Musings from a Smallholding.

Serves me right! A few days ago I was going on about the lovely Spring weather we were having. Three days later and we’ve had wind, rain, hail and snow. This was the scene this morning, grey skies and a bunch of birds in the Rowan tree at the bottom of the field. Don’t know what they were…I was’nt close enough to tell.

Half an hour later it is bright and sunny. As you can see the wind turbines are turned north to catch the cold wind. It’s only about 4 c here in the valley today.

The animals run into the shed when it rains. Goats hate getting wet, their coats are not waterproof like Sheep. We do not lock them in at night, the shed is left open and they can come and go as they please. The field is well fenced so there’s no danger of them getting into the garden. Theres a saying that “good fences make for happy goatkeepers”. I certainly believe that to be true! Smokie, on the right, is our oldest Goat, she has been with us for 11 years. We bought her when she was 2 so she’s about 13 years old now. Enid is our milker, actually we’ve just let her go dry, she has been milking for 2 years. The one in the middle is Bella, Enid’s daughter. She will be put in kid next Autumn. I have lots of Goat’s milk frozen so we won’t have to buy milk for a good while.

In the garden Carvello de Nero is going to seed. Also known as Tuscan Kale or black cabbage it has given lots of leaves since Autumn. They are delicious steamed, in soups or even shredded and stir-fried. We also eat them raw in salads, shredded finely. They are going to seed earlier than usual but it’s that sort of year. The seed heads are delicious, treat them like Purple Sprouting Broccoli. The more you pick them the more they produce.

Chives are surprisingly advanced for this time of year. I won’t pick any until the promised frost of the next few nights have passed and mild weather has returned. According to the Met Office this has been the mildest Irish Winter for 53 years. Interesting year so far, unpredictable weather, an earthquake in Donegal (2.2 on the Richter scale), Aurora Borealis visible from as far down as Claremorris and a white Blackbird seen in Dublin. It’s going to be an interesting year!

A Spring Day in Winter!

Officially it is still Winter but the weather has it’s own mind. Today was Springlike in the valley. Just beautiful! I spent late morning pruning last years growth, now dead and brown, from the perennials on the bed by the Birch tree. I leave it over Winter so the birds can feast on any seeds. The birds kept me entertained as I worked,  lots of them singing and chirping in the Birch tree. So many Tits and Chaffinches, and a few Goldfinches too. Can you spot the little Blue Tit in the Birch Tree?

It’s amazing how much early growth there’s been this year, 23rd January today and Sweet Cicely is already flowering.

Arum Lily has put on a lot of growth and

Escallonia is looking lush and healthy. Last year it came through the Winter but looked battered and bruised.

In the afternoon Lisa the Equine Dentist came to look at Daphne’s teeth. Donkeys teeth need to be checked anually especially as they get older. Daphne is about 22 now. Far back in the Donkey’s jaw are the molars, these often give trouble because the upper jaw is wider than the lower jaw, the grinding movement is from side to side, so the teeth on the outer edges of the upper jaw and the inner edges of the lower do not get any wear. This in time leads to sharp points developing which will cause discomfort for the animal. The dentist uses a rasp, which is like a giant file, to rectify the problem.

Daphne did’nt need her teeth rasped today but she did have a loose tooth which Lisa extracted very quickly. Loose teeth can be sore and impede grazing so they do need to be checked by an expert.

And there it is, the troublesome tooth, gone! Daphne did’nt seem a bit bothered and returned to grazing as soon as she was back in the field.

I’m a Versatile Blogger…apparently!

After having an enforced holiday from the computer for a week due to virus contamination (on computer that is) I was delighted on returning to have a message that Amanda from www.makeripples.wordpress.com had nominated me for a Versatile Blogger Award. It’s always nice when someone else likes what you do, so  “thanks Amanda”.     

                                                                                                                 

There are 4 rules for accepting the award:

1. Thank the award giver and link back to them in your post.

2. Share 7 things about yourself.

3. Pass the award along to 15recently discovered blogs you enjoy reading.

4. Contact your chosen bloggers to let them know they’ve been nominated.

7 THINGS ABOUT ME:

1. I have been vegetarian for 11 years.

2. I am qualified in Organic Horticulture and also as a Special Needs Assistant.

3. I am the eternal optimist…even in the midst of the current turmoil in the world.

4. Frugal living devotee. Love car boot sales and charity shops.

5. Keen on DIY and crafting.

6. Lived in Bristol, England for 5 years.

7. Love travelling…like to take at least 1 trip per year.

Finally I would like to nominate the following blogs to receive the award. Some great blogs so do check them out.

www.foxglovelane.blogspot.com. An Irish countryside blog…beautiful photography.

www.willowarchway.wordpress.com. off-grid living in north-west Ireland.

www.linniew.wordpress.com. Writer, gardener, dog lover. All done humourously!

www.cottageoncallan.wordpress.com. A new blog begun at the end of 2011. Living, gardening, painting and crafting in Co. Clare, Ireland.

www.thegreenveggie.wordpress.com. Veggie cooking, environmental issues, sustainable living and animal welfare blog.

www.cattapilladesigns.com Off grid living on Bere Island, Bantry, Co. Cork. Creates beautiful things from beautiful fabrics.

www.whisperingearth.wordpress.com .Herbalist, naturopath, tree hugger, flower child and plant lover.

www.wellywoman.wordpress.com Blogging about gardening, allotments and environment…in wellies!

www.thekitchensgarden.wordpress.com. Growing, farming, cooking plus so much more, on the American prairies.

www.flowerhillfarm.blogspot.com . Explore 20 acres of organic gardens, fields and forest in New England.

www.awomanofthesoil.blogspot.com . English gardening blog. Working in tune with nature and the environment.

www.militaryzerowaste.wordpress.com . Attempting zero waste lifestyle in a military household.

www.sureswiftsongbird.blogspot.com . Canadian vegans and 13 cats living a frugal, environmentally aware, simple life.

www.cohutt.com . Check out what goes on behind Cohutt’s fence.

www.planticrunotes.blogspot.com . A blog about gardening in Montrose, Scotland.

A January Day.

The morning sky looks bleak despite the blue. Are those chemtrails or just harmless vapour trails? I wonder!!

The animals are constantly watching the door to see if they have any titbits to recieve. Their faves are Ginger Nut biscuits and Carrots.

Ash trees against a grey sky. Kilronan Mountain in the background.

Early afternoon sees a blue sky giving some hope of sunshine… which alas does not appear.

Through the garden gate an old tree stump has become colonised with Foxgloves. One of my fave native wild flowers. They did’nt have the distress of a hard Winter this year so perhaps they will flower before May.

Aster too is showing strong growth. I will divide this clump in the coming days. Now is the perfect time for this work in this frost free mild (for January) weather.

 By evening the sky is grey and cloudy. Another January day almost at an end. Not too many more until the 1st of February, St. Brigid’s Day, Imbolc the Celtic festival of Earth once again awakening.

As darkness falls we light the fire in the small stove in our sitting room. Candles are lit, a nice meal prepared, watch a bit of telly and a bit of the world wide web. Another January day ends in Arigna.

A Change in Consciousness.

As we face into another year on this planet called Earth many people are feeling a bit scared about 2012. Much has been said about Mayan calendars, solar flares and biblical prophecies foretelling the end of the world. My view…for what it’s worth…is that the Mayans were not foretelling the end of the world but an end of an era. I came to this conclusion after reading much about these various prophecies. My belief is that 2012 is the time for a change in consciousness on the planet.  We are all exploiters on this planet…that is the nature of the beast.

 Even Andy and I living here in rural Ireland are exploiters. No you may say…but the truth is yes. We are vegetarian so we do not exploit our animals for food directly. We do however exploit Enid our milking goat every day to obtain her milk. Hens are exploited to produce our eggs and bees for honey. A bit extreme you may think but we cannot blame others for exploiting without examining our own conscience. We have a car so…somewhere… fuel has to be pumped out of the earth to power it. None of us on this Earth can live here without being part of the exploitation that occurs.

But…we can exploit in a positive way…positive for ourselves and life on this beautiful planet. So much food is imported needlessly. Growing your own means you can be more responsible for your own nutrition. Food sovereignity gives one more financial independence as less money is needed. I really hate the supermarket trend of importing vegetables from all corners of the world to gratify our taste for out of season produce. In our polytunnel at the moment we have Carrots, Kale, Parsnips, Spring Onions( I saw some in the supermarket from Kenya), Turnips and salad greens. More than enough for variety. We do of course buy some provisions. We only grow enough Potatoes for half the year but we make sure to only buy Irish Potatoes. We also buy lentils, beans, flour and so many other things too.

 The Celtic Tiger years (late nineties to 2008 financial boom) seem to have made a huge change in the Irish psyche. They were the years of spend, spend, spend and damn the consequences. A third of food purchased in Ireland used to go in the bin…hopefully the last couple of years in recession will have changed that somewhat. On my travels I pass a local fruit and veg importers depot quite regularly. There is always a skip outside brimming with produce to be dumped. Shameful. The timber pile pictured above was given to us by a neighbour who did some hedgecutting last year. There were 6 others of similar size. They just could’nt be bothered using it. That was our gain but I do not understand this mindset. Cutting down trees then going to the local fuel depot to buy imported coal.

My hope for 2012 is that people do become affected by the change in concsiousness. That more and more people begin to appreciation and cherish this planet that has for so long tolerated our gross exploitation. If we all do our little bit to reduce the waste, shop wisely, use wild foods and grow what we can then there is hope. 2012…may it be the year where we take responsibility for our actions.

A change in consciousness…I welcome it with open arms!

January Musings from Prospect Cottage.

The view out the window from our computer spot is pretty grey today. The mountains are shrouded in mist and the wind is gusting very strong. It’s not a day for venturing out unless one has too. My only outing today was to take the dogs for a short walk and venture into the polytunnel on the return to get some carrots for the evening meal. We will have the carrots with mashed potato and the remnants of a Hazelnut and Courgette Loaf I made yesterday. Today the loaf will be fried. Perhaps a soupcon of onion gravy too.

 

The land is saturated at the moment, there was a lot of rain in December and it’s now continuing into January. The lakes and rivers are full to capacity and every drain and ditch is busy with rushing water. Very strong winds over the last week. I find wind so tiring, it exhausts my energy.

In the house everything is warm and cosy. The stove is going from early morning to late at night. The Christmas tree still twinkles on the table, it is considered unlucky to take down the decorations before Twelfth Night, January 6th. We got a living tree this year. After the 6th we will repot it,leave it in the polytunnel, then move it outside when the weather improves.

 In the garden there are some signs of Spring waiting in the wings. Willow is budding, it’s lovely catkins one of the symbols of Spring. Daffodils are up a few inches but I suppose the colder weather at the moment will have put a halt to their growth. When the ground dries out a bit there is lots of work to be done dividing perennials to create new plantings. But alas it’s far too wet right now. A little patience required!

In the polytunnel February Orchid (Orychophragmus violaceus) is flowering early. A little beacon of hope for an early Spring!! This little plant with a big name is not an Orchid at all but of the Brassica family.

Marigolds continue to flower in the polytunnel, a sure sign that despite the current wind and rain that it has so far (fingers crossed) been a mild Winter here in Ireland. I wonder if they are perennials in their native land? Anyone out there know? Their cheery flowers certainly help to brighten the dull days of January here in Arigna.

The History of the Welly

All you every need to know about wellies!

wellywoman

Over the past few months I have become aware that not everyone knows what wellies are. Rubber boots that are designed to keep the feet dry, they are not an item of footwear that is particular to Britain but as they have been taken around the world other countries have come up with different names and this is where the word ‘wellies’ can get lost in translation. Apparently wellies are called galoshes, rain boots or rubber boots in America and Canada, gumboots or gummies in Australia, New Zealand and South Africa and are sometimes referred to as topboots in Ireland. So I thought I’d start off the New Year with a post about the history of the humble Wellington Boot.

Wellington boots are named after the Duke of Wellington. Famous for his defeat of Napoleon at the Battle of Waterloo in 1815, he then went on to be head of the…

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