A gale!

   We have had a gale and there have been casualties! The main force of the wind blew right at the end of the main buildings and took out the guttering on either side of barn. Fortunately this guttering is a clip together type and I have been able to put it back together without too much trouble. Fingers crossed and the rain and wind has stopped for a couple of days. The amount of rain that has fallen has been incredible and has made the ground soggy and impossible to work, however, it will only take a day or two and conditions will change! It looks like that opportunity has come. The forecast is good.
   I continue to pull turnip-swedes and more I eat them the more I like them. Still a few leeks left and even some carrots! There is cabbage a plenty but no one wants to eat them but me. Cabbage soup anyone?
   In the poly tunnel the first sowing of radish has now germinated and the second lot sown. These 18 Jour (18 day) radish are really good for succession sowing. I have one volunteer 

18 Jour radish

lettuce! I guess some seed was dropped or brushed off the table. Still if it matures and it is looking good a lettuce is a lettuce! There is also a salad bowl lettuce. It is the one survivor of a fungal attack that killed off the rest. Still it is all but ready so I will have a few home grown lettuce leaves very shortly! I have sown some summer leeks and salad bowl lettuce in pots and brought them up to the house where hopefully with the warm room they will germinate and I can then return them to the poly tunnel. I already have some Little Gem lettuce sown the same way that have germinated and I have hopeful to get a few lettuce plants from this sowing.
   I noticed that the peach blossom buds are starting to break. This year they are earlier than the cherries. Not a good sign and I suspect it will be a poor year for peaches.
   On the animal front the sheep are being sheep but most of the rams will now come and feed from my hand. Hopefully that will continue and it will make catching them for shearing a little easier for sure. The new chickens are settling in and one is exploring the garden quite happily. The other is still sticking to the coop and we suspect she has become the chicken at the bottom of the pecking order. Hopefully she will start to explore at some point. Egg production has been down and I suspect that has been due to the weather. If they do not buck up soon there will be consequences!
   As for the weather not only did my guttering suffer but loo what happened to the swing!