It been a Long Time

Well it's been a very long time since I was here but with one thing or another I haven't had much time.

This morning my Son Jean/ Paul and I where over on the allotment trying to make the Hens little door open up in stead of pulling up a bolt to let it fall down. Well now we have done it so we pull on a rope on the outside of the run and the little door now opens.
But while I tried to do this and JP was feeding the chocks my oldest son at home was still in bed saying he was sick. Well after falling on right on to my butt and getting so muddy I took a look at the inside of the chicken coop to find that It had to be cleaned right out, which I did.

Well I went to our shed to make a brew and to phone my Wife Sheila to ask if our other oldest son Francis could bring over some feed and bedding stuff for the hens.Well that was like asking him to pull his own teeth. Like I said before he said he was sick so he was going to stay in bed all day!

In my book we have to be at deaths door before we get to stay in bed. even with all that's wrong with me I have never stayed in bed not even when I've been in Hospital. So these no way he is going to stay in bed.
I called him when we got in at 11:45 then again 15 minutes later then his mother told him this went on until I pulled myself up the stair and told him to get out of bed and get down stairs as I was not going to let him stay in bed ttext his little Girlfriend, and making out he is hard done by. This really makes me as mad as hell.

When JP and I got home we found that Sheila my wife was going to take the stuff that we needed over to the allotment with our youngest son Shane who is only nearly 5 years old. She looked as if she had been crying yet again no prizes for guessing who made here cry or upset her. It was our Son Francis yet again.

I went to see the site Secretary to ask about getting another plot just at off the side of ours that we have at the moment. Robert the Field secretary asked me if I wanted a half or a full plot.Well with this I didn't know at the time but I said that we would have a whole plot. He told me that he will get the council to come along to plough up the plot so it would be easier for us to tend.

At this moment in time we have only got about half an allotment with the chickens and there run which we made bigger in the summer.
With the new plot we can plant veg that will keep us going all through next year and we should have some left over for the out laws. That's if we get a good summer and not like the one we just had.

It's getting on towards Christmas now and I have made my Christmas Cakes and Puddings, also made chutney, pickles, all kinds of Jams, Marmalade. Next year I 'm really hopeful that we will do a great deal more.
Right time I went and got a nice cuppa and a slice of fruit cake anyone care to join me?

Well at last

Well the weather is lovely at long last and my veggies are doing well at the moment but I have not had much success with my onions this year as they are far to small.

Why this is I don't know but I have a feeling that the onion sets were planted to deep and so now they are around the size of golf balls instead of cricket balls.
Well i will know for next year or as I still have some left over may be I can put some more in this week and then I'll hope to have some more for the winter or early next year I hope.

I know that the Allotment holder next to us John his name is and he is a very nice old boy.
He is going to give us some Leeks plants as he did last year and he is all ways giving us greens for out hungry Chickens. I say hungry but they are not they are just greedy little so and so.

Well talking about our chickens we now have one that has become Broody and that is making my Wife Sheila made as when she goes to sort them out in the mornings and last thing at night there is one little lady who is sitting on the eggs we have and when Sheila goes to get them the little sod pecks her hand.

At least she will go and tend to them and so will I but I am still finding it very hard to get about. But our 2nd oldest son Francis well he acts all big and hard but he will not or can't get hold of the chickens to see if they have laid any eggs as he afraid of them (should we call him He Man??) I think not.
I find that our youngest son Shane will go into the run and pick the chickens up and he will try to clean them out, OK he won't do it right and he will make even more mess but he does give it a go.
Anyway so sorry that I haven't got any photo this time but I will get some for the next blog tomorrow or if I go to the plot tonight with Sheila I'll take a few then and put them up tonight.
Well I hope you all have a very good afternoon and a good night, I've just been told that it's not going to get down below 15 or 16c tonight. This is in Suffolk.
See you all soon.

Getting Better as does the weather!!

Hi All sorry that I've not been about for some time but with all that has gone on I have not felt able to come on my blog.

But I can now say that things with me and mine are on course for a lovely time I hope?
We are hope full that we can attend a Permaculture course in Nottingham in July, which I am hoping to go to. If we do manage to go we will use our new tent for the first time and I think it will be the first time that my wife sheila has been in a tent and if so how is she going to put up with no electricity and the like??

Our Green houseis getting full now the kitchen widow seel is also full with all kinds of plants.
My Thyme plants have not been to good as I had thought?? ButI was going in the greenhouse the other day and found A pot full of thyme so I Did grow some after all. All I have to do now is trainplant some into single pots to see how they get on.

Dear Son Shane is about to come home from Nursery so he will be full of beans.
Well the weather should be better by monday of next week we all hope so that will mean that I will be able to get to the allotment to tend my plants and to give the shed a going over and the chickens the once over. Then it's back to the house to see what can be done here.

I must tell you this that i put in some salad leaves into the greenhouse in late Dec or early Jan and for the past week or two we have had fresh salad leaves and they are lovely. We also have got loads of Spinage, more than what we know what to do with.
Well I'll let you all go now and I'll speak to you all later so untill then
Take Care and Stay Lucky.

Nicky.

Did you like them

As You Can See I have put on 3 more pictures.

I promise that I wont put anymore on today.

I do have a lot more but like I've said I 'm not really good enough to show them. But one Day things may change and I will be able to show them.

Right Have a great Easter Holiday and take care of yourselves.

Nicky.

More Pictures

These 3 pictures are as follows 1st I did this one nearly 10 years ago I think and I did it as well as the one on the right for my Children as they were all much younger then.

The middle one I call my Little Deer.

OK they are not the best but when I consider that I had not picked up a pencil for many years scene I was at school in 1975.

I like to draw water scenes and some Landscape's. I was once or twice asked to give some art work if that's what you call it, to my Children's School and they sold them off for around a £100.00.

Then My Church had to raise money for there Church hall and i gave them 3 or 4 to Sell off and there again they made a good bit of money. I must say that a lot of other people had helped to fund raise to get the Church Hall built.

I hope you Enjoyed the pictures.

Some of my Art Work

This one Is one that I liked doing as it's as you see a winter scene and It would be in my minds eye the place that I would want to live in the Woods.

This one I Call Morning on the River.

I drew this with pastels and to fix it to the paper I used hair spray.

This picture is one that I like as I can see myself This is Sprite

on the small boat away from it all.

I have got a lot of these Picture but at this time I'm new to this Blogging so i have to go slowly.

I Hope You Will Enjoy Them.

No News is Good News

Well I was going though a few of the snaps that I had taken when we where on holiday at Caster in Norfolk. You can see that it was in August and the beach was empty and it was Hot very Hot and we had nothing to do apart from enjoy the holiday.

We didn't even have to cook a thing as we went Half board, but when I come to think of it we should have cooked our own food as it was not to good. But we did get the break that we needed.

This year however no holiday and it our 27th Wedding Anniversary on September the 5 th this year and i was toying with the Idea of going to South wold in Suffolk as it's not to far away.

But I would have like to go to Holmfirth in Yorkshire and we could have gone to Heartbeat Country as well we wold have liked that but it would have meant over 9 hrs by Coach and that would not have been to good but well worth it.

So we are saying at home with the dogs and the Chickens and also our Allotment and Garden. I would like to be able to grow even more in our garden in the way of Permaculture. i know that permaculture is not just about growing things it a whole life thing, but I really have no idea and that is Why when I've been on the I.N.E.B.G. web site I have looked and asked a few Questions and hopefully a course will come of it which would be over a weekend. Then Sheila and I could go together and learn while we have Fun.

Well after I went to the Dentist this morning I got my Daughter to bring in some compost and then We put in some seedlings and more veg seed for the garden and the allotment. The plant that we will grow will not only be for us but they will go towards help with getting things done that we cant do as we now belong to the Ipswich Lets scheme. lets means Local Exchange Trading Scheme. so this now means that like I've said I hope to get somethings done that I cant or have not the skill to do and vice verse, I may be able to do something for someone else.

Well it's cold and it's wet outside and I'm now enjoying a milky Coffee and relax .

See you all soon.

Nicky.