New Arrivals.......

Since our last posting time has flown and the garden has become a flowering, fruiting and 'veg-tastic' haven.

Just about to pick cucumbers #6 and #7 with lots of little cucumblets waiting to grow; loads of tomatoes to go red; mini-chillies starting to swell; mange tout by the bucket load; 1 1/2 lbs of black currants picked and frozen; the first courgette and runner beans starting to pod.
And that's just a small sample of the things we are growing some of which we have been eating (salads/radishes etc)

The house build is now cracking on at the plot next door with footings dug and concrete due any day. A by-product of the work has been the number of old bottles being uncovered and making their way into the five sheds collection! The builders a very nice and we fill their kettle a couple of times a day and they have been really lovely and used their digger to remove all the old earth and plaster piled up next to our drive that we needed to order a skip for. Instead they did it for us and the debris went with the stuff from next door. Thats one less expense (and hard work) for us to deal with. Now we are hoping to find a pine tree suitable for a slow growing Christmas tree, plant in in the ground near the fence and then gravel the rest. Then we can pretty lighties at Christmas!

Back indoors and the materials have arrived to start the plastering of the outer wall and ceiling of our front bedroom. Hopefully this will happen over the next few days. Once completed we can decorate and then shift everything from our bedroom to the completed room. That will allow us to sort out the ceiling in our room and finally decorate. We think we have chosen the colour paint for the livingroom (after many different ideas, tester pots and disappointments). A visit to a another property recently redecorated and of similar age to Five Sheds had a beautiful wall colour which will be ideal in our small room. We won't tell you what yet but await further reports once we have done a test area to make sure.

Both Ruby and Ruairi have been to the vets this week; Ruby needed her vaccination but also had a small sore on the right hand side of her lower jaw line probably made worse by her scratching at it. Oddly though Ruairi has been rubbing the left hand side of his mouth for a couple of days and we discovered that the top edge of the side of his mouth was looking sore. Both now have a cream to be applied 3 times a day. As they share a water bowl (and you try telling them they have to drink out of separate bowls!) then it is hardly surprising that one has given the other some sort of infection. We shall see how they get on. Ruairi is in for his vaccinations in August. Ruby also celebrated her 14th Birthday recently - a grand old lady.

So you may be wondering why there is a Fawlty Towers sign to our blog? Well apart from the fact that it is a favourite classic 1970's TV programme it is also the inspiration for the naming of our new aquisition being ....wait for it............

A Hen House!!! called Fowlty Towers along with two chickens shortly to be named Sybil and Polly! Through work we were offered some chickens that cannot move to their owners new home. It didn't take us long (and I do mean both of us) to decide to re-home these egg laying lovelies in our garden. We have room for a modest hen house and run and have sourced a half price brand new wooden first floor apartment, with perch, nesting box, ladder to ground floor with spacious secure enclosure and scope to extend!! Sorry for the Letting Agent speak but it comes with the territory! Fresh eggs - what could be better! Quite how we deal with the dogs over the new arrivals we are not yet sure but it will all work out in the end.

This weekend we are off to Herefordshire to a private mini-folk festival organised by a friend and being held at a Small Breeds and Owl sanctuary. We are camping (so lets hope this wonderful weather holds) and we are taking the dogs. Should be a good weekend with about forty other people and some live accoustic music as well as the odd pint or two of ale!

More to follow after our feathered friends have arrived!!