March has brought sunshine and daffodils...
and plenty of stormy weather
Our window sills are filling up fast with seed trays
I get very excited when the seedlings first push their way through the soil; I find it amazing to think that in just a few weeks each seedling will grow taller than me and produce a mass of mange tout, tomatoes, cucumbers....
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We have come across a brilliant seed company :
Real Seeds
PO Box 18, Newport, Pembrokeshire SA65 0AA
www.realseeds.co.uk
orders@realseeds.co.uk
Facebook page : Real Seeds
Everything this company does they do well and
they actively encourage people to save their own seeds for future years;
if you are a beginner to vegetable growing they recommend:
"Grow Your Own vegetables"
by Joy Larkcom ISBN 071121963X
and
for seed saving information there is a wealth of information on their website and they recommend :
"Back Garden Seed Saving"
by Stickland ISBN 978-1-899233-15-1
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On and around the croft
The peach tree in the greenhouse, now in it's 4th year,
is producing abundant blossom,
so it's looking good for another bumper crop;
it produced over 100 peaches last year.
~~
Our asparagus plants that I started from seed in 2017 have now started to produce spears, my patience has paid off !
They should continue to produce spears for at least 15 years, progressively producing more spears each year
and some plants can last up to 40 years, I like that idea.
~~
This is my first attempt at growing mushrooms,
this is where Zara pony earns her keep with plenty of well rotted manure !
~~
I planted 94 pussy willow whips to grow into a wind break and boy do we need wind breaks !!
Apart from 6 or 7 that Zara thought were in the wrong place, I'm pleased to say that all the others seem to have taken nicely.
~~
I love it when the pussy willow starts to show it's furry blossom, always looks lovely.
~~
Zara pony has been with me for 2 years now and to celebrate the occasion she had her two pals come on down for a sleep-over
Wilma looks like she found a tasty morsel out on our walk
Spot the dog !
In our house always check the chairs before sitting down !
especially now that Tilly
seems to have taken over the dog's bed
~~
Our geese just hanging around in the sunshine
This is now the time of year for the geese to lay their handsome eggs.
~~
In between the hail stones and the winds I know why I love it here so much
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The Gorse Bush Cafe at Kinlochewe, Wester Ross
Rupert Shakespeare, owner and chef of the Gorse Bush, looking pleased after serving a group of us an excellent lunch to celebrate a friend's birthday.
Rupert with lovely fiancee Jenny
Go check out the Gorse Bush
email : info@thegorsebush.com
01445 - 760423
mob : 07709 - 685940
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Book of the Month
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Website of the Month 1
www. ciwf.org.uk
compassion in world farming
For nearly 35 years now I have been a vegetarian and in recent years have become ever more concerned with how my food is produced and where it comes from;
hence our current lifestyle and growing a large proportion of our own food.
As a vegetarian I like to eat cheese, butter and yoghurt and like milk in my tea,
but with more information of the dairy industry I am now being drawn to a vegan diet.
Below is a quote from the CIWF website:
"Naturally calves suckle from their mothers for up to a year and maintain a strong bond with her for several years. However, in commercial dairy farming, nearly all calves are taken away from their mother within hours of birth. This causes distress to both the cow and the calf and has long term effects on the calf's physical and social development. Most female calves will be reared to join the milking herd but as male calves cannot produce milk, they are considered surplus to the dairy industry . Male calves will either be shot after birth or sold to be reared for veal or beef"
~~~~~~
Suddenly,
that cheese sandwich doesn't seem quite so appealing now.
The price on that plastic bottle of milk may seem cheap at the checkout but it comes with a high price
for animal welfare and probably for the mental wellbeing
of those working in the dairy industry.
BUT
we have found a homemade, dairy free alternative
that is delicious !
It looks good, tastes fab, is easy to make
and
no plastic bottles or tetra-paks to manufacture and recycle
Recipe for making oat milk
from Melanie McDonald
https://avirtualvegan.com/oat-milk
Ingredients
90g oats ( preferably organic)
960mls water
Method
- soak the oats for about 15 minutes
- pour through a sieve and discard the liquid
- rinse the oats well under running water
- add 720mls of water
- blend until smooth
- check the thickness and add extra water as you want
- strain 2 or 3 times through a sieve
- put into a lidded container and store in the fridge
- will last for 3 to 4 days
- shake before using
- drink and enjoy
Give it a go, you may like it;
we're now looking into making dairy free butter and cheese,
we'll let you know how we get on.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
If you are interested in finding out more about the dairy industry here is another fine link :
https://www.lowimpact.org/taking-calves-away-mothers-cruel-want-practice-stopped-prepared-pay-milk/
If you want to see how milk production can be done ethically and
possibly how most of us would like to think it is being done
have a look at:
Fiona Provan at
Home Farm, Somerleyton, Suffolk, NR32 5PR
www.the-calf-at-foot-dairy.co.uk
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Never forget that
consumers drive markets and
consumer choices will create changes
in the way things are done
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Website of the Month 2
www. rebellion.earth
see also their Facebook page :
extinction rebellion highlands and islands
The number one mission of this movement is to get the Government to tell the truth on climate change
(or climate breakdown as it is often referred to these days)
and act NOW before it's too late
Malcolm has already started to do his bit
Malcolm says that this is his first ever public protest march !
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
2 Quotes for the Month
"Breathing in, I calm body and mind. Breathing out, I smile. Dwelling in the present moment I know this is the
only moment."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Letting go gives us freedom and
freedom is the only condition for happiness.
If, in our heart we still cling to anything,
anger, anxiety or possessions -
we cannot be free."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
both from Thich Nhat Hanh
Vietnamese Buddhist monk, born 11th October 1926
author of more than 100 books
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Just a thought
courtesy of Ecological Consciousness Facebook page
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Update on Malcolm's Mum
Mum was looking well and happy on Mother's Day
and enjoying her bouquet of flowers,
ordered from Farm and Garden in Gairloch,
thank you Gary and Wendy.
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Visitors to the croft
We ended the month with a visit from some slightly crazy friends from Norfolk,
I don't think we stopped talking and laughing for two days.
Thank you Kelvin, Suzanne, Mark and Tracey for making the trip to the Highlands
Thank you Janis and Steve at the Love Croft B+B in Laide
for looking after our friends,
10 out of 10 for everything !
and
even though we are not what you'd call a spectator sport,
there were more spectators than swimmers last Sunday.
We hope that you have enjoyed this month's mix
of photos and fun; wishing you a happy, carefree April wherever you happen to be,
from Malcolm and June and the Gang
xxxxxxxxxxx
☯
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