Some time away from the holding

Hello All
An especial Hello to Janice over on my followers bar, nice to see you here. Drop us a comment to tell us about yourself. There is also a new follower on Blog lovin , but I have struggled to work out who it is.. sorry ...you are most welcome.
We have been socialising a little more than usual away from the smallholding over the last two days. Yesterday we attended the funeral of one of the men from the village. This guy would sit outside his house all day in the good weather, passing the time of day with all who passed. he was the village newscaster, exchanging information with everyone. D. reckons we will know little of the coming and goings of villagers now that he has gone. After the service we were invited back to the village hall for what would have been called a "Good Ham Tea" in my younger days. Many of the villagers were there and it was good to catch up with them.
Today we returned the trailer we had borrowed from a friend in Derby. We were within half a mile of some dear friends who we do not see often enough. So after a gossip about the state of farming, we called on M and D. Deteriorating health has meant that they can no longer drive and as they live on a rather isolated smallholding the opportunities to see them must be made by us. It was lovely to see them again and we are determined that we will ensure we call again soon. I'm afraid we do rather cut ourselves off from people as we always have so much to do and rarely look for something to do or somewhere to go, which makes us rather anti-social, unless folk visit us, we need to make more of an effort.
 After visiting M and D we called at ED 's house to drop off some post that she had had delivered to our house. While we saw our granddaughter and son in  law we missed  ED  who was later returning home and we needed to get back to lock up the hens. I need to contact her tomorrow to firm up plans for Sunday when she is taking YGD, her other grandma and myself  to watch "Strictly Come Dancing - the Show" at the NEC in Birmingham This is another Christmas present. haven't I been spoilt?!
 Needed to go shopping today. I only spent 50p last week - on a plain yoghurt. At Lidl I bought  milk, butter, brown sliced and white sliced loaf, a tin of tomatoes, a tin of sweet corn, cat food and two bottles of cheap lemonade for D. This shop totalled £5.80.-  Ooooh  last of the big spenders!
 We are still eating out of the freezer. Last night we had the last of the Christmas roast pork and stuffing with mashed potatoes, carrots and brussels. Tonight we had the last of Sunday's curry, as I had no naans I used oatcakes that were in the freezer, and very nice they were too. Tomorrow we will have fish - pollack from last years fishing trips - with fried potatoes and peas. For lunch tomorrow, when we have friends and the shared lives guys, I have made a chicken and vegetable soup and will rustle up some bread rolls in the morning.
In the afternoon I shall fetch the two lambs back from the butchers. After D. has helped me to cut the carcasses in two I can manage on my own and my friend will weigh and wrap and label the joints as I do them.
I am  typing this blog while in "my" room. This room is always warm as I share it with Percy, the parrot. The warmth of this room makes it perfect for the newly made wine. As I sit here I am almost deafened by the plop, plop, plop from the air locks  of 9 gallons of wine. There is also a fairly strong smell of alcohol in the room and I won't be at all surprised if Percy starts to sing "Nellie Dean" with  slurred voice sometime soon!
 On Sunday we extracted 30lb of honey from the few frames we got from the bees last year. We are really pleased with this as we had so many swarms. We will sell half of this crop and keep the rest for ourselves and family.

Still in the garden  - Brussels, Swede, Kale, Perpetual Spinach, Beetroot and Jerusalem Artichokes.
Today for the third day running we had 8 eggs. Hurrah! they are starting to get back into lay.
Yesterday, after a tutorial from Dreamer, I deleted a closed blog that had been taken over by someone (don't know who).. Today I am disturbed to find that the blog has appeared in my side bar again, even though it is no longer in my blog list... what is going on here I wonder?
All for now dear blogging friends
Gillx

Honey spinning and the last present pictures

Hello Frugellers

Welcome Ken to my side bar and also to Jenny on Blog lovin.
As Christmas fades into memory I am posting my last Christmas pics. These are of EGD's offerings ... and very nice they were too.
The first picture is of some of the hampers, she made twelve in all! (boxes made by her boyfriend) she filled for the grown-up households. Each was filled for individual likes ( plenty of market research went into this to ensure nobody received anything they didn't like) In each box is a mixture of jams, curds and pickles, peppermint creams, shortbread and truffles made by EGD and then a little individual gift from GS, her brother, as well. These boxes were delightful and received well by everyone.

The next picture shows the presents she made for younger folk. Either a mug of mixed sweets or a "cookie mix in a jar". brilliant idea!

While that is definitely the last post (toot toot) about Christmas, I will undoubtedly be mentioning the super gifts I received as I use them (did I tell you I got a cutting wheel for my quilting?)
We have a had a productive weekend. The wine is now in demijohns and the honey is finally spun. We were going to do this last weekend, but life intervened. YGD enjoyed using our ancient spinner. If it had been electric it would have been no fun at all ! We are very pleased that we have any honey at all and if the swarms survive the winter and we can sell a couple of hives we will be over the moon.
Here is Little Miss Dynamite at her labours.

The sheep went today and with the state of the paddock and the rising river I can't say that I am sorry as it wasn't very comfy for them. We will fetch them on Wednesday or Thursday whole from the butchers and I will joint them to suit our lifestyle.
Need to get back to the housework now as the Civic Society Committee are meeting here tonight and I have to clear a space for them among the jars and bottles!
Did any of you follow "Hard up Hester" ? she stopped blogging suddenly some months ago. I noticed yesterday that she was back in my side bar so clicked straight on to her blog. What I read was quite bizarre. A tutorial on worm farming and some "comments" on the side in an unidentifiable language. What's occurring do you think? I'd never got HHH down as a worm farm sort of girl somehow!
Back soon
Gillx

Planning for a Frugal Weekend

Planning for a frugal weekend

Adam will be with us this weekend and the family will be here for tea on Sunday. I still intend to live out of the freezer and not go to the shops for anything other than milk. So what's the plan?!
Saturday
Breakfast - Porridge
Lunch-  Leek and Potato Soup with homemade bread
Tea/Dinner - Chicken (well turkey actually) and vegetable pie with mashed potatoes and brussels.  I don't normally do pudding when Adam is here, as his mum wants him to lose some weight. However I have a couple of large Christmas oranges left, so I shall peel those and put them out.
Sunday
Breakfast - Porridge
Lunch - poached eggs on toast  - I shall use the last of the homemade for this as it is likely to be getting a little dry by now.
Dinner - (probably nine of us for this meal)  "An Indian" -
Cockerel, potato and squash curry
Rabbit Tandoori
Aloo Saag - Pink Fir Apple potatoes and perpetual spinach
Rice
mint yoghurt (need to buy a plain yoghurt for this)
Tomato, cucumber, onion and mint salad - The very last Christmas tomato! and I bought the cucumber just after Christmas for 15p with a yellow sticker
Plain Dahl
Pudding - Apple Crumble and custard or ice cream,
The only ingredients I need to buy for this meal is the yoghurt for the dip. I will also have to buy some more milk to keep us "tea bellies" going.
We have grown or reared nearly all the ingredients I am pleased to say.
This weekend I need to climb into the cellar for some demi-johns as the wine is ready to be strained off and sugar added. Cleaning demi-johns is not my favourite job !

Before I go I must give a really warm Derbyshire welcome to Sylvia Elizabeth, Nannie Mackinny and Diane Davis. Lovely to see you here.
Can anybody tell me what "having people in circles! means?
Until next time
Gillx

Slighter Better Weather today

A nicer day today. A little rain, but nothing much. I was able to get into the garden for a while
I dug up the last of the leeks, which were really pathetic and I only got enough, when trimmed, for one batch of soup. So into the slow cooker they went with a large onion - still quite a few in store from last year - Ailsa Craig - grown from seed, a few small scrotty spuds and a couple of cloves of garlic.  Then eeek! I have run out of vegetable cubes. SO rightly or wrongly ( do I care ?) I covered the veg with a couple of litres of water  and will add the cubes tomorrow after I have been to the shop. Obviously not a no-shop day, but I also need butter and oil. I am determined I will not buy anything else but may pop into the library.
Made a batch of bread today with a new flour from a local mill and I'm afraid it has not come out as well as usual. it's edible enough, but not brilliant. So back to Lidl strong flour for me, at a third of the price!.
 The hens are gradually coming into lay - 7 eggs today. Hurrah! When YG came for lunch she had poached eggs. She does love her eggs and especially ours.
 When the sun was out today for a little while I noticed that a few bees were out and about from five of the six hives. I suspect they were on clearing flights and it was good to see them.
 I have had quite a few phone calls for the Civic Society today and I guess I should get back in harness with some letters and a couple of reports for the members. I can't say as I feel ever so inspired so I will have to force myself. Some won't wait, a couple of society members died over the Christmas period and must be acknowledged and  remembered properly. I will go to town early tomorrow and then set about some paperwork before the shared lives guys arrive at lunchtime.
Cold lamb and bubble and squeak for tea tonight with the last two portions of last Sunday's choc pud with custard for afters.
SimpleSuffolkSmallholder is considering getting goats again and I set about thinking of our dear goat Annie, who died just before Christmas 2012. Here she is bless her. As you can see she had cataracts which meant that she couldn't go into the paddock unsupervised towards the end. When she did, she walked over the bank and fell into the river and YD had to jump in to save her! They both nearly froze to death and Annie spent the rest of the week under a heat lamp. Poor YD had to  make do with a shower and a hot coffee!

 I am always pleased and surprised to see that I have gained a follower. It is not something I court and am grateful for the interest, but today I lost one and find myself hoping that I haven't upset somebody! So if I have it was not intended.
Enough for now
Back soon
Gillx
 
 

Popcorn Disaster

Hello
Firstly, welcome to Bridget and Jamex, new followers and Lancashire Food, Linda and Sally on Blog Lovin. I am really pleased to see you here and look forward to hearing from you.

Just before Christmas I thought it would be fun to make popcorn with YGD and string it up on the tree. BUT ... my hand-cranked  popcorn maker has broken ! The spindley thingy that stirs the popcorn and the coggy thingy that turns it have come apart irrevocably ( and believe me if they could be mended D. would have done it!)  It was bought for me by a colleague from one of those television shopping channels over 10 years ago and I love it. It is not dependent on electricity, so you can use whatever heat source you have and it makes some pretty mean popcorn. Looking on the interweb, the company Theaker is from Indiana and doesn't seem to deal with the UK.
Here is a picture  -

So, bloggy friends. Does anyone know who does a similar machine? There are plenty of electric popcorn makers out there, but I really don't want an electric one.

Also in the picture above is the last Crown Prince winter squash, some of which as gone into a cockerel curry with some passata,  potatoes and onions  - A  totally home grown meal, apart form the spices !

The last pathetic parsnips are there too, but nothing to boast about there.

One of the presents I received this Christmas ( and I reckon I will be talking about what I received until June, I had so many things bought me!) that was Brilliant was from EGD.. some large marker pins. She knew that I wanted some and that I had coveted some I had seen on some crafty blog ( wish I could remember where) I always use a pin cushion and felt that these needed there very own. I cut a circle of fabric and covered a lump of foam with it. I then shoved this into the old heavy cut glass inkwell base that I often use when working with small items, such as beads. I am so pleased with the result as it is very sturdy and serves to hold stuff down as well if needed. Aren't they beautiful little things?

Tonight we are having  paprika potatoes, turned into a stewy thing with some corned beef. We already had some with a lentil bake and there was lots left so it has reinvented itself tonight with the addition of the corned beef. With some cabbage it will be extremely tasty. The recipe is from Frugalmummy at "My Beautiful Life" blog. Thanks FM x

Enough for now dear fellow bloggers. Off to do the last three blocks of EGD's quilt and then... putting it together!!

Quite a few of you who read this blog come from the US. I'm sending you love and positive, warm thoughts. Keep safe and warm in those dreadful ice and snow storms you are having.

Nice to hear from you Lizzie. I haven't seen you in blogland for some time. keep safe x

Gillx

Hens and Honey

The new year is well and truly in and I must get down to some jobs.
I have spent copious amounts of time looking at seed catalogues and what seeds I already possess and still haven't got organised for my January planting. This weekend I will at least start my maincrop onions and early tomatoes. The problem is (i.e another excuse to procrastinate) that with the wet, wet, muddy surface out there, the hens are using the greenhouses as a dry place to sit and have a bit of a chinwag and a crafty dust bath and it seems churlish to deny them. I guess I will close up the small greenhouse and start the seeds off there and leave them to the large one a little longer.

Here is the Girl's Club ( with a few random males mixed in) The other hens are in the small greenhouse in the front garden.
Last Autumn we took a (very) small amount of honey from a couple of hives. As we had so many swarms last year we didn't expect any honey, we were just glad to keep the bees and catch the swarms. Until winter is over I don't know how many have survived, but, fingers crossed, we have done all we can to help them through. The supers, that is frames with some honey in, have been stacked in the outhouse and today I have bought them in to start warming up so that we can spin them tomorrow. Yes, I know we should have done them at the time, but stuff happened and so we put them away until we had time. The job probably won't be as easy as when the honey was fresh as some is bound to have crystallised, but it needs to be done.  So wish us luck. The family will be here for tea tomorrow and will probably like giving a hand with the spinner, which is hand powered - I'm hoping they will anyway!
 Sweet and sour pork made with Christmas leftovers tonight. Roast Lamb for tea tomorrow, this has lasted quite well, with a few "lumps" left. There are two lambs to go to the butcher on the 13th, which should see us through for a few months. Haven't done any food shopping for some days now, though we did go to the fodder rooms yesterday for the hens and sheep.
 Spent a little time working on EGD present ( a quilt) this afternoon which I was making her for Christmas, but was then taken ill and fell behind. However her birthday is this month, so I am hoping to get it finished for then.
All the Christmas stuff is down and put away now. Hurrah!
Until next time. Thanks for reading my ramblings
Gillx

A Happy New Merry

Hello and a Happy New Merry to you all
  A warm New Year and Derbyshire welcome  to Tracey, Maggie, Tilly Trotter and Cro (love your blog) and Margaret and Vanessa on Blog Lovin
I said that I would try to show pics of some of the presents I made, I then promptly forgot to take photographs of most. Here are two that I have got pics of
The first is the full size double, padded quilt I made for my God daughter and her partner.

 This one is of a sketch I made for my elder daughter. It is of three treasured summery moments for her daughter. those of you that know anything about drawing will know that it is a very poor piece, but it was more a gesture of love than fine art! (it was drawn on board and ED framed it)

I have started eight gallons of wine from the summer fruits in the freezer and there are still pounds left to process! I am also in the process of making some elderberry cordial for the cold weather. I have put star anise, mace and cinnamon sticks in to flavour and hopefully make it more appetising ! It is now strained and I shall add the sugar and some honey today and let you know how it turns out.

 My New Year's Resolutions, more like intentions really, are to keep a handle on my/our finances, as in knowing what they are, rather than being more careful as I reckon if I was any more frugal I would be mean and that would never do!
 I also intend to make a little more time for me and not feel guilty if I do something just because I enjoy it.
 ( I might even return to sculpture after a fifty year hiatus!)
I intend to be a more regular blogger, trouble with this is that get lost in other blogs and end up not having time to do my own.

 Lastly, I would like you to join me in a virtual celebration of the best successful New Years Resolution I ever made  - and kept - 20 years ago I gave up smoking !!! It was, and still is, like being out of an abusive relationship.
That's all for now, see you soon
Gillx