A poorly couple are we

Both Compostman and I are poorly at the moment, with some kind of fluey thing that makes us achey and sore and soooo very tired . But today was an important day for Compostgirl as her Brownie  troup were parading through Ledbury and and going to a church service to celebrate the Centenary of Girl Guiding. So...I asked a friend from just up the lane who very kindly took Compostgirl with her and her daughter to the Brownies church parade thingy so Compostman and I could have a rest.

Well Compostman did (he watched an old Bogart film) and I did for a bit, but then I remembered I needed to wash out demi johns for tomorrows marathon cider/juice making session...

So I started washing dj's and also juice bottles, then I moved on to bottle 3 dj's of cider to free up the dj's, then realised the plum wine needed racking off so did the 15 l of wine into 3 clean dj's ( which I had to clean out, first) Compostman helped me with the wine, I hasten to add!

Then I had a rest, but then...while getting out winemaking supplies from the Glory Hole, I "found" 2 kilner jars of fruit vodka which had been in the dark since 2007, sitting on the fruit. so I tasted it and pronounced superb, so I bottled it and it is now awaiting labelling and either drinking by us ( bigger bottles) or going into gift baskets as presents (smaller bottles!. Along with various home made soaps, candles, chutneys and jams, home made biscuits and small fabric things will be added at a later date....I think these hampers will be an acceptable gift to various friends!

So...I am really having a rest, now!

Trip out to Daffodil woods

Some of you may have seen Countryfile on BBC1  which was based around the daffodil Woods near to me? 

We had been to visit them a few days before, and oh my they were spectacular this year! 

(And the lovely Ranger they interviewed, is a neighbour!) 

 

The start of growing

HotBin chugging away nicely, up to 60C now.

Wormeries all going well

Compost barrowed onto beds. 

 Spectacular display of Celandines in the front garden! 

End of March.

I mowed the grass today, followed around by the "veg patch" Robin. 

We have enough land to support a number of different Robin territories, so we have "front garden", "veg patch", "main garden", "polytunnel/barn" Robins, as well as who knows how many in the wood and meadow. 

I was charmed at this Robin following me, as I mowed. 

The Crocus have died down, now the Fritillaria emerge. 

 

New patio area around barn and polytynnel

The wide slabbed area by the barn had a "flower bed" next to the barn wall, which the previous owners (gone 25 years ago!) grew a Loquat tree in, totally  unsuited to our climate and a bit of a disaster, tbh. It died, and the bed became a bit of a weedy mess. 

So Compostman decided to sort it out, and we agreed it would be good to generally tidy up all the rather ad hoc "crazy paving" effect which had evolved by the barn and to the polytunnel  to provide hard standing and walkways over the last two decades

I don't have a before  pic readily to hand, but imagine a half slab width bed next to the wooden barn wall, and a two slabs width path, most broken and with lots of  weeds growing between the uneven slabs. 

We had to buy five new slabs because the slabbed area is much bigger  but we did manage to use a lot of what was needed from our store of  "stuff you keep out back rather than throwing away, just in case it might be useful" 

One of the joys of having loads of spare land to store stuff! 

The area in front of the polytunnel was tricky, as the polytunnel isn't parallel with the back or side of the barn, so there was a lot of slab cutting and relaying involved, to get it looking good. 

 Oh, it is SO much better, now! A wide, level, functional and attractive space, rather than an uneven, weedy, messy looking area.

Excellent job by Compostman, as always.