There comes a time in the year when I must accept that winter is coming and I have to start getting The Farmy prepared. Not that I am giving up on summer quite yet you understand. 
But the cold winters here are deeply unforgiving of a casual attitude. It was a beautiful late summer day yesterday. The harvesters are humming in the fields, new birds are appearing in the trees as they pass through. The animals spent most of the day slumbering gently in the fields. Even Bobby Blanc came out for a wee stroll and seemed to be a little improved. Instead of dragging his hoof he was lifting it and limping on it. I think this is a good sign. So after a tiny walk, back to bed rest he went. 
The tiniest bit of colour is creeping into the garden.. 
and finally they are fixing our road. As you will remember they have shut off the high way on both sides of our road, so there have been and still are streams of construction trucks racing up and down our little side road and it is ruined. The Cooking Oil car has to drive on the grass to get around some of the pot holes. 
So yesterday morning they ground the road up. Which was fine, Eldest son and I had nowhere to go anyway! The Old Codger was alerted to my absence. I will see him today. 
We were doing firewood. John collects all the dunnage, or packing timber from his work and brings it home for firewood. We don’t cut down trees to heat our house in winter. There are enough people doing that already. But we do heat our house with firewood in a very efficient wood stove. Not only does it heat our house but I cook on it all winter too. So we collect burnable wood and fallen trees anywhere we can find them. And yesterday Logan got busy with the chainsaw. 
While I stacked. Like the hay I prefer to stack the wood myself. I like the piles of wood to be stable (my grandfather was very particular about how he stacked his wood too) and also if I stack it myself I know where all the different weights of wood are. Some woods are for the night time when the fire is low and some are for starting the fire or heating it up fast for cooking, so there has to be a logic to the wood shed. When it is very cold I have to work fast. Also we burn carefully so there is a minimum of smoke, often no smoke at all if I get it right, and for this you need the right wood, cut to the right size, properly dried and burned correctly.
In the afternoon yesterday the men working on the road, took all the tarmac they had lifted and ground up and relaid it onto the road as a base. Recyling at its best. Tomorrow we will get gravel I hope.
The Shush sisters were invited in to inspect their almost finished winter quarters. There is still a wee bit to do. Pigs will eat anything if they are hungry and bored and that does include their walls. Though they will only be locked in when it is very cold and blowing, I still don’t want them to get up to No Good and eat their house! 
So there is still a bit to do, that chipboard wall will be boxed out and lined in wire pig fence, etc. Most importantly though, they will have a draft free space in there. Somewhere to cuddle up on cold stormy days. See how Sheila always keeps her eye on me. I love that pig.
Good morning. Today we will finish the Winter Quarters, then finish cutting and stacking the dry firewood. Then start the green wood. This will be stacked outside to dry for next winter.
Eldest son goes back to Canada and the ski fields tomorrow. I think he will be going back to work for a rest!
Have a lovely day.
celi
On this day a year ago. A Little Story. This is a lovely little story from the house in the orchard. I hope you will like this one. It is definitely one of The Stories. In fact it is from the same period as The Boy and The Fence though this one is a laugh! No crying today!! It is Friday!
The Kitchen's Garden 
47 responses to “The Winter Quarters”
What a busy day C! Enjoy your last day with your boy.
🙂 Mandy xo
Morning Mandy! c
A good day’s work for you is a whole week’s worth for the rest of us 😉
Enjoy the sun while you have it, and store it up inside of you to protect you in the dark days of winter…
Oh I know what you mean about storing up that sun.. ! Morning marie.. c
I remember that story, Celie, and I gasped again as I re-read it!
You will be well set up for the winter after all that hard work. Enjoy Elder Son’s last day.
We have glorious if slightly nippy weather so it will be a great outside day.. c
Palace for the Piggies 🙂 I need to have a nap after looking at that pile of wood. Laura
Oh it is all much tidier today!! Morning Laura.. c
The work we do all summer to prepare for winter at times seems tedious but so worth it on those cold blustery days. Have a great day with your son and enjoy the sunshine while we have it. Rainy and cloudy here.
I could do with a little rain too actually, i would like the fields to have a few more good soakings before it freezes. Plenty of time yet I hope! c
What a productive day! Enjoy your day with son and I have to say, the pictures taken with the new camera are looking great.
The Piggies Winter Quarters look so cozy Celi!!!! No doubt they will love it!!! We will be putting our wood stove in next month. Can’t wait! xo
it is so sweet that your son came to help you! i am in DC for one more day and then home tomorrow. it is hard to believe winter is on the way. it is still so hot here.
Busy, busy! We too are preparing firewood for when we return after our next UK stint. Our firewood comes from all the local olive and almond trees that are cut back each year after the harvests and we separate it into green and dried wood, logs and branches…it smells wonderful when it´s on the fire!
Imagine piggies eating walls..well I guess they don’t need the big bad wolf to huff and to puff. I hope your son enjoyed his stay and am sure you are going to miss him!
Loved all the pictures today! Can’t quite believe winter is on its way just yet…or maybe I’m just not willing. Ha! Our mornings are in the 40’s now but we’re still warming up to the high 70’s during the day. Am looking forward to the wonderful smells of Fall though.
How nice that you were able to have such a lengthy visit with your son, and he was there to help! Love how Sheila keeps an eye on you. ~ April
So much accomplished all in a day! Lovely son/helper. They say that when you burn wood it heats you twice. Once when you stack it and again when you burn it! Maybe even more than that, when you gather it and bring it in, it heats you. Keeps you fit, all that hauling around too! I am loving the flashback to last year’s entries. Great story today! Oh boy(s)!
Winter is heading south, C, so you are wise to toil in preparation for its arrival. Fall colors are nearly peaking in Minnesota and we’ve had several freezes.
So glad you had your boy with you this week to assist and enjoy.
Your son’s visit sure did fly by! Still, I’m glad you 2 could spend some time together. Winter is coming, all right. There’s still time though; there are fluffy clouds overhead. When they turn into one, gray blanket, we’ll know that Old Man Winter is just around the corner. I’m in no hurry for that.
It should be a pleasant day today, Celi. Good morning!
Busy ant, you are. I am more like the grasshopper.