Self-Sufficiency in Style
january 2004 diary
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Self-Sufficiency in Style january 2004 diary |
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January can be a
depressing month. short days - cold - wet |
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The pigs are moved on to a clean paddock leaving a sea of mud behind. Pigs do enjoy mud, but preferably nice clean mud - and warm summer mud, not sodden clay in January. |
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Gladys peers out to see what is going on. |
Gladys, the Jersey, in all the time now for the winter, but between milkings takes a keen
interest in all the comings and goings. She has just gone down to a single milking each day as we gradually move towards her "dry" spell. The flag belongs to Mrs P. She insists upon flying it ever since I took to complaining about the Prince of Wales. She insists that because of the writer's name, everyone is convinced that it is just an Irishman complaining. She is merely correcting the record. Since it is the English half that is making the fuss, a skull and crossbones would be appropriate. But, no, she will not have it. |
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The tops have been cut from the Jerusalem artichokes and the tubers make
an occasional change from potatoes. An easy crop with a high yield, if you like them ; not everybody does. |
Jerusalem Artichokes. |
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Although, it is a depressing, dark and dismal time of year, |
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A delivery of compost arrives, ready for the first greenhouse plantings. Now, there is a need for patience. Very early sowings don't give much advantage and increase the heating bills disproportionately. |
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The polytunnel is tidied up and the odd item forgotten earlier - three
different types of garlic - planted. It is quite pleasant working inside out of the wind and rain. |
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The outside is cleaned too. It was the north side that had suffered most,
of course. Not as bad a job as expected. |
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Finally, at the end of the month, snow arrives. Everything stops, except the essential tasks of looking after the animals and keeping warm ourselves. |
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A roaring log fire has its attractions. |
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Although we don't go out for a meal so very often, this January was an exception. Our children had arranged a buffet luncheon for our ruby wedding anniversary. All our immediate family made the occasion. Now quite a clan. |
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Self-sufficiency people always seem to have an unconventional
streak, sometimes buried deep under a conventional exterior. During the first five years of married life, the writer forgot his wedding anniversary three times. This was not, however, quite the disaster that one might expect. Mrs P forgot it twice too. One year we both forgot and did not remember until March. There must be a message there somewhere, but what it is, is something else. Perhaps we had more important things on our minds? It is a very trivial world obsessed with the unimportant things, the expected response, the burden of meaningless things or mindless dedication to duties foisted upon us. Other people's expectations are exactly that - their expectations. |
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PS I did buy a very nice ruby ring. PPS I'm not totally suicidal - and the poor lass does have to put up with rather a lot. ...anyway she deserved it. |
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Ringing through the years at Hangman's Cottage, just to the south of Misery Corner. |
