If I’ve not been very active on this blog of late, that’s not because there’s nothing to tell! On the contrary, we haven’t had time, it feels, to draw breath, let along write about Rhos Hill.
The field looks a bit like a bombsite at the moment; someone came and laid a garage base for us and we asked them to pile up the topsoil, which they duly did. We came behind with spade, rake and wheelbarrow and are now in the process of levelling it out as a grassed terrace. We built the terrace wall from thick beech logs; hopefully they will do their job as well as a stone wall...it’s a bit of an experiment...like most of the stuff we’re doing around here. My original plan was to lay grass by using turves lifted from the beds we’re digging in the kitchen garden area, but once I’d looked at my pile of lumpy, weedy, stony turves and back at all the effort I’d taken to rake the new lawn flat, I changed my mind and bought some grass seed. Now I’ve got to get it down before the frosts set in. I can’t wait for my new lawn...for those of you who last summer had the joy of witnessing me fall off my patio chair during lunch (even before the wine!) will know why.
Meanwhile, Jim is sorting through the pile of branches left by the Big Beech Cull in the summer. As he pulls them out of the tangle that looks like the sort of thicket the Prince had to hack his way through to find Sleeping Beauty, he’s piling them so neatly that this pile now resembles a 15’ interwoven fence. Seems a shame he didn’t pile them somewhere a fence was needed, but a woman can’t ask for everything. Well – I can ask – in fact I can compile a list, which reads like this;
i. build log store
ii. Make wooden labels and paint them white for next season’s kitchen garden
iii. clear out shed, clean and put everything back...neatly
iv. dig two new beds and manure them
v. bring geraniums in and create cuttings.
vi. put up greenhouse
vii. lay garage drive...it’s so nice to watch a busy retireree.
We’ve had some lovely days round here; warm, sunny, and filled with the cries of the red kites and the song of the robins. Every so often, the sky darkens momentarily as the starlings take flight, swooping low in a cloud of thousands; if I look up, it seems to take minutes for them to pass. As they swirl round they seem to form huge black commas against the clouds.
We’ve got our early onions in garlic and some first broad beans, which are already peeking up; I tried my level best to prevent them being eaten by mice by covering them with both fleece (to keep them snug) and netting. Seems to have worked. The carrots and parsnips are thriving. There are brassicas for spring inside and out, and in the polytunnel the curly kale is almost ready to eat, and the salad leaves remain delicious...we’ve had some whopping radishes. Jim planted broad beans and peas as an experiment...it’s right between seasons, really, but we’re hoping they’ll be fooled...they have certainly flowered, but whether this will set to pods, is anyone’s guess. We’ll keep you posted.
We've got a fruit cage already to go, with blueberry and rasberry plants ready for it, and finally our stone circle is in pride of place in the back garden, guarded by fairies and hares.
Lyn and Len, friends from the gardening club who live close to the Preseli Hills, have given us a bounty of perennials, including a lovely Charles de Mills rose, a massive spread of London Pride and a cotoneaster tree with duel coloured leaves. Most of the plants have been heeled in; I’m still not sure where my flower beds will be, but once we’ve levelled and seeded this fantastic new lawn, I’ll have a better idea. In the meantime five varieties of sweet pea are in pots; there’s another load ready and waiting to be planted up in early spring. That way, we should get a fairly perpetual showing of one of my favourite flowers. The gardening club gave us 6 tulips each for a spring bulb competition (shades of reception class at school). We planted them up using different techniques; one pot had all the trimmings, including bulb fibre, food and vermiculite. The other had bog-standard Rhos hill soil (although certainly not from a bog!). We put them in the polytunnel and the following day, one of the pots was on its side and one of the bulbs had a chunk nibbled from it. Mice we’re thinking...(hoping!). Interestingly, it was the one in the standard soil. So now we’re a bulb down...no chance of winning, but we’ve moved them to the shed, which is metal, and so, presumably will keep the little squeakers out.
Lyn also gave me cuttings of her Himalayan Coriander, which looks nothing like the Mediterranean type; the leaves are oval and sharply pointed and have a tang of lemon. I put these little stalks in a glass of water and was amazed to find they shot long, healthy roots. They’re doing well on my kitchen windowsill.
Next week, the garage goes up. Sadly, it won’t immediately have a driveway, so no car can enter its portals, but it will store the petrol mower, etc. We’ll keep it empty for the builders until the extension is complete. And building work for the extension (which has eye-wateringly almost doubled in cost), should be underway by the end of the month...with the weather setting in, we’re not expecting much to be done by Christmas, and can’t see it being finished before late spring. But, it will be done, and then you’ll all be able to come and stay...together!
I’ve finally discovered a good swimming pool, taken me long enough, I know, but then gardening is the new gym. Tiefy Evens, our neighbouring farmer, showed me the one he uses in Cenarth; pool, gym, sauna, jaccuzi, steam room...but oddly...no hairdryers in the ladies changing rooms. Hey ho...who needs hairdryers in Wales...bound to rain as soon as you leave!
Last week we met some new friends for a birthday celebration; John and Jackie who live towards Lampeter and are pagans. It was a blast, their do; we had a great time in the Cwmann Tavern where the food is yummy; we’re looking forward to seeing them here next Saturday.
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