A glimpse of the hay harvest

This morning, with the scythes on our shoulders and the little old border collie by our side, we set off again to the meadow we are mowing. The mist was hanging in thick clouds on the fields. The sun could not prick trough it yet. When we reach the meadow we already have harvested, two deer are greezing in the field. The remaining haystacks are covered in the mist, it´s almost like a painting, so perfect and bright. Then the deer are scared upp with our presence and galop away into the woodlands. Mowing with the scythe is hard work but working together it´s pleasant. It´s not really difficult, so I think it´s always a nice time to meditate about one thing or the other. Mostly we work in silence, just side by side. The only noise you hear is the scytheblade cutting through the grass, the birds singing, the crickets chirping and the crowing of the rooster att home. It´s very peacefull out here. Every now and then we sharpen the blade and off we go again. Swish, swish, foot for foot the grass is cut. Around trees and stones, every inch turns into hay. It´s not only grass but also lots of weeds and herbs, tistles and even small trees. Even a wild mint grows here and there, it´s the most lovely smell when it is cut but also when you, in the dark wintermonths, are filling the hay trough, it smells like summer.

Everything is blooming and booming in the garden. The calendula is on it´s best, orange and yellow flowers everywhere. Peas, beetroots, potatoes, carrots and loads off other stuff it´s just ready to be eaten. Many jars are already filled and canned with various berries and now the time will soon come for making various pickles. 

tomatoplants, chicken coop and quilting

It´s been a while since I last wrote to you. The winter months have changed to the busy springtime. After a dry april month it´s now almost perfect, alternaty some rain and then some sunshine. Although the month started very cold with most of the nights below zero. I kept my tomatoplants already in the polytunnel and with some cardboard and frostblankets they survived the frost. Until that last night, on the 14th of may, a final frost came and they al where flaggy and I susposed dead. It was very sad indeed. To cover the lost I sowed the same day 16 new tomatoesseed, I know it was a bit late but you can always try, don´t you? The next couple of days I was occupied with other projects on the homestead and paid not attation on the polytunnel exept for watering the seeds. But then, when I had time to trough the frozen tomatoplants away, I spotted on almost every plant new very small baby leafs! They were not dead at all! Since then, I have taken particulary care for them and the hopes for a tomato harvest have returned! Some of you may already have noticed, that exept from the resurrected plants I have now 16 more lovely seedlings to take care of. I hope they will all fit in in the poly tunnel....

Beside working in the garden we also fininshed a chicken coop. I think it is the most lovely chicken house ever. Made on the axle from a very old farmwagon, it´s easy to wheel. Our chickens have a great time in it and every day we drive it on a new bit of grass.

After more than 40hours of handquilting, which did take several months, I finished my first patchwork quilt for on our bed. Made from only scratchpieces I had on hand. The patchwork I made the winter before, entirely handsown, and after I get a quiltingframe as a christmas gift, I started in Janari on the quilting.

Now this one is done, I will soon start on making a second one. I have chosen for the bethlehem star pattern, which was a very popular pattern in the eightteen hunderds.

First day in the garden and considering off grid living

Today the sun was shining, the birds were singing and my lovely hens were picking in the just turned soil, it felt like springtime had arrived.

After the long dark winter I had longed to be outside in the garden again and finally that time has come. With the spade I turn the rich black soil up. My hens are just in front of my spade to snatch the worms that come up, the hen that gets the worm runs away followed by a very hungry troop, sometimes it´s looks almost like a rugby match. I love just watching the hens, they are so intelligent and clever and it´s very interesting to see how the pecking order works. 
With February almost passed away I need to hurry to decide which crops I want to plants this year. It will not vary much from year to year, but the quantities change over the years and I try every year some new plants or verities.

 Our cats are also loving the warmer weather, hunting and clambring everywhere, even on our car :)

Despite of the dryness of last year we have still food left. It´s now a race against the clock to eat the last potatoes before they sprout, and there is still some fresh kale and brussels sprouts in the garden. In the pantry have we jams and canned tomatoes, berries and pears and some jars with pickles. When we run out off fresh food we can still eat from the dried beans and dried corn and maybe by then the first nettles have grown.  

 We have been cogitating for years about to go off grid in the future. All pros and cons must be weighted. Although we use only 125 kWh on a year, it´s something we are used to. Will it be functional to produce electricity for the computer and the phone with solar power? What will it cost? What will we spare by being off grid. This will be the main question's to seek out this year. It would be a big step in the right direction if we could produce our own electricity.

A Victorian winter paletot

I finished my new winter coat! 100% wool both in the outer fabric, which makes it waterproof, as wool in the lining and I quilted an interlining to the lining. This makes the coat really warm.

I found a free pattern from the Godey’s ladies magazine from 1858 for a fall paletot. I did enlarge the pattern and made a muslin, although it fitted it was not what I had expected. But I used this muslin to draft a completely new pattern. After some hours of refitting, I had made my final pattern.

 the orginal drawing in the magazine

quilting the lining

 the pattern pieces drawn on the fabric

 sewing on my singer treadle sewing machine

Made of brown wool felt with a detachable cape

The coat is closed with 8 metal buttons

and 2 button closed pockets.

Bound buttonholes and the blue-grey wool lining

Princes seams on the back

I realy like how it turned out and I love to wear it!