Self-Sufficiency in Style
december 2003 diary
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Self-Sufficiency in Style december 2003 diary |
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| After a look around the countryside in November, we return to Hangman's Cottage for a busy time | |
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The boar has arrived, for a short romance with the sow, "Warmwell." He seems a placid fellow. "What's his name we asked the owner?" "XXXX" came the reply. "I hope he does, that's what he is here for," said Mrs P, "but I'm not calling him that!" They have an earthy sense of humour in rural England. Chaucer lives. |
XXXX inspects the sleeping accommodation. |
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He is actually a real pedigree Tamworth. Anyway, whatever his name, he seems entirely acceptable to Warmwell, our sow. Pigs are very sociable animals. |
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We have been having serious problems with the
conservatory. The citrus fruit had to be burnt when they became sick with
an imported disease; a big loss. Then the more or less empty room became infested with wasps. It was a hot summer, so we abandoned any effort to clean up the resulting mess. |
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Mrs P is very allergic to wasp and bee stings, so they are actually quite
dangerous for her.
We already had one frantic dash for treatment this summer, so she stayed well away. We hear a lot about allergies these days, but a serious reaction to wasp stings is frightening. Her leg is pulled about the matter, she will handle a boar or a ram, Billy-goat, even a bull, but a wasp or bee sends her scuttling. We could not locate the source of the wasps, so when the wasps were dead, the writer cleared up the mess. |
Wasted facility.
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Then the time to to fetch the Christmas decorations from the loft. |
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...and the first sign of something odd.
Brown staining on the ladder. |
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...the wasp nest, of course, stuck to the beam, very conveniently
positioned right over the timer for the ventilation system. One mystery solved. We will have another try with the conservatory next year. |
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Most of the work in the garden, at this time of year, is about clearing up, rather than planting. |
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| The very last Autumn fruiting raspberries will be consigned to the fire with their canes. |
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The horseradish has been harvested and is ready to be turned into sauce - for use with our own roast beef - and sometimes with fish. |
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The asparagus is cut down, the bed cleared and then topped up with "spent"
compost from the greenhouse tomatoes. Soft soil makes it easier to cut the spears in the spring. We are expecting a fine crop this coming year. We most commonly eat it smothered in cottage cheese and wrapped in our own ham. As one of the earliest vegetables in our climate, it is especially welcome, and can be eaten plain too or made into good soup. So this crop is always spoiled just a little with extra attention. |
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| As in some many homes throughout the world, the kitchen moves centre stage in the run-up to Christmas. | |
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The medlars picked in October have matured and have already reached the
table, accompanied by home-made ice cream and very definitely Portuguese
port. It is a strange and unusual crop. What do they taste like? Figs, is the closest we can come to a description. Do we like them? The two men did, the ladies did not. |
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Preparing for Christmas at Hangman's Cottage, just to the south of Misery Corner. |
