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!!

Six went to Normandy

Having been back almost a week from our trip I thought it was high time to get pen to paper (or keyboard to blog) and get some words down.

A fantastic week with a lifetime of memories; the journeys there and back were tiring but worth every mile; the gite and our hosts just perfect and the beaches, museums and cemetaries both moving and unforgettable.

We departed our meet up point at midnight 29th May and six of us rode down to Dover through the night catching a quick coffee stop on route and arriving in plenty of time so that we ended up taking an earlier ferry. After boarding we took the opportunity to relax and prepare for the onward and longest part of the trip. Arrived at about 3.30pm and after a couple of missed turnings, we found our gite for the week.

Our hosts Sophie and Thierry had transformed an old stone built stable into a cottage and not only was it comfortable and had all we needed, but it was peaceful and set within the courtyard of a working dairy farm.

Over the week we visited all of the D-Day landing beaches, cemetaries for British, American and German soldiers and also a number of musuems, German defensive gun emplacements and stopped at numerous roadside memorials.

We managed a trip to see the Bayeux Tapestry as well as take our hosts sons and their friends for rides on the bikes.

A fuller version of our trip will be published here shortly.

Our ride home was again tiring but everyone arrived home safely.

More to follow.............................................

4 1/2 More Sleeps......................

Can't believe where the time has gone over the past couple of weeks - busy busy busy as usual.

Lots to update you on as you might expect but firstly let me tell you about the photo attached to this entry on our blog. The photo is of St Mary's A.D.S. Cemetery in Haisnes, Pas de Calais in France. (A.D.S. - advance dressing station)

As part of my work on the family history we know about William Wilson who died oN 14th October 1918 at the age of 21 during WW1 and for whom an entry exisits in the Book of Rememberance at Edinburgh Castle. After much searching I finally discovered his final resting place. William was a Private in the 8th Battalion Seaforth Highlanders. If you visit the commonwealth war grave commission website http://www.cwgc.org/search/certificate.aspx?casualty=325114
you will see more information and with his Service Number can actually see where the plot is in the cemetery. Unfortunately our trip to Normandy will not allow enough time to visit the cemetary as it will be too far from where we are staying however there are plans afoot for a trip down to Montpellier either later this year or earlish next and if we go by bike, we shall make sure we visit.

Back to our forthcoming holiday and everything is ready bar packing and putting the bags on the bike. We've laminated some maps in case we need to use them in the wet (sunshine has been ordered for the trip!).

In the garden and things are growing well with the first tiny cucumbers having appeared, first flower trusses set on the tomatoes and tiny little radishes swelling above the soil. Everything is benefitting from this warm, sunny weather but it does mean extra watering. We have a friend looking after this for us while we are away.

All the plaster is now off the walls in the front bedroom and ready for the batten and board prior to replastering; we'll also be getting the ceiling done as well. So much dust though!

Ruby and Ruairi are not overly keen on the heat and as Ruby is an older lady, she is quite happy to stay indoors and lay on the cool floor. Ruairi however still wants to play and tear about the garden - so yesterday he got a bath and a hair cut to help keep him cool, He now looks very handsome and clean!

We've been keeping a check on the birds that visit our garden and for the first time we saw Greenfinches last week feeding on the niger seed so beloved of the Goldfinches that normally munch it all up. The Starlings have been bringing their babies to the garden with lots of chattering and squawking as well as some nervous take offs and landings. Robins, Wrens, Bluetits, Great tits and the occasional Coal Tit as well as Doves and Pigeons and along with Blackbirds, Thrushes, the Jackdaws nesting in our chimney pots and the Dunnocks and Sparrows make for a lovely hour or so early (about 6.30am) each morning. One of the Jackdaws we have called Gammy Leg as he or she cannot lift one leg when flying. This is the third year that this particular bird has nested in the same pot. The Doves who have nested at the front gutter for two years have not returned this year though.

Early this morning after a quick inspection of the garden we also discovered mating frogs in our little pond. We shall have to make sure we keep the water topped up for them. If successful, this will be the first time we will have had tadpoles. I can't begin the imagine what Ruairi will make of tiny frogs!

Veggies and Pigeons

If we can get to the end of the year and produce a harvest like this then all the effort will be worth it!

Another busy Sunday getting to grips with jobs in the veggie side of the garden. Firstly and most importantly, we erected netting to prevent the local pigeon population making anymore visits to the FiveSheds Brassica Feast!! Our poor brussels and purple sprouting broccoli have been turned ragged by these hungry birds. Well no more - now they'll just have to sit and stare as the plants grow!

The list of vegetables and fruits are increasing so here is a list of the things sown, planted and cultivated for the FiveSheds table 2010:
New Potatoes - International Kidney, Ulster Sceptre, Pink Fir Apple
Carrots - Resistafly
Beetroot - Choggia and a 'cylinder' type which will make for easier slicing
Radish
Leeks - Povite
Borlotti Beans - Firetongue
Mangetout
Mixed salad leaves
Rocket
Spring Onions - white lisbon
Shallots -
Red Onions
Parsnips -
Brussells, Purple Sprouting Broccoli and Swiss Chard
Cucumber
Courgette
Butternut Squash
Tomatoes - Ailsa Craig, Gardeners Delight, Alicante and Black Cherry
Broadbeans
Rhubarb, Black Currants, Raspberries, Strawberries (four types), Blackberries (thornless), Apple
Red Pepper
Chilli - Cayenne

Hoping for some Runner bean plants from Woz's Dad in a few days

Phew - no wonder i came in from the garden aching all over; lots of weeding, watering and potting on of seedlings as well as Woz helping me with bean poles and netting.

Futher garden updates will appear in due course.

Morning after THE night before!

The T-Shirt picture describes perfectly the state of Mr Woz this morning!!

It is safe to say that he excelled himself and very successfully polished off several pints of Hopback Brewery 'Spring Zing' followed by numerous cans of Old Speckled Hen.

And looked very sorry for himself this morning when he finally got up!

'nuff said..........................................

Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday to you,

Happy Birthday dear Wozzie

Happy Birthday to you

xxxxx

And so another birthday in the Fivesheds household, no doubt there will be a beer or two to be drunk this evening!

Bank Holiday weekend rambles

Another busy weekend for the Wozzies.............

Saturday dawned bright and sunny and so we went with Woz's Mum and Dad to a great garden nursery, Simpsons at Fordham. Our visited started with coffee and bacon rolls at their newly built cafe and then it was time to shop. The selection and quality of plants is superb, the pricing very good value. So it would come as no surprise to learn that we (ok me) excelled in our purchases!

Over the winter, we appeared to have lost a shrub in the garden which either succumbed to the very low temperatures or already was weakened by pest or disease; very disappointing as the 'Pittisporum' that died was a valuable specimen plant. So - the shrub will come out and will be pruned, potted and given some TLC to see if we can resurrect it. In the meantime, we have selected a new plant (well tree actually) to go in its place. Prunus Serrula Tibetica - Tibetan Cherry. The photo above is a detail of the beautiful copper bark that makes this tree really stand out. First seen at Abbotsbury Gardens in Dorest whilst we were away last month, we had already said that it would be lovely to have one of these in our garden and now we have!

Ended the day with Woz's Mum and Dad, one of his brothers and his wife coming round for a BBQ.

Sunday was the monthly Fenlanders meeting; started with cloud and drizzle but we put on the waterproofs and set off on the bike; the sun came out and we had a nice ride up to Norfolk. After the meeting we rode back across the open fens popping into our friends Roy & Ali for a cup of tea and then home.

Bank holiday Monday and the weather report was not that great, chilly wind too but we decided to get out for the day and take the dogs for a walk somewhere. Wellies, leads, waterproofs and woolly jumpers, off we went. First stop - Walkers Cafe on the A1065 near Barton Mills - take away bacon rolls and coffee; sat in the car as it was alternating sunshine and showers and very chilly breeze.

Then onto West Stow country park and Anglo Saxon village. Couldn't take the dogs into the reconstructed Anglo Saxon village (which we will go back to another day) but the walks around the country park were lovely; a footpath follows along part of the River Lark, there is a fishing lake with lots of ducks, geese and nesting cootes. The paths go through mature conifer and deciduous woodlands and also across ancient heathland. There is a childrens activity playground (which we didn't go to) and a very nice cafe (which we did). Picnic tables are dotted around and some are under some very tall scots pines. Another time we will bring a picnic and spend longer there but yesterday was too chilly with frequent rain showers.

We then headed off through pretty country lanes, thatched cottage villages and through woodlands until we reached the Suffolk/Norfolk border and a visit to the St Georges Distillery - the only malt whiskey distillery in England. A sample or two had to be tried! And whilst there (and thankfully indoors) the heavens opened and threw down hail!

Onwards with the sun now shining, we gradually made our way north'ish and then west'ish and ending up near Downham Market and an american style diner called Arbuckles for an early dinner. Great way to round off the day.

We stopped for a quick beer at the AV and then headed home. Possibly it was tiredness - possibly Woz had one of those 'senior' moments (well he is having a birthday this week!) - Woz went off to feed the dogs, put the bowls down and came back to the living room with his cup of tea. A short while later, I could hear Ruairi's bowl (being plastic) being scraped across the floor and Ruby's bowl (being stoneware) tinkling where a collar tag was touching the side. It is very unusual if not unheard of, that Ruairi finishes his dinner first and so I went off to see what was happening? In a 'loss of concentration' moment - Woz had put the bowls down in the wrong places - the dogs however went to the right places. Ruby then munched all of Ruairi's dinner whilst he stood just looking at her bowl, that contained her food and then, once she had finished one plate of food, went over and started on her proper dinner. Ruairi meanwhile did try and get his nose in her bowl, but she growled at him and so he sat down and looked all forlorn.

Thank goodness I went and took a look!! Woz refilled Ruairi's bowl and he happily tucked in (Ruairi that is, not Woz!) whilst Ruby (cheeky dog that she is) not content with two dinners, hovered by the kitchen door awaiting a chance to sneek in and eat some more! Ruairi must have been hungry though as every little morsel was eaten.