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!”
Your leaf mould sounds perfect, I get a bit impatient and use it with 6-12 months, but then I also struggle for storage space, so I’m picturing yours as lovely crumbly fine textured, ready to give the beds a good hit of nourishment and goodness
The storage space would be an issue for you, but 12 months should do a good job! c
Lovely kitty cat picture. He posed beautifully.
Did I spy guinea fowl in the background of your water barrel shots? I haven’t noticed them before in your posts. Such funny creatures, they always intrigue me, do you eat them?… and if they weren’t guinea fowl and instead guinea fowl looking rocks… cool!
Yes, good spotting those are my four guinea fowl, we do not eat them, they just squawk about and look pretty! c
Guinea fowl are highly prized here for the table: much tastier than chicken.
Really! Well that explains why people keep asking if i eat them! (laughter) c
Lovely post. Really enjoyed it. Fab photos. Have a great weekend.
Regards Florence x
Thank you Florence and you ahve a lovely weekend too! c
Whew. What a busy day! Really liked the 3 chickens on the beam. (glad the feather guys are willing to help spread the hay around) Spring lettuce always seem to take so long to grow! (maybe it’s because I tend to watch it so much ….but it’s green hunger!)
Like the watching the kettle waiting for it to boil!! c
Those plummeting temperatures don’t sound too good. I have never been in anything as cold as -14C. And it’s going to get colder? Maybe if temperatures are plummeting where you are they will rise where I am? We’re still waiting for summer. I will never tire of seeing photos of your farm!
Morning Charlie, You are in Aussie if I remember rightly? Our home towns have been having a rubbish summer as well! maybe you will get a fantastic autumn! c
Just look at those chickens.. they have grown so darn much. And they are just so cute. And just look at him inspecting everything.. making sure you was doing everything right I presume lol.
Mary’s cat is such a character, i have never had a cat like him!! c
I hope you had a great shopping day…I wouldn’t want to walk away from your lovely place! You have a lot of responsibility to keep everything in balance with the bleak winter temperatures, but you appear to do it so well! I’m impressed…and inspired. Debra
This is true, having animals means having a lot of dependents, any farmer is charged with the task of tending to the well being of his animals.. ours are pretty spoilt i think.. c
Would it sound bad or be bad if I said I’m a little jealous? Like seriously – I want to live on a farm!!! I want to grow my own chickens *pouts* You are so lucky!
And those subjects in the photos are too cute!
Not Bad Tia, I used to feel that was too and now I do, so maybe wishes can come true!! c
Mary’s cat looks so very splendid in his self-appointed office of King of the Cat-sle. I’d love to do a cold frame (or better yet, a greenhouse) out back, but that will have to wait until after I can afford the main bathroom reno and the general garden overhaul. Still, it tempts me to go on a little, erm, local exploration to see if I can’t find some temporary fixes just ‘lying about’ in the meanwhile. One lives in hope! I’ve been keeping my eye out for rain barrels for some time, but everybody around here is so desperate for water there’s nobody local who’s crazy enough to let go of good rain barrel material, so I’ll likely just have to suck it up and invest in them.
there is nothing like a barrel of rain in your own garden!.. good luck, you will love it when you get one! c
My parents had three huge compost bins that they rotated through. One was to use that year, one was ruminating for next year, one was for two years from now. They had a cold frame, too, and two rain barrels that NEEDED mesh over them because they got the mosquitoes. I think I need to blog about all this come spring time! It’s making me think of all sorts of memories!!!
yes, write them down for me, i love al that info! c
Been missing out not being at the computer for a couple of days Celi, catching up as quickly as I can. Love pole cat!
🙂 Mandy