village life and the open garden

My blogs are getting further apart .. summer is so busy not only are we on what my friend just described as 'peak season' for visitors, but then I have slowly started to get into village life which is great fun.. so far I have joined the W.I and gardening club,  the first meeting of the W.I. I went to was hysterical .. we had a talk on podiatry the lady was really engaging but my stomach struggled when an ingrown toe-nail was passed around in a sample pot.. YUCK.. so my warning to all is cut your toe nails carefully!! The talk was followed up with cake and strawberries.. as anyone who knows me will know, even having previously been retching at the sight of the toe nail of what I can only assume was a werewolf, I was not put off the cake.. YUM!

The second meeting was a visit to Gregynog (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gregynog_Hall) which was once owned by the same family who owned the estate within which we live and the manor house in our village so the talk was really interesting. In between meetings it has been my month to help with the village garden.. we do this in pairs and I have had fun doing it (much easier than my own garden for sure)

The gardening club is great too .. I have only been to one meeting where a chap was selling plants and giving talks on each one of them.. I struggled to get my haul of beautiful and very cheap plants over to the car but really enjoyed hearing all about them from their expert grower. At this meeting there was a piece of paper being circulated for people who wanted to open their garden fr the garden open day.. I really wasn't up for it at first but bowed to what I am calling peer pressure and said yes!!! EEK.. so that left 3 weeks to get it all sorted before the big day.. one day last week I gardened from 10:00 until 22:30 as part of my prep. It was a really fun afternoon I got to see parts of the village I didn't even know existed and saw some lovely gardens and seemingly, even though I was very nervous, everyone enjoyed seeing mine too. When I left to set off I asked Mr W if he could please sweep around just before they came to ensure any chicken messing of my garden was disguised but in true Mr W style and encouraged, I believe, by his big son and small son, I came back with our guests to find the Waen Bar fully stocked, Mexican music playing and himself wearing a bloody sombrero.. I ask you! Mind you I couldn't complain.. those 3 men had worked magic.. and big son even cleaned the windows ( he has always been my favourite) .. it was a great day and I loved feeling part of the community!! 

Mr W's big son has bought us loads of bar paraphernalia, optics, a drip tray and bar mats.. hysterical.. so we are now embracing the cheesy bar :-)

Apart from gardening I have been making loads of things too for our christmas hampers.. can't tell you too much its a surprise but I have certainly put our pea pods to use.. we have pea pod wine brewing as we speak.. the elderflower wine has stopped fermenting but I have mixed a concoction that apparently will kick start it.. phew complicated stuff. The pea-pod wine is CRAZY.. it fermented out of the demi-john and everywhere .. should be fairly potent then!!

I also make a cake for, Em,  the partner of Mr W's big son.. for her special birthday.. she collects penguin classics so what to make the cake like was a no brainer.. it was fun to make and thankfully went down well. Its been a busy but fun few weeks :-)

The ducklings are still 7 in number and growing quite big now.. they totter up to the garage for food which is cute today dad was teaching them to wash.. it was like duck school.. too too cute!

AND THE BIG NEWS.. At last it has rained!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! the well is full, the garden looks less like a desert and the pond is full again.. WHOOP!!! And as anyone knows, in Wales, when it rains .. it seriously rains! 

Piccies; 

the Babies are growing 

Lolly and pearl welcome the open garden guests

The cake for our lovely Em!! xx

The veg plot has given me shallots to pickle .. Yum.. well it will be yum in 2 months 

pea-pod wine.. okay not looking very appealing but give it time 

check me out.. 4th on the list.. love it

The Waen man trio's bar makeover (gotta love 'em)

Rain at last... girls don't look pleased mind you 

Drought, vegetables, ducklings and trips back to the north :-)

Well holiday season is upon us and we are lucky that we get to share with lots of our chums this lovely weather and beautiful place. We have had loads of guests and its been mega busy in the garden too.. I have randomly decided to join the village open garden on 28th July .. so in a mad dash to make it look smart :-)

I have still got to sort the woodland and one last flower bed that in fact turns out to just be a bed of buttercups so I have one week of hard graft ahead  .. I had a head start though when the Ali sisters came to stay and spent a day helping me shred and chip loads of wood as I mowed the woodland.. have lost my newly planted orchard to waist high grass so this week I must crack on!!

There is sad news on the duckling front we are down to only 7 but they are growing fast and so should be big enough to defend themselves soon.. shame though but still mummy duck has done very well they now come up to feed at with the chickens and Sophie and Blueberry and its dead cute to watch them though Mr W not content to only watch ended up in a severe groin pecking from mummy duck (Fergie) when he just had to pick one up!!

The weather whilst beautiful is taking a toll on life.. our well water is very low but lovely farners are topping it up! and so its no more baths for aching bones GRR.. and the flowers are flopping but I refuse to complain even though a part of me wants to!

In other news its non stop in the veg patch we are eating all of our growing now and I am PARTICULARLY proud of a turnip (still in the ground) which is fairly huge... not quite the enormous turnip yet but you never know.

I was a complete bumpkin last week and set off in pursuit of elder flowers to make Christmas wine with (stand by friends) there is a definite difference in the country to city life in that I pottered around the woods carrying a kitchen knife and a 3 litre jug and no-one even thought it was odd.. in the city I suspect I would have been arrested for the same action but thankfully not and having successfully foraged my flowers the wine is now under way.. mind you separating those tiny flowers from their stalks.. complete pain in the backside :-) I then used a load of mint that I dug out of the penultimate patch of garden and made 4 jars of mint sauce.. check me out!

I have been up north a few times in the last couple of weeks, to see my mam and dad was one trip (felt very overdue) then to see a person I used to work with graduate.. very emotional and then for a work meeting / catch up with my fab work chums.. so that's been nice.. after all .. all gardening and no play makes Ms Waen knackered.. and also even though I have lots of visits and stay in touch I do miss my chums :-(

Anyway now for the photo's ........

ok so they are hard to peel but they are MY carrots and I love them :-)
Mr W declared them to be carroty carrots ??

Peas.. Mr W podded them and declared that he used to do this for his mum (I was surprised he could remember that far back). I have saved the pods in the freezer to make pea pod wine.

chard.. Yum 

Red onions 

more pak choi 

all the feathered people have come for lunch 

cute 

he summer has delivered some BEAUTIFUL old British roses :-)

wow

penultimate patch .. Before (buttercups and weeds)

after .. lovely perennials that will spread and fill up and look pretty 

cabbages

loads more peas 

lots of tomatoes

tomatillo's - seeds by james wong "Tomatillos grow throughout the Western Hemisphere, and are a popular staple food in Mexico,"

mint sauce

the start of the wine

Congratulations Mr and Mrs Mallard..(Fergie and Will-I-Am)

We were happily eating lunch when I suddenly flew out of my seat and hurled myself at the patio doors because 8 little babies and their mammy went swimming past.. It's love at first sight.. and well done that duck she did it!!!!!

I have never felt more lucky to live here ever.. Thank you Mr W :-)

its just so busy... the meadow is mowed not without tears and tantrums

Cor blimey I can't begin to tell you what a nightmare that was but at last the meadow is mowed.. the mower was twice in hospital, I have walked a million miles, cried 3 times and had 2 x mega strops but it is DONE!!! Never again will I let it get so long.. its winter holidays for us from now on!!!!

The worst thing was all the time that was happening I swear I could hear the weeds in the rest of the garden growing behind my back.. but yesterday I tackled stone henge and now we have less buttercups and weeds and much more neatness and order.. I have planted loads of lovely foxgloves all around it so that next year it will look lovely and colourful.

The next mission is the Rhododendron area and lawn which is being tackled today.. got some lovely lavender plants for a complete bargain price in town and have found the spot for them.. with the weather so glorious its time to get cracking.. I will never be bored for sure.

Its been a mad couple of weeks, lots of lovely friends have visited and we have had a great time and we have been very very spoilt by our friends too.

In other news Mr W has finally had his new cooker delivered.. it matches the Aga and whilst it still needs to be lowered and properly chased into the wall (apparently that needs tools you cant just run at it) its looking smart... all it needs now is for Mr W to actually cook on it :-)

We are also a little power station now.. we have had the outbuilding covered in solar panels.. and wow .. did we choose the timing for that right.. we are creating loads of electric..

This is our new gnome.. bought by my godson and his mammy and daddy who we were lucky enough to have for a visit

The solar panels. its been sunny ever since :-)

Bought myself a little treat in Hay on Wye.. I have seen him lots of times and loved him so as a mowing meadow self reward.. I bought him home.. if those chickens keep eating my flowers I will bring them in to show them!! 

Minhaz and Micah bought us 2 lovely owls when they came to visit .. they are now hanging in a tree in the garden.. cute  they have been named Owly and Mowly by Micah

Thank you Mr Waen for my gardening mug.. I will try and live up to it

Introducing Edgar.. he is lush an was another pressie from my lovely friend Anne who came to visit.. he is perfect and makes me smile. 

the new cooker... when you are ready Mr W can you finish off?? xxx

A week of weeding.. and some other bits..

I have never weeded so much in my life.. the garden is getting neater thought.. 3 patches done 5 to go and all the lawns around the house are mowed (thank you Mr W) but the meadow/ woodland is still to sort...  if you are old like me and remember the opening sequence to Little House on the prairie with a little kid running through a meadow up to her neck in grass .. that's my grass.. I plan to tackle it  next week as the rain is going to stay away.

In other news I am now the proud owner of one if these babies.. its a shredder!!! and a monster.. there are piles of rubbish, twigs and pap all over the wood ( a gift from previous owners) but this mean machine is about to get it sorted.. My sister and kids are here for 2 weeks in August.. I sense a project :-)

I have had a little go and whilst he is a beast to move about .. I love him!

Our Cow friends have been moved back up to the fields.. lots of mummies and babies, well probably;y teenagers by now, but cute non the less.. Lolly and Winnie are a bit worried about them and doing more barking than normal  but I am sure they will settle. I should perhaps let the cows in to deal with the long grass scenario :-)

I joined my first thing in the village this week and went to the W.I.. I was made really welcome and even though the talk was about podiatry and foot care .. (yuck) I had a complete giggle.. I, ridiculously, volunteered to join the W.I  garden rota (talk about a busmans' holiday) but it should be fun.. Next month its a trip to Gregynog Hall.. Mr W and I went to bee school there .. but this time its the WI and a Buffet.. :-) I have quite a hectic social life now.. sewing school on Monday, the WI on the first Thursday of teh month, the garden rota and most exciting is next Tuesday when I join gardening group.. Now THAT's what I need. For the princely sum of  5.00 per YEAR.. I get to go and meet with people once a month who actually know what they are doing.. HURRAH!!

The Veg plot is going great guns.. Pac Choi for tea tonight, te tomato plants have tomatoes, the Inca berry plant has sign of berries and everything is growing well.. (good job or Mr W May have sacked me) I am currently brewing rhubarb vodka and have now got 6 pots of Rhubarb jam.. one of which is aimed for the village show on the 3rd August :-)

Its been a fun week for sure but I am sick of weeds.. when is winter here???

Oooo.. just one other thing .. Mrs Mallard (aka Fergie) is back on the nest!!!!! watch this space :-)

look at top of photo a tomato

Lilly pads and their flowers on the lake

finally plated the planters that Mr W's Boy found for us.. completed with chicken protection until the things grow up. 

there are a bizillion tadpoles in there.. some have started to get their  legs 

Dedicated this photo to my lovely friend who helped me rake the lake.. check out the results  :-)

Little house on the prairie grass

Cripes I must mow!!!

weeded!!!!!!!!

welcome back cow friends 

but I have no food sorry

The pac choi for tea!!!

We are back...

.. Having eaten my way across the USA and put on significant weight we are back! We are very lucky people the house sitting tribe were beyond amazing and we have returned to minimal washing, no cleaning to do and all animal and plant life still alive.

The plant life has certainly been kept alive we have returned to food long grass and two foot high weeds.. eeek.. lots to do.. and on day one of my new lawnmower I managed to roll it into a tree stump and bend the blade.. so that's a new blade needed then.. ordered!

So in the emergency I have popped out to but an electric mover to do the bits close to the house.. much lighter and easier to use for sure. I have prioritised the allotment and mowing.. the weeds in the allotment were bigger than the vegetables but all sorted now and I can see vegetables again.

I am beyond gobsmacked about how I left the garden looking like it was just coming to life and then returned to find it green and flowery and really quite bonkers.. Love it..

My work has been cut out for the next few weeks for sure. It is lovely to be hone and it was made even better by all of our cards, letters and pressies from house guests.. they are naughty it was them doing us the favour but it was lovely.. We had 4 sets of house sitters.. Christina and her chums were first and Christina said that they all had the best time.. it was lovely to get her card. Then it was Lucy and Owen and they also had Lucy's Mam to visit.. the card we had from her was so funny saying that she was sitting at work wondering if the woodpecker had been for breakfast and whether Winnie was still running about like a mad thing whilst Lolly sunbathed.. they have clearly been very spoiled of attention these furry chums, Lucy was apparently a whizz on the Aga (Mr W would like to swap me) and she also found the time to make us some lovely coasters .. how lovely. Then came Caroline, Sam and Hilary we had a lovely letter of Caroline telling us all about bad boy Archie killing a chaffinch..Lolly trying to steal sausages destined for the BBQ.. it was lovely to read all about it. Mr W's Mam, Dad and friends brought up the rear and left our house spotless.. I have a lot to live up to now.

We really are lucky, as are the furry and feathery types to have such lovely people in our lives.

OOO and in big news.. we ate our first thing out of the garden.. RADISHES..

The Radishes .. pre salad

weeds and more weeds.. and somewhere in there some turnips.. all now sorted :-)

these tomato's were only 6 inches high when we left .. 

the Wisteria was a stick and now all in bloom .. beautiful 

Everything is so green

My garden.. Wow

Our house.. all dressed in greenery 

wow

allotment without weeds.. and with a lot of rhubarb... Made more jam 

little baskets of bits and bobs for our lovely house sitters :-)