Garden Landscaping

 With the earth that has been excavated for the garage we've created some banks in the garden to create areas of shelter and some interest. Sally sees them as perfect areas for shrubs and plants while I'm checking out the lines for the mountain bike. I'm really hoping Jake will be on my side when we come to 'discuss' the finer details of how to plant up the area.

There are just a few landscaping items to be done now. We need to clear the topsoil in the field where the track has been dug. Dig for the foundations for the retaining wall next to the campsite and tweak a few little bits next to the house.

A nice bank to carve on the bikes

Perfect shelter for a fire pit

The house is no longer in a hole

Look Dadda a bike ramp, ha ha. x

Everything is under control... honest

 The problem with doing a barn conversion is the number of times that you have to dig in the ground and move things. Well, perhaps i should say that the problem with this barn conversion is the number of times we have had to dig stuff up and rearrange the work that was already done some time ago. Perhaps more thought or more vision would have enabled us to avoid some of the chaos (or is that cost) we have created for ourselves. Anyway, we're keeping builders and diggers busy for the foreseeable future.

A muddle of water, electricity, waste and water harvesting.

Nearly there now

Nice and clean inside

Chooks

Our rescue chickens arrived on April 24th. There were six in total but Honey had a bad bottom so in her best interest we sent her away to join a more experienced home. She got the name Honey as we thought she may have a prolapse so smeared her bottom in honey and kept her in isolation for the night, we didn't just make this up apparently honey is a good cure. My grandmother always swore by a spoonful of honey but i didn't know its medicinal properties extended so far. Anyway, she still wasn't right in the morning so the nice lady from the rescue centre arranged to have her relocated before the other chickens pecked her to death. Apparently they do that kind of thing.

The chickens in boxes in the van

Inside the coup

Yes, you're chickens!

They are laying 3 to 4 eggs per day and the eggs are whoppers. At first, being ex barn hens they didn't want to leave the coup but now they're happily running around and love to peck at bare toes in the morning. We let them out around 8am, give them food and water then check back early afternoon for eggs and tuck them in for the night around dusk. Thankfully our neighbour Louise has very kindly looked after them on the numerous times we've been away.

Little Green Shoots

The raspberry canes and currant bushes are starting to shoot. So far so good. It's nice to see they haven't completely given up after being moved from what seemed like a perfect location to a wet and windy site. We need to net them too although bird damage is the least of our worries, we can always fix that next year depending on how well the plants perform after their move.

Currant bushes

Raspberries

The embers of the hedge cut back this season glow in the evening light but the very next day we're out planting a new hedgerow. I turn 40 this year, while i'm having great fun planting all these trees and putting in the infrastructure for a proper market garden. I sometimes wonder how i'll be feeling about all the maintenance required when i'm about to turn 50. I'll let you know about that one.

Everyone loves a fire in the evening

Jake and Sally planting the new hedge

Red Steel

We're waiting for the steel to arrive so that work can start on the roof. This means stage one and two invoices have been issued with one more stage to go. I hate it when there's building work to be done but the builders aren't here. It's way better to see them buzzing away and getting things done. The steel is scheduled for delivery on Wednesday this week.

When the roof and doors are complete and the builders finally leave it will be up to me to complete the internal carpentry while working alongside the plumber and electrician. I'm looking forward to this, it should be a laugh, hopefully nobody gets hurt in the process.

New Recruit

Our new recruit 'Jake' has been helping us plant a hedgerow down in the field. This will act as a wind break when we move the existing growing area to clear space for the second polytunnel. Having said that the first polytunnel is mostly full of junk from the garage, we do have some salad and a few veg growing in it though.

Jake struggled with the spade work
but was good at securing the guards, age 8 months

We're trying to get compost and manure delivered up to the growing area both of which our soil badly requires. The compost is on its way, it travelled from Michaelstow near Camelford across our neighbours field only to get bogged down and stuck when it got into our field. We're hoping to get manure from our neighbour too.

Hold still Jake this won't hurt a bit.

Mum, I love compost!

Nanny's Birthday

Sorry about my singing and that funny squeaking noise at the end but it was all done under Jake's direction and he's a creative type. Happy Birthday Mum xx