We are rapidly heading to one of my favourite times of year. With about a month to go until our last frost date the poly tunnels are filling up with baby plants that still need some protection from the colder days and still cold nights.
So the plant Tetris begins. I remember the game from my younger years where you move blocks around so that there isn’t any gaps. Well little did I know it would become such a useful skill when it came to arranging trays of plants and seedlings on my heated bench and small poly tunnel. I still have a few gaps so I know that means I can carry on sowing April’s seeds.
Watching them grow awaiting the day they get their very own little spot in the garden. Not long now my little plants.
The work on the roof continues but the weather finally broke today. In fact I think I might have caught the sun. You have to love the weather fluctuations in Caithness, four seasons in one day.
The photos below show our progress so far…
Thankfully this is the longest side of the L shaped building at just over 20m long. Nearly time to move the scaffolding round the other side of this roof.
There is no two ways about it, we have definitely been battling the weather with this years big project. Days 2 and 3 were a complete write off. We are happy to wrap up warm and get on with the work but 70 mph winds and snow blowing horizontally is not what you need up on scaffolding to the roof line of a two story building.
Day 4 wasn’t much better but we did manage 10 minute intervals between the storms.
So day 5 and 6 have been flat out. Still strong winds but at least we have made some progress. The tiles and old rotted sarking board has been removed off the first area and replaced with Stirling board.
That was then covered with a water proof membrane.
The first few sheets of steel added and the scaffolding shuffled along the building ready for tomorrow.
We are just hoping the weather gods will be with us and this wind will finally drop so we can make more progress.
Today was the start of this years big project. To be fair I have been securing the materials to complete it for the last couple of weeks.
The mill building on our Croft is easily over 100 years old and the Caithness stale roof tiles have started to split. This creates a definite hazard should one fall in the wind and somebody was walking underneath. It also means the roof is no longer water tight and over time would cause deterioration to the interior of the building.
So this years big project is to strip all of the old tiles and sarking board off. Fit new sarking board, add a waterproof membrane and then cover it up with box profile sheet steel roofing.
Over the last nine years here at Achies we have replaced many of the out buildings roofs but this one being two stories high and massive is a bit more of a challenge.
The day started with erecting scaffolding in front of the area we are starting. Having a partner and a son who are trained engineers comes in really handy at this stage.
The stripping of the tiles then begins. These are not small light weight modern tile. These are stone tiles.
Just as we were progressing nicely this afternoon, George got the call to go for his Covid jab. So we did knock off an hour early but I am really pleased with today’s progress.
Despite there still being a distinct nip in the wind the signs of spring are now starting to show.
It is lovely to see the first true daffodils braving the grey and windy day to bring a ray of sunshine with their glorious yellows and oranges.
But it isn’t just the plants that are showing we are a heart beat away from something that feels a bit more springlike. The frogs seem to have been on overdrive. Whilst walking the dogs I could see the products of their spring imperative all around the Croft.
Spawn in the streamSpawn in the top pondThe main pond is also… full of spawn.
All of this tells me one thing. It is time to dust down the incubator and set it up for the first hatch of the year. We like to start off with a bantam hatch, they are the fastest to incubate at 19 days, so not long to wait for the first little cheep cheep of the year.
We will keep you posted when we candle them to check the fertility. Happy Spring everyone.
We finally got a break in the weather this afternoon, just long enough for us to get suited up and check on the hives.
All of the hives were lovely and calm. We had a few bee come out to say hello but they mostly stayed put.
We put on the queen excluders and added on a super for each hive from last year which still had dregs of honey left in them. The smell of the honey was lovely and the bees will enjoy tidying them up.
We have also switched them from their winter fondant food to sugar solution now the weather is starting to warm up. It always feels good to get an inspection done and see that the bees are doing well.
As we are still battling with the wind and rain there has been no chance of us topping the large conifers behind the big poly tunnel. It is also preventing us checking on the bees. Let’s hope the wind will finally drop tomorrow.
The weather has meant that we can crack on with building the new raised veg beds . There are fifteen veg beds in total, two of which we built and filled before the winter. Over the last week we have managed to build another seven , leaving six left to go.
We have also been busy with the wheel barrow and spade battling our way through the compost bays. It feel great to have finally finished emptying the first compost bay only for it to start getting filled again within 5 minutes with the chicken bedding. Hey ho, it will produce me lovely compost for a couple of years from now. We have started on compost bay two but this one is so much fuller, We may be some time.
The best part was when we got the first bed filled (the one that looked like a pond) I was finally able to get my garlic planted. It would have been floating if I had tried it before so I had to start it in modules. So that is officially my first outdoor veg planting of the year. Hooray, the season begins.
For those of you reading this outside the UK (and many people who are not poultry keepers in the UK) you may not know that it isn’t just us humans in lockdown. There is a highly pathogenic version of Avian flu in the wild migratory birds. While this is (currently) no danger to humans, it is highly infectious and deadly to the birds that we keep. Because of this on the 14th December it became a legal requirement for all of our poultry to be housed in a way which means they have no contact with the wild bird populations.
My poor chickens, ducks and bantams who are so used to a carefree free range lifestyle are locked up tight and we are still waiting to hear when they will get parole. Working on the theory that it will be about the same time as it was when this happened a few years back, I am hoping for an Easter ish release date. Being this far north we are still seeing wild geese flying over while they decide if it is time to head up to their nesting grounds.
That being said, we decided to make a start on preparing a new secure area for my bantams. The ducks and chickens will be allowed back out into the paddocks but I worry my poor little bantams will go broody (which they do all of the time) and fail to come home for curfew. Thus resulting in a tasty tea for Mr Fox.
After finishing the work on re-covering the poly tunnel. I was considering the big area of waste ground behind it. It has massive conifer trees which we had already decided we needed to top. This was mainly due to much swearing last year as we tried to retrieve bee swarms from 30ft up in a dense canopy. I can laugh now at my attempts to climb a tree in my bee suit, but not so much at the time.
Big conifer trees behind the poly tunnel.
So, giving my back a rest from moving barrow loads of compost into the new raised beds, with axe in hand we went to explore. It was too windy to dig out the chainsaw and top the conifers but we could clear the under brush and lower branches. Having done this we discovered the piles of oddments of timber and steel sheeting that seem to appear by magic on any Croft where some kind of building work has taken place. The steel sheeting was somewhat rusted but will make a lovely wind break for my little bantams. As for the wood, we rescued what could be of future use and the rest… I feel another bonfire coming on.
At the end of the day the new area has great promise. All it requires is a small amount of additional fencing, top the conifers and carry a coop round. I will then have some very happy bantams when they are finally let out of lockdown.
There are days I ask myself if I am more than a little bit mad. Today was one of those days. The weather here has been horrible, torrential rain and blowing a gale. Dispute that veg beds are not going to build themselves, so dressed up in my padded boilersuit I braved the elements.
The upside is the great sense of achievement once four beds have been built ready to be filled. The other bonus is that lovely warm feeling you have when you finally come back inside.
I am delighted with how the veg beds are turning out. I can now dream of how they will look filled with produce on a lovely warm summers day. That is always a lovely thought on a stormy day.
After a day working online where I was severely tempted to throw my computer out of the window I decide to cheer myself up by photographing what we have in bloom on the Croft. For so early in the year I had a real treat. How can you fail but to feel more relaxed when you see these little beauties.
SnowdropsPrimrose
Narcissus Tete A Tete (my normal daffs are just starting to bud up.
Crocus trying hard to open in the current cold weather.Willow
Achies Farm 