Saturday, May 17, 2014

Getting Hot and Getting On With Stuff


Well, here is the first reciprocal roof... Actually I was unable to finish is as the support stick (which you take away when the poles are all in place) was too short so I couldn't put in the last pole... Will have another go. I did a trial run using the poles which R had very kindly carried down the steep hill...


It looks beautiful already!


And here was my company at the time, on a big bush of wild fennel.


I have been baby minding for Laura while she does the doll making course in Milfontes. Beautiful, happy baby.


The view from the road next to the hotel where Laura was doing her course... Pretty lovely. The tide was really low and the sand bars had lovely shapes and colours...


These are my humungous cabbages growing on an old compost site.

 
R and Marian 'chillin' in the shade of the afternoon.


My messy kitchen!

Tuesday, May 6, 2014

The Door Frame.


The door frame in place.

A view from our hill top looking South.

Dog Meets Dog

One of Bonnie's suitors has now become a permanent outside dog. We call him Mr Brown. He has a very nice calm outlook, and now that Bonnie is not on heat they can play and hang out together. I have been sleeping in a tent in the garden and Mr Brown has been sleeping on the mat just outside the door! I have given him some flea and tick stuff and wormed him and he looks better already.

We found a huge pile of newly shorn wool in a small, well grazed field. It is the season. I have just bought three huge sacks of wool for the insulation of the roof of the studio. Just wonder how long it will take to get to that point!


Some pictures of our lovely area, taken on an evening walk.


A Huge cork oak.

Sunset on the hills.

I have harvested all my broad beans and cut down the stalks and used them as mulch in situ. In little pockets of compost I have sown corn and beans in one bed, and carrots in another. The roots of beans have nodules of nitrogen on them which will be used by the next crop.

I have discarded my shoes and my feet are toughening up. It feels so nice. When we were kids we had bare feet most of the time. It doesn't take long for the feet to get used to it and it makes me feel really good!

We are eating a lot of food from the garden. Cabbages, purple sprouting broc., carrots, lettuce, fennel, strawberries (just one at a time), peas. I have harvested the garlic as it has rust spots on the leaves and I didn't like the look of that, but the heads are twice the size as last year, which is just as well since I seem to have planted only half as much.

The fruit trees are looking healthy and some even have young fruit on them.

And our occasional neighbours Christina and Andreas gave us some really good tea, so life feels pretty complete.




Lucky Granny!