Week 14
Housekeeping:
a reminder, as much to myself, that I started writing this for my family in Oz. I guess I get a few things off my mind that I don't otherwise have the chance for, being so far from home and all....
I use Google Keep to write things down as they occur to me; I use my phone to take photos of everyday things; my computer stores it all automatically and then I spend an hour or two on Sunday mornings bringing it together. It has become a bit of a habit and I enjoy doing it....
One of the things I have had "pinned" in Google Keep to use later was "My Morning Routine" because I quite often find myself laughing at it. I never quite got around to posting it because maybe it's a bit corny.
Basically, it goes like this: still an early riser, I stumble downstairs and let the dog out - as I open the front door Didgy comes in, dodges between Zoey's feet and lets out a meow in thanks. I then open the kitchen door and let Possum out into the hallway - she dashes straight for the bathroom, where I have to run the shower so that she can have a drink. Then the computer on, coffee machine on, shower for myself, get ready to pick up Lucas and prepare for the coming day.
Now, the reason I finally decided to write about my daily routine is because sadly, Didgy the cat won't be here to share it with me anymore. After 10 years....
Today, Monday 3 April, she wasn't at the door when I let Zoey out. I thought of it briefly and then got on about my other business. Later in the afternoon, I was out mowing and found her dead in the ditch at the front. She is now buried in our Teletubby Hills at the back next to Ozzie, the dog.
I'm not normally a cat person but Didgy was rather special; she knew exactly how to get me to do her bidding - water, food, open the door - far easier to get me to open the door instead of using the catflap - walking on my keyboard was probably her favourite method....
A recent photo of Didgy getting warm under the fire.....
Housekeeping 2
I lost track of the week numbers, so this is actually week 14!
I managed to lose Week 12 altogether whilst trying to fix it up!
Used for centuries in Eastern Europe and Germany, hugelkultur (in German hugelkultur translates roughly as “mound culture”) is a gardening and farming technique whereby woody debris (fallen branches and/or logs) are used as a resource.
Often employed in permaculture systems, hugelkultur allows gardeners and farmers to mimic the nutrient cycling found in a natural woodland to realize several benefits. Woody debris (and other detritus) that falls to the forest floor can readily become sponge like, soaking up rainfall and releasing it slowly into the surrounding soil, thus making this moisture available to nearby plants.
I'm not normally a cat person but Didgy was rather special; she knew exactly how to get me to do her bidding - water, food, open the door - far easier to get me to open the door instead of using the catflap - walking on my keyboard was probably her favourite method....
A recent photo of Didgy getting warm under the fire.....
Housekeeping 2
I lost track of the week numbers, so this is actually week 14!
I managed to lose Week 12 altogether whilst trying to fix it up!
Around the farm
Last week, I wrote about putting up some bird nesting boxes. With the "wild" camera (not properly aligned) we managed to get this...
female pimpelmeesje
Hugalkultur
Just because I haven't got anything else to do..... I started making a hugalkultur garden bed.
Used for centuries in Eastern Europe and Germany, hugelkultur (in German hugelkultur translates roughly as “mound culture”) is a gardening and farming technique whereby woody debris (fallen branches and/or logs) are used as a resource.
Often employed in permaculture systems, hugelkultur allows gardeners and farmers to mimic the nutrient cycling found in a natural woodland to realize several benefits. Woody debris (and other detritus) that falls to the forest floor can readily become sponge like, soaking up rainfall and releasing it slowly into the surrounding soil, thus making this moisture available to nearby plants.
Now, we cut down quite a few trees during the week and so I had a lot of wood and branches left over.
The woodshed is full, so the new wood was not going to be cut and stored straight away. I remembered that I had read about the hugelkultur idea years ago. I'm trying to get our work experience young man interested in growing things - food, mostly. So I told him about hugalkultur and we began making one.
Somehow, I got left with the wheelbarrowing.... I'll let Jelmer finish it off next week!
Busy weekend...
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| Cleaning the BBQ's - must be getting warmer! |
One of the kids gave Janny a big hug - for the BBQ "thanks for the BBQ - it is so expensive"! haha (Maybe they don't have many BBQ's at home?).
A few random thoughts....
quote of the week - by an American living in Den Hague.
If you had just 24 hours left in the Netherlands, what would you do?
Leeuwarden, (Capital of Friesland) European Cultural Capital, 2018
In 2018, events will be held throughout the province and far beyond. The 11 cities 240-km skating marathon has become famous throughout the world even though the winters in which it is held are few and far between. It is major events like this that demonstrate Friesland’s potential to rally its community quickly.
De 100 moaiste objekten fan Fryslân
The 100 beautiful-est (ok, ok, the 100 most beautiful) things in Friesland.
A couple of newspapers and a broadcasting company are combining in a quest to find the 100 most beautiful objects (buildings, features, icons) in Friesland - as a precursor to Leeuwarden becoming the Cultural Capital of Europe, in 2018.
Readers are invited to submit their ideas and an independent jury will determine the top 100 later in the year.
The Frisian language is supposed to be "closest" to English in the languages family tree. Here's a sample - related to finding the top 100 objects.
Omrop Fryslân, de Ljouwerter Krante en it Frysk Deiblêd komme mei in ferkiezing foar de hûndert moaiste objekten yn Fryslân. It projekt mei de namme 'Moaiste fan Fryslân' wurdt no moandei offisjeel presintearre. De Friezen kinne plakken, gebouwen, objekten, ikoanen, ensafuorthinne oandrage wêrfan't sy fine dat dy op de list komme moatte. Dat kin oant en mei 18 maaie.
TV-rige
In sjuery hat sels al in eigen seleksje makke fan de 50 moaiste objekten. De oare 50 wurde troch it publyk nominearre. Sa ûnstiet der in list fan hûndert moaiste gebouwen en plakken. Omrop Fryslân stjoert fan septimber ôf in rige út wêryn't it 'Moaiste fan Fryslân' sjen litten wurdt. Yn in spesjale útstjoering fan Fryslân Hjoed wurdt de winner bekend makke.
De Ljouwerter Krante en it Frysk Deibled komme mei in rige oer bysûndere nominaasjes.
A few contenders...
Waterpoort, Sneek
Vuurtoren (lighthouse) Ameland
The kerktoren (church tower) van Eagum
I'll try to do my bit for tourism in the following months, by posting more photos of the Top 100. I'm guessing a lot of them will be to do with the water...
House For Sale
I'm still getting my weekly email about houses for sale - on the water. It will forever remain just "a nice idea", but every now and then a gem pops up....
Leeuwarden - a relatively new housing estate "on the water"...now, if I can just photoshop Motortjalk Australia into the photo...
Ben coming home from Moscow....
He probably learnt a lot just from the experience, but we're glad he's coming home... (so is he, just quietly).
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| Doll Museum |
...and finally,
Sorry to hear about Didgy!!
ReplyDeleteEnjoyed the post, although no mention of your recently acquired pumpkin seeds that were that were smuggledinto the country at great risk.