Farm day

A new season of planting began at my local Community Supported Agriculture over the weekend.  Pressing onion sets into fresh ploughed earth, full of promise, imagining them swelling through the forthcoming seasons.  A monotonous task, meditative, punctuated by conversation with friends, some new, some old.  Noticing my children joining in, finding their own planting companions, enjoying the camaraderie.  Community.  It is something we experience less and less of as society becomes more insular.

The CSA movement is big in the US, over here it is just getting going.  I love it, the concept is spot on.  As a member I avail of vegetables that are seasonal, local and organic, I am supporting the farmer, knowing that he is getting a fair and consistent wage.  Involved in the growing process, my family has a connection to where the food on their plate comes from.  Oh, and it’s cheaper than Tesco.  Woo hoo!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Planting seed potatoes, a popular job.

St. Davids Day

 

Daffodils by Euan (top) and Arthur.  I was going to share some pictures of the Dragon Parade held in town over the weekend, but I was too busy comforting a child overwhelmed by the Big Marching Band to use my camera.  Happy St. Davids Day.

Make with Willow

A few years ago I had a birthday gift of a days willow craft course at Coppicewood College and a few bundles of living willow rods to plant in a wet corner of our field.  The rods have grown into worthy bushes full of creative opportunity, which we harvested a couple of weeks ago.  In truth I’d forgotten all about them until my father-in-law declared that he wanted to make a basket to present to his love on their 33rd wedding anniversary.  Ahhhh.

We put aside the longer, sturdier whips to plant interactive living willow structures for the children to enjoy.  In my sister’s garden we free-styled a small dome, in my garden a tunnel using these basic instructions.

I have realised, last minute, what a great winter activity willow presents.  So my secateurs accompany me and I keep a look out for any suitable weaving materials to harvest before the sap begins to rise.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This book is an excellent guide for beginner basket makers.  A rule of thumb for collecting weaving materials is that they should be flexible enough to wrap around your wrist.

Happy harvesting!

Frogs in the Rain

My good friend and marine biologist Lou Luddington has created an amazing wildlife pond in her back garden.  Last weekend we were invited to observe the spectacle of the frogs (45 of them at the last count) making frog spawn.  It was a delight to see, and yet another sign that Spring is coming.

Note to myself:  must build a wildlife pond in our garden.

Searching for a Holy Well

In ancient times, Pilgrims travelling through this valley on their way to St. Davids Cathedral, would stop and collect water from a well reputed to be holy.  Nine wells there are, although we’ve never found all.  In modern times, they are mostly forgotten, overgrown, ruined and there is debate over which well is indeed the holy one!

We deduced that the holy one must be the most difficult to get to …

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Traversing an old pipeline,

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

wading through streams,

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

stomping through the wild wood,

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

following badger paths,

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

tussock jumping,

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

and finally the well, and sunshine!

 

for the love of … baby hands

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Little Artie still has his baby hands.  The clock is ticking.  He is the grand old age of three now, how much longer can they last? These reassuringly chubby, lovably clumsy, determined baby hands.

Yarn Along

I am joining in with Ginny’s Yarn Along this week.  A knitting and reading post – two things I dearly love to do.

Bed time last night was a treat.  I read to the boys the story of How the Whale Became by Ted Hughes, sitting in a chair in front of them like a proper story-teller. Glancing at their gorgeous faces lit up with imagination and concentration.  It was a new, and surprisingly lovely way of reading to them.  And it appealed to the actress in me, as it did feel like having an audience, and maybe I did become a tad more theatrical!

Post bedtime I sat and knitted a few rows of the Tomten Jacket i’m making for Euan and Arthur.  I’ve just started on the first sleeve and am quite pleased with the contrasting colour.  I’m very excited to see how this one turns out!

Wool Foraging

I love that a walk can become anything, that when being outside in nature there are so many opportunities for fun and learning.  On this particular amble across the fields to a favourite beach, Euan disappeared under a hawthorn bush and pulled a fistful of wool from the spiky branches.  His enthusiasm was infectious and soon our pockets were bulging soft and warm as wool.  

We talked about how the sheep must have stood under these wind stunted trees, sheltering from the extreme coastal weather that penetrated even their woolly barrier.  Or perhaps the rough bark simply made a jolly good scratching post!  Either way, I marvelled, yet again, how my children open my eyes to different experiences.  Although I have a fleece tucked away in the attic, on this walk I realised the joy of collecting our own wool, of how the entire experience would be stuffed (literally!) into a knitted creation or a felt ball.  How lush is that!

Marmalade Season

The arrival of these beautiful golden orbs from The Organic Fresh Food Company seemed to banish those grey January days, lifting my spirits.  These Seville oranges sat glowing on my table for a few days before marmalade making began, it felt as though they were radiating the warmth and energy of the spanish sunshine directly into my home and heart.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A consignment of organic sugar bought in bulk from Essential Foods and a mouldy orange at the bottom of the pile signalled the start of serious kitchen activity.  Out came the trusty old book on Preserving found on one of our charity shop trawls, our biggest saucepan (a cauldron almost!), and Grandmas long wooden jam spoon.

 

Into the night the saucepan bubbled as the temperature rose ever-so-slowly.  The reward, 21 jars of delicious marmalade!  Breakfast the following morning was a treat.  Basking in the sunshine and the glory of our industriousness, we ate.

this pleases me

I’ve been feeling daunted today, suddenly intimidated by this here blog. Where to start?  It’s new to me, and it feels rather like whenever I started a journal as a child, wanting my first entry to be just-so…

Well, I came across this pleasingly accidental still-life.  Yes, it just pleased me, plain and simple.

It was an invitation to sit and knit a row between ferry-building with the boys and those inevitable chores.

And it became my first entry.  Phew!