Thank you so much for all your input over the last two days. The images we have all selected have been sent over to the tech team, for the last review and some work. Then when they come back, I will let you know the final line up.
Your names have been printed and folded into individual parcels and on the weekend TonTon will do the draw -selecting three winners. So stand by. I know this photo is not in focus, in the very low light of the barn, but I could not resist. Houdini’s chickens on the beam. 
And now back outside and back to work! The Cold Frame is holding up well and even with these below freezing nights the cabbages and lettuce are growing quite happily in here. I am told that this weekend the temperatures are going to plummet so we will see how much cold it will repel. These are easy to build and extend your growing period considerably, this one has an old screen door from the junk yard as a lid. It is hinged so it can be opened for day time warmth (when the warmth comes again). In this one is cabbage and lettuce. I am so desperate for some fresh lettuce, my indoor lettuce is being very slow. 
Stalkers garden is the first to be planted, so out come the bags of leaf mold that have been sitting cogitating for a few years. In the autumn, town people leave their bags of leaves out for us and we drive the truck down the alleys picking them up, poke a few holes in them, pile them in the Rathouse and forget about them. Two years is best. Sometimes I give them to the chickens to shred then they go on a compost heap. 
In a month or so they will be dug in. Leaf mold is great compost for the gardens or it can be used as a mulch and is excellent for holding moisture in the raised beds.
Below you will see one of the rain water barrels. These were old detergent barrels we found in a dump area behind an old workshop. Every roof guttering runs into its own water barrel in a garden or water trough for the animals. We are going into the spring after a very dry winter so we need to collect all the water we can. These water barrels have had the tops cut off and returned as lids. There is mosquito screen in the lid to prevent larvae from breeding in the water. 
This one is such a bright blue plastic that I grow tall plants around it to hide it!! Most of them are black.
Day before yesterday when I cleared out the bays in the barn I threw some old dirty straw onto the Corridor Paddock, it desperately needs building up. Then I let the manure spreaders out to kick it all about! 
I guess someone has set himself up as the inspector. Checking our work. 
The wind has changed this morning. I can hear it howling from the loft. A change in the weather is coming. Yesterday’s sun was so welcome but today has dawned cloudy again. We are at the high for today already (just above freezing) then we are going down to 6F (-14) by tonight with a few snow showers. So I guess winter is back to nudge its big nose at us again.
Today is shopping day. Well you know how I feel about that! So off I go to the city with The Matriarch to stock up. I have to Dress and Do my hair and everything! (sigh) No wearing clown pants and stuffing my hair into a pompom hattie all day.
But first I shall rug up and see to the animals and the outside chores then visit my old people with their eggs. Soon we will be starting all their vegetable gardens too.
Good morning!
celi
The Kitchen's Garden 
83 responses to “Phew, well that was a flurry. Now back to work!”
I guess I missed all the fun in my last 2 busy days… Sounds great and congrats on your 40k 🙂
Thank you Mimo! c
Enjoy your trip into the Big City! It’s lovely to have a peek at farm life on the other side of the world and the labours and preparations that you’re undertaking for each new season. I wish I was that well organised in my own life. 🙂
I bet you are well organised when you are doing something you love…. c
Great photo of the supervisor. Wonderful light, Celi. You are making me think I ought to get some lumber and build some planters. Think I’ll visit the throw-away pile at the local lumber yard. They’ve already given me enough nails to build a house…all because they were dropped on the floor in the store. Yay!
fantastic that they think that the nails are bad now that they hit the floor!! Good for you though! c
The Supervisor looks very happy with the way things are going! Hope the Shopping goes well 🙂
I am back from the shopping, it started to snow while we were out so we had to scuttle back. I like to be home when it snows in case I get snowed in! c
or out ir you’re out!
It seems that will be so exciting… You are so creative and amazing dear Cecilia. I loved your photographs again, especially the inspector! Amazing. Thank you, have a nice weekend, with my love, nia
Thank you Nia, I am hoping you are having a lovely weekend too.. c
That Cold Frame is a great idea and I hope everything survives Winter’s return this weekend. We’re under a storm watch. They’re calling for 6 inches of lake effect snow by tomorrow morning. You’re probably too far south for it and there’s no way of knowing beforehand whether we’ll be lucky enough to get the full effect or just a passing flurry. I, too, need to run a few errands and had better get them done early. Have a great day, Celi, and stay warm!
Well I have been and i am back and we have snow now too, but it is more blowing that snowing, but you will get to use your snowblower in the morning!! c
What a contrast between the garden scenes now and how they’ll look in 2 months. The cycles are dramatic. Wonderful photographic history of the events unfolding.
Ronnie
I was thinking that too, it is always exciting for me to build a garden every year! c
Oh Dog! I knew leaves made great fertilizer, but I had no idea that keeping them like that was so beneficial. I learn something new here all the time!
Thank you, though remember to gather leaves with no dog doo doos in them, then the bags are not quite as sweet smelling as expected! c
I have arrived in Bagni di Lucca to a freezing wind. I have to brace myself to go to do some shopping. It is colder here than Heksinki!!!!
That is very cold! But Oh how glorious to be back!! c
Where were you a year ago when we were remodeling and tossed an old storm door out and hauled it to the recycling center? It would have made an excellent cold frame. You are inspiring me to expand my garden beyond tomato plants in pots and a row of lettuce.
Whew, I’m so glad all of your rain barrels are not that vivid blue. Our recycling containers (for newspaper, cardboard, cans, bottles, etc.) are that horrible color and with bright yellow lids. What was the county thinking when they chose that color? Horrid.
Finally, that image of the Inspector has spectacular lighting.
You threw stuff out! Oh NO!! maybe this year as a treat you could grow potatoes, they are so simple to grow and DIVINE to eat! c
P is working from home today. We had more snow last night. About 3cm, which is ample to cripple all the transport networks in the area. No trains running earlier today. For a country that loves talking about weather, it sure doesn’t know how to cope with it.
Oh dear, no trains is a bad day. Sometimes it is nice to have a snow day at home though.. c
I was just recommending a bit rain barrel to one of my clients (just bought a house) and the property inspector and buyer looked at me as though I was deranged. This is such a great way to preserve rain water! I love your cold frame, I will be watching to see if it survives -14… we have had such a warm winter, I think I could grow a few bits of lettuce here! Love the sliding window/screen idea!!
Yes the cold frame is working well, and why would anyone NOT want a rain barrel, it keeps water at a perfect temp for watering your pots in the summer.. and a cup of tea from filtered rain water is fantastic, and rinsing your hair!! oh the list is endless.. c
I hadn’t thought of tea… and hair rinsing.. I’m going to pick up one of these this spring. All I need is the screen to keep mosquitoes, etc out??
Cold frames are such a great way to deal with winter’s effects on vegetable growing. I know you will enjoy the fresh tender greens.
I am so looking forward to them, we do not bother buying lettuce way out here it has travelled so far that i am sure it has no nutritional value whatsoever.. just a limp crunch, eeoo.. c
Ooh, the Supervisor sitting on his perch, whilst inspecting the farm…love it.
C, I’ve nominated you for the ABC award…I love visiting your farm and I think others will too!
Jess
Thank you jess, I enjoyed you abc’s too!! c
Phew is a word that always makes me laugh – phonetically it suggests another exclamation! The French have a habit of saying “punaise” instead of “putain” and “mince” instead of “merdre” – so very phewing similar I suppose.
When first here, I was very upset to hear a 10 year old boy call his little sister ‘putain’. I’ve used ‘mince’ myself, but had no idea it was a euphemism for merde! La vache will have to be abandoned as a swearu word now that I’ve met Daisy!
Yikes I had better mind my p’s and ‘hews.. ! c