Self-Sufficiency in Style
november 2002 diary
Candlelit Dinner
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Self-Sufficiency in Style november 2002 diary
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Candlelit Dinner |
| November started with a storm. | |
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It was quite a bad storm, the worst since the Great Storm of 14 years ago.
On one side our neighbour lost the telephone, on the other all our neighbours lost their electricity for a week. We didn't lose our power until much later as part of the repair process. We didn't even lose a tile from the roof. The only damage was a couple of trees down in the water meadow - and they will be chain-sawn for fuel next year. But the whole episode did remind us to check our emergency supplies. |
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They don't make too much fuss really. |
The animals always are a bit of a mystery to your diarist whose role is
usually to stand in the right place, not make a noise and attempt to hold
something wet, muddy and rebellious.
Ewes are put onto good grazing immediately before their annual assignation with the ram, a bit like dinner before the date. Prior to being moved they are wormed and the feet inspected, which must be the sheep equivalent of having one's nails done. |
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The raddle and crayon are prepared.
A raddle, of course, has no known human equivalent, although one could imagine that it would have its uses in tracing the nocturnal activities of the average British politician. It could be thought an unseemly interest into the private affairs of Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme. When one is found smothered in blue in the morning, a note is made of her name in the kitchen dairy. In the spring, anxious reference will be made to the entry and rapid calculations made. |
Spying Equipment |
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If you look very carefully, you can still see the evidence of a night out
on the town.
The ram, Sydney the Southdown, is on the left complete with raddle. Never turn your back on a ram. They can be far more dangerous than you might imagine. They butt, if the mood takes them, although often they are tamer than the ewes. |
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The work of harvesting has almost been completed and little is being planted. |
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Three freezers are now crammed full. One with meat, one with fruit and
vegetables and one with dairy produce.
Two of us, working part-time, are now producing enough for a family of six. There is plenty of variety and the quality is good. |
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We haven't been successful with everything. We get our failures. Some hurt
more than others.
There will be no home produced Burgundy this year. It was not the feet. These were only threatened, not used. Someone messed up the recipe and the whole lot went mouldy. Fortunately for peace at Hangman's Cottage it was the most enthusiastic fan of fine red wine who blundered. |
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Some things have done worse than expected - tomatoes and potatoes were
poor again, much fruit was lost to wasps, the strawberries were attacked
by blackbirds and the melons by rats.
We have caught twenty rats in the last month alone and we are now paying much more attention to protecting crops from pests. Captured rats are despatched quickly and very carefully, first thing in the morning on the way to milking. |
There is no photograph, our photographer is usually writing at the time of despatch. |
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The brussels thrive at Hangman's Cottage. |
But, to compensate some things have done much better than we could have
expected.
The raspberries, onions and carrots have been splendid. Efforts to grow these at a previous home had not been good, so we were not expecting too much. Even the Brussels, also a difficult crop elsewhere in the past, are very satisfactory. |
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Spying on sheep at the curiously named Hangman's Cottage, just to the south of Misery Corner. |
