Oops!

Good heavens, has it really been nearly two months since my last post, am getting slack!

Yes, yes, you say, you are busy, well aren't we all, it's no excuse.  Well I suppose being dragged up Dartmoor every weekend and spending time on my new wonderful hobby which I hope will become a job, and trying to keep up with my current day job, and trying to keep on top of the lawns and the garden, and spending time on the beach, could be good excuses?

So the garden first.  We had quite a good crop of runner and french beans, should have planted more peas out and the carrots have been good.  The spuds all got blight as did most of the tomatoes.  The chillies did OKish.  The beetroot looks OK and really should be pulled up now.  The cauli's bolted, someone ate all my swede, brussel sprout and winter cabbage seedlings!  Now having lots of blackberry and apple crumbles but they are pretty much over now.  Been sloe picking and have some nice sloe gin on the go.

Animals.  Charlie cat isn't really responding to the insulin and his back legs are very weak, but he still likes to sit in the sun (when we get any) and seems to spend much of the night out hunting.  The chicken is still with us, doing very well on her diet of chicken food and cat food (occasionally) shame there aren't any eggs.  I have looked into getting more, but the lady I want to get them from has had a rush on and won't have any POL's (young hens) ready till January.  We have little darlings in the fields (baby deer of course!) and a huge barn owl nesting in one of our outbuildings.  The swallows sadly have gone to sunnier climbs. :(

Dartmoor.  Had some great walks up from Belstone and then last week we discovered Okehampton Camp, which is an army base but you can check online when they are using the area for practice and when they are not you have a huge expanse of High Dartmoor available for walking.  The great thing about starting here is that you are almost on top of the moor, so even the highest Tors are accessible without getting completely worn out with climbing hills (cheating I know).  Last weekend it was clear as clear could be and we thought we could even make out our house which is 30 miles away.  We could see the sea on the Clovelly coast and the sea at Bude, amazing.

The beach.  Been good down here, M has taken up body boarding and has been having a great time.  I like beach combing (can't quite bring myself to squeeze into a wet suit, but maybe next year).

Work.  OK, but with spending cuts who knows what the future will bring (all my work is through the local council).  

The new hobby.  I have spoken before about jewellery making and it is going OK, may even have found an outlet but need to have enough stock before I can even think about putting anything in there, two pairs of earrings and a couple of necklaces will look at bit pathetic!  However, last week I went on a course to learn how to make lampwork beads (picture above).  This is done with glass and a torch and long metal sticks (in essence).  The beads are truly beautiful and I just love love love glass.  The first session went well and I have another one booked for next Friday.  I do need to get my own torch, but need to think about where to put it.  Watch this space for more pictures.

Dartmoor walk

Good walk on Sunday up on the moor (well a bit of it).  Parked up at Belstone (I used to love this place as a child as one of my favorite films when I was little was based there) and then walked down to the bottom of the East Okement Valley (you have to go under the A30, which is very noisy and really rather horrible, but once you get into the Valley you soon loose the sound of the road!).  The valley is lovely with the Okement running through it, burbling and bubbling over the rocks, forming deep pools and waterfalls.  There was hardly a soul about, a very magical place.

Eventually you come up onto the moor and we managed to leave the path and go straight up (for me) a rather steep hill; we did discover that of course there is a path which is not quite so steep!  We lunched in the shadow of Scary and Belstone Tors at the Nine Maidens (a stone ring); and then walked (I staggered as I have rubbish socks and had sore feet) back down to Belstone and a well deserved beer in the pub there.  I have attached a link to a rather nice descripton of the nine maidens and the folklaw attached to them.  http://www.devonperspectives.co.uk/belstone_ninemaidens.html

Belstone is probably our nearest access point to the moor and there is lots of walks you can do from there.  You do need to be fairly careful as there is a military firing range close by, but you can check the firing schedule on-line so you know which bits you can access and which bits you can't.  They don't seem to fire much on this bit of the moor anyway.  Seems like we have quite a few walks to do up there now which will be lovely.

Oh yes, nearly forgot.  As we were on our walk we noticed a sign saying 'Permissive Path', it of course means a path that a landowner can close if he wants to.  I must admit having visions of walking down the path and finding lots of 'liberal' activities going on! (permissive society!?). :)

Country life update

I am afraid that we have summer, back in June, just the same as the last 2 or 3 years.  Very disappointing and is such a shame for all the folks who come down here for their holidays.  Suppose we must be thankful that we are not having the terrible flooding that is currently happening in some parts of the world.

The veggies are coming on and we have had our first runner and french beans.  Sadly the runners are not as tasty as the ones last year, I thought I would try a different variety, won't be doing that again!  Our tomatoes are ripening very slowly and I am concerned about blight, but we are treating them.  Our peas are over but seem to be flowering again.  The caulis are a disaster, have never been able to grow them well so might not bother next year.

We have new cattle in the fields and the farmer has done his second silage cut, in a short sunny gap in the weather. 

We fancy doing some walking but our waterproofs need waterproofing and everywhere is so muddy underfoot.  

Charlie cat sadly has not been responding to his insulin treatment and is now confirmed as having a growth hormone disorder called Acromegaly which is why he is not responding to the insulin.  There really isn't much we can do to treat the Acromegaly but we are going to talk to the vet about anything else we can do to help try to keep his blood glucose down.  Sadly, it is only a matter of time for him, but currently he seems happy, still hunts and likes to lie in the sun when it is out, so we just give him lots of care and cuddles and hopefully can keep him happy for as long as possible.

Inspiration for making glass beads

This is a poem from my childhood which inspired my love of all things glass, particuarly green (and blue) glass.

OVERHEARD ON A SALTMARSH

Nymph, nymph, what are your beads?

Green glass, goblin. Why do you stare at them?

Give them me.

No.

Give them me. Give them me.

No.

Then I will howl all night in the reeds,
lie in the mud and howl for them.

Goblin, why do you love them so?

They are better than stars or water,
Better than voices of winds that sing,
Better than any man’s fair daughter,
Your green glass beads on a silver ring.

Hush, I stole them out of the moon.

Give me your beads, I want them.

No.

I will howl in a deep lagoon
For your green glass beads, I love them so.
Give them me. Give them.

No.

HAROLD MONRO

Fab wildlife sighting

Whilst we were watching the sun go down last night, M noticed something (or quite a few somethings) ,in one of the fields.  He got out the binoculars and there, in the second field from the house, were 3 Roe deer; looked like a Mum and her babies.  The babies (quite large ones) were playing at rutting.  They were there for ages, it was a lovely sight and great to see as we know we have deer but don't often actually see them.

Still busy

Well the garden is coming along although sadly we had to pull up our lovely huge cabbages as they tasted rather too, well, cabbagy and not in a nice way. The spuds are a bit floury but think that is due to lack of rain despite watering them, and we did run out of a rain water supplies, must get bigger tanks!

I bought a pack of mixed lettuce seeds and thought they would never grow, lettuces have been rubbish before, but they all grew and we ended up with more lettuces that anyone could eat, have been giving them away. They are starting to bolt now so will feed the compost bin, but the best ones have been the iceberg's, not bolted (yet) and crisp and tasty, have planted more.

Runner beans doing OK, lots of flowers but they are not setting at the moment so have planted a sweet pea that needed a home with the runner beans to encourage the bees. Tomatoes, carrots and peas doing OK too.

Also been busy with work, trying to keep 3 masters happy and juggle their requirements so I keep them all satisfied, is getting rather hard work, but can't complain I suppose.

Also been trying to do some more jewellery making, some items better than others and my bead loom bracelets were a bit big but I am learning. I am hoping to go to classes in the Autumn to learn to make my own glass beads, lampwork, they are just lovely and apparently not too difficult to learn, we shall see. It is finding the time at the moment to do these things when I need to be doing proper work and that is so busy.

Been a bit busy

Sorry been away for a bit, lots going on.

1. They have done the silaging in double quick time this year, no panicing because of looming storms (although think they did it so quick as the weather was a bit uncertain in terms of the forecast).

2. Veggie garden has gone mad, got peas, runner beans, french beans, tomatoes, potatoes, cauli, lettuce, cabbage, grapes, chillies, herbs of various varities, shallots and carrots all growing like mad. Should be eating our lettuces now, peas just starting to flower so won't be long. Can't wait, love watching everything grow but wish they would get on with it!

3. Guests, had lots of lovely guests, it's that time of year.

4. I have taken up a craft I used to do when I was younger, I shall go into more detail when I have a mo (just aren't enough hours in the day what with work, the garden and my bead working). Yes beading on a loom, learned in Northern Canada from the Native people (in the area I was, the Swappy Cree). I haven't done it for years and recently got inspired again. Keeps me of the internet! Here are a few photos of some practice items (first one - the brighly coloured glasses cord was a bit untidy- the second one which is still on the loom is a bit neater) but have just got a wonderful book with lots of fab ideas so watch this space as I will publish piccies of my creations).