Ok so months and yes months have slipped by with no reports or blog post from myself.

I was unwell some months ago with low B12 which after a time I happily recovered from .

However I ve had a very bad run of it of late. As I was knocked side ways with getting unwell again.

To cut a very long boring story short .

I fell very badly in the Jan 2020 hurt my neck was in pain the whole of the lockdown here in Ireland. Unable to get any form of medical help apart from pain killers, that did not help .After months I was finally able to start seeing a osteopath .

Who says my road to recovering is going to be long one for sure .

Ive been unable to blog, due to head aches and pain coming from the neck. looking and writing on screens does it no favours what so ever.

However at last I am getting 2 or 3 hours a day with a bit less head pain .Therefore I am going to try and update you all.

With the nicer parts of my life which I have still been doing and enjoying .Its been slower but i ve still achieved much this year.

The products from the land have been great .

The weather has been rubbish but still we have grown a lot out doors .

We have made some mistakes along the way and next year will most likely plan and gets some things up in different ways .However learning is all part of the process in the gardening and growing life.

We have had at least 16 different kinds of vegetables growing on the land.

A wonderful fence worth of sweetpea flowers that just kept giving and giving flowers.

Huge onion patches and huge potato patches .

fences of peas .

corgette plants that gave and gave.

Cucumbers by the bucket full to date over 70 cucumbers and they keep coming. Infact so many the chickens are now being feed some as well.

Now the pumpkins are starting to swell up and we will watch them develop over the autumn .

we have eaten so much fresh veg from our land.

Its filled our hearts with joy watching it grow ,picking it ,preparing it and finally eating it .

We have had so many days where 90 percent of the food on our plates is from our land .

That s in the first year of growing in fact. I am very proud to be able to say that.

We have bottled and pickled food for wintertime ‘

The hens are still producing about 10 to 12 eggs every day which is lovely.

Its really wonderful sitting for a family meal knowing that maybe only 1 item on the dinner plate is from the store .Maybe the Rice or Pasta .Then some days not one item in our meals is from a store all from our land .

Since we have started grown our own foods. we pray prayers of such thanks at meal times to the Lord. As we so clearly see how he provides for all our needs .

May we carry on growing and finding such joy.

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The wind most days has been icy cold.

We’ve had Hale on and off plus at least 3 times snow has layed.

There’s been at least 4 storms all with wonderful names which I cannot remember now!

It’s rained, rained and rained the fields look like swimming pools.

My drive way is a mud track even the shingle and stone we layed isn’t helping much 🤔.

The weather has the change soon! 😉

It’s kind of getting me down.

I had b12 deficiency which can take 1 year to totally recover from.

Plus I’ve heared that the amount of vitamin D3 you have in your body effects your levels of b12.

Of cause D3 is from the sun light so all in all, I’m not moaning but I need spring at least to hurry up, pretty please.

The snow we’ve had has been more than my son ever saw in the UK.

That was great even I enjoyed that.

So pretty calm and peaceful snow always seems to me.

I wanted to start planting seed s in our polytunnels in February.

They are really old polytunnels that just about work. They don’t have doors that fit well and they really are showing signs of age.

Therefore they don’t trap the heat so well.

They are still to cold even now in the middle of February to plant any vegetable seeds out into.

The seeds wouldn’t grew in the temperature in the polytunnels.

So having to wait until March and hope things start warming up by then!!

The 3 areas we have covered for vegetable patches this year are water logged 😣.

I truly hope not every year in Ireland is as wet as this one has been.

Otherwise I think we will need to grow everything undercover.

That would mean 3 new polytunnels and finance from the money tree!!

Or somehow it might just happen?

Umm please show me a good spring to lift my spirit and let me start my growing season somehow.

Positive note chickens are still laying 😊.

Here are the beautiful pictures of the snowy times in the past fews weeks where I live.

I loved taking these pictures of nature in the snow.

Well keep warm and safe while wild weather carrys on.

I try as much as possible to use chemical free products.

As we all know chemical s in products like shampoos, washing up liquid s and cleaners all go down our sinks and toilets into our soils and rivers polluting the land we grow on and the animals.

Yes I could buy brands of natural washing up in a store but these are costly.

So soapnut washing up liquid I made.

It does not make many bubbles, but when used with good hot water you get a few.

It does a turn!! It’s not terrible will do the job you might need abit more elbow grease but I think it’s worth it for sure and better for the earth.

So 1 cup soapnut.

6 cups water.

Boil in pan 20 mins.

Let cool and strain into bottle.

Enjoy your washing up 💜

Today is the last day of 2019.

Last year we were on a beach in co kerry.

This year we take a visit to Archill Islands to see the beaches there!

About 1hour 45 minutes from our home in co mayo.

Such a scenic drive so stunningly beautiful for sure.

We spent the afternoon at Keel beach and keem beach.

Time to walk breath fresh and enjoy one another’s company and look forward to the start of another year 2020 😉💜.

So I look back on my blog post for last day in 2018.

To see how I was feeling then and what my hopes where for the following year of 2019!

I had wished that we would strive to spend time together as a family, not filling our lives with stuff and money but making memories together. As I believe they are worth more and will be a gift in my sons mind when he’s older something no one can take away from him!

Well I feel we did make so many wonderful memories this year and that fills me with a true happiness inside.

I also hoped that we would be more self-sufficient.

Yes it’s early days but we’ve grown some veg this first year here. Even kept greens going over the winter period.

Therefore I can happily say my year has been so productive and joyful most days.

My hope for this year is very similar.

I’ve learnt the true importance of family being able to spend more time together.

The joy of being able to have meal times together.

I would like to be more self-sufficient this year to establish more vegetable patches, better polytunnels, more kinds of vegetables.

We wish to up size our hen s in spring.

Maybe even some ducks 🦆🐔🦆.

It’s an amazing experience living life this way.

Happy New year and peace to all 2020.

So my hubby has a few days off over Christmas period. We are very thankful and delighted, for that after 24 years off no days off over the Christmas period apart from Christmas day.It’s still sinking in that we truly get time together 😊.So the past few days have been yucky rainy weather quite the norm really how ever does nt seem to much of a break from this weather at present.So we decided to brave the weather and go to the beach what ever!Boots, jumpers, rain coats and of course the kite.1hour 20 mins away from where we live to see for the first time.Old head beach co mayo.With St Patrick’s mountain over looking it.It was stunning scenery.The weather was just breezey with a few heavy spots of rain but not to bad.The wind was on and off so the kite only stayed up for a little while but still worth bring it along.The walk and views were fab.A few pictures of our day below.

A year ago we spent our Christmas on valetina Island.Which was the first place we went. when we first come over to Ireland.Looking back now and remembering how we felt then.It was a new country and totally new experience for us all.The contrast from leaving a ex council house in a over populated area of UK.To arriving on valentia island was quite something really!A places with just a few houses dotted around it rugged coast line.Harsh rains and gusting winds which some days never stopped blowing and bashing us.The noise of wind down an open chimney rattling and howling.The wind howling on all sides of the house, I almost felt like I was on a boat out at sea with the noise of the wind all around me.However no, I was in a house.Some nights, I lay in bed with the wind howling and rain hitting the window pain.Cosy and snug in my bed, but maybe wondering what had I done!.The weather, so few people and a drive of 1hr 30 min to a food market.One month here was quite life changing it showed us how to slow down, how to be together as a family, to spend time with my husband which had been impossible before.To truly embrace the earth and all its elements that surrounded us in every direction.To hear the wind, feel rain, feel warmth from a fire and smell the welcome aroma of tuft burning in an evening.Valentina might of been quite some eye opener as a first port of call into Ireland and a place to spend our first Christmas here but I’m more than pleased we went there first.One year on after having settled here in Ireland in the West co mayo.We how have our second Christmas here but this time in our own home.We are really happy to be able to spent if together.It will be a quite time and simple but that’s all one really needs.The garden has gifted us sprout for the Christmas Dinner which we are delighted with 😊😊.Next year we hope to pick all the vegetables from our garden for our Christmas Dinner that’s the plan😉.So I hope you all had a peaceful happy Christmas time.Here are a few pictures of our Christmas time.

About 3 nights ago now the West of Ireland was hit by storm Elsa.

With winds upto 120km.

Salthill in Galway was hit quite badly and alot of areas lost electricity.

We of our own stupity forgot the trampoline was up in the garden.

Around 10 pm the whole trampoline blow over the wall!!

Luckily notthing was broken and husband battled the winds and took the thing down.

We will take this down every winter now.

The following night we did have a power cut, I guess it was due to the storm the night before.

So candle light dinner time.

The last few days we’ve had thick thick fog.

Ever changing weather wind, fog and rain.

Maybe next week sun 🙄🤔🙄joke 😩.

Not long now until Christmas day and we are now starting to feel the season a little 🎄😊.

Well one year ago today I left the UK.

In a small car with a couple of suitcases, pillows and my sons favourite polar bear 😍🐻.

We were no fixed abode for along time.

We learnt so much on this journey.

We became friends with many people in Wales who are still friends today.

Over the last months we’ve gained some lovely friendships here in Ireland.

I never knew I would end up in Ireland!

I’m so glad and thankful to be in this lovely country.

I truly cannot sing the praises of Ireland more its beautiful.

Everyday I’m happy to see the countryside and beauty around us.

The people have been notthing but warm and friendly, so thank you all.

Today I’m still amazed at how we are able to grow food in the garden and polytunnels into Nov!!

This afternoon had a crisp bright late afternoon walk and bike ride for my son down the lanes where we live.

Beautiful ❤️🚲.

Nowadays there’s a lot of debate around wheat not being very good for our bodies.

I try not to feed to much of it to my family or myself.

However now and again we like to use spelt flour an ancient grain which researchers say is easier for our bodies to digest.

I sometimes make bread, cakes and biscuits with this flour.

Today we made bread rolls and there is nothing like the comforting smell of warm fresh bread in the house.

Also, some cakes and my son had much fun decorating these.

 

Ok so a few days ago they must have cut all the hedgerows down the lanes.

Sticks, twigs and even log size branches now lay along the roads and in the ditches.

In the damp undergrowth just laying to rot and decompose over time.

well, I cannot just watch them rot.

They have good use so let’s collect them and use them for burning on the fire at home.

So I guess over the next few weeks my son and I. Will have many a walk along the lanes to collect a bit of free wood for the fire back home.

A most enjoyable way to add a bit more exercise to your stroll.

Pulling the cart of wood and your boy along.