Thank you for all the lovely comments yesterday. As we've decided we'll not be moving from here for a couple of years yet, it's been nice doing a major declutter and change around of furniture and rooms - long overdue anyway. I'm very happy with how it's going....as bad weather is forecast for the next couple of days, that'll give us plenty of opportunity to finish the remaining rooms and chuck all the unwanted stuff in the now decluttered garage. And getting a skip next week will enable us to finally get rid of everything we've thrown out, and that's the house sorted. Garden next.
Tania asked about us growing stuff to help with the budget - we always do grow fruit and veg, have done for years. How it normally works is this....
At the start of the new year, we sit down and work out what we want to grow, go through what seeds we have and make a note of what extra we need. We draw up a plan of which veg is going in what raised bed (it's all raised beds), having regard for crop rotation. And then husband totally ignores the plan and just grows whatever he wants, wherever there's a space 😒😠. It's not a case of him deliberately being contrary....he's just the most disorganised person on the planet. To be fair, he is dyslexic, which I am quite sure contributes to his disorganisation, as does some of his heart medication. He also grows far too much of everything, enough to feed half our hamlet! We do swap produce with neighbours, but he still grows much too much - he can't keep up with the looking after, watering and weeding, and I get too inundated with mountains of produce to prep, freeze and preserve later in the season. And we simply haven't got enough capacity to store it all!
So this year we are definitely growing less, I'll make sure of that - only enough for our actual needs. And I will have to be more involved in the veg garden, to ensure it all stays on plan - up till now, he's been in charge of the back garden (all fruit and veg), whilst I do the front garden....flowers, and where we sit out. Fingers crossed it works!
Sounds like you're really getting your plans into action. Well done! We have loads of stuff to get rid of, much of it from my late in-laws house. It's too good to chuck, so we're waiting for charity shops to re-open. Then we can start on our own stuff! xx
ReplyDeleteI just gave a load away on Gumtree
DeleteThat sounds brilliant Sooze. You can't beat zero miles, home grown produce. I look forward to starting my seeds off each year. It is a shame you don't have passing trade to sell off the excess as I recall you saying you live out of the way. Good luck with your plans.
ReplyDeleteSounds like you have a plan, such a shame you are not on a main road where you could sell any excess.
ReplyDeleteSounds like a very good plan Sooze. You could then do some surreptitious thinning out when he's not looking!
ReplyDeleteDear Sooze,
ReplyDeleteWell, it all sounds like action at your house.
In our gardening days we loved having fresh produce from the garden but it is an incredible amount of work and, then, as you say, one can end up very easily with a courgette mountain but only a few exotics that one has tended with everlasting care.
Still, it must feel good to have plans in order, to be having a goos Spring clean around the house and facing the new season with vigour. Good luck with all your plans.