Feel like I've forgotten something ...

I had to go to Asda last night. Traumatic.

I decided that I was fed up of not having much comfort when out working, I often have long breaks where I stay in the car and read, so I popped into Adsa and bought myself a little 350ml stainless steel flask. I shan't let it out of my sight as I can't stand the smell that gets left in them when you put stuff in them. Only hot water will be in mine, I took a china mug a couple of tea bags and a little tin of coffee with me. And a spoon. Quite enjoyed myself actually. Sat in my little orange shoe, with my Penguin Classics Pride and Prejudice mug in one hand, Pride and Prejudice in the other. Ok, so it wasn't Pride and Prejudice - Julian Clary's novel is actually un-put-downable, but it I will pick P&P back up once I'm done.

So, I was wandering around Asda and I needed some Milk (organic, obviously), some bread (forgot to pick it up), and ham, so I went to the "Cooked Meats" isle. As you do. I selected the suitable "2 for £3" offer or whatever it was, and remarked upon how expensive ham can be. On my trek through the store to the milk, I wandered past the deli fridge. How the hell is pre- packed deli ham significantly cheaper than pre-packed non-deli ham? It just doesn't make sense. And the deli stuff is also SO much better quality and cut. Bloody supermarkets.

Still, I picked up my two new cake tins as I'm just not going to get time to get to my shop of choice. I got two pyrex tins which are metal, not glass, and they're really sturdy, good quality tins. I look forward to having them for the rest of my life.

So I had an unexpected early night in from work tonight. I've had double the hours this week than last week, so, as usual, I'm shattered. I thought I had my favorite lady to call on last thing, but, luckily I checked my rota in time and I didn't have her. I was disappointed on one hand, but kinda relieved on the other. Tomorrow I MAY get time to bake the birthday cake for my Step-Mum that I should've baked last week, and I MAY get time to make the other secret present for her. Then again, I might not - it may have to wait until Thursday afternoon or Friday. Ho hum. What doesn't kill us makes us stronger.

And I've spent NO time with Madame since Friday. Poor girl, bet she's missing her Mum. I know I'm missing her.

Ethics = Effort. That's why I'm always knackered.

Madame accepted her first visitors today. Jane and Josie came to visit, closely followed by Lou, who all came to meet Goat, eat cake and borrow sensible dome tent, in the name of sharing assets to save money. We like that.

I was planning on sharing another asset too, my abundance of fresh free range local eggs, which I did share. But the little gets got me to part with some of my new and brilliant tomato sauce and my soup in the sterilized kilner jars. Apparently, according to Lou's Mum, food always tastes better when you burn yourself making it. That soup will be awesome as I scalded my stomach with the boiling sterilizing water. Got off pretty lightly with it though. No visible scald. Could've been worse.

So Madame appears to be afraid of children. Josie, actual cutest coolest kid in the universe, appeared to unnerve her somewhat. She did however put that to one side long enough to take a custard cream off her, though!

BBC News 24 was very interesting today. It's fairly interesting most days to be fair but I've become somewhat addicted to the whole Volcano ash debacle as I'm fascinated by how much chaos the lack of air craft trips have caused, that as a nation, as a planet, we are SO reliant on this most polluting, hazard filled, environmentally and socially unfriendly of transports types. I know it's controversial, but I can't help feeling smug about my "only holiday in the UK" policy. I wouldn't be stuck in a poxy airport for a week! But I wouldn't be able to go skinny dipping in the med either. I think we'll stick to the caravan, actually! Just on the off chance that the next door volcano kicks off - that'd be just my luck.

The particularly interesting thing that this has thrown up, though, is the food and sustainability thing.

As a nation we have grown so accustomed to having seasonal produce all year around that the seasons, as far as food goes, now mean very little. See previous blog about tomato prices. I'm ashamed to say that I don't know for definite when the very best time for me to be making sauces is. So used, are we, to having food flown in from all over the world.

The BBC showed video of an avocado orchard/factory/whatever you want to call it in Ghana, and all the tonnes and tonnes of avocados sat rotting in their warehouses that would ordinarily be in Tesco or somewhere. This raised the issue of the unseen impact of the airspace closures. The impact on the everyday farmers and food processors all over the globe, and livelihoods. Then, a further question is asked.

WHY DOES THE ECONOMY SUPPORT AFRICA FEEDING THE UK AND NOT AFRICA FEEDING AFRICA?

Ended up having a naughty food day. Seeing as we were receiving callers this evening I thought it only good manners to make a cake (good excuse more like) so I made my special Rock Star Victoria Sponge. I am going to have spend a few quid this week on a couple of new cake tins as I've suddenly realized that silicone is crap. I'm going to invest in a good set of sponge tins, and I should never have to replace them if I look after them properly.

That's what this old anti-consumerism thing boils down to though. It's not about not buying anything, it's about buying what YOU want and need not what the advertisers want you to buy. The eco-warrior in me then adds to that with buy one good thing instead of half a dozen poor quality things. Not only have you got the disposal of the half a dozen poor quality things to think about but also the energy, chemicals and substances involved in making those 6 poor quality things. The economist in me then adds to buy that one good thing locally, and from a supplier with good ethical policies.

Crikey, having ethics is hard work!

Meadow Mountain

This goat is hilarious. I left for work yesterday evening intending to put her to bed before I left, but just on my way out Hubby said he'd put her in so I could get to work. I had a text waiting for me when I pulled up at my first call from Hubby. It said "This goat's mental! I've just been down to put her in and she's stood on top of the barbecue!" He wasn't all that impressed though really as he'd only finished building it yesterday and she knocked all his tiles off the top. It's a good job the cement had just about set!

We had a big fire in the land today - a controlled one, obviously, and we let the Fire Brigade know before hand, being responsible citizens and all. All of the bramble, fern and rubbish from the main area has now disappeared, the only way possible. It's weird, it doesn't look quite so insurmountable. We still have loads of rubble. Loads of it. So we're making a couple of rockeries. Should be a nice little haven for wildlife in there too. That's my plan for all that space. Wildlife haven. I'm going to plant a meadow.

I have no idea how to do that just yet, but I will research. It will be good for Madame, and more importantly, good for us - no maintenance, with our built in grass cutter. It's SO big and SO steep, I'm not sure what else we could really do with it. I'm going to do some lovely hardy shrubs, maybe hedge, and a lovely big meadow. That should bring in some bees too, maybe next year I'll get my hives. I don't want to take on too much in one go - maybe the pond and orchard will have to wait a little also!

And I never thought I'd say it but, I NEED SOME RAIN!

Countdown to the Highlight of the Year

This has been my weekend in work, hence the quietness. But I'm fairly free, other than my regulars, now for a fortnight.

So Madame is settling in lovely. Only trouble is (she says it like she thinks it's a bad thing!) the little Madame is getting really quite attached to me. To the point that if I go out the back and I'm not going down to see her, I have to hide or she shouts her head off at me! The kisses are getting more frequent, and I've discovered her very favorite thing in the world other than newly fluffed up straw - Rich Tea biscuits. They apparently are like nectar! So Goat Central visitors come prepared, just in case I'm not to ensure some contact!

In my few hour off over the weekend I've taken advantage of the sun and gone and spent a good few hours sitting with her. I have had a little project to do down there also. I have this knotted string bag thing that I keep my onions in. It came around some of those pointless decorative wicker balls from Ikea and has served it's replacement purpose very well. But it's now falling to pieces and is irreparable as it's just deteriorated. So I used some garden twine and I copied it. Took me best part of 3 hours but was simple, therapeutic and effective. Also the chances of me coming down in the morning to find my kitchen covered in free rolling onions are dramatically reduced. As per usual, not content with just making one thing that simple and useful, I'll be rolling it out for a multitude of predominantly fruit and veg holding purposes. Amongst other things, I expect!

I bought a plastic greenhouse the other day. I figured it'd last me a year or two until I assess it's use age and whether or not to think about a glass one or something similar. Sadly, it's not yet up as there were no screws in the box. Hubby has been busy making our Southfork style gates for the land over the last couple of days anyway so he probably hasn't had 5 minutes to find new screws let alone put it up. I might do it myself tomorrow, but, as usual after only 2 full days (0800 - 2300) of work, the house it a state.

I'm still dying to get on with my weekend bag I have in my mind, but the official Download countdown has started, so I'm starting to think about what I need/want, have to make/mend and alter. Starting with my cowboy sun hat. It needs to be different to the other 20,000 people that wear them. I'm thinking buttons. And I'm still ever hopeful that I'll have a men's trilby in black or grey or something similar donate by then too.

COME ON CALLAN - GET CRACKING!!!

*** NEWSFLASH *** ***GOAT HEADLINE NEWS ***

Well I think I've found my calling in life.

I like horses, but I know they're an awful lot of commitment and work that I'm not sure I'm up to. Goats, are a lot less of the same sort of work, but still a lot of fun. I think the teenager of the house might disagree with me there though!

So anyway, the goat headline. Are you ready?

Thanks to my local friendly smallholding neighbour, Hubby and he discovered that....

HE IS ACTUALLY A SHE!!!

There is a distinct lack of todger and presence of boobies. Within a few seconds of the discovery she had miraculously turned from a handsome young man to a sexy doe. I wonder if you can buy hoof paint?

So, Duffle is now "Madame". And I think her name suits the little cow just beautifully. She makes our Labrador look like a brain surgeon. But she's starting to love me, and I just adore her. She fogged up my glasses today sniffing me, follows me everywhere and I got a proper full on goat kiss. It does mean that Ms Callan needs to stop flirting with my goat totty now, or pledge allegiance to the "other side"!

Did you know goats suck up water to drink? I bloody didn't! I nearly wet myself when she puckered up in her drink trough earlier! She got herself a proper food basket today from our smallholding neighbour too.

So I've been doing some research about keeping. There is actually a "goat keeping for dummies" book available! The second most interesting thing I've really learned is that it really is quite important to have a herd, even if that means just two (I'm rather liking the look of the pygmy goats!) but far more important than that

I'VE FOUND A CROCHET PATTERN FOR GOAT SWEATERS!!!

Take a look at this ... I'm so in love...I feel a herd coming on ...

http://fiascofarm.com/goats/goatsweater.htm#crochetkid