A week of smallholding

Well I am now a week in to being a full time smallholder, and life seems pretty busy. We are gradually making small inroads into the field. As you can see below there are at least a few paths appearing. This photo is a few days old and there are also a couple of planted up veg beds there too now. As one would expect the slugs have already worked out where it is and are starting to munch. I always find this time of year the thing that keeps me up the latest is waiting for it to go dark so I can go out with a torch and kill of the slugs eating all the plants.

The chicken run is up and running and Duke (the cockerel) is now going to sleep at night in with the hens. I think he's still bottom of the pecking order, but he is manning up a little day by day. His calling is getting louder I am sure. Bluebell (one of our hens) now has a limp and is isolated in the barn. Harriett is very worried in case she doesn't make it through, however in the last few days she seems to have got a bit better so that could be a minor crisis avoided, fingers crossed.

I've been trying to sort out a herb bed for the yard at the back of the house and got the chickens in to help, where they happily dug the soil and grubbed around for ants and woodlice. I was a bit upset at them turning their nose up at the snails though. I am amazed how hard it can be to get up very well established lemon balm. It is nice but I don't need a large bed full of it.

Decorating has also been intruding on my smallholding time this week, I won't bore you with the details, but it's going quite well and quickly, chickens and dogs aren't so helpful with this though, although children seem to be.