An unpromising start

I really did not fancy getting up this morning. I had been "volunteered" to represent my fencing club in a team competition in Loughborough. I would rather have gone to the lottie to do more edging and catching up. Even though it had been very cold overnight a could still have done a bit.

It was not an early start in Loughborough so I was able to have a good breakfast, the full English topped up with porridge, not on the same plate you understand. Reluctantly I gathered my kit and shoved it in the car then I got on my way. Being Sunday it was a quick run, just twenty minutes so when I got there I was early. One of the other team bods was already there so we watched the tiddlers prodding and poking each other with stocks. It is not really fencing but they got a kick out of it....until they lost. It is good they get upset when they lose. It means the loss has meaning for them and next time they might have greater ambition and be urged on to win.

The school was badly run down and cold. It was a bit of a shambles but eventually the organisers got there act to together. A very unpromising start altogether. The teams kind of organised themselves once the format was known. We started our series of bouts. Three players in a team facing three players from another team in a round robin pool. First team to 45 points wins. As each pool finished we moved on to the next team. We had fives pools in all. That is a lot of fencing.

We ran out in second place and got a silver [coloured] medal for our trouble. The winners were youths from Loughborough Uni. One of them was a Pentathlete so only trained four hours a day, four times a week at fencing. They were the fancied team and we, we found out later, were the team they were worried about. Although we did not win against them we had the highest losing score and ran them hard. Points for and points against count, calculated as an index, so it is important to score lots and concede few points. It seems a simple statement but it is easy to have long, close matches that end we very few points in the difference and pulls down the index. That is how we got the silver. The other teams scored no more than a dozen points against them.

Considering I was not happy about being drafted, I had a good day out and came back with an unexpected prize....oh and sore knee...... and an aching back....... and a stiff thumb.

A Good Day

Last night the full moon was bright and clear. It cast its silvery light from a gin clear sky. With the clear sky the temperature dropped to several degrees of frost. Saturday morning dawned bright, lit by a weak sun. I had the day to myself so chose to give the lottie a coat of looking at. I collected and dealt with the trailer as usual. I decided to finish off the edging to bed D. The ground had a thick frozen crust but once broken the soil dug easily. I plunged the spade vertically into the soil along the marker string. This created an edge. I then dug away the soil up to the edge. The squared off soil edge just required the plank to drop in on edge, pressed against the soils edge then the pegs hammered to to hold the plank. I then lifted one end of the plank up to the string line and secured the plank to the peg with a screw. Then to the other end of the plank and again positioning the plank's edge to the string, screwed the plank to the peg. I then secured the rest of the planks to the pegs with pairs of screws. The next job was to level the area which is now the path. I turned the soil over and weeded the soil. Thereafter it was just a case of trampling the soil until it was a firm and level bed. It was then a time for a brew. At least this time round I remembered all of the parts needed for a brew. Last time a forgot the milk!

I stood with my back to the sun to drink my tea. I watched the birds flit about the soil I had just turned over. Despite the sun the air was hardly above zero but there was no wind at all. In the shadows the frost remained and even when I left soil had not thawed. Now that snow has gone the sun made the colours of the countryside extremely vivid.

The ground was too hard to dig so a set about job I have had in mind for a very long time. It was to create a mettled path round the old Rhubarb beds. I laid a weed membrane and filled in the space between the boards with rubble. I tamped the rubble into the smooth surface. Now I do not have to step down into path way made between the beds and the wind netting. I had a bit of spring clean. I bagged up the manky Pumpkins, Potatoes and other dross from around the plot. I packed up and took the bagged rubbish to the tip. Whilst there I got call to say Miss L needed picking up from work. Degsy and I jogged over to Coalville to collect her. Miss L had a treat ready for me, a Cheese & Onion pastie from Greg......I knew was a good day!

On the way back we dropped into Wicks to collect some copper pipe. When we got home I used the copper pipe and some fittings to make some legs for the staging in the green house. The staging is the temporary rack that I will use for seed trays in the spring. Under the staging I will grow my Tomatoes. When the Toms get to the underside of the staging I will remove it to let them grow on. I bit of pipe, a couple of cables ties and an hour of fettling and I have a sturdy, if temporary, stage. Things are slowly coming together.

Bees..... Alive or Dead?

I took Degsy for a spin to see the bees. I have been trying to keep away but folk keeping asking me how they are doing since we had all that snow. I trundled over there and was dismayed as I went over the River Mease at Netherseal. The river had burst it banks, not as badly as have seen it but it definitely out of its box. After crossing the bridge I do not see the river again until I get to the gate of the water meadow the bees are in. The banks were flooded here too but no where near to the bees. The ground slopes up quite a lot from the bank side to the bees plus the hive is on a stilage above the ground. My brother, who was with me, reckoned that the river would have to come up another three feet to reach the bottom of the hive. We looked out across the valley of the Mease to visualise another three feet of water and reckoned something quite exceptional would have to happen to get that much water into the valley. Not wishing to tempt fate we knocked on wood.
To answer the question "how are they doing?", they are doing well. There are dead bees on the floor of the hive but that is to be expected. However you can hear the bees humming inside the hive. Bees usually manage the winter unless they are disturbed or get wet. The danger time is early spring. If it is too warm they can exhaust their food reserves, dying of starvation before the spring flower come into bloom. And there is nothing the keeper can do about it! Fingers crossed for another four months.

A day at the Lottie

It was hardly a day but it was a good few hours. I had to do the trailer runs as usual but a picked Saturday to do it as we were to go up the Manchester in the afternoon to celebrate the mother-in-laws birthday. A gentleman never reveals a ladies age so lets just say it a significant birthday with a nought after the number. We would not be back until late Sunday.

Degsy started on the key as usual. The trailer was duly collected and run down to the lottie. DaveP wanted a load and since I have it coming out my ears I figured I could spare a load or two. Dave and his son Haz unloaded the trailer whilst I screwed in the missing eye-bolts for the vine wines. , I was particularly pleased with myself since I had the presence of mind to mark and pilot hole the posts when I fitted the eyebolts a few weeks ago. When the eyebolts were in I had to untangle the birds nest of wire that would be lead through the eye-bolts to make the vine training wires. After some wrestling the wire was stretched out and secured to the fence at one end and to the tensioner at the other end. Dave P and Steve came over to see what was going on and discus the finer points of the modified Guyot system. Guyot is the name the vine training scheme I have adopted.

I decided that I would have a go at putting in a plank to create the path border on the right hand side of the lottie. I had set out the markers several months ago so all I had to do was tie a string to the marker to give the guide for the top edge of the border. The soil was moist despite all the rain and melt snow. It only took thirty minutes or so to edge the plot, position the plank, hammer in four pegs and screw the plank to the post. Then it was just a case of levelling off the "path". I am thinking how I will mettle the path. I have to consider weed management from the next door plot. I just did the one plank but I could have done all of bed "D" if I had had a little more time. I have over estimated the number of scaffold planks I will need so I will lots left over to play with.

Failed venture

We, H, Miss L and I, went over to see Steve. He had accidentally come by some Quail. He was after "normal" Quail but got three Japanese Painted Quail in to the bargain. They were no use to Steve. Miss L was cooing over them. Steve sweetened the deal by saying I could have them for nothing, would lend me the rabbit hutch they where living in and a bag a of food. So Keith, Paula and Simone where picked up the next day and became new members of the family.

I made a run as an extension to the hutch with a ramp to connect the hutch to the grass. They were endearing little creatures. They are tiny. They stand about four inches tall. Keith was a Tuxedo, black back and white belly, Paula was Dun, a sort of mottled brown and Simone was a Silver, white really. I talk about them in the past tense since they have gone to meet their maker. One by one they died. Simone was found in the bottom of the run mid- morning wednesday having been seen wandering about when I went to work. Keith just disappeared the next night. I think it was taken by something. However there was no sign of a struggle. Paula was found dead in the run the next night with most definite signs of a struggle. So the Quail are no more. We were considering getting normal size Quail later in the year but the recent events seems to dampened the ladies enthusiasm.

Dad

My Dad passed away, peacefully in his sleep, on New Years Eve. Thanks you one and all for the support and your kind words.

To quote David Harkins “You can shed tears that he is gone, or you can smile because he has lived.” I will remember him with a smile.

Sideboard Six

Here is a photo of what remains of the sideboard six!


















I got a few bottles from the wine club. A whisky cos Pete and Jim like it, Port cos I like its and a sophisticated Dry Sherry cos H likes it and a Brandy, for medicinal purposes. I also bought a dry Gin and Ginger wine. The Stone's ginger wine and whisky go very nicely in my hip flask. Just the fortification you need on a cold day at the lottie.

Needless to say the sideboard six have taken a bit of a beating. Never mind, there is always the home made stuff.

Here is a recipe that has proved very popular over Christmas. I should not give away my secrets, never mind......I present Lemoncello.

1 litre of Vodka. High alcohol content as it is going to be diluted.
Six lemons
two cupfuls of ordinary sugar
A demi-john or container bigger than two litres and reserve the bottle the Vodka came in.

Scrub the Lemons to rid them of the protective wax
Remove the rind leaving the pith behind
Put the rind and juices of the six Lemons in the demi-john.
Pour in the Vodka.
Put the demi-john in a dark and cool place of ten days.
Shake the demi-john everyday
On the tenth day pour two cupfuls of ordinary sugar in the original vodka bottle and top up with boiling water.
Shake the Vodka bottle and keep topping up until the sugar is turned into a clear syrup.
Put the bottle to one side until the syrup is cold.
Empty the demi-john through a strainer into a container. This step is to remove the rind from the Vodka.
Pour the strained Vodka/Lemon infusion back into a clean demi-john.
When cold pour the syrup into the demi-john and give it a good shake.
Leave it overnight.
Shake it up again then pour it into bottles and put in the freezer.

The hard part is to balance the acidity of the Lemons. You want enough sweetness from the syrup to take the edge off the alcohol and lemons but not to much that it is all sugar. If it is too sweet make more syrup. When cold add the syrup too taste. I do not know what you do if there is too much sugar. Probably add more Vodka.

One litre and Vodka will make two litres of Lemoncello. It is best served really really cold and is a superb digestive after a meal.

Horace's Seat

H and I took a stroll late this afternoon. From our house we walked over the Chestnut Farm plantation and took a turn round Hick Lodge and as always ended up on Horace's Seat. Whilst we could stand the cold and biting wind we sat and watched the Sun go down.

Click on the picture for a larger version

Horace was a local councillor, now deceased, who was instrumental in the regeneration of the local coalfieds. When asked about his motivation and what kept him going he would reply "you gotta 'ave a dream, lad".

Brew time

I have had a very busy time of it for a latter part of 2009. Today was the first time a sat down with a brew with time to myself. I had just finished packing up Degsy and retying the straw bale as the Trangie came on to boil. I made a brew and sat down with a mince pie. The Robins were having a field day on the freshly dumped manure. As I sat in the shade of Degsy, out of the icy wind, I supped my brew and watched the Robins flitting about and considered recent events. On the whole I am content. Just one more obstacle to clear and my hopefully inner peace will return.


















I have a little ritual that I perform at the lottie each winter roundabout the winter solstice. I take my hip flask and sprinkle some of the contents on each of the growing beds, and saving a little for myself, I toast the past year and the year to come.

Happy New Year.

Rhubarb forcing bed

It snowed lightly overnight which was accompanied by a hard frost. Despite this I decided to try and do a job at the lottie. I had decided, a little while ago, to force some Rhubarb. I also decided to increase the depth of the Rhubarb old bed behind the Asparagus bed. The manure dressing that I have been applying over the years is building up the soil level so that it spills out of the bed. I got some scaffold planks a few weeks ago and they have been stored at the lottie. I took one plank and sawed it to size, one long and two short pieces. The fourth side of the box was the side of the Asparagus bed. I banged in a couple of pegs for the corners and screwed the planks to the pegs. The top edge of the Rhubarb bed is now the same height as the Asparagus bed.

I decided that I would force the Rhubarb Timperly Early which is one of the two Rhubarbs in the newly edged bed. I had a spare black plastic compost bin which I placed over the corms. When looking round the lottie a spotted that something had been digging in my compost bins. The consensus is that it is Rats. I have not seen any of the varmints but the lottie is a good spot to winter since there is lots of food, if you are a Rat, and shelter. It visitors have burrowed in under the back of the big compost bin and in doing so kicked out the compost from the bottom of the bin. This is dead handy for me as the spoil heap from the digging is broken down, loose and it is the converted compost which has been building all year. I took the wheelbarrow and shoveled up the spoil heap and dropped into the composter, now a Rhubarb forcer. That will be a nice nutrient rich dressing for the corms. I bought a bale of straw yesterday. H said it was the accessory that no Land Rover should be without. I loosely filled the forcer with straw and put the lid on. I hope that the straw will support the slender stems of the Rhubarb as it grows not to mention that it will have some value as insulation which should add to the forcing process.

I threw a few handfuls of straw of the other corms [Victoria] in the new edged bed. The visitors had also upset the front of the manure bin next to the big compost bin with their burrowing. I took away the displaced retaining boards from the front of the bin and shoveled away the fallen muck into my barrow. This manure has been curing for months so is ready to use. The couple of barrow loads manure needed to put the manure bin in order were tipped over the Victoria and around the forcing bin. The idea is that the forced Rhubarb will come on first. The Victoria next as it has a straw and manure muffler to see it through the winter. The Rhubarb in the other bed will be last as it has no cover at all. That should give me a longer Rhubarb harvest.

Now that the manure is tidied up I replaced the retaining planks and stakes to the front of the bin. That area looks neat once again. I gave the compost bin a good forking and relayed the layers. I am sure no one is living there. It is just a larder. Since I had the drill with me I did a long over due job. I set in the steel eyes for the second vine training line. I just had to drill a pilot hole and screw in the steel eye in the timber posts along the edge of the lottie. It only took a few minutes but now a can thread the wire when I next have five minutes spare.

It's festive out there

The weather has been proper wintery. Very festive though. Snow, frost and despite a bit of sun the air temperature has not got above zero degrees centigrade very often. H and I had visitors every day from Christmas Eve until the Monday after Christmas. We had a lovely time with everyone that came along. I had ideas that I would do some digging at the lottie during my days off however it did not work out that way. I had to run out to do the trailer one morning. It was quite nice to shovel muck for an hour in the freezing cold.

Since the weather was so cold, Miss L was out and because we had been cabined up for several days H and I decided to go for a walk come what may. I decided that we should go for a short walk. I found a walk that encompassed a historic event. The event took place at Hanbury in Staffordshire. Such was the importance of the event that it was not officially acknowledged until 1980's. The story in a nutshell is simple. The Gypsum mine at Fauld, near Hanbury, was used in the second world war to store artillery ordnance. There was an accident that detonated the 3500 tonnes of explosives. The explosion was massive. The Cock Inn at Hanbury, a mile away was blown down but has since been rebuilt. The crater left behind after the explosion is truly massive, quarter of a mile long in diameter and three hundred yards deep. Gypsum or Alabaster which is the rock from which Gypsum is made, is quite soft so the explosion powdered the soft rock and blew it out over the local area several inches thick. Apparently it was the largest single explosion in the world until the atomic bombs. 70 people were killed in the explosion, 18 of whom were never found. There is a monument to the them. Double click on the picture for a bigger version. It gives an impression of the size of the crater. In real life the crate has a surreal air.


Clich HERE for a link to the directions for the walk.

When we got to car park in Hanbury it was snowing sideways but we were determined to have a walk. I had a good look at the directions. The crater was shown as near the end of the walk. Since it was so cold we did the directions in reverse so we would get to the crater sooner than later. Just as well really as the wind was driving the snow. When we got to the edge of the crater there were lots of trees which sheltered us from the worst effects of the weather. H said there was an air of melancholy. We took a little time to look round then trudged back across the fields. Unfortunately the Cock Inn was closed so we went over to Dog and Partridge at Tutbury. It is a very smart eatery rather than the small town public house it used to be. Nevertheless we sat by a radiator and supped some very pleasant wine and spicy nibbles for an hour or so. We were starting to get really comfortable so decide to go home before we had to book a room for the night.

This Saturday I did the trailer thing again. I bumped into Dave P at the lottie. He had bagged a bargain lot of compost. The soil was still had a frozen crust. I did a few errands however I was interrupted when the works alarm monitoring company rung up because alarm had gone off. It cost me 40 minutes at work but nothing more.