Cosy Fires and an Unplanned Winter

It’s tough at the moment, with everything that’s going on with Nannie. She’s not getting better; I’m stopping myself from looking too far into the future in my mind. I’m very tired yet my mind just whirs constantly, I have a shedload of work to last me half a lifetime, and it feels like I’m just treading water and waiting.

But each evening I’m trying to remind myself of all the things that make me feel safe and comfortable. I try and immerse myself in something so I don’t feel so sad or overwhelmed. Whether it’s reading Harry Potter for the umpteenth time or doing some work, I find that my evenings *have* to be busy. Otherwise I just mope about and dwell on things, and I just can’t do that to myself at the moment.

We don’t have the central heating on at the moment, but the weatherman says to expect a cool October. I’ve been putting a fire on each evening just in one room, and we tend to stay here throughout the evening. For me, open fires tend to evoke a sense of security and cosiness. I can stretch out with the cat infront of the fire, wrapped in my chenille throw or my duvet and feel as trouble-free as I did when I was a child.

I’m also coming to the end of my carrot crop. I’ve been really pleased this year, although this last row has been host to a few forked wiggly wonders. The last few weeks have seen me neglecting the Smallest Smallholding and the allotment - I have no idea how the leeks that Mum and I put in are doing. Hopefully the rain tomorrow will help them along. I haven’t been able to allot any brain space to planning ahead for planting in the season. In fact, I’ve forgotten to check on the kale plugs I shoved in the ground a few weeks ago. I hope they’re still there and haven’t been ravaged by slugs. Got to make a mental note to check on them tomorrow. That’s if I remember to make a mental note…

I think I’ve left it too late to be able to grow and harvest anything over winter - the veg plots are almost completely bare so I think my best bet is to just sow a load of green manure and try to really make the best of the soil for the spring. As I’ve said a million times before, the soil here is so sandy and well-draining that it tends to be a bit poor on the nutrition side of things. So I guess that’s my winter plan, unless there’s anything I can put in before now? I think I have plenty of time to get some garlic in before C*******s (not allowed to mention the ‘C’ word until at least after Bonfire Night).

On the plus side, Maureen and Yoko are fairly sprightly. I think Yoko is doing another mini-moult. She tends to be quite chipper when it happens, probably because she stops internal laying. It’s good to see her in a good mood and joining in. We’re even thinking of getting a couple more girls.