A full day.

What a day I've had! I started with a couple of hours mucking out the paddocks then a couple more hours pruning an apple and a peach tree. The trees haven't had much care in a good few years, so Moomin and I gave them a good dressing of hay (some of our hay got wet and went mouldy) and then a layer of manure. I didn't want to put fresh manure onto the roots, so the hay was a good way to get round the issue. Both will rot at the same time and then feed the trees. The trees have also been in need of a good pruning for some time. So many branches are crossing over and causing canker and dieback, where they rub and become diseased. I also took a few branches off the evergreen monster that I'm sure is responsible for the death of the two peach trees. I think the monster will have to go eventually, it serves no purpose and I'd love a willow hedge in it's place for basket weaving.

After some cleaning in the house and a bite of lunch, I decided to treat myself with a little arty crafty work. I made a pot of chalk paint as my expensive paint was left in England. Chalk paint here is just as pricey but nowhere near as bad as bathroom paint (£89. a tub!). I used an old salad spinner as mixing pot and put in 1 third plaster/polyfilla to 2thirds paint. I added blue, green and grey until I came to a colour I liked. The unit started out like this one, I wish I'd taken a before and after photo!

 After one coat of chalk paint and a little sanding back, the cats agreed it was good enough.

I drew on a design that I liked in a magazine and adapted it to my own style. I also added a little gold leaf to the handles. Originally this little bedside cupboard was going to be for the printer and sit in the tiny office space I've made under the stairs. Now I'm not so sure! I kind of want to show it off!!!

Just before I go, a quick word about rubbish reviews. Sometimes they can be overly harsh, but sometimes they're necessary to give a reader an idea of what a book is really like.

I've feel like I've had to post too many negative reviews on Amazon lately and I don't know if that's my fault for lack of research or the fault of people who write good reviews of bad books. I don't know, maybe I'm wrong, but sometimes I feel that people review a book because it's written by someone they know or because they don't want to be seen as negative. The permaculture design book is to me a prime example of The Emperors New Clothes. No one wants to say anything derogatory in front of their peers.
I guess I'm annoyed at spending £15.00 for something I'll never read again and was too complicated for the subject covered.

The Garden to Dye for has some good tips, but it seemed to be bulked out by telling the reader how to grow certain plants instead of explaining the many colour variations obtained by adding different mordants or modifiers. The pictures were lovely and there were around 8 or so very useful pages but again, I felt like I'd wasted my money.

I've just ordered the Bealtaine cottage book. I so hope it's going to live up to expectations. I'll do a review on here when it arrives. You can find Bealtaine cottage on Facebook and it's well worth looking at. Fingers crossed the book is a lovely as the FB page.