Articles from October, 2008

If you keep livestock you will always have dead stock

very young Dixie Chick

S told me this a few months ago. The livestock part is great and the dead stock element is always upsetting.
One of the most satisfying things for us is to raise our own stock. The bond between you and the young is much stronger. You have waited impatiently through the gestation period to marvel at Read More »

Holiday romance

I’m babysitting a smallholding that belongs to friends. I’m not staying there, just stopping by morning and evening. For half an hour each day I can immerse myself in their world. It’s a beautiful spot.
Set amongst trees, their house was built in the 1930’s, complete with cosy nooks and an old fashioned walk in larder. The Read More »

Delicious budget meals for frugal entertaining: Honey glazed gammon baked with star anise and tamarind recipe

Gammon glazed with honey

Ham is generally superb to cook and eat. Gammon can be a bit disappointing with its rougher texture and stronger taste. A few weeks ago a good friend gave us two small joints of gammon, bought from the back of a lorry at a Bank Holiday market. The first one was simmered very slowly in Read More »

Upgrading the software on the Cottage Smallholder site

Inca

Last night and early this morning we upgraded the site to the latest version of WordPress. It took a long time and there are still a few glitches that we need to iron out.
We have now installed Bad Behaviour as spam comments and trackbacks are still causing problems. In fact last week the overload of Read More »

The brain is a muscle

books and light

In my later thirties I returned to college to study computer animation. The information overload was intense after years of making wooden toys and leading a relatively simple life. I also had never used a computer before. This was a bit of a disadvantage.
Sometimes I could feel my brain almost “sweating” as it struggled with Read More »

Mourning the death of our favourite shop

belly of pork

There are many things that send a rippling chill over us all at the moment. But there is one event that devastated us months ago. Back in April, Fred Fitzpatrick sold his butchers shop. Locally, people gossiped and I couldn’t bear to tell you that we’d lose this wonderful resource. It’s the butcher rather than Read More »

Blogroll

argan oil on shelves

Every blogroll is special. Even the ones that have over a hundred names.
Mine holds the blogs that I visit regularly. If I don’t have the time to drop by, I often think of posts that they have they have written – ideas that have touched me. Even though I have met only one of the Read More »

Tagged for a Meme: Six random facts about me

hare tea cosy

I’ve been tagged by Jane over at The Winds of Change. This is a interesting blog and worth a visit.
The rules of this Meme are:
1. Link to the person who tagged you.
2. Post the rules on your blog.
3. Write six random things about yourself.
4. Tag six people at the end of your post and link Read More »

Overwhelmed by the flavour of onions

vegetable and chicken casserole

I found a pack of eight chicken legs knocked down to £1.49 in Waitrose on Sunday.
My mother peered at the pack. “They look awfully thin and scrawny.”
“I don’t care! Slow cooked with loads of vegetables they’ll make a great chicken casserole.”
“Well, I’m going to buy these chicken thighs.” She reached for a substantial full priced Read More »

A guaranteed investment. Attract overwintering ladybirds to tackle aphids in your garden next year.

ladybird checked into the deluxe ladybird hotel

Just beside our front door is a small ladybird (ladybug) and lacewing condominium. It’s a simple design that seems to work well. Just a few short lengths of bamboo cane in an old terracotta pot but it does the trick – attracting these aphid eating insects to a warm sheltered spot to hibernate during the Read More »

Related Posts with Thumbnails

Next Page »