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

Shiver Me Timbers

 It's starting to look quite big next to the house but the footprint and the finished ridge height is going the same as the old garage. We'll be able to fit in a chest freezer to store fruit and veg and we're thinking of investing in a tumble drier to help with Jake's washable nappies... 

...Reading that back it sounds like Sally's had too much influence on the purpose of the garage and she's clearly lost the plot. It's obvious that we actually need a turbo trainer for my road bike, a climbing wall and somewhere to store some collectable surfboards (not that I have any). Maybe a beer fridge (actually Sally came up with that idea) a darts board, pool table and hell yeah lets have some ping pong too.

The roof space

Our new dividing wall

Looking down towards the doors

Six Million Jubilee Trees

Spring is upon us, its time to reflect on the efforts of kind friends and family who helped us plant our woodland 'Milkwood' late last winter. The trees are doing really well, some are poking out the tops of their guards and we're excited to see how much progress they'll make this year.

At the end of March this year the Jubilee Woodlands Project Patron HRH The Princess Royal planted the 6 millionth Jubilee tree, reaching their ambitious target and helping transform the UK's landscape.

The woodland Trust has passed on a message of thanks to all those involved, 'Thank you – we couldn't have done it without you. Your Jubilee wood is part of 5,000 hectares of new tree cover that will help strengthen our ecosystems and provide a lasting legacy for generations to come'. 

I'd say those words of thanks are every bit as relevant to the people that helped as those that made land available and we would like to thank our lovely volunteers once again. So thanks for your hard work but above all thanks for your company we had a great time.
Here's a video about the overall project: -