An Organic Lifestyle (Organic Growing Pains)

 I headed up to the plot early this morning as it was promising to be a really warm day, I put my 2 surviving hens into a box and took them with me. Two have died during the past few months from what I can only presume is old age, they have stopped laying now and are like 2 elderly dowagers. I had a rather romantic notion that they would like  to spread their wings, feel the breeze in their feathers and romp in slow motion through the long grass of one of the unused plots?!  I left them out, they investigated the long grass for all of 20 minutes grumbling loudly and proceeded to stand by the gate with their heads buried in the long grass with their tales sticking up for the remainder of the morning ! I had worried in case I would not be able to catch them again but they almost hopped into the box for me! Back in their run they marched up and down squawking loudly, my hens do not do foraging they like their food and water provided! I painted the gate a ...

This year was the 100th year of the prestigious Chelsea Flower show, I had not been before but my sister Kathleen had been there twice over the years. It was sunny for most of it but of course 'sods law' on the one day we were there it rained almost incessantly. it spoiled it not alone for us although we got to see nearly everything but for the shop/stall holders and all of the outside exhibitors. There are not a lot of vegetables at Chelsea it is predominantly a flower show! This stand was gardening through the century, this part was the Big House before the world wars. Cactus of all shapes and sizes! Don't throw anything away, it can be reused in the garden!There were some very clever reuses of items for plants. Irises and tulips Gnomes have never been a welcome in Chelsea but this year they have made an entrance Sis Kathleen getting up close and personal with a Chelsea pensioner, the show is held in the grounds of the Hospital where the Chelsea ...

Gardening has come to a full stop thanks to the weather, reading is the new spare time occupation. My niece Catherine Ryan Howard who I have mentioned before when she self published her first book Mousetrapped, which was about her work experience in Walt Disney World in Florida. Catherine has now published her first novel Results Not Typical.It would not be my usual choice of reading material but I got hooked on it fairly quickly and thoroughly enjoyed the plot and sub plots, well done Catherine! I am surprised the various slimming companies who sell motivation and of course their own 'slimming products' allowed it !! Backpacked is also self published and is Catherine's account of a very reluctant back packing trip across Central America, not fiction she really did do it! Catherine researched her self publishing and made her books as good to look at and handle as any books available through the major publishers.The pitfalls and problems overcome plus advice were then self p...

I have taken quite a long break from blogging but we have been busy over the last couple of weeks! My gardeners took off to spend time on a boat on the Liverpool Leeds Canal negotiating 5 stair locks etc and had a whale of a time! I took off to Robert's Cove and spent time treating the deck,badly overdue!I took my time and got a nice suntan as a bonus,I read books and generally chilled out. D.Aisling was on hen duty while I was away and when I got back G.son Scott has now decided my name is Nana Chickens! My time on the computer was short and spent setting up an Etsy shop ! I made some Lavender wands and hearts and they are for sale there, more items to be added later.I need to spend some more time dickying it up a bit. We had G.son Scott's 3rd birthday with a BBQ in Robert's Cove We had G.son Jack's 2nd birthday (Scott's brother) Last but not least niece Catherine has written another book which is again self printed by her and available on Amazon .Catherine has als...

I have been so busy that I have not had time to turn on my computer or TV or even read newspaper for days! Why you may well ask, Son Billy is getting married next Friday to his partner Janice.I have the dress and shoes but I must still find a hat and bag!! Our allotment Open Day is tomorrow Sat and it has been manic getting the plots in order ,painting etc and I have to say it does not look just ship shape but stunning! Lots of pics of that over the weekend. Zwena was invited to feature an allotment at the forthcoming Mallow Homes and Gardens festival which also takes place next weekend. We went out and planted up beds of veg and herbs for that. In the midst of all that I was invited to attend the launch of Peter Dowdall's first book, I went along to that on Wed night with my sister Kathleen. I would hesitate to say it is just another gardening book because it is a very good read also. Peter has battled against and overcome cancer not once but twice in his life.He kept a journal wh...

Catherine has a book launch on Sat 8th May in an actual book store!The book Mousetrapped has been selling very well online both on Amazon and Barnes & Noble websites.Friends and family have been bribed or otherwise cajoled into attending but she would like a few passing strangers to pop in just to add a little novelty to the proceedings.I am only joking Catherine, we are all delighted to attend! It could be described as a travel book,or a handbook for any J1 visa holders or gap year students contemplating travelling and working in the US. I think it is the only book available about working in the Disney resort in Florida, and is also a very good read both funny and informative (especially for unsuspecting parents who may wonder how their offspring spend their time away from the parental raised eyebrows) Catherine's website Anyone in the vicinity of Douglas Cork on May 8th around 12.30 ish is invited to pop in.

My niece Catherine has always wanted to write and is now in the process of publishing her first Book! Catherine spent a year and a half working in Disneyworld in Florida and the book is an Irish girls sometimes hilarious and quirky view of working in this big organization. Catherine has also had a piece included in a book 'Working your way around the World' a handbook for anyone contemplating doing just that which is published every few years with updates. Catherine has already self published a book through Blurb 'Catherine and Sheelagh's Central American Adventure' It is a printed account of the blog she wrote while backpacking after working in Disneyworld.That blog has a link on my blog list on the sidebar. Lots of people would like to write and self publication is one road to take, Catherine is self publishing Mousetrapped to raise funds for another book she is in the process of writing, her first fiction novel which has been accepted by a publishing house! For ...

My sister Kathleen has always been an avid gardener, a few years ago she got a present of a digital camera and happily recorded her garden and flowers in all seasons and left them cluttering up the computer as her daughter Catherine said on the inside front cover: Several years ago ,Kathleen Howard's grown children bought her a digital camera, her first. Since then she has used it for little other than taking hundreds and hundreds of photos of her precious garden, despite never developing a single one. These photos have only served to gather virtual dust on the Howard family's computer ...until now Last Christmas Catherine decided to get a book from blurb.com of just some of Kathleen's garden photos and this was her Christmas present to her Mom.It is a beautiful book in hard cover with a dust cover and the photos beautifully laid out, some pages have just one and more have a whole collage of them. I presume you can pick your own layout. I have photographed the book so my ph...

Yesterday was a root day by the Biodynamic Calender as Heavenly Healer advised, it dawned bright and sunny though cold.We get these mild days which lull us into a false sense of Spring but it was bucketing rain by 2 pm! I took myself out to the allotment which was deserted but plots have been dug and tidied so other hardy souls have been visiting also. I had to replace the onion sets which had either failed or been dug up, there were quite a lot, I reckon I replaced about 30 sets.The photo is of the garlic which is growing and is a welcome sight of new green on the plot Buds have formed on the blackcurrant bush already ( photo)and also on the 3 blueberry bushes but their photo was a bit blurred so I didn't upload it. The polythene cover had either blown partially off the potato bed or been shifted by small animals trying to get at the decomposing fruit and veg underneath. I brought out more compostables from home and more cardboard to completely cover the area, I also wet it and r...

I browsed through Amazon last week and ordered these, my winter reading material. They have been dropping through my letter box all week.I did not buy the new copies just all second hand but they arrived as new anyway. Left to right: The Allotment Handbook ; Caroline Bradley, All of the allotment information applies to the UK but there is a month by month section of what to plant and jobs to do, there is also a comprehensive plant directory. The Biodynamic sowing and planting Calender ; Maria Thun , On first glance through it, it seems a bit technical but does have a calender for the year on which days to plant/harvest, Roots,leaf, fruit and flower. ie ;onions,beetroot, carrots and potatoes are best harvested on root days and they will keep throughout the winter. The Allotment Keeper's Handbook : Jane Perrone , Easy to read ,practical, again a monthly to do list, crop rotation, watering,and composting. Jane has an allotment for years and admits her own mistakes over the years s...