Monday, August 23, 2010

'what is this world ... Etc. Etc'

All work and no play. We took half an hour off to walk up the hill to watch the sunset.

"daddy, will I be as big as you when I grow up?"

Today was the digging a hole day.

It was raining Welsh rain when Eynon started digging and it didn't really stop. You learn a lot about your land when you dig a big hole. And you learn where the bodies are buried. No not another dog but all the rubbish from the last load of builders. Then thick, slimy clay. And the sides kept collapsing. So we have a bigger hole that is filling with ground water. Eynon is coming back tomorrow with a pump and to stand by as they drop in the tank. Then fill it all in again.

Here is a swimming pool for Immie.

Here is a great big digger for Noah.

Now that is what I call a tractor Jack!

Sunday, August 22, 2010

This is not a weed! This is the first sign of the late potato crop.

This is also the first thing that we have grown in the vegetable beds. This is the second time this week I have been a proud father.

Friday, August 20, 2010

Oh dear. That solves the problem of the plum tree.

It was so heavily laden with plums that small branches were bending and breaking. Now half the tree has snapped off. Anyone got a recipe for green plums?
We have moved!!!! We don't live at Dolittle Barn anymore. We now live at Ger Y Felin. Which means Near The Mill..... now we just have to build a mill to go with our leet. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leat)
As one door closes etc. etc.
We have a Mallard and four chicks on the pond. We don't see them much, they hide in the brambles. But they occasionally pop into the garden for an explore. Which is nice. No sign of the other ducks but the other geese are safe. For now.
I was far too busy yesterday being a doting grandfather to do any work.

Monday, August 16, 2010

Now that the geese have moved we have taken down the fence.

The view is getting better every time we take down a fence.
Roger and Judith are here now so I have to take it easy for a while.

Sunday, August 15, 2010

This is a photo for Roger and Judith who are coming for a visit next week.

The weather next week looks changeable ( that is Welsh for rainy) so we wanted them to see that the sun does shine sometimes.

Saturday, August 14, 2010

Just when you think life couldn't get more exciting.....

Francis and Ben arrived to see us. And they stayed for supper too. Lovely to see them and great to show them round. Even if it did rain and we had to shelter in the goat shed. But then the sun came out and we all watched a wonderful sunset.

Sent from my iPhone

The new pond and dam with the overflow stream beyond.

Today was a big day - finishing the work on the new goose and duck field. The fences had to be fixed and gates fitted. The pond had cleared overnight. By the way Bella, I forgot to say ( during our Friday night chat where one of us had been drinking too much gin with too little tonic!!) why I had been thinking of Anth - as I was building the earth dam to create the pond I was singing to myself - " we dammin, we dammin, and we hope you like dammin too". And I thought Anth would laugh at that.

Time for lunch. Homegrown lettuce and cucumber and the first of Kate's tomatoes.

A new seat by the new pond.

Kate leading the geese and ducks across the field to the new area.

They will follow anyone with the orange feed container.

Feeding them to help settle them in.

and here they are settled in their new home.

Friday, August 13, 2010

Today we continued with the new field for the ducks and geese.

We needed to reduce the size of this willow that has not been pollarded for years. We will get a good supply of timber for the wood store and it will grow again.

This is the scene after the willow has been pollarded.

and this is the new swimming pool... I mean duck pond.

Thursday, August 12, 2010

The next task is turning the pig field into a goose and duck field

It means fixing the fences, digging a duck pond and converting the sty. This is a just after I had started photo.