun this week. The courgette flowers are blooming at last and I think I can take a few of those to stuff with cheese for tea without compromising the crop too much (I like courgettes, but I like their flowers even more). Made a salsa verde with herbs and day lillies yesterday and that will be good to eat in the sun. Fingers crossed.
And the builders have said they'll move the rubbish this week, woohoo!
Hope you are all having a lovely weekend, 
Permie x