2020- new life in a strange world

So times are pretty strange at the moment, but in a very powerful way it provides a real space for contemplation, thinking about what matters, and thinking of the importance of sustainable living.
The Corona virus has hit the UK and the UK powers that be aren't yet recommending that people "isolate" socially but we have decided to. We have a week off, so why not?
It is Sunday today (and the thought of blogging has been far from our minds for....6 years it seems, looking back!). Life has blessed us with two beautiful girls and we count ourselves incredibly lucky every day.

The Corona virus has meant that we have cancelled the plans we had for our time off, which is a shame as we were planning to see family and friends, but in many ways it feels like a huge gift of time. Family time at home. No outings, no distractions, no anything really other than each other for company, plenty to do and plenty of fun to be had and things to be achieved.
It is a very good time of year to have a week off at home on our own. Spring is pretty much here and the nettles are starting to come out in true force, and this week is a good time to tackle some of the more structural jobs which we haven't got round to so much over the winter months.

So watch this space. Aiming to blog more frequently for this week at least to ponder on our progress and musings of how it is getting back to the earth, each other, family, and stepping away from our phones and too much news.

Today has brought yoga for Lou, plus a sort of the pollytunnel, sorting of the mud kitchen sink for the girls, adapting the steps up to the slide, black plastic-ing a bit of the boggy lower garden and some weeding of the stinging nettles in the currents. All with a health dose of homemade dhal, painting with the girls, and enjoying being outside. Day three of isolation and we are all doing well for it so far.

We feel very fortunate to have space. Both for being able to let the children have space to run around but also the potential of growing lots of veg and helping sustain ourselves. Joe works from home but I am rather hoping that I will be able to as well in the coming weeks. It feels like a gift (as well as obviously the global curse).

A microholding with a big plan

We have lived in our home for a year and a bit now. Over that time, things have changed and developed to make the cottage and garden more ours. The garden was pretty pristine when we moved in and now resembles more of a scrapyard. But, as Joe reminds me, this means that projects are happening and life is far from dull.

I thought it would be good to put in a plan for the garden now, and we can see how it develops over the next year.

I am very fond of second hand, pre used things. Whether these be things salvaged from others , skips, or bought second hand on Gumtree, I rarely buy anything new. This fits well with our lifestyle really as we don't have a flashy existence. To me, there is nothing more satistfying as making something, or making something old or broken usable. One person's rubbish really is my treasure. Our home proves that really.

Where was I...the scrapyard, sorry, garden...

Here is the plan... watch it grow....

Perennial Raised Bed

We kindly got given some fruit bushes from a couple down the road that were moving house so looking for a home for a few shrub. Once we were proud owners of some autumn fruiting raspberries, current bushes, a cultivated Blackberry and a Jostaberry (Gooseberry/ Currant cross) all coming out of dormancy they needed a home!

So we set to work in bulding the long raised bed down over the french drain, making doubly sure that we wont have any waterlogging issues. Once a bit a of rubble filled in in french drain, soil back on top we added a to dressing of last years compost. The compost was really good, I have never managed to make compost "properly" before.

We then put the plants in, we also got given the old supports for the rasberries, so we installed that as well.

The rest of the bed will be summer fruiting raspberries and asparagus.

Half full bed, bit bendy

Completed Bed

Compost!

Raspberry Canes

French Drains

The lowest edge of our garden gets very waterlogged often underwater for a good part of the winter, however we have a stream at a much lower level at the bottom of our garden, so I thought, easy enough, I just have to get the water from where its sitting into the stream.

after a small amount a of research I go exited about the idea of a french drains, (after Mr French, not The French). Effectivly a ditch that you put weedmatting in, some gravel and maybe a holy pipe, wrap it all up in the matting then you can put soil back on top!

Last autumn, I took the bull by the horns and started to dig, it was very hard work and after a little while it rained very hard and filled with water, so I decided to leave it for "another day".

Today finally the "another day" arrived, and here is my drain stages:

1. Dig a sloping trench from stream to low point in garden (at least 1 degree)

2. Line the trench with textile matting

3. Put some gravel in the bottom to get a consistent gradient

4. Put in your Holy pipe if you are using one

5.  Cover pipe in gravel

5. Wrap it all up

It is a little bit more work that it sounds. . . . . . . . but hopefully worth it, as it will be there a long time draining stuff.

polytunnel day 4

After a busy day moving soil and a bit of help from Lou, there is now another bed in place and a good amount of soil shifted and we managed to get the other door frame in place. Not as neat as Jeffs work but sturdy enough, I blame the weather conditions, thermal expansion and the way the moon was alligned with jupiter. (not my rushing to get it done attitude!)

Before installing the frame, I installed our 1500 litre water butt that will be placed in the tunnel, giving easy access to water for the plants at the correct temperature and to act as a energy sink, reducing extreme temperatures both hot and cold.

Bottom door frame, water butt in place and some rubble that we dug up

new raised be on right, filled with soil from the mound

hopefully the final tree root removal!

Polytunnel day 2 + 3

At the end of the weekend of building we managed to get a door frame in place and starting to get the edging on, this will be used to secure the sheeting and netting once in place.

all arches on and most of battoning

Jeffs lovley joinery

rainy morning loaf

first raised bed, used to step ground from road to garden hight

 After a rainy start to day 3 the weather cleared up and spent the afternoon starting to build the raised beds and landscaping the ground so that it is more level.

Brody on a fence

polytunnel day 1

With the trees out of the way, we decided to push on with the pollytunnel build.

We plan to build a tunnel similar to Alans but a little bigger (10m x 4m), using scaffolding set in the the ground, then plastic water pipe for the arches.

First we marked the perimeter out with some twin and sticks, we decided to leave the tree holes and soil mound until we knew where beds and paths were going (and therefore where we have to move the soil.)

We set the corned posts in postcrete, then decided to set the rest for good measure, we then cut a bit of water pipe to have a bit of fiddle, the grease Alan recommend is very handy. After some wrangling we decided it was a good idea to have the scaffolding approximately 3ft above the ground. the road side ones we gave a good wack, but the inside ones we dug carfully so not the interfere with our houses soakaway.

We then cut the remaining bits of pipe and scaffolding, tomorrow hopefully we will install and the remainder tomorrow, some bracing and the door frames!! Bellow are a few photos of our progress.

Its extra exiting because we are only loosing about a 1m band of garden space, as the trees took up the 3m edge of the garden and made for a poor hedge with all the gaps.

Holes Dug, just add water then postcrete

Cutting the Scaffolding to size with a angle grinder

First arch in place, trail run

Rest of Pipe cut to 7m lengths.