The Daddy
Posted by RomanyRest on Jun 25 2008 | Comment now »
Now that the last risk of frost is passed we have completed most of the planting and are now tending our crops and hoping they grow well.
As well as the usual (tomatoes, beans, corn, pumpkins, peas, etc.) we’ve got some experiments on the go, including: Amaranth, chia, flax, aduki, mung bean, lentils, chick peas (garbanzos), mushroom logs, alfalfa, buckwheat, darlaine peas, dry bush beans (candy, black turtle, nez perce), jacobs cattle beans and sunflowers. These are in the interests of self-sufficiency, mainly to see what seeds and beans can be saved for winter use, winter sprouting and planting on again next year. We’ll keep you posted.
I made a lovely herb garden which surrounds the front of the house and in it we have sage, thyme, peppermint, spearmint, pineapple mint, bee balm (bergamot), oregano, dill, salad burnet, chives, lemon balm & borage.
We’ve been eating from the garden since May, and currently are enjoying spinach, chard, red russian kale, black (dinosaur) kale, mangetout peas, salad burnet, summer savoury, chives, rocket, radish, lettuce, coriander, parsley, mizuna, lamb’s lettuce and lamb’s quarters (a ‘weed).
So, who is “The Daddy”? Well, it’s Big Rooster’s new name since we are the proud hosts to (so far) five yellow chicks and one black chick (how cute is that?)!! Some of the girls are still on the nests so we are hoping for more. The first chick was born 20th June, two years to the day since we lost my dearest Dad, so we’ve called it ‘Frankie’ (fine for either a girl or boy) and whilst this might not seem like a grand tribute, we know that Dad would have a big smile about it. ‘Mum’ to four of them is letting me help with the feeding whilst we both try to keep the others at bay to give the little ones a chance at the food. ‘The Daddy’ is sitting up high on his table, crowing with pride!
Remember those shy, timid lambs? Well, two weeks on, if they spot us they come running and leaping towards us, feed from our hands and follow us anywhere! Just shows what a difference two weeks can make.
A Wild Meadow
Posted by RomanyRest on Jun 15 2008 | Comment now »
Three Lambs arrived last Sunday into our adapted shed/barn. They are very timid and fearful and we couldn’t do much with them in the first couple of days because they panicked every time we went anywhere near. After a week they’ve become more inquisitive and less fearful and I’ve had two of them eating from my hand, although they still panic at any sudden movement. They will also follow when called, especially if we have a little feed bucket in hand!
“What have you got for me??”
These babies were born in February, and up until now have lived their lives inside a barn and haven’t seen the outside world, sunshine or grass. Up until now, that is. At first they were alarmed, but quickly realised that grass was edible and delicious! Before too long they were frolicking around doing little lamb leaps in the air, which we took to mean that they were happy with the new arrangements.
We had purchased a solar-powered electric fence to contain them and to protect them from coyotes, but I was apprehensive about using it, not wanting to see them getting shocks from it. We have now decided to put them in with the hens and ducks and went back to the agro co-op to exchange the electric fence for sheep wire. At first there were a few chaotic moments when the sheep went running, sending the birds scattering in all directions, but now things seem calm and serene as they all learn to live together peacefully.
The ducks in their paddling pool with the sheep grazing behind.
The fences have needed some considerable re-inforcement following an incident mid-week when the sheep managed to escape and ended up on the swimming pool deck! We managed to avert a disaster and got them back without one of them falling into the pool, but not without a little anxiety on our part.
We have built the lambs a straw bale shelter to protect them from wind & sun, but so far this has been completely ignored by the sheep and used as a play climbing frame by the hens.
We’ve planted some new trees this week:
two red oaks (hoping to replace the one we had to chop down), two green ash, two white birch and 60+ larch (tamarack).
Plus more shrubs, vegetables and flowers.
When mowing the lawn, I discovered an area where there were some tree seedlings trying to establish themselves, including white spruce, birch & mountain ash, so have decided not to mow this area so that they get a chance to grow. It might look a bit of a mess if the grass grows tall, but I shall try to make it look more attractive by constructing some wattle fencing around it (when I get time!).
Mowing has become an almost daily chore. We’ve reduced the impact on the environment by purchasing two manual push mowers, but there is a huge area to cover and it’s awfully hard to keep up. I’m currently making two signs with the wording “Wild Meadow” as we’ve decided to give up trying to mow the far field and want to see how natural regeneration of woodland will take place. If we can do it without it turning into too much of an eyesore it will encourage ecological diversity. I will probably describe the progression back to woodland here on the blog, although it will be slow I assume.
Fred made a mini-wagon for the gate to sell our jams and a few crafts. We placed it under the apple tree which was smothered in blossom this year.
Little Rooster
Posted by RomanyRest on May 31 2008 | Comment now »
Rooster antics have kept us entertained over the last couple of weeks. Big Rooster definitely has the advantage of size, but Little Rooster proved himself to be quite clever and agile and that sometimes gave him the edge.
Big Rooster’s favourite black hen often jumps the fence. She doesn’t go far, just likes to assert her independence and strut around ‘outside’ for a while. One day, Big Rooster chased Little Rooster so much so that he jumped the fence (no problem for an agile little chap like him). He wasted no time in making advances to black hen whilst Big Rooster looked on, quite literally ‘hopping mad’!
The next time Big Rooster chased Little Rooster he managed to get quite a speed up, completely forgot his objective and soared over the fence in pursuit. Of course, Little Rooster wasted no time in nipping straight back into the hens and promptly had his pick of all the girls. Once again, Big Rooster could only look on in frustration and anger. And so it went on.
It was worrying that Big Rooster wouldn’t let Little Rooster share the coup at night and he decided to sleep underneath some old windows propped up against the shed wall. We couldn’t coax him out and the first night, and even though we secured him as best as we could, I could hardly sleep that night for worrying about it.
Most of the time Little Rooster was chased out of the hens area and began to spend more and more time with us and became more like a pet. Yesterday we tried our level best to get him into the shed (which is currently being prepared for the arrival of the sheep) which would have been a safer place for him to sleep, but he just wouldn’t have it, running off and squawking loudly as though we were doing him some terrible disservice!
Even though I am familiar with the concept of the ‘pecking order’ I can’t say I completely understand the balance of power in the barnyard and how it can change. Both of these roosters and the bantams once lived all together (seemingly harmoniously), but somehow, in the process of moving them here, the dynamics have altered in such a way that the small rooster was completely banished from the flock (and by the hens as well as the larger rooster).
I suppose you can guess what I have to tell you. Last night nature took its course and something managed to get into the small gap in little rooster’s den. All that is left is feathers, and I have to confess to having shed a few tears this morning for little rooster. Partly because it was sad how he was alienated from the flock (and he actually did seem sad) and partly because we didn’t manage to figure out what to do to save the situation.
The next thing is to ascertain just how much noise Big Rooster makes in the mornings to see whether we can keep him or must give him away. I intend to sleep in one of the B&B rooms for one night and in the cottage for another in order to assess the noise level. We don’t want to let him go as he is a good rooster and does look after the girls well (and they seem to really like him). He takes them to food and lets them eat first, he’s always on the alert for birds of prey and he takes an active part in the egg-laying ceremony, crowing like crazy afterwards as if to say “look what I’ve produced”!
Last week I was upset when we came back from town to discover that one of the ducks had hurt her leg. My experience with hens is that a broken leg pretty much means it’s the end of the road. She was lying on her tummy and couldn’t move, but as each day has gone by she has recovered and is now back to full health. They are getting a little more used to us, though still very timid, they are now brave enough to approach us when the feed bucket is in hand. They look so sweet splashing around in their little paddling pool. This week we tried duck eggs for the first time and made delicious scrambled eggs with chives. They were lovely and not at all ’strong’ in flavour as they are often said to be.
We’ve been working hard on the garden, vegetable plot, mandala and lawn-mowing. Lawn mowers continue to break down on us, but we are just about managing to keep up.
This is the Mandala end of May with lots of new plantings and seeds in there, just waiting to spring into action (we hope!). I am going to put this onto the Mandala Page (see list of additional pages on the top right hand side of this page) and want to try to post one each month so we can have a visual record of progress in the Mandala.
Things are growing well in the vegetable plot and come 10th June when risk of frost is passed, we can plant all the tender stuff like zucchini and beans.
We are currently harvesting (and eating) spinach, radishes, lettuces, mizuna, parsley, coriander, chives, salad burnet, oregano, mints, balms, lovage and rhubarb (first batch of jam already made!).
Last week the hummingbirds came back from wherever they have over-wintered and it’s yet another sign that summer is on the way.
Newcomers
Posted by RomanyRest on May 17 2008 | 4 Comments »
Some of the experiences we have here are poignant, some funny, some heart-breaking and some a peculiar mix of all those things.
Two ducks and two drakes came to live here this week, very sweet but extremely timid so far. The hens were like that at first but now come charging towards us whenever they see us or hear our voices, so hopefully the ducks will soon feel less nervous as it’s heartbreaking to see them so fearful.
We learned that it wasn’t a good idea for ducks to have a stagnant pond so we got them a childrens’ paddling pool instead! It means we can easily clean and refill it and they look so cute drinking from it or taking a dip. It’s a temporary measure until we figure out what else to do.
Two other new arrivals are causing us some headaches. We finally relented and got two bantam roosters. Firstly, there’s the worry that they might wake the B&B guests too early, secondly the larger rooster picks on the smaller one so it disappears every night and won’t go into the coup with the rest. That means he’s outside early in the morning and his crowing can be heard more clearly. He’s also at risk from predators. So far the B&B guests thought it was great and all part of the country B&B experience.
We’re trying to think of suitable names for big and little rooster, so if anyone has any ideas please add them by pressing the comments button below.
Little rooster seems to get picked on by the ducks too, so I don’t know how it’s all going to end up, we’re just hoping that some kind of harmonious barnyard hierarchy will ensue before too much longer.
When we first put the new birds in with the existing ‘flock’ there were some spectacular fights! Firstly one of the Rhode Island Reds and big rooster had one heck of a showdown with chest feathers puffing up and much clashing of chests. Later the same happened with the boss black hen and one of the male ducks.
At the same time (and I don’t want to be too indelicate about this) the roosters and hens were clearly extremely pleased to see each other. Boss black hen likes to jump the fence everyday and parade about in the garden. She doesn’t go far, just loves to assert her independence. Well she soon jumped right back in again when she saw that rooster!!
We recently took the winter screens from the screen room ready to paint the frames and put the summer screens back into place, thus leaving the windows open for a while. Straight away a pair of dark-eyed juncos moved in to begin the process of building a nest in there. Fred was out at work so there was nothing I could do except try to discourage them, but they seemed unperturbed by my presence and were happily coming and going all day, perching on the bicycle handlebars, the table and the french door window frames peering in at me! I hated the idea that their work would be wasted as we had to replace the screens and then they wouldn’t be able to access their nest. Fred was very assertive when he came home, replacing the screens immediately and blocking the juncos’ access to their nesting site. I would have been dithering about trying to justify not putting the screens back at all, but that would have prevented us from using that outside room at all this summer without the screens (because of the mosquitoes). I was glad he made the decision but it was awful seeing those cute little things trying to get back in, but all isn’t lost, as I saw them building a nest in the garage roof this morning.
Wandering Bantam
Posted by RomanyRest on May 11 2008 | Comment now »
I’ve been busy alternating between planting and painting.
This time of year can be tricky for planting, since we can still get frosts way into June. The general rule of thumb seems to be not to plant out anything tender until 10th June but that things can be started indoors or hardier things can go outside once the soil is workable.
Polytunnel
I started the polytunnel a few weeks ago, once the ground had unfrozen in there and it’s now fairly safe from freezing. The first crop of peas, spinach and chives is growing nicely in there and I’ve planted melons, mangetout peas and marigolds directly into the ground. We also have lots of seed trays going with celery, leeks, broccoli, eggplant, zucchini, tomatoes, celeriac & pumpkins.
Vegetable Patch
In the last two weeks I’ve planted things outdoors that I hope can withstand the odd frosty night: Peas, kale, yukon gold potatoes, russet potatoes, red & yellow onions (500 sets so far!!), summer savory, winter savory, shallots, bunching onions, carrots and broad beans. We also risked the bean roots from last year. This is an experiment I’ve been wanting to try for years, i.e. to dig up the pole bean roots, store them in sand over winter and re-plant them in the spring (I’ll report back on whether they grow again). I’ve started another rhubarb patch here (not that we really need more rhubarb!) interplanted with walking stick kale (for sheep fodder and just for fun).
Mandala Garden
2 & 5 year-old asparagus crowns, parsley, parcel (cross between parsley and celery), carrot seeds (red, purple and white!), chives, garlic chives, japenese bunching onions, welsh bunching onions, first lot of outdoor leeks, lavender, violas, asiatic lilies, bee balm, sweet williams, hollyhocks, foxgloves, catnip, lemon-scented catnip, echinacea, yarrow, st. John’s wort, spiderwort, penstemons, gladioli, lovage, marigolds, alyssum, cosmos, maximillia, blackberries and climbing red spinach (with reindeer supports!).
Forest Garden
The garlic has popped up from the soil, interplanted with the strawberries and raspberries, as have the daffodils and bluebells which I planted around the fruit trees. The idea of that is the soil is rather too rich in nitrogen in the spring for the good of the trees so the bulbs remove some of the nitrogen. As the bulbs come into bloom (hopefully to co-incide with the fruit blossoms) they also attract pollinators to the fruit trees. Later, when the trees need a little more nitrogen, this is supplied by the lupins (nitrogen-fixers) planted at the base of each tree. The trees are then protected (from borers and such) by a clump of chives planted at the base of each. Well, that’s the theory anyway!!
We’ve added a different type of raspberry cane, one which bears fruit later than the usual raspberry, has a larger fruit which is dark purple in colour (sounds more like a loganberry, but we’ll see when they fruit).
Yesterday I had a very lucky find and managed to get a hold of two Jostaberries. These are a cross between blackcurrants and gooseberries and provide wonderful berries which we used to have in our garden back in Wales.
Also planted in the forest garden this week: garden sorrel, true french sorrel, feverfew, welch red bunching onions, one highbush blueberry (I don’t think one on it’s own will do well though) and another gooseberry.
For colour and beauty we’ve planted a very hardy and (claimed to be) vigorous rose called ‘Polar Star’ which is hardy to zone 3 and should thrive here.
Perennials
The following were planted last year (throughout the garden) and seem to have survived the winter and started growing again:
32 Rhubarb plants, 100 currant bushes (with another 100 or so cuttings looking like they’ve taken), approximately 250 strawberry plants (which came from the initial 75 planted last spring), 50+ raspberry canes, highbush cranberries, service berries, pear & apple & plum & cherry & chokecherry trees (about 2 of each), gooseberry bushes, wild roses, silver maple, red maple, red osier dogwood, elder, hawthorn, grape, wild grapes, spearmint, peppermint, lemon balm, bee balm, chives & pineapple mint.
Home produce so far
Coriander, parsley, baby spinach, chives & Mizuna (not a lot, but not bad for May!)
In between planting I’ve been painting the verandah, the new front steps that Fred made and the verandah deck.
Fred has been working furiously to complete the solar pool heating installation, replace the screens in the verandah and rear screen room and prepare the shed in readiness for the sheep.
(Click on the first picture to see Fred at work!)
Last Wednesday morning we noticed that one of the bantams had disappeared (counting them is tricky as they keep on moving!). We searched around and didn’t notice any feathers (which probably ruled out a fox or coyote) so everyone came to the conclusion that it had been snatched and carried away, possibly by an eagle. It’s sad, but it happens. Even owls have been seen to snatch fowl and carry them off. Anyway, this morning Fred told me, “here’s one for the blog, guess who was waiting for me this morning when I went to open the hen house?”. So our little friend had decided to come home after a five day absence!
Working too hard?
Posted by RomanyRest on May 01 2008 | Comment now »
May 1st and everything has suddenly got busy! The fishermen have gone out for lobster, cafes and B&Bs are opening up for the season and the Caribou ferry from Nova Scotia starts running again today. Today the air seems full of flashes of bright red and yellow as the finches have returned after the winter. Tomorrow our friends the “cottagers” will start to come back to the island to spend their summer weekends, we’ve missed them popping in to collect some eggs for their breakfasts.
Speaking of eggs, it seems one of the hens has taken the busy season a bit too seriously!!
Click to enlarge (as if it wasn’t large enough!) 
Singing Frogs
Posted by RomanyRest on Apr 28 2008 | Comment now »
Spring is really here! The swallows are back nesting above the hen house again and the song of the frogs drifts up from the river after dusk.
It has been a fabulous April and things in the garden are much further on than this time last year. Already there are crocuses and tulips out and daffodils look set to follow in the next few days. The sunshine has triggered a rash of activity and we are already browned by the sun from working out in the fresh air.
The snow has melted away from the Mandala Garden and Fred was working on the roof, so took the opportunity to get an ‘aerial’ view.
We’ve relocated the reindeer into the Mandala to provide some unusual growing supports for climbing red spinach. If it works they will become ‘living sculptures’. One of them is in summer mode already, check out the sun specs!
Click for more on the Mandala Garden
This structure suddenly sprang up this week. It’s the frame for the solar panels to heat the swimming pool.
I’ve been busy digging my vegetable plot and putting some pathways in place.
And for a break it’s always nice to spend a little time on the swing. 
What more could a girl want?
The Oak Tree
Posted by RomanyRest on Apr 17 2008 | 2 Comments »
It was with much sadness and reluctance that we finally decided to remove one of the two old oak trees, and not a decision that either of us took lightly. The main problem with the tree was that it the trunk was splitting in two and it appeared to be rotting at the bottom. Each time there was a storm it would be swaying ominously, and considering it’s proximity to the house and drive, it posed quite a serious threat to the home, ourselves and visitors. It was making us more and more nervous as time went on.
Last summer we did some remedial work on the tree in an effort to save it, but were advised then that it was dangerous, especially being so close to the house. The contractors felt that it might be possible to support it with guy wires, although long-term there didn’t seem to be anything that would save the tree. We took a second opinion this year, and sadly agreed with the experts that the tree was dangerous and had to go.
We’ve planted hundreds of new trees and bushes since our arrival here, but it doesn’t stop us feeling very sad that we had to cut down a tree planted in 1882 by the family of one of our neighbours.
To make matters worse, it was an expensive job which could only be undertaken by the experts. We needed the wood for future heating, so Fred decided he could manage to do all the cutting of the branches and trunk himself in order to keep the costs down. Well the day finally came and the tree came down relatively easily until they got to the bottom of the trunk.
As each layer of the trunk came away a story began to unfold about the tree and some mysteries remain. There were some rotten areas within the trunk that simply crumble away when touched. We hope we may be able to use this as compost. Some areas of the tree were thoroughly infested with huge ants. My friend tells me that ants will only colonise a diseased tree but we were also told that it may be the ants that did the damage in the first place.
Towards the bottom of the trunk we started to notice a black, tar-like substance within the layers and can’t explain this at all. Then contractors were finding that their chainsaws were coming up against what seemed like metal in the centre of the tree! We didn’t know how this could be possible.
Eventually, we discovered a huge metal spike. It was embedded horizontally right inside the trunk (see picture below). Perhaps it was once used as an attempt to try to keep the splitting trunk together? I don’t know if we’ll ever know which of the factors caused the tree to become unstable, perhaps a combination of them all.
We are wondering if any new side shoots might spring up, since we haven’t killed the roots as it would be marvellous if new life could come from the oak tree.
Only when the tree was down did Fred realise the extent of the work ahead of him. It seemed like the entire lawn was littered with branches and huge pieces of trunk.
We won’t waste a single part of the tree, so the smaller branches will be shredded to make pathways and for mulch, the thinner branches chopped and seasoned for the inside cookstove and the larger pieces seasoned for the outdoor furnace. Anyone who knows Fred will know that he is a very hard worker with a huge capacity for sticking at a job until it’s done, but it was quite obvious that this was one huge, overwhelming job which was, simply, too much. I couldn’t be as much help as I would have liked because I am still recuperating from my recent surgery. Shifting the smaller branches was all I could manage and I too was overwhelmed by the sheer amount of them.
We were wondering what on earth we were going to do when the “cavalry” arrived in the form of two neighbours and a truck. With four of us and a truck we started to make progress, although it was extremely hard work for all. After an hour, I had to give up and was relegated to kitchen duties to get the coffee on and cook a much-needed brunch! The others gamely soldiered on for hours.
Where we had been using a wheelbarrow for transport, we now had a truck, plus we now had two chainsaws instead of one and an extra two pairs of hands too. The job didn’t get completed, despite their heroic efforts, but a massive amount was completed and cleared away, and what’s left seems much more manageable for Fred.
A huge thankyou to our good friends and neighbours (we owe you one!!).
As for the oak tree, a sad farewell.
The ‘Girls’ Are Back in Town!
Posted by RomanyRest on Apr 13 2008 | Comment now »
We had to let our hens go (to an excellent home) over the winter. They were like live barameters and would only come out of their house when it was above freezing and/or there was no snow. Their house is like a little hen palace for sleeping quarters, but too small for 24 hour living and they were getting on each other’s nerves. We thought it was kinder for them to go to a nice big barn with other hens, where they would have lots of space to wander and go outside whenever they liked. Oh how much we’ve missed them and their delicious eggs.
This week a dozen bantams and half a dozen Rhode Island Reds came to live with us, and it feels like ‘normality’ is restored to our lives. It’s soothing to spend time with the hens, or to have them pecking and scratching around in the background as we work and we’ve always considered them to be a lot more intelligent and affectionate than they are usually given credit for.
We will be adapting the shed to turn it into a mini-barn so that we can keep them happy for the next and future winters and will be adding other breeds and ducks as time goes on.
Rhode Island Reds are great for providing lovely brown eggs and are very affectionate and always pleased to see us. The bantams are smaller and have much livelier personalities and a bit more aloof (so far) and they lay various colours of smaller eggs including brown, white and blue-green.
So, spring is here, the ‘girls’ are back and the fridge is full of eggs. Happy Days.