Almost full stop

  Another week has flown by and now December is knocking on the door. Once more the general garden has taken a back seat. Mind you the weather has not been favourable for a couple of days but hey the weather can always be an excuse. Talking of which the forecast is for colder and wet weather here in la Creuse over the next week. Might even snow.

Ginger Plant

The picture of the ginger is of one of my little experiments. It is a ginger plant grown from a bit of organic ginger. It has been in the pot since last February! I have now transplanted it as it has a good root system but not a lot of ginger! Maybe in a  years time? 
  I continue to clear the pine tree I had cut down. I have now had a nice bonfire and I would  guess I am about half way through. I continue to pull carrots, swede, leeks, parsnips and pick spouts. I have a very 

Amusing escapade.

good crop of carrots this year even better than last year which was also a good crop. That is about it as far as gardening goes for this week. Plenty to do but somehow time defeats me. The picture of the chickens amused me. The Buff Orpington is on the coop roof having run and flown away from the cockerel (in the foreground).
  All the other animals are fine. The chickens seem to be starting to lay again but only one or two a day so far.

Oh dear. Oh dear.

   Another two weeks has gone by. They have been eventful but not from a gardening point of view. My youngest daughter got married so I was back in the UK for almost one week and the weather has been wet and miserable.
   I mowed grass, cleaned out the fowl (ducks and chickens) coops and moved a bit more of the cut down fir tree to the bonfire site. I have now taken the netting off the sprouts and I have picked the first lot. These are the first sprouts that I have been able to grow successfully in France. Pulled some carrots and dug up some leeks. Shifted a few weeds. There is plenty to do in the garden. Just have to do it! Still lots of vegetables. Sprouts, cabbage (two types), leeks, beetroot and swede. Oh, lots of weeds. With November moving along the air temperature has got several degrees cooler. That means the grass is giving up growing! For now anyway.
   I made butternut squash soup today. First time. It was quite nice. 
   On the animal front today the hens honoured me by laying two eggs!!! Looks like they are pretty much done with molting so here is hoping for more eggs. One our rams is getting himself well and truly beat up. His eyes are swollen and he has some cuts. Really all over girls!
   Ok, I am just babbling here so I will close and fingers crossed a more productive week ahead.

FULL STOP!

   So what excuses can I make for not doing much over the last week or so? My youngest daughter was out for a couple of days, the weather (nope!), shopping, short days? Anything else? Cannot think of anything. Must just be lazy.

    What has been done? Well, I mowed grass. I picked pumpkins with the grand children. I pulled some beetroot, cooked and pickled it. I moved Mr Jumper (a ram that has an inclination to jump fences!) well away from the ewes. I cleaned out the duck coop. Mucky critters these ducks. There was a good frost. Finished off the sweet peppers, aubergines and haricot. Cleared some of the pine tree that I had had cut down. There is a lot of it!

    I am having trouble finding a couple of pictures too! Dear oh dear. Must get back into doing stuff. There is plenty to do.
    On the animal front the chickens are still on strike. One egg, every other day! Not good enough I say but they just cluck and wander about. The new hens, the buff Orpingtons, have grown and are now confident enough to come out and wander their pen. They are still weary of Mr. Ixworth, the cockerel. Sheep are being sheep. Ducks are being ducks.
     Here is a picture of the ducks have a snooze and another of the moon rise on the third of November. 

Moon rise 3rd November 2017