Terrace Extension

Unloading the bricks

When a builder needs more materials, it could only be Border Counties Reclamation - again!  After a bit of a false start (ahem) David Swire delivered the right bricks and the right numbers!  The skip, building sand, concreting sand and top soil is now accompanied by 3 pallets of reclaimed bricks on the drive.

Before and............

Chris got to work straight away and has already built the curved retaining wall.  Cutting some old (personally reclaimed) land drains in half, he built in a mini pyramid with them in the centre of the curve.  It looks really quaint.  Because of the frosty conditions, it was all covered up with bubble wrap, plastic sheeting, cardboard, hessian and boards. He even moved all the unused bricks off the drive to give us a little more room.

....after the thaw.

Following the thaw and yet more heavy rain we now have a moat where we'd rather not have one! Or, if we have any more frosts, we'll have a mini ice rink!

Let there be lights....

........for Christmas

The recycled shed.

Heroes of DSM: Joe and Owen have weathered extremely low temperatures to put in lanterns and lighting. Their hard work has really paid off.  Even the Hen Pen has lights - until 10:30pm anyway.  No Picasa edits - the Bamboo really does have a green uplighter.  In reality, they look even more magical than the photos suggest.  Even so, I think Dave should put some of these on his blog under the garden lighting tab (ahem!)  Some other trees are now uplit but it was too cold for me to take any more photos.

Laying by night?

Kay's arbour

We also had the pleasure of Chris's company and he too toiled away digging and mixing a ton of concreting sand and cement to put in as footing for the new retaining wall.  He even started brick laying.  I think he was warmer than me sitting in a sunny conservatory writing Christmas cards!  He certainly needed all the light he could find as work continued in the dark as usual!  As if that wasn't bad enough, he had to put air in a nearly flat tyre then go home and remove the wheel to grease a wheel bearing in the freeeeeeeeeeezing darkness!

Laying bricks in darkness

More photos at: https://picasaweb.google.com/100788191989823327785/LetThereBeLight

Lights & Blackouts!

Jo and Owen illuminating Wol & his tree

Our Demon DSM electricians arrived at 7:45am and began the day by putting up Christmas lights in Wol's pear tree and along the beech hedge.  Owen and Joe managed to put them up at an all time record height after which, they retired to the Hennery for cable laying in readiness for more lighting.  The girls made the most of all the extra worms revealed by their digging.

Meanwhile, Chris was more your demon demolition man and worked away demolishing the old retaining wall and digging out the top lawn in readiness for Chris G's work on terrace extension area.  Trouble is, he came up with the rather grandiose idea of extending his run and we haven't had opportunity to seek permission from O.I.C. building yet.  It's been a while since we had a skip on the drive and this time it's a big one.  Just to add to the usual chaos at PTC, the man came to empty the septic tank, blocking not only the lane but, the electricians in!  We then had a 2 hour power cut - just to complete the day!  Nothing to do with our electricians or the Christmas lights!  A fallen tree on a power cable was the culprit and dinner was cooked by candle light.

Mr. Demolition Man himself!

More squirrel jobs

TIP OF THE DAY:

When pickling red cabbage, 

1 cabbage = 3 jars.

don't wear purple nail varnish!!  

Apart from that it's just so easy.  Just slice (minding the nails!), salt, leave overnight, pack into jars, top up with vinegar and add some pickling spices - now that's easy!

Waiting for Christmas Day

Another seasonal job done (but hardly gardening) 3 plumcious Christmas puddings made.  They're only getting a mention here 'cos for the very first time I've cooked Christmas puddings without turning the kitchen into a sauna!  With such l-o-n-g cooking times; usually the condensation is running down the window panes - if not the walls too.  This year, I turned to the Queen of Aga: Mary Berry and steamed them all gently in the simmering oven for 12 hours.  Result - 3 perfect puddings and not a hint of steam anywhere at all!  I did think about another type of pud for Christmas but what else can you bring to the table flaming in brandy that's so traditional?  I know it's not a favourite but I couldn't bring myself to buy a supermarket cheapy and these are so full of such delicious ingredients.  I wonder how much will be eaten by the Swiss delegation???

Just a footnote about the pudding cloths and how to tie them.  Two of these were made by a friend a few years ago.  She was the school seamstress when we had boarders.  Each one is circular and has its own ties with a strip of tape across the top from which to hang them.  The last one is tied in the traditional way by placing a square of pleated cloth (to allow for expansion) then tying the string tightly around the basin close up to the rim.  Old sheets or pillow cases are ideal.  The corners of the cloth are brought together and tied in opposing pairs.  Traditionally, they were hung from the beams in old farmhouse kitchens and will almost keep indefinitely.  Even after a year, they are still delicious!

Marmalade Mission

The Ingredients

£2.50 Lemon Tree

Decanting the marmalade.

When I bought a little lemon tree from Birmingham Botanical Gardens for £2.50 about 5 years ago, I could never have imagined picking crops of lemons in November amid the delicious scent of its flowers.  The challenge was to make diabetic marmalade with them.  Mission on!  It's not a cheap option using Xylitol instead of sugar in fact, it cost around £24 - gulp!  Getting it to set wasn't easy either and I was forced to resort to the use of Certo.  However, the results were well worthwhile.  It's quite delicious and you don't have to be diabetic to enjoy this!   3lbs of lemons made 11 jars - that's a lot of breakfasts!

The lemon tree spends its summers out on the terrace and last winter; the greenhouse.  By spring it was covered in sooty mould and just about every infestation you could think of.  I hosed it off, washing each leaf individually back in April.  Despite a summer that never was, it was covered in fruit which slowly ripened.  Chris and Ian lifted it into the conservatory last month and the lovely thing about citrus is the fact that they bear fruit and flowers simultaneously and the conservatory is now full of fragrance and the cupboard full of marmalade!

Another 10 jars and plenty left for G&T's!

More Rain - More Roofing

Chris G. making the sparks fly

As if a new Hennery roof wasn't enough!  More roofing was needed over a new delivery of logs,  It was another offer we couldn't refuse and as, all other available log storage was full, there was only one thing for it.  More roofing! Anyway, a couple of interesting photo opportunities arose when Chris was cutting the galvanised corrugated tin in the dark (and the high wind and the rain!!)

More photos of C.G. at: https://picasaweb.google.com/100788191989823327785/MakingTheSparksFly

Keeping a steady hand

Roofing in the Rain

TIP OF THE DAY:

Don't choose the rainiest 3 days for roofing jobs!

New Hennery roof

With all this inclement weather and too many wet feathers, it was decided that it was time the Hennery roof was made more waterproof!  Re-roofing from beneath using poly-carbonate sheeting in wind and rain is not the easiest or even quickest job in the world.  However, perseverance paid off and, not only do the girls have a bone dry day shelter but the new roof looks as if it's been there forever thanks to the magic of the Genever touch!  Chris's clematis (a Montana var. rubens 'Majorie') has draped itself quite elegantly over the the roof and around the ceramic nest egg on the apex.  We only took a few tiny snips - honestly, Chris!

At least the photo doesn't show the Somme-like conditions beneath!  I wonder if all this work will have any impact on egg production???