2 months and finally.....

After two months (first pic taken in January, after clearing 12ft high weeds) we have very nearly finished hand-digging meadow two. I have started planting stuff out and erected lots of canes and pea netting. The potatoes will go in next week and we are also planting a lot of maize in the animal meadow. Meadow one (pics another time) has been designated animal meadow, and will eventually house the chickens and goat and maybe even a pig or two, meanwhile we'll grow crops there for them all to eat. 

Rick has been busy clearing the woodland on what we call the dark side...there were a lot of downed pines and as he was felling the other day a very old chestnut blew down right in front of him, at that point he left the woodland as the winds had really picked up. Now that we're ready for planting he can go back to the woods and mess about with his chainsaw and axes.

The day of the first egg

Hurrah, we finally have our first egg, we knew it wouldn't be long as some friends of ours got their chickens a couple of weeks before us and their's started laying 2 weeks ago. 

The chucks seem to be getting very fat (probably all that pasta and rice I keep giving them), and very tame too, the dogs are slowly learning to leave them alone, Stanley our blind dog still has a go but fortunately has not made contact. Must be hard for the dogs doing what was once applauded (flushing pheasants) to being scolded for flushing chickens...they'll learn.

Carnival

Term used to describe public revelling that includes music, dance or performance. It is characterized mainly by the elaborate costumes that are created specifically for it. In countries where the Roman Catholic tradition is dominant, carnival denotes a period of variable duration that ends at midnight before Ash Wednesday, although in some localities the latter day can also be included. In these contexts, therefore, it is a specific calendrical event generally associated with forthcoming Lent. It is often referred to with the French Mardi Gras, which properly applies to only Shrove Tuesday. The term has, however, become used more generally; it may entail demonstrating, occasionally with explicit, if satirical, political overtones. It also denotes indoor partying and feasting of the kind arranged by community organizations or private individuals. The English equivalent of carnival as an annual event, Shrovetide, seems to be disappearing with the decline of the activities customarily connected with the period in the popular culture of the British Isles.

Something is happening

Bought some rhubarb crowns with us from UK, was told that it wouldn't grow, looks like it's growing to me.....
Also got given some wild watercress which is also doing just fine and goes very nicely in our sandwiches.
We're about to move again and have been heaving stuff (with some help) over to the new rental. Rather wonderfully the new landlord and landlady and their nephew all came out to help carry everything up the 59 steps to the rental and helped move our enormous settee in to the living room, which now takes up all the space!!
Will try to update blog this week, but if I don't it's because we're too busy. All of you who are followers and haven't emailed us with your addresses (you know who you are), please do so as we would love to hear from you. Same goes to anyone else that's following but not a follower, drop us some news.........

Blokey stuff

For those of you that remember, Rick was making a knife in the UK, he has finally finished it (and is starting another). He made the handle out of a piece of bog oak from Pinmill. It has a four inch flat ground, single bevel (sp.) blade and was made from an old file

Hiving off......

Rick found these ancient bee hives on our next door neighbours land. They are made out of cork oak, fairly primitive but they must have done the job. We're not sure how old they are and after asking the neighbour to the neighbour he didn't know either. Rick would like to make some (obviously!)

Spring is in the air

Some flowers and a chicken!

Roly poly tunnel

We started putting up the polytunnel a couple of weeks ago (in the pouring rain), Daniela came to stay and helped (our first unofficial woofer)....I went away for a week and Rick made a brilliant bench for the tunnel out of a couple of old pallets and an oak beam and continued to construct the door frames from small pines that he felled at christmas, today the doors were hung and because it was a leaf day I planted two beds either side of the east entrance (herbs, rocket and spinach). We've finally burnt some stuff and let the chickens out, feel like we're really getting a lot done now the weather has turned and get a full days work in.

Happy Valentines...

Had the first and probably last hack of the year today in glorious sunshine.
Having a ride today has reminded me of how much I love horse riding, especially in the english countryside, pockets of snow still lying around, signs of spring everywhere and beautiful sunshine. Had a couple of lengthy trots and a couple of slightly out of control canters and then a couple of controlled canters, hadn't ridden Pablo much so was great to practice some horsey skills on him (I'm in the middle), Julia on Billy on right and Sophie on her pony Lucky. Back to Portugal tomorrow and hopefully more farmy pictures on Monday....

Administrator away....

Apologies for not updating, the administrator is away in depressing UK.
Can't wait to get back to my new reality and get planting..hopefully Rick will have dug a bit more and finished putting the polytunnel up, doors an' all.

Monday at the office

The sun came out today and we finally had a bonfire, still need to get rid of a lot more stuff, but it's a start.
Rick started putting up the poly tunnel and wished that we had numbered the parts, it's not done but he thinks he's figured it out, maybe by the end of the week the plastic will be on.
We also let the chickens out for the first time, mostly as a test run, they were a bit tentative but finally left the coup, getting them back wasn't so easy, tried shaking food in can and making silly noises, resorted to picking them up in the end and throwing them back in their house.
We know you've all had snow in UK and that the country has shut down, what a surprise. We passed a landslide today and there were 2 men and a bulldozer, a couple of signs on the road, that was it, imagine the fuss if it had been anywhere in UK........those sorts of things make us laugh and thank god things aren't like that here, it would spoil everything.....

It's raining it's pouring.....

No work, no news, no pictures......hasn't stopped raining for days and looks set to continue until 4/5 February. We're all fed up, can't get anything done. Rick has made some temporary screens for the chicken house to see if being warmer will make them lay, they definitely seem different and are bathing in their sawdust bed and seem more aggressive towards each other.....lets hope it means eggs on way.

Alternative modes of transport

Sorry for absence but the truck has been off road for a minor repair and it rained a lot and I had a birthday!!
Had a wonderful day with our new friends, eating and drinking and then more of the same in the evening with extra friends and homemade pizza's, huge cake, champagne (thanx Daniela) and 78's.....
My friends gave me an electric blanket, probably to shut me up, great idea and was lovely first night, but we've had power cuts since then, looking forward to using it again, hopefully tonight if power stays on.
Started taking pictures of the kinds of transport people use here and our neigbours came up the valley today so snuck a picture in, delightful people, they are also some of the people we bought our land from, they have a new dog who seems very keen on blossom but wasn't allowed out to play.

4 seasons in one day, well alot of cold anyway.......

Yesterday there was snow; hail; rain; thunder; lightning and sleet .
Even the Serra Lousa's were covered in snow (look it up if you don't know about them), which is quite unusual. we tried to work on the land but gave up in the end as too cold and wet.......and there was me thinking spring was round the corner......

a tree

As this is the time of year for planting trees esp. fruit trees, we just can't resist planting more. They are so cheap and we have a lot of space, so eh.........
However, I know the soil is dry and not particularly fertile so I went off in search of poo.......came across a donkey sanctuary near to where we ware renting. I called them and asked and they said yes, we could have as much poo as we wanted..........so, the trees are in, and with more on the way....well it would seem rude not to use all the manure.