The Big Clun Up

Don't forget the birds...

2010-01-13T20:46:00.006Z

We spent a couple of hours at the weekend making some seed cakes for the birds and they have not gone unappreciated. They are full of fat, nuts and seeds and have so far been the cause of quite a lot of activity and a few fights too!

Recipe:

1kg lard
1kg peanuts
1kg wild bird seed

some yoghurt pots or similar containers and / or half coconut shells
String for hanging

Melt the lard, stir in the seeds and peanuts until there is still quite a lot of the fat in liquid form as this will ensure the cakes set hard.

Cut the string into 6" lengths and tie the two ends to a match stick or small twig, this will help to make sure the string doesn't pull out of the cake when it is hanging up.

Dangle the string and twigs into the pots and containers and then fill with the seed mixture.

Allow to set solid and then remove from the pots and hang out for your garden birds.

If like us you couldn't bear to stick the christmas tree onto the compost heap just yet or the council haven't been able to collect it yet put it to good use and turn it into a fantastic feeder for the birds, to add to the decorations we also hung up some pieces of apple which have gone down a storm

The next chapter...

2010-01-04T16:43:00.004Z

What an interesting start to the New Year! With resolutions coming out of our ears, at the top of the list was getting pony home. Little did we think it would happen quite so soon! On New Years day we set off home for a little day trip to graze the patch of field, only to get caught out by a swift but heavy snowfall. 4 days on and he's still at home. It's lovely having him here, and its just too icy out to take him back up the road... But we still don't have the space to keep him here year round, and he still needs a field buddy. Watch this space...

Despite the snow we've made good progress with the chicken enclosure. We just have to sort out some sort of roof and then its the grand opening!

We did so much in 2009, but are sure the challenges and triumphs that lie ahead in 2010 will be even more exciting!

An almost white christmas

2009-12-31T17:19:00.002Z

The week leading up to christmas looked so promising, with lovely snow all around.

Clun started to look decidedly christmassey, despite the lack of decorations (somehow it all just crept up on us this year!), although Tom was not too impressed...
except for the large volume of food it meant he was supplied with.

Smashing time!

2009-11-25T14:19:00.007Z

Out with the new and in with the old.

What a monster! We had a great time whacking it out...

Going...

Gone ...

Now we've just got to find a nice little old cast iron one to put in its place! Any suggestions ....

Autumn at Clun

2009-10-25T19:51:00.005Z

The recent winds and rain have virtually stripped the trees, and given us gentle encouragement to batten down the hatches and turn our thoughts to working on the inside of the house again. This winter we hope to get the two downstairs rooms reworked, refloored and decorated... its quite ambitious, but that's the plan.

Of course there are still the outside jobs that need doing as and when the weather permits. Today we made a start on the chicken / duck enclosure. Getting the posts in is going to be quite a challenge but the thought of fresh eggs is spurring us on - we just need a couple of weekends and the right kit to get the job done. Thing is, we haven't quite worked out exactly what we need! Past experience says you never have the thing you need, no matter what you've got to hand.

Last week the sheep that found their way into our field finally got picked up, not before one of them managed to get itself well and truly stuck in the fence though. It's true they are remarkably stupid , and continually looking for new ways to die! Thankfully we spotted it and got it out of its rather ridiculous predicament, unfortunately the fence didn't fare so well.

Chocolate and Courgette Brownies

2009-10-11T15:58:00.007+01:00

So we've had the last glut of courgettes, just the odd one is still arriving. The last lot gave us the chance to tweak the choc and courgette cake recipe (originally from Riverford). Try it you'll be really pleasantly surprised!

120g butter / marg
125ml sunflower oil
100g caster sugar
200g soft brown sugar
3 eggs
125ml milk
350g plain flour
2 tsp baking powder
4 tbsp cocoa powder
50g chopped walnuts (optional)
450g peeled and finely grated courgettes
1tsp vanilla essence

Preheat oven to 190 c / 350 f

Line a 8" x 12" tin with greaseproof (if you haven't got a tray this size use a smaller one and use any left over mixture in muffin cases).

Beat the butter, oil and sugars together until light.

Slowly add the eggs and then the milk until thoroughly mixed.

Sift the dry ingredients together and fold into the mixture.

Add the walnuts, vanilla essence and grated courgettes.

Spoon into the tin, and / or muffin cases and bake for 40 mins approx. until a skewer comes out clean. Muffins will take about 25 mins.

Delicious eaten warm, but you can freeze them too!

Changing Times

2009-10-11T15:45:00.004+01:00

Autumns here ... and properly I mean. Not the nice sunny late September, the weird up and down, one minute its raining and the next its blazing, type autumn that makes keeping Tom dry, warm but not too warm sooooo difficult!

Anyway, the raspberries continue in force. Every dry day is a picking day, and the freezer is now brimming with this year's harvest. Which is just as well as we just have a few odds and ends coming in now, even the tomatoes are nearly all gone (but not quite!).

With the chicken house all painted, we are designing the run that will hopefully keep the new recruits nice and safe as well as giving them a great area to play around in. Can't wait until we are able to actually go and get some!

The darker evenings are turning our thoughts towards the inside of the house once more. Having totally abandoned work inside since about May, we're itching to get the sledgehammer and paintbrushes out again. What will be first? Whatever it is it's sure to mean some pretty drastic changes of use for rooms upstairs and down, whether they become permanent we'll just have to wait and see!

the last bits and pieces...

2009-10-02T18:58:00.004+01:00

So that's nearly it for the lovely summer fare now. Just a few tomatoes left, 1 aubergine and a few peppers... oh and a lot of chillies!

The beastly spider mites that took over the beans have found their way onto several other plants. Found this useful site so going to try them with the soapy water trick and if that fails nuke them with alcohol!

We are hoping to get an asparagus bed established this Autumn ready for planting next spring but are debating whether its OK to put it in the tunnel or whether we need to find a permanent spot for it outside. The former is quite straightforward to achieve the latter much more tricky as the list of jobs gets longer and longer. If anyone has experience of asparagus in a tunnel do let us know how you got on.

Being the first year doing this, we don't have much else to keep us going on into winter, so any suggestions for things we can plant now appreciated.

Another year older

2009-09-25T19:52:00.004+01:00

... but definitely no wiser! I don't suppose I can eek this birthday out much longer although looking forward to dinner tomorrow with friends and taking delivery of a few outstanding pressies! Always happy to try though.

Lots of lovely presents including a chicken (to come!), blueberry bushes and beautiful trug for the show veg next year - handcrafted by Rhys. Thankyou everyone for thinking of me, and getting such thoughtful things or allowing me to get things that will be really useful (but also lovely!!!)

Pics to follow here...

Late summer on the farm

2009-09-22T16:29:00.008+01:00

Blackberries and raspberries absolutely everywhere. The sunshine of the last week really got the field going and we now have a bumper crop of raspberries to pick. While the courgettes seem to be having a second growth spurt, do they ever stop?

The Gelbe Kirschen "Yellow Cherries" chillis are turning a lovely yellow colour lulling you into a wonderfully false sense of security, which is nicely shattered if you touch them on your tongue to see how hot they are! The answer: blisteringly hot... The other varieties, Pretty in Purple and Iranian Red Round chillies are taking longer to ripen, and I think we might need to cobble together some sort of special greenhouse for them in the tunnel, if they are to reach their full scorching potential. They are just so pretty!

The colder nights have meant some of the tunnel crops are suffering with a mildew on their leaves, it doesn't seem to be affecting the vegetables themselves, so we just have to keep as much air going through as possible.

The beans, I think were attacked by spider mite, thankfully it happened late in the season and we had already picked more than we can possibly use. Something to keep an eye on for next year, and get ready with some sort of predator.

We're already looking forward to starting next year's crop. With a long wish list of additional heritage and heirloom varieties to try we've never been so excited to see January before.

What a wonderful weekend ...

2009-09-14T10:41:00.013+01:00

So we thought we'd have a weekend off ... of course we didn't, but we did have a lovely weekend anyway doing camping the Clun farm way and the only way that camping or indeed glamping should be done...in a field with bunting!

At last we had a couple of nights of beautiful night skies, perfect for catching ISS as it travelled about 350km overhead

Check out the night sky pics here...

Saturday we had a very successful, if long, blackberry pick.

While Sunday was taken up with "a little light gardening", or hedge slaying, and wall building

All in all a lovely, rewarding and slightly less hassled weekend. Thanks sunshine!

Now that's a lot of tomatoes ....

2009-09-08T07:21:00.004+01:00

We headed into the jungle tunnel last night to pick some tomatoes.
This is what we ended up with! Better late than never, and there's many more to come ...

A little pot of sunshine ...

2009-09-03T17:17:00.011+01:00

Despite the awful weather the tomatoes are coming thick and fast now. Galina, the yellow cherry toms look (and taste!) so lovely we decided to try and pot some of that sunshine taste to see us through the darker days ...

Halve the tomatoes (try any varieties you like as far as I can tell), lay them cut side up on a baking tray,
Sprinkle with your favourite fresh herbs (we use golden oregano and finissimo basil),
Season with salt and black pepper and drizzle them with olive oil.
You can also give them a tiny (and I mean tiny) sprinkling of caster sugar to give them some extra sweetness if you like...

Place them in a really low heated oven circa 100 degrees c for several hours (3-4) until they are soft and chewy. The warming shelf in an aga would be perfect.

Place in a jar, top up the jar with olive oil and cover. Store in the fridge. They will last a couple of weeks but only if you forget about them! You'll have eaten them long before that...

Clun Farm produce wins prizes!

2009-08-29T20:00:00.015+01:00

Yeah, our first ever horticultural show and we scooped prizes in all the classes entered today at Clunderwen Show.

Best Jam - brilliant! I know it has quite a loyal following among family and friends but its nice that it got an outside stamp of approval too ....

All in all we got 3 firsts (jam, parsley and welsh cakes), 1 second and 3 thirds! Not bad for a pair of novices. Just a shame the collection of veg just got third, even the lovely aubergine couldn't swing it - judge said if it had potatoes and onions in it would have won... oh well we know for next time.

Yvonne's eggs did well too, scooping first in the white egg category, they probably helped towards her quiche prize too! ... Thanks for encouraging me to enter, can't wait for next year now!

Caterpillar culprits

2009-08-28T12:57:00.007+01:00

There are a lot of these little guys in the tunnel. If you can identify any please let us know!

This one was in the strawberries ...

think this is a cabbage white ... enjoying the nasturtiums

This dude has been spotted munching the lettuces and in with the beans and strawberries ...

Nice view! ...

2009-08-24T13:41:00.003+01:00

Its a beautiful day today ... looks like its gonna change later so thought we'd better head out sooner rather than later.

Saving your own seeds ....

2009-08-24T08:20:00.004+01:00

Just received our 2009 newsletter from Real Seeds and in it they are trialling new video seed saving instructions. They've started with collecting seed from brassicas:

Will post some more as, and when, they publish them. You can get their newsletter yourself (full of interesting stuff about new vegetables and news updates) here

The inaugural Clun Farm Festival of Glamping

2009-08-23T09:18:00.022+01:00

Weather started off promising and stayed dry most of the day, which was handy as parents and other relatives came out for lunch and an update viewing on the house - comments like "you've done a lot since I was last here" (Aunty Jen) much appreciated!
Evening do was just as civilised (well almost!) only trouble is I forgot to take any photos - so if you have any then please do e-mail them to me so I can post!
Prize for best dressed tent goes to Nia and Gaz for effort - although the balloons didn't make it to the tent!
Best wellies goes to Anna - as she was the only one that pointed them out to me!

Thanks everyone for coming it was lovely to see you all and catch up... same again next year? Bit more effort required on the "glamping" element though!

Real men wheel pink!

2009-08-21T19:23:00.000+01:00

The funky pink barrow really suits you Nik!! Thanks guys for the help, it made the world of difference prepping the place for its first real public appearance...

Delicious Lemon and Courgette Muffins

2009-08-19T10:07:00.005+01:00

If you've still got lots of courgettes, and need something different to do with them then try these. They are seriously yum!

2 cups plain flour
1/2 cup of sugar
1tbsp baking powder
pinch salt
grated peel of 1 lemon
1/2 cup sultanas
2 free range eggs, beaten
1/2 cup milk
juice of the lemon
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 packed cup up finely grated courgette (about 1 medium / large courgette) - If you have someone who is averse to green things you may need to peel your courgettes first as they come out with little green flecks in them ...

Preheat oven to 400 f

Combine dry ingredients and sultanas
in another bowl mix the milk, eggs, oil, lemon juice and zest

Gently combine the liquid mix with the dry ingredients, then fold in the courgette.

Spoon the batter into a greased 12 cup muffin tin, and bake for 20 - 25 mins until just golden and springy to touch.

For a real treat drizzle with lemon icing. Really good eaten warm!

Clun Farm Raspberries

2009-08-11T16:00:00.003+01:00

There are raspberries and then there are massive, gorgeous and yummy Clun Farm Raspberries. M&S eat your heart out, this is real fruit!!!

Apologies for the lack of anything useful, just so absorbed by the wonders of picking your own food! Promise more scrummy recipes soon ...

One man went to mow...

2009-08-03T21:03:00.007+01:00

and mow a meadow he did! Much more quickly this time with the help of a quad, topper and picnic in the field. This is very hard and serious work ...

The topper did such a great job of chopping the grass down we don't need to pick it up after, saving us from the most gruelling of all the tasks on the farm - hoorah!

In fact it was so much fun we did Tom's bit too

Big thanks to Phil and Yvonne for the loan of the machines which made this meadow mowing so much more effective, much less tiring and a lot more fun our previous efforts!

Mint the remarkable

2009-07-30T16:31:00.004+01:00

A couple of weeks ago I gave the apple mint a bit of a trim - hacking bits off left right and centre in the hope of making it look somewhat tamer. Unsure quite what to do with the bits we stuck them in a glass of water, thinking in a couple of days we'd feel a bit less guilty about throwing them out when they were all wilted.

No, 2 weeks later and the stems have rooted and all look supremely healthy, still in their glass of water! I've taken some smaller cuttings now to do the same thing.

If only all plants we so forgiving!

You're right ...

2009-07-28T16:15:00.000+01:00

We did in fact pick so much stuff in the last 2 weeks it weighed as much as a shetland pony...

Wow!

Finished at last ...

2009-07-27T18:48:00.002+01:00

Finally the border at the front has been finished off... for now at least!

Resplendent with all the pesky weeds gone and a lovely top dressing of bark, we found all sorts of lovely things growing there, and put in a few extras as we went too. Hope you agree it looks a bit better now...

When we moved in:

Now:

A snozcumber? ...

2009-07-24T13:19:00.003+01:00

So excited ... We have our very first spiky cuc!

Hopefully plenty more on their way soon.

Beans, peas and courgettes still coming in significant droves, and the freezer is filling at a speed of knots. Tomatoes still not ripening, but hopefully we'll get some sunshine soon to kick things off...

The world's longest runner bean... FACT!

2009-07-18T13:55:00.004+01:00

I thought we had some great looking long 'uns. So I thought I'd find out what the record is for bean growing. Check these out! ...

* The runner bean world record (Source: Guinness World Records) is held by an American, Harry Hurley, who grew a bean that was a whopping 1m30 cm (4ft 3in) in 1997.

* The UK record for the longest runner bean was set in the same year at 86.5cm (34.6in)

* UK champion gardeners regularly grow beans around 63.5 cm (25 in)

I think we have some way to go yet ... the longest of ours are about 30cm ;) !

Fruiting fabulous!

2009-07-11T16:14:00.025+01:00

With the veg in the tunnel almost ready to take over the world and the currants and raspberries in the field really coming into their own, we are in a frantic bid to pick as many beans, mangetout, courgettes and currants as is earthly possible!

Last year we had good success freezing the runner beans, currants and raspberries so this year we are frantically blanching and freezing. Already the freezer is brimming, and as ever we are keeping our eyes open for interesting things to do with your surplus courgettes.

I made a chocolate courgette cake the other day - and it was really good. In just a few tweaks time I'll bring you an improved

recipe. Honestly it is really good, and not like its made out of courgettes at all - you'd never know... Can't wait for the tomatoes to start ripening now, they smell sooooo good....

Delicious strawberry ice cream

2009-07-01T21:29:00.003+01:00

If you're not normally a fan of strawberry ice cream, you have to give this the benefit of the doubt! Its dreamy and sooooo simple, go on give it a go ...

600g fresh, prepared strawberries
200 - 300g caster sugar to taste - if your strawbs are lovely and sweet you may not even need that much!
600ml double cream

Puree the strawberries, and the sugar and gently whip in the cream until fully combined.
Put in a freezer-proof container, and place in the freezer for 30 mins to 1 hour. Give the mixture a good stir, and return to the freezer. Repeat this as the mixture gradually starts to freeze, probably 3-4 times.

The more you mix it the smoother the end result will be. When almost set you can stop the mixing and leave it to freeze fully. Next, eat it ..... just not all at once!

Good enough to eat...

2009-06-26T11:42:00.004+01:00

What a lovely haul...

yes those really are round courgettes and lemon yellow mangetout!

Poor baby ...

2009-06-22T11:48:00.002+01:00

sad news the other baby jackdaw died. We think the parents stopped coming down to feed him although they were always around and calling to him. Its such a shame - he was almost there... nature is so harsh.

Puffintastic!

2009-06-18T12:37:00.007+01:00

Monday I had a fantstic day (even though it was "work") and went out to Skomer. Its not often we will use this space for tales of the W word but this is definitely worth it!

After the short boat trip from Martin's Haven we landed on Skomer - the jewel in pembrokeshire's island crown - and home to simply loads and loads of puffins (as well as lots of other interesting birds, and seals and porpoise in its surrounding waters).

Despite appearances they are remarkably fast little birds, so trying to take photos of them landing - the funniest bit - is a bit tricky!! Despite that they have no interest in humans, they are simply not bothered, and go about their business delivering sand eels to their chicks completely oblivious to you - unless you are in their way, in which case they just look at you until you move! Cute, very very cute...

The weather held for us despite the forecasts of thundery showers - only once did it let rip and most of us were busy having lunch by that point.

If you live in or visit pembrokeshire you simply have to visit the island. And if you live in South and West Wales you simply have to join the wildlife trust (join here) to make sure the wildlife on our patch is protected for the future. Go on ... it really will make a difference! And while you're at it why not get membership as a present for someone else - you can find out their local trust here

Field trouble

2009-06-14T20:29:00.004+01:00

2 days of slogging away at the grass in the field and Rhys has done a great job of cutting it down so you can at least make out rows of fruit bushes now! Thing is we now have to shift all the cut grass, and there's lots... Any suggestions?!

We did find a very cute thing in one of the red currants... not this year's we think if you know who lives in a house like this let us know.

It's official ... the best strawberries ever!

2009-06-09T19:52:00.002+01:00

According to mum last week, our strawberries are the best she has ever tasted. We thought it might just be mum being nice, but today the motion was seconded by Grace...

Thanks you guys!

Ladybird Ladybird ...

2009-06-08T18:04:00.003+01:00

Yeah our first (observed anyway!) ladybird has emerged... and this afternoon is changing to a nice red colour and developing her spots

I just hope she has some company soon, these aphids are ridiculous!

We're sad...

2009-06-07T16:32:00.001+01:00

Sorry to report that the smaller of the jackdaw chicks has died. The other one looks to be ok - wing feathers are nearly all there, just waiting on some tail ones now. We'll keep checking to make sure mum and dad continue to come in and feed him.

Can't fly, won't fly

2009-06-05T10:58:00.004+01:00

Despite the feathers, our little jackdaws quite clearly would prefer to snuggle up! This was them this morning. I'm not too impressed with mum and dad's housekeeping though, they look as though they are keeping themselves busy, but the picture suggests otherwise - its getting pretty messy on the floor... Can anyone tell me whether I should I put some more newspaper or straw down?

Polytunnel update

2009-06-04T21:34:00.000+01:00

I expect you're wondering how the crops are doing, well we're pleased to report we are regularly eating our own salad, have picked 1 courgette and lots of delicous strawberries! The runner beans are 8ft tall and flowering, and the tomatoes and peppers are starting to flower...

Our voracious predators, haven't kept the greenfly at bay, so we've resorted to soapy water to try and get the numbers down - we have spotted a couple of these chaps though, so hopefully we might get some more larvae for free soon!!!

Then there were two ...

2009-06-03T20:16:00.007+01:00

OK so the floor of the barn is obviously much nicer than the nest, as baby 1 has been joined by his baby brother. We put the video camera in just to check she is coming in regularly unfortunately for the camera they are tucked behind the boxes so not easy to get a shot of mum feeding but we have seen her going down to them. They really make a racket at food time.

The barn is cat proof so we'll just have to see how they fare. Hopefully it won't be long until they can actually give flying a proper go.

We don't think there are anymore in the nest but you never know! Maybe tomorrow it'll be three...

Its not easy learning to fly ...

2009-06-02T12:52:00.003+01:00

Oh dear one of the Jackdaw chicks has fallen out of the nest. Its ok for now, having decided it wants to be the first to stay in the barn, rather than heading out the other way and landing on the big pile of rocks below the nest on the outside wall. Mum knows where it is and has visited it to feed it so fingers crossed it will be ok and figure out how to fly pretty quickly!

If we can get any pictures we will post them but I'm leaving him quiet for now to make sure mum keeps coming in.

Good Job....

2009-06-01T09:03:00.007+01:00

On Thursday night we set about reclaiming the area behind the house from a scrub bank to a lovely space for the sweetcorn. Some hope I thought, but Rhys remained optimistic and with the help of every boys toy imaginable he hacked away until you could actually see it was bank. This is halfway through! ...

By Friday evening we had pulled up the resident bramble roots and started rotivating the area, and by Saturday evening, ably assisted by Nina, all the sweetcorn plants were happily settled, if a little hot, in their new site.

And there'e even room for a raised bed or two next to them ... anyone got some spare topsoil?!

yummy scones

2009-05-28T14:13:00.003+01:00

8oz / 225g self raising flour
pinch of salt
3oz / 75g butter (room temp)
1.5 oz / 40g caster sugar
1 large egg
some milk

Preheat oven to 220°c

Seive the flour and salt, rub in the butter until mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs and add the sugar.

Lightly beat the egg with 2 tblsp milk, and gently add to the flour mixture until it is a soft dough (add a little more milk if necessary)

Roll out the dough on a lightly floured board to 1" thick. Cut out 2" rounds and place on a lightly greased baking sheet

Cook until risen and golden brown. Serve warm with homemade jam and cream . Just like this...

Strawberries and courgettes...

2009-05-27T20:55:00.006+01:00

The stawberries are coming along well now and they taste delicious - not that we've had many yet, in fact just 1! More are ready today but I can't pick them when Rhys isn't here - that's just mean!

This morning I spotted our first courgette too, which is very exciting as last year the slugs ate all my seedlings. Its quite a triumph really, although its only about an inch long at the moment.

...and blackcurrant jam is on the way. What an eventful day! I'd be grateful if anyone can tell me whether picking the flower ends off each currant is strictly necessary... it'd be nice to know for next time!

1st batch

2009-05-22T20:02:00.004+01:00

I hope it tastes as good as it looks ...

If it is I might even make a blackcurrant version this weekend!

Lovely day out ...

2009-05-19T19:31:00.000+01:00

Last weekend we had a treat and visited the Smallholder and Garden Festival in Builth Wells. It was a lovely day despite the weather! We joined the Cottage Garden Society and got all sorts of wonderful seeds from them (we can't read all the writing though so I might do a pot luck chuck the in the border and see what comes up!). Definitely worth a trip if you happen to be in mid wales around the middle of May, and like gardens and smallholdings of course. We nearly came home with a goat, a pig, a cow and of course a donkey!

Speaking of which Donkey was the winner in our "what shall we get next vote" (by so small a margin I think Rhys & Tom collaborated to rig the vote!!!), followed closely by chickens so we'll keep you posted on progress!

Voracious predators ...

2009-05-15T17:12:00.006+01:00

Yesterday we welcomed a delivery of Adalia bipunctata (or 2 spot ladybird larvae to us!) to come and ravage the aphids that have appeared as if from nowhere on the strawberries and bean plants in the polytunnel.

Funny little things - not what we expected at all, didn't pay enough attention to insect lifestages at school I suppose!

We are hoping they will do their job admirably and eat up to 100 aphids a day each, that should keep everything in check! - hopefully they'll grow into lots of lovely ladybirds too that will like the polytunel and decide to stay there...

The big home coming...

2009-05-13T17:22:00.005+01:00

Yeah Tom came home for a proper stay today. OK it was only for a few hours to audition as the new mower, but it was great to be able to leave him to his own devices while I pottered in the field collecting felled brambles from Rhys's last tractor excursion!

I can even see him from the house (well his ears at least, and only if he lifts his head up!)...

One year on...

2009-05-07T16:22:00.047+01:00

So we've been here a year now. Such a lot has happened in that time that it feels like 5! Anyway, what better time to look back and see what sort of progress we have made so far...

The stream ...

The Polytunnel ...

Flower beds we didn't know we had ...

Inside ...

Beating beastly buttercup

2009-05-05T17:18:00.003+01:00

What a chore pulling up all this creeping buttercup is! But there's nothing for it, it all has to come up and that means huge amounts of digging, pulling and generally grappling with the stuff. I'm taking heart that the bed that "we" (lovely Jem!) did last year and then smothered with bark has actually been manageable ever since. Fingers crossed we are actually making progress then!

The bigest of all the beds is slowly coming under control - before and after pictures to come once the after is completed - and its very exciting discovering the few gems that have struggled on despite the smothering buttercup ... they don't get much better than this

Home ... and the 5 best things about our trip

2009-04-25T14:13:00.002+01:00

Yeah we're back after an arduous 2 days of planes, buses and cars - and a lot of waiting around at airports. Its really good to be back!

The top five best bits of our adventure in New Zealand:

at 5: Driving - any sort of road you can think of, we travelled it (with the exception of anything
like the M25 or M4!)

at 4: Walking up the Fox Glacier

at 3: Seeing our first Whale in Kaikoura

at 2: Realising our home is the best place in the world ...

at 1: Seeing Jo and John, and celebrating their wedding day with them

Last few days ...

2009-04-25T13:27:00.009+01:00

Spent the night next to Lake Punakaiki watching the sunset over Mt Cook - beautiful...

Next few days were pretty hectic, making our way, via Lake Tekapo, across to the volcanic peninsula just south of Christchurch and in to Akaroa, originally a French settlement and now a very lovely little harbourside town with a lovely lighthouse and full of nice eateries overlooking the bay.

Next day we headed back to Christchurch, through all sorts of roads over the peninsula, to take the van back to Wilderness Motorhomes: Cheers guys we had a great time in our van...

Spent a couple of nights with the rellys in Christchurch and had a great time meeting the other cousins and playing on Grant's Quad.

Thanks both it was great to see you. Can't wait to show you our spot when you come over ...

Yeeeehaaahhh!

2009-04-19T21:14:00.004+01:00

After glacier country we headed back in land, to warmer and less wet climes again and reached lake Wanaka. Rhys decided to take a dip - it took him 2 attempts to get in, and he didn't stay in long! The water comes down off one of the glaciers .....

Mooched in Wanaka for the afternoon before deciding to head on to Queenstown. Arrived in Queenstown and high tailed it straight back to Wanaka. It was just too busy.

For those of you wondering how long I could go before finding a horse to ride, the answer was quite a long time! Got a ride at Backcountry Saddle Expeditions - learnt a lot but not quite a cowgirl yet!

Fox trotting in the rain...

2009-04-17T21:06:00.004+01:00

Yeah its raining and we are going to walk for half a day up Fox Glacier. Brilliant!

Apparently one of only two glaciers in the world that you walk through rainforest to get to (yeah even more rain!). We got absolutely soaked, but it was good. Rhys absolutely loved it - especially getting wet. I liked the glacier but not the getting wet!

Anyway it was spectacular, would definitely recommend, and apparently if you go up when its raining its even better cos you see all the waterfalls etc. I think they just say that to make you feel better, as in all fairness you are probably going to go up there in the rain!

Living it up in Franz Joseph

2009-04-16T20:57:00.003+01:00

Woke to real west coast weather today, just perfect to see the coast in, apparently! And it got worse and wetter as we drove south. We stopped in Hokitika on the way down, but not for long as we were getting drenched. The roads were getting wetter and wetter, as more and more of the rivers starting to stream onto the roads.

Arrived in Franz Joseph village early afternoon, and couldn't see anything for the misty and drizzle. By late afternoon the mist lifted a little and the rain stopped and we caught our first view of the glacier from the village. We are stopping here for the night to enjoy the Glacier Hot Pools and a bit of avant glacier nightlife, and a curry, before our hike up Fox Glacier tomorrow.

ps the pools were lovely

Rocks!

2009-04-15T20:50:00.003+01:00

En route from Christchurch in the East to the West Coast we stopped at Castle Hill Rocks. Amazing limestone rocks which we had a ball climbing - spectacular views too ...

We then went on up through the mountains, through Arthurs Pass and the Otira Gorge till we got to Greymouth on the West Coast.

Following the rock theme we headed north up to Punakaiki to see the Pancake Rocks. Unfortunately the tide wasn't quite right and the weather not bad enough to see the blow holes in full swing but the rocks were cool anyway...

Whales in Kaikoura

2009-04-14T23:29:00.006+01:00

What a wonderful day. During the night the van was getting buffetted by the wind and we thought we wouldn't be able to get out the following morning. When we woke, it was to a beautiful calm day, perfect for Whale spotting.

We went out with Whale Watch. Boat was amazing and they had all the kit to give you the best chance of finding the elusive whales. Because of the continental shelf, there is a resident pod of Sperm Whales, which makes life a little easier when no others are passing through.

Spotted ....

Wandering Albatross
Cape Petrols
Sperm Whale
Dusky Dolphins - loads of fun!

Yeah the tail shot! ....

The long road south

2009-04-12T22:52:00.003+01:00

After meeting up with everyone for a quick spot of lunch we headed off on the long journey south from Napier to Wellington.

Rhys was happy though ....

The Wedding

2009-04-11T23:12:00.005+01:00

Friday morning we took a dip at the Ocean Spa - well worth dropping in if you have the time, although a couple of the pools were for the really brave, the majority were warm or better! Then had BBQ with eveyone at Jo's temporary house.

Saturday dawned as a beautiful mediteranean day. We popped up to the church Road Winery for a quick tour, which was interesting but didn't tell us how to make wine! Then headed off to get ready for the wedding at the Mission Estate...

Had a lovely time. Jo and John looked gorgeous, and Beth was beautiful as Maid of Honour ...

From Mount Doom to Mordor

2009-04-09T00:47:00.001+01:00

As we headed south from Lake Taupo we decided, after Rhys's dip to head off to Tongariro National Park and take in some of the dramatic LOTR scenery - Amazing, but we reckon Frodo made quite a meal of it ;)

After Mount Doom was conquered we headed off to Mordor ....No Orks spotted but we couldn't see much for the snow and mist!

Then back down the mountains to sunnier climes as we took a back road (!) towards Art Deco City Napier...

Unfortunately it took us a while longer than expected so we missed doing the vineyard tour with Jo and John - we did catch up with them just as they were doing the tastings though!!

The van, the road and the hidden valley

2009-04-08T06:09:00.001+01:00

Picked up the Basejumper van from Wilderness Motorhomes - awesome bit of kit, a place for everything and everything in its place!

Headed south to Waitomo Caves to say Kia Ora to the Gloworms - really good! We just did the one cave and it was brilliant. Would have liked a go at the black water rafting version through the other caves, but the road was calling so we pressed on towards Rotorua

Then had our first night wilderness camping by a lake just west of Rotorua - cool!

The next morning we headed on to Sulphur city and took a dip in the thermal pools at the Polynesian Spa before going for a jet boat ride at the Huka Falls, near Lake Taupo.

The day was a bit showery at times and they said they didn't go out if it was raining - we didn't understand why until we were on the water and it started to shower, it really hurt!!!! You go so fast the rain was like stones. Thankfully the shower only lasted a couple of minutes, and when you are doing 360 degree turns and getting wet from the spins you don't mind to much! The view of the falls was amazing the water is bright bright blue ...

After that we headed slightly north again to the Hidden Valley to explore the geothermal reserve. Awesome ...

Spent the night camping by the side of Lake Taupo

Auckland and our first dip in the Pacific

2009-04-06T06:02:00.009+01:00

Touched down in Auckland last night, and it was lovely to be greeted by Jo & John. We actually managed to stay awake quite late too, although still didn't manage to sleep all night! Maybe tonight...

Got up early this morning to a lovely view over Browns Bay, we headed out for a little walk as it was very early and funnily stumbled upon this:

After breakfast we all headed down to Longbay Beach for a splash and game of frisbee, and the finale of the Browns Bay Ultimate Deathball playoff (John and Hugh - rolling a ball in leisurely fashion to score points - rather over zealously named, but I feel it might make a come back later in the week!)

Tomorrow we pick up the van and head south ...

Sydney Airport

2009-04-05T04:41:00.004+01:00

Ok, so the last post was a bit brief, and now we have a couple of hours to kill before jetting off to Auckland I thought we should give you a bit more info ...

The Grace hotel was great - a lovely Art deco building although you have to crane your neck to see it really as Sydney is very high rise and not quite like anywhere else we have been. Its a really nice city, clean and very well cared for - and despite the large numbers of tourists not overcrowded or pushy at all. We felt as though we had the frontage of the Opera house to ourselves a couple of times - you wouldn't get that at Buckingham Palace! The weather has been fine, yesterday was pretty windy but it was still warm although a bit overcast, probably just as well as we spent the whole day out and about on the Harbour Express and wandering through different parts of town. Needless to say today is much sunnier!

This morning we headed to the Botanical Gardens for a wander before breakfast (I did say our timing was way out still and end of summer time last night didn't help much either!). what a gem of a place. They were absolutely beautiful, and immaculately kept - full of all sort of wonderful plants and trees and some interesting birds, plus of course the massive bats (see previous post).

Its a shame we don't have an extra day - it would have been nice to head down to Bondi Beach - Next time....

Hope all is going well at home and that the tomatoes are coming along nicely. I will post some more photos as soon as get another chance.

Sydney

2009-04-04T23:56:00.009+01:00

Yeah we're in Sydney! We got here... sadly we'll be off again soon but we have enjoyed our stay despite still feeling like we are continually swaying from the plane movement and being totally messed up with our sleep!! Flights were fine, had an hour stop in Bangkok airport which was nice just to get out and stretch. Sleeping on the plane was virtually impossible. But we did get some amazing views on the first leg, especially of the Himalayas - once we get home we'll figure out if we managed to get a pic of Everest.

We have covered a lot of the city though. First off we went to the opera house amd strolled around the city and yesterday the compulsory harbour cruise, stopping off at Watsons Bay and Darling Harbour, and finished the day with a wander (very tired) through the Rocks market. This morning we headed off to the botanical gardens which were amazing - we thought we had a lot of bats at home, this takes things to a whole new level with flying foxes everywhere. just a couple of pics to whet your appetite ....

Anyway, later today we are off to see Jo and John in Auckland. Can't wait to see you guys ....

Pesky Frost...

2009-03-29T17:00:00.003+01:00

Oh dear, last night we had a bit of an unexpected and hard frost. Our courgettes didn't like it at all - not even in the polytunnel. I fear some of them may have had it, I've brought them in for a bit of tlc, but I think some of them may be past that.

The straggly tomatoes of a couple of weeks ago are really bad! Have planted a shed load more seeds, but these haven't started coming up yet - hope they make an appearance soon or their care routine might be a bit too demanding for our house-sitters!

On a brighter note, the chillis and some runner beans are coming along nicely, and the bean and strawberry bed looks ace, Tom's special compost doing the trick nicely! Dad stuck some potatoes out in the field last week - I'm wondering what we will come home to in a few weeks though!

Carmarthenshire Sheep Farmers ...

2009-03-23T20:05:00.001Z

Well this is what they get up to just over the border .... click here, and its well worth a look!

Spring has sprung at Clun Farm

2009-03-22T06:46:00.011Z

Well the last week has truly been a blast of beautiful spring. I heard the first cuckoo a couple of days ago, as I remember last year he sang his heart out for weeks on end, and quickly became quite irritating! Given that we moved in in May means we could be in for the long haul this year...

All sorts of interesting and lovely flowers are bursting open, and with the sun going down later and later we are managing to get some jobs done in the evenings and beginning to retackle the field. The weeding has started ... as has the accompanying backache!

There is just so much to get done, and not enough time to do it. Still you have to marvel at the lovely things that despite being neglected for year are popping up all over the place...

The Sherman Solution

2009-03-19T07:47:00.002Z

Introducing the Sherman Soil Sieve .... the speedy way to work your way through 6 tonnes of soil. An ingenious contraption I'm sure you will agree, skillfully assembled out of "stuff" we had laying around.

Check out the wheelbarrow too! Rhys isn't too keen on the colour but I think its the best wheelbarrow I've ever seen. As he got it for me he can't really complain!

John's birthday party

2009-03-17T13:11:00.003Z

What a bunch of miscreants!
Paintballing and fondue ... have a good one fella!

The 6 tonne problem

2009-03-17T11:40:00.003Z

The polytunnel is starting to look interesting again. I say starting because we started work on the raised beds a couple of weeks ago. Using old pallets we have cobbled them together into something that that we think looks pretty good, and even more importantly will work pretty well too.

Being quite large and sitting on a double layer of weedproof membrane meant we needed a pretty large amount of stuff to fill them with. Not being short of manure thanks to Tom and his four legged friends down the road was a good start but sourcing topsoil proved difficult - the internet was throwing up suppliers charging £100 a tonne!

Luckily the company we have been using for skips, Greenacres Skip Hire, had a load so we had 6 tonnes delivered...

Dad laughed ...

2009-03-08T12:45:00.006Z

So mum and dad visited on friday, bringing a huge supply of grow bags and compost (thanks!). He took one look at the tomato seedlings and burst out laughing, suggesting they looked like something you might see growing on stage around christmas time! So I've started some new ones. I'll keep the others going but I think he's probably right they will be a bit on the leggy side! Apparently airing cupboards not required for seed germination afterall!

The chillis have started poking through though, so lesson learnt from the tomatoes - after checking them everyday the minute any of them started showing signs of life they were wisked from their very warm spot and put on the windowsill instead. I'm hoping they will grow a big chunkier than their 1st lot of tomato friends.

Yeah we've got tomatoes ....

2009-03-06T11:21:00.005Z

well little tiny scraggly shoots anyway! I only planted them at the weekend I checked them on Tuesday and there was nothing, didn't look on wednesday and then on thursday they looked like this....

I'm hoping they'll beef up a bit in the next week!

Still no sign of chilli shoots yet. Will keep you posted.

The story so far...

2009-03-05T14:59:00.012Z

I really couldn't say where the last 10 months have gone - other than in a blur! So to bring you up to speed here is a quick resume of our life at Clun so far:

In May we moved in and quickly got to work ripping out the kitchen - what we hadn't thought about is how hard it is to live without one, even in the short term! By August we had laid a new slate floor and installed all the units, for a fully functioning and lovely kitchen!

Needless to say with a project of this magnitude, we couldn't just focus on one thing so at the same time we juggled work in the garden; copious amounts of weeding, our first attempts at growing our own veg and enormous amounts of grass cutting! Dad's moving in present to us was a number of tomato and runner bean plants and grow bags which quickly made progress in the poly tunnel - keeping us stocked rights through the summer.

Rhys made a start on the compost bays, and we began harvesting the currants and raspberries from the field, and stocking the freezer. Delicious!

Then we got visited by a barn owl with a bust wing, after several hours trying to catch it our very helpful neighbour got a hand to him and the next day he went off to a local bird of prey sanctuary to try an fix his dislocated elbow joint.

Back in the house for Autumn, the bedrooms got a full remodel with new walls, wiring, plastering, decorating and carpets. We just have a few little finishing bits to do up there before we get drawn outside once more, hopefully to enjoy a glorious summer! And that's where we are now, written down it doesn't look like we've got very far but for those of you in the know its been eventful...

About the name....

2009-03-04T15:54:00.001Z

Clun means Meadow in Welsh when relating to place names, and for those not in the know and slightly confused by the title of this blog the house is pronounced cl-ee-n

U as the 'i' in pitaWelsh words: ganu (ganee); cu (key); Cymru (Kumree); tu (tee); un (een)

Ironically, whichever way you look at it, the place did not live up to its name. When we moved in last May the field was not meadow and the house was not clean! But more on that to follow ...