Sometimes it sucks

I started writing this blog because I wanted to share what it was like to be a smallholder.
Well....
Sometimes it sucks to be a self employed smallholder.
No one pays me wages.
If we don't get orders from the wholesalers I earn nothing.
There are more weeks when I earn nothing than there are when I earn something.
And calling the wholesaler twice a week can get mighty depressing when it's sorry, not today thanks.
I cannot share quite how that makes me feel.  Because there are a jumble of emotions...anger, at the supermarkets for killing off the market stalls and greengrocers, sadness, because this was once a thriving farm.
We cannot compete with the supermarkets,  every time we grow something new within a couple of years the big guys start growing it too,  killing our niche once again.
There really is only so far you can diversify without spending alot of money. And that's something we don't have alot of right now.
So, not much money coming in you change your need. New clothes? How many items have you bought in the last 3 months? How much have you spent? £34.97 in the last 6 months? Or would that not even be enough for your last trip!
New stuff? Games? Dvds? Phone? Pretty things for the house? Weekly? Monthly? Or maybe not at all.

 Food budget? All the veg you can grow and fifty quid thanks to sons housekeeping money, to feed three adults, 15 farm cats and dads doglet.  Trouble is son works for a charity...that has no longer got the funding to pay him...just before Christmas. ..so no more housekeeping either. 

So jam made from courgettes, homemade cakes, alot of veg to eat. 

And hope and pray when I call the wholesalers they say yes please we've sold out!

Devices

Well, interesting photos....that's my seed drill...hand drill. Bean seed, I like beans! (More beans...I think you've  had enough beans etc).
And if you look in the distance that's how far I had to push the blooming thing....18 times..squeak squeak clunk squeak squeak clunk....
Oooh and pictures of little stall lookin very green with lots of interesting plants, herbs, flowers and veg !
Come support a local business, a pound spent with me stays in the community, a pound spent at a supermarket isn't even noticed by big business!

A challenge in the hungry gap

https://www.livebelowtheline.com/me/lovefullshelves
Next week I'm doing the live below the line challenge.
I can spend £5 for food and drink for 5 days!
If anyone would like to sponsor me it would be greatly appreciated!
My nommy breakfasts will be rice pudding!
12p for 6oz of rice, 55p for a tin of evaporated milk and  8p for sugar!
85p for 5 (not particularly healthy) breakfasts!
Lunches will be....3 days of nettle soup..Which seems to have worked out at 8p a portion
(With bread at 4 x 4p a slice!)  So, 24p a lunch adds 72 p to my total.. £1.57
Other 2 lunches will be beanburgers in flatbread. Woot!
23p for a tin of kidney beans mixed with veg I've grown.
Flatbread are flour and a tbsp oil.....another 20p
Oooh I've spent £2!
Evening meals...
#1 Omelette with tomato 44p
#2 macaroni cheese  with froz veg 41p
#3 egg and chips 13p
#4 curry and flatbread 40p
#5 scone pizza and chips 42p
Adds £1.80
£3.80!
Cups of tea.
I'd rather have tea than crisps or biscuits  or cake!
25 tea bags 24p,  pint milk, 22p half bag sugar 25p. 71p  five cups of tea a day!
£4.51
Allowing the rest of the pennies for seed costs to grow the veg I've used.
No coffee, no cake, no biccies. All week...
Watch my sanity slip.

Warmth

Love it...in the greenhouse. ..sweating!  Ok, too much information I know.., but it was lovely...and it's still 22 degrees in here and it's nearly bedtime!
And no fire....no heater.., woohoo! Warm weather....its cheap!
So the greenhouse is filling up...
My fairy garden! Mine I say!  Cant wait for the flowers to bloom! And teeny windmills made of plant labels and milk bottles!
Ok, I know I'm supposed to sell things...you know...vegetables...fruit maybe... but hey...cack all in season..girls gotta have a reason to smile😊
Back soon x

Fairies in the greenhouse

Somethings been happening in the greenhouse. ...teeny gardens have appeared. .....teeny arches, tyre swings, little paths and yard bells.
Sadly they'll have to find new homes, or there won't be room for the cabbages! And we all love cabbage☺☺
Fairy gardens, in the stall for easter weekend. £5 each.

Windy blow

Dad always used to say March was in like a lion out like a lamb, or vice versa. .looks like it's out like a lion this year, it was roaring last night...
And I hate nights like that,  where it's rattling the windows, making all the old farm buildings creak and groan. Because when you get up you're thinking. .now, what's blown away, what has no roof, what trees have I lost, how many panes of glass are gone in the greenhouse!
After a walk with the dog, nearly getting blown over...It would seem we've lost 4 panes of glass in the greenhouse,  trees are still there, and although there's a lot of banging, the roofs are mainly intact!
My poor greenhouse! 
See you soon x

2 into 1

When 2 households become one there's leftovers. We put our in the garage. And every year we've added to it.  It got to the stage where we were just pushing things through the door and shutting it quickly!
So, as the sun was shining I decided to tackle it. You know those things you wish you hadn't started?!
Well I've found loads of forgotten treasure!
My collection of tetley stuff, all needs a good home! And I found some of the books I read to my kids when they were little. And yes, I opened them, had a read, went back in time. I think I loved those books as much as my kids, both of them can still read the stories without the books I read them so often!
So....If there's something you need, I think I might have it in the garage! Try me😉😉
I need some space!
See you soon x

Fairy garden

In my infinite wisdom I decided I needed a fairy garden...needed a bench for the fairies to sit on...so I made one! And would you look in the corner at that cheeky lego man in his smart car....up he climbs.....well, my little tiny bench must be comfy! Hope he leaves before the fairies come!
Yes, i have gone barking mad.
Yes, i wish i was planting something!

Brrr face

Look at my little brrr face...All wrapped up like it was the middle of winter! Wind was a bit cutting this morning with the rain! 
But my teeny seeds are trying...getting some good germination now..yay...veg and flowers!
Can I have the sunshine back please?
Isn't it it dull this time of year for me, waiting for the sun!
Lovely parcel from my mommy....With an interesting community bag!
See you soon!

Weekends

I'm sure weekends are meant for doin nothin...but there's farmhouse carrot cake...and a handy match holder come striker. ..
And germination! I was so happy to see the teeny tiny seeds have decided that it's spring after all!
The wild mellybelly plums are in full blossom. ..they're mirabelles really but dad always called them that😊
The blackcurrants are starting too. ..so glad I chose fruit trees for my birthday for years!  The gift that goes on giving. There should be apples,  plums, green gages,  raspberries and pears! Yummy. Possibly redcurrants, blackcurrants and if I don't eat them all strawberries!
My little herbs seem happy in their new pots, they'll be going in the stall easter weekend.
See you soon x

Teeny tiny seeds

Today was a day when I should have worn my glasses...dropping tiny seeds in tiny divots made by dad's special divot making tool! And yes, it's pop rivets in a piece of wood, but it does the job!
Love love love the sun shining...had to take a jumper off! Yes just one jumper but it's a start! Now there's lots of little seeded trays to trip over in the greenhouse...more sun please!
And soon there will be lemon balm plants in the little stall, and chives too...and mint...and horseradish..I do love herbs! And yes, in my hand that's 100 seeds believe it or not, and yes, I have grubby hands!

See you tomorrow x

A time to reap

Isn't reap just a great word, just don't say it three times as it starts to make no sense!  And you sound like a chick in need of a worm!
Well my reaping time is over for sure, tried cutting a few last celeriac and squadge went my finger straight into slime...ick.
Me and dog tried to find a carrot but were unsuccessful,  but we found some lurking parsnips! Have to take up what's left ready to plough the fields (and scatter).
This is the time of year I go a tadge insane, there's very little farm work to do, the frosts refuse to go away so I can start planting things, and every book will be read! At the moment it's breadline Britain and it's definitely an interesting read, anyone want a lend when I'm done give me a shout on facebook!
Finished my romance rose bouquet...have to find something to do! I reckon I'll pop some brassicas in some soil in the greenhouse tomorrow. 
See you tomorrow, insanity permitting!

Dust and mud

Dust and mud, that's what it's like here on fenland, one or the other! It was just drying out nicely but I think it's still not dust time yet.
Spring looks like it's trying to start though, and I do believe one of my mixed salad leaves has actually germinated, yay! The tiny daffy down dillys are shining yellow, and the rhubarb is slowly unfurling it's stem ready for pie! Time for the seed packets and labels!
No more celeriac orders, wholesaler is now after salads, well the sun is shining after all, so, as you can see from the photo, we'll be ploughing in about a third of them, the plants we backbreakingly planted, that I monotonously hoed all last summer....waste.
Same with the Jerusalem artichokes,  but at least they don't take as much looking after, and the plants don't cost me over £200!
No one eats seasonally any more, not truly seasonally. Everyone wants a lettuce and tomato in winter. I can remember as a child the joy of June strawberries,  tiny new potatoes or the first carrots. Now its all available all year round, and it doesn't matter that it's flavourless pap,  because it's cheap.
Ho hum.
So today I earnt nothing, not a penny, but still spent four hours with my packets of seeds and bags of compost, merrily planting away.
See you tomorrow!

Monday mornins and moanins

Those hate Monday adverts...well I don't. ..I like my job. Not all of it, I like it when the sun shines, but not too much, I like it when the leaves bud on the trees but it's also the time of year when nothings ready, so there's no money coming in!
No orders again this week.
The last of the celeriac are still in the ground, a few parsnips, and a few potatoes in the store.
No orders means no pay.
Can you imagine that?
There's still things to do though. As the sun starts to shine the ground warms up and I'm drawn to packets of seeds. And bags of compost!
So, made a proper strawberry bed for the more than two dozen plants I've found so far, picked parsnips, weighed potatoes, now my knees are complaining at the digging and the cats have taken over the sofa...
So, six hours work and I earnt.... £5 today! And that was mainly generosity as I tried to give someone free celeriac but they insisted on paying. I'm going to have to plough what's left in people,  let me be generous with my rejects! Same with the sugarbeet sized parsnips...can't sell em, can't give them away!
Time to make lasagne that's short on meat but big on flavour, *gets out of nanny chair ow creak ow* catch you tomorrow☺

Welcome

Welcome to my blog☺
Wanted to share what it's really like to try to make a living on a ten acre smallholding.
There's me, beloved and boy.
All our machinery is 1960s...or hand tools!
I'll try to tell you what I've been up to, what I've earnt and probably what I've cooked!
And invariably what things cost!