And now for something slightly less spectacular -- I have made a window for the shed (yes, I know it's missing the glass). Bonus points to anybody who can correctly identify which of these two windows I made and which one Dave the builder made... :)
It's now a very small bonfire and an equally small quantity of firewood...
In other news, here's the white sheep of the family...
And Bridget thinks that we have two boy chicks, two girl chicks, and one undecided chick...
Also, Bart's peacock came for another visit today -- I tried to take a photo when he had his tail open, but he kept closing it by the time I got the camera out!
We put up the internal wall in the shed -- so as you can see, it's not one big shed like it looks like from the outside, but a pair of semi-detached sheds... :)
Here's another picture of the lettuces because the last photo was so crap. I pick myself a bowlful of leaves every day and they just keep growing back!
This is a melon plant -- I've got 5 of them, so perhaps I will get lucky and have melons???
Almost time for the rose to get transplanted back onto the shed...
We've also finished the fascia boarding stuff on the shed, and put up one of the doors -- so it is starting to look a bit more finished finally...
And these are the strawberries in the greenhouse, which I think are just about ready to eat!
It will be an interesting experience having some sheep that are not Balwens...
Why I am so desperate to kill slugs you ask? Aside from the fact that they are evil horrible creatures of destruction, I want to protect my lovely little lettuces who were good enough to give me my first salad of the season today -- fresh from the garden with a twist of black pepper and a drizzle of British rapeseed oil...
We have finally had a bit of sun this week, but up until now, it's been a pretty horrible spring. This lilac, which only just really started flowering a couple of days ago, was in full flower two weeks earlier last year...
One last thought to leave you with -- this just arrived in my inbox -- if you live in the area, please try to come along Monday morning and show your support!
- It is the only such facility for more than 5 miles.
- The bus service is infrequent (one might say rare).
- With rising fuel costs many people (particularly older ones) will not be able to afford the extra 10- mile round trip to the nearest alternative.
- 3 others have closed in the surrounding areas in the last few years, which means that this is the last remaining place where people can meet as a community (apart from the pubs). This is so important in a dispersed community where isolation can lead to so many problems, including mental health issues.
The issue here is not about buying stamps, and any proposal to substitute the post office with a peripatetic van will not address the key issue, which is about social cohesion and sustainable development in the local community.
Dryslwyn post office, in common with many rural post offices, is more than a provider of stamps and other post related services, it is a focal point for the community. As such the proposal to close it is flying in the face of
Post peak oil, as we move into energy descent, it will be even more important to retain such services at a local level. Let us not "do a Beeching" on them, and repent at leisure.
Our MP, Adam Price will be there, together with Assembly members and local councillors, and the Carmarthen Journal will be there with a photographer.
Things are coming along well in the greenhouse...
And we have finished building the doors for the shed and I am now treating them with preservative prior to staining and waterproofing.
First I picked a bunch (about half a carrier bag full) and just washed them and then tossed them in a pan with some butter until they wilted -- like spinach. They require more butter than spinach or kale, but I can tell you that when they are cooked they don't sting any more and they are quite tasty!
Then I got a bit more ambitious and I made a quiche -- and I am particularly proud of this quiche as I know where almost all of the ingredients in it come from...
Butter -- from an organic dairy cooperative about 35 miles from here
We also opened a bottle of the rhubarb wine I made ages ago -- and it is quite drinkable!
In other wine news, this is a bottle of pear wine that I started back in the summer. I racked it about a month ago and it was quite tasty at that point, so I think I am just waiting for it to clear. But how clear is clear? Can I bottle this yet?
We put the little lamb back up the field with the rest of the flock yesterday morning and are now (with a bit of difficulty) bottle feeding him up there -- it's nice to see them all back together again...
Left to right: 2nd ewe lamb, bottle fed lamb, 1st ewe lamb, pink nosed lamb. There is one more ewe who hasn't lambed yet -- she's got until 28th April, but she's not showing any signs yet.
Things are coming along in the greenhouse -- we have got kale, Brussels sprouts, two types of cabbage, various lettuces, early strawberries, and onions, and have just started melons, pumpkins, cucumbers, courgettes, basil, parsley, coriander, and dwarf French beans. Now we just need outdoors to cooperate a bit so we can start things outside! The rhubarb is nearly ready though...
Yes, that's right, you do see snow... Both Sunday and Monday mornings, we woke to a light coating of snow, but of course it was gone by midday...
And in case anybody else out there was experiencing confusion, the lambs that we slaughtered last week are LAST YEAR's lambs... All four lambs born so far this year are alive and well...
Interestingly, the ewes have now all lambed six days apart, in the reverse order that they lambed last year. Does this mean anything? Probably not. Will the last ewe lamb on Sunday and continue the six day pattern? Watch this space and see...
