Keeping busy!

We have been fairly busy over the last couple of weeks both ticking a few items off our to do list and doing voluntary work for the NT.

From our never ending list of things to do we have cut and planted the willow, can't remember how many needless to say it was a lot! We finished collecting the hedge cuttings and had a great big bonfire and also have pruned all the garden area and dug over the raised beds in which I have planted 42 broad bean plants this morning. We also have started work on repairing ready to put up our chalet style shed which will be our chill out shelter by the raised beds.

Amongst all that we also managed to spend 3 days helping fill bags with grass to help stop peat erosion with the NT and get new front tyres put on my car.

I think if we keep this pace up I will have to start blogging every day to keep up!

Trees!

Well despite the weather which hampered us initially planting trees as there was quite a hard ground frost we have now got the rest of the orchard planted, a total of 50 trees.

Whilst it was frosty we finished, or should I say Andrew finished cutting the hedge whilst I was collecting and burning the cuttings. We still have some to collect and burn which we hope to do this week if we get time.

It has been quite a busy few weeks as I was in Swansea for three days at a work conference and no soon as I got back we spent the weekend doing vol work at Dolgoch hostel with the local Permaculture group which we have joined which involved clearing an area for horses and making bird boxes which was good fun and got to meet more new people, most have small patches of land like us so will be good to be able to swap ideas and experiences.

We also have started to plant more willow which hopefully we will get finished this week or at least very nearly finished!

Spring clean

This week has mainly been a spring clean, ok not quite spring yet but nether less we decided to finally tackle the middle stable/store room which over the last few years had become a bit of a dumping ground. It took a while and at points was very cold and a bit of a depressing job but now it looks great and we can finally use it as a work room! There is still some sorting of a few boxes of stuff to puta away in the house and a bit of ebaying to be done but all in all a job well done. We also went out on Thursday to collect the rest of the apple trees for the orchard which was a bit of a break from sorting and cleaning.

We even after a run to the tip this morning managed to start cutting the hedge along the field which has needed to be done for a while now.

The rough plans for next week is to finish the hedge, cut the willow ready for planting and weather permitting plant the rest of the apple trees.

Egg boxes

This week began with a chill in the air but only a heavy frost or two rather than the White stuff. In the last week it's been a bit of a spring clean here as we have started on tidying the sheds/stables out. It's a job we keep saying we will do so finally getting around to it. Andrew has been sorting out the BT van, putting more shelving in and finding homes for the tools I was finding whilst clearing the wooden shed out. Which has also meant we could get the forge inside finally. We next have to tackle the other side which will be worse as that half needs tough decisions on what we really need to keep and what needs throwing away!

Other stuff we have done this week apart from things like cleaning out the birds is making egg/nest boxes for the chickens (Andrew) and finish prepping the kitchen ceiling ready for painting (me).

Finally one of the geese has laid some eggs so on the off chance we have put the last one in the incubator on the off chance.

New Year!

Well 2010 ended with lots of snow which melted by the new year which started with us planting our orchard! With thanks to Jess who helped us start the planting. We have planted 32 trees which are a mix of eating/cooking and cider apples and pears but it will be a few years before we will be making our own cider and perry.

I also need to apologise for my lack of postings (Jasper :-) ) I have made a new years resolution to try harder this year!

 View of our house with the Cambrians in the background.

Rebuild!

The tractor has a nice new home! We have renewed the old garage with a nice new tin skin so the tractor, and a few other bits and bobs, can stay nice and dry and warmish through the winter!

Doing the splits

Well splitting logs to be precise! Andrew cleared the branches over hanging the fields so after burning the smaller bits earlier this week we spent today splitting the larger bits ready for next winter.

Also this week one of the geese started laying again for some strange reason and as andrew had seen them mating we are incubating them, bit of a punt we know as very late in the year. We also now have a fancy fully automatic incubator so good way to give it a test run if nothing else!