I have lots of posts in drafts half finished and haven't had time to complete and write properly so in the meantime here is a re-posting from the beginning of my old blog, when we were living on the smallholding. Him Outside is Colin of course and this was a just a few days after he had the second stent done in Papworth Hospital. He'd hardly had a day off work in his life but suddenly had serious heart problems in the summer of 2013, went in hospital for one stent and then a few weeks later had the second. He was very well again for 18 months until the beginnings of the Non Hodgkin Lymphoma blood cancer reared it's ugly head.
18 September 2013
What a lovely day
It's been a really beautiful day here. If every Autumn day was like this it would make winter seem much shorter.
I took a wheelbarrow out to the field to start the harvesting of pumpkins and squash to put out for sale. These small pumpkins are bright orange already and much smaller than I wanted. There are some bigger which are still green. There are also a few plants of some that are slightly different- not quite round, and paler orange ( the one on the right) I don't know what they are as they don't fit any of the descriptions on the packets of seeds I planted.
Some of the butternut squash are HUGE, much bigger than I wanted for selling. I spent ages last year, going through the catalogues and trying to find a variety that wouldn't get that big and with the dry weather we have had I'm surprised at their size. I have no idea how much squash cost in the shops so put these out at £1 each - because I sell everything at multiples of 50p to make accounting easier - and they soon all went.
It's a really good time for seasonal eating with both the end of the summer and now autumn produce available. Today from our garden we could have tomatoes, sweet pointy peppers, green and red block shaped peppers, chilli peppers, cucumber, white cabbage, red cabbage, chard, lettuce, radish, courgettes, butternut squash, pumpkin, potatoes, parsnip, sweetcorn, leeks, onions, beetroot, runner beans, pears, autumn raspberries, apples, figs, greengages, plums and the herbs of course - parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme ! and oregano and chives too.
Him Outside has been resting and as I had nothing that desperately needed doing I thought I would have a lazy-ish afternoon too. So when I fished a heap of our local newspaper - The East Anglian Daily Times, out of the campsite paper bin I sat down and had a good read. It's interesting to see what local news we miss by not having a paper.
Making a cuppa this afternoon, I glanced up to see a weasel trying to carry something through the orchard. I realised after a second look that it was a pigeon. He was really struggling with it. Who knew weasels could catch pigeons?
I miss my smallholding life
Back Soon
Sue
I often read my postings from years ago too, amazing what things I've forgotten. I haven't read a local paper in years. The last one I picked up there was a notice that my schoolfriend's mother, a woman who'd looked after me when my mother was in hospital, had died. The time before that, the one time I've ever read the Hunts Post, I found out that the only two people I knew in Huntingdon, had got married. Weird!
ReplyDeleteThere was a time when everyone who was local took the EADT. Not so much in it now and very expensive
DeleteTime plays tricks - I sometimes read one of my old posts and think "was it really that long ago?"
ReplyDeleteI sometimes look online at the Eastern Daily Press. A local coffee shop we went into had a rack of EDPs and other magazines for customers to read. But we realised they were all a few weeks old. We weren't too sure about the scones either!
Stale news and scones then! Not worth going back
DeleteThat was a very productive vegetable garden. Lovely memories.
ReplyDeleteI admire the new life you have built for yourself.
We were almost completely self-sufficient that year and sold so much at the gate.
DeleteI agree with Traveller. It take a great deal of courage to pack away one life and trade it in for another. You've done well, although it certainly must be difficult to look back sometimes.
ReplyDeleteIt's sad looking back, but once Colin became ill we had to move sometime and went earlier rather than later
DeleteIt is good to look back at past posts and see how much - or how little! - has changed.
ReplyDeleteI'm still growing a few bits to eat
DeleteHappy memories...hold on tight to them. x
ReplyDeleteThank goodness for the blog and old photos on here
DeleteGosh, I remember that photo when it first appeared!
ReplyDeleteI don't miss smallholding life, I was really looking forward to us doing it together full-time and it just never happened. What I do miss the most is the life I had before we decided to move to the farm. But hey, it's all experience and life has to keep moving forwards.
Yep - no going back - only good memories
DeleteLike Sue, I remember that post. I've been reading that long. SO much has changed in all of our lives. Good memories. --Elise
ReplyDeleteIts good that I have so many photos on the blog, at the time life was so busy to remember everything!
DeleteYes-I remember that post too. We always hoped to come and stay on your campsite but never had the chance. Catriona
ReplyDeleteI think the campsite is still going - they were closed last year but seem to be open again this year
DeleteYour life on the small holding sounds ideal. You were extremely successful growers. Selling your harvest and running a successful business is a great accomplishment as well. You must be very proud. I'm impressed!
ReplyDeleteLook at those squash and pumpkins!!!! You will always look back with joy over the time you spent on the small holding.
ReplyDeleteGod bless.
I just "feel" it in this post. The allotment, the wonderful produce and Him Outside -- missing them all.
ReplyDelete