Good progress in the greenhouse

I managed to get some good planting done today in the greenhouse - we now have the following on the go: salad leaves, radishes, sweet corn, tomatoes (various), red & yellow peppers, chillis (various), cucumber, aubergine, runner bean, courgette, marrow.










And next week the new greenhouse arrives ... and it should look like this. We are putting it behind the chicken shed on the hard-standing so it is convenient to get to. I will post photos as soon as I take them.

Back from Hols

Here are some photos from this year's holiday in Hong Kong and Vietnam. More to follow ...

On our "private" yacht/junk in Halong Bay

Elegant couple on yacht as above

Three explorers at Ho Chi Min's Mausoleum in Hanoi

Me defending North Vietnam from hostile aircraft!

Please join Chicken Out

Our girls are outside free and happy. Please join this campaign to raise the standards for other chickens. http://www.chickenout.tv/

Gardening - well Jo gardening actually

Yes the gardening season is upon us again. So its more time at the garden centre, in the veggie patch, and in the greenhouse. Here is Joanne getting into the swing of things.

Purchasing a few new plants








Planning which seeds to plant when







Shuffling some of our many many snowdrops







Picking some leeks for tea

Al Harding ... pub landlord

Beer for the Men - actually Stout, IPA, (or Ginger beer) down in the cellar. The position of Cellarman is currently vacant.





Wine or a Fruit-based drink for the Ladies - Dingle Damson Wine, Damson Gin, Sloe Gin, Pineapple Gin. Some gents like these too!

Wine at the Dingle

The wine rack is now populated - shop-bought to the left and home-made to the right. We have a few more gallons of home-made that will be ready soon - damson, plum and greengage - so we'll have less empty spaces.

Filling up









Ten (not) green bottles

Bodie and Doyle

The boys carry on maturing:

• Bodie is the more mischievous, and the one who wakes us up in the morning
• Doyle is the cuddlier, the better tree-climber, and first to the food bowl.

They are both great!

Bodie up a tree

Doyle conserving his energy

Clearing the Pigstys

Today was Day 1 of clearing out the Pigstys ready for Dingle pigs. We drew on Shotter-power to assist, and Andrew and Harry threw themselves into it. Caz and Sophi (not a Shotter but helped out too) provided some more gentle assistance.

More to do yet ... but a really great start.

Bye bye Nicki chicken

Nicki chicken has shuffled off this mortal coil and joined the choir invisible. She was a bit sluggish last night, and sadly didn't make breakfast. The Speckledy hens are relatively delicate so its sad but not a great surprise.

We're back from Merrow

We've just got back from Sue & Shahid's in Merrow. It was great to catch up with them both and to see how the house is coming on. Both are doing well - Sue is recently back from Barbados (work) and is well; Shahid is concerned about the situtation in Pakistan at present.


Sue & Shahid







Me with S&S








Me and Jo with Sue

World's Biggest Wine Rack?

Work is progressing down in the cellar ... possibly the world's largest wine rack is taking shape. At an estimated capacity of 416 bottles it should keep even the Harding household in wine and Champagne for a while!

Happy Christmas

Happy Christmas everyone - hope you had as relaxing a few days as we all did. We were joined by Nicki, Sue, Dot and Pete and did the whole eating and drinking thing properly.

Al, Jo and Turkey

Christmas Dinner Table

Boxing Day brekkie

Boxing Day buffet

Bye Bye Blackbird

AMAZING!!! - I have just watched from my desk a Kestrel drop down and take a blackbird who was minding his own business eating crab apples on our tree. I just managed to get the camera and long lense to see our predatory friend heading off with lunch.

It clearly spooked the chickens, but they are back scratching around again now ... though perhaps a little more alert than before.

Christmas Decorations

We enlisted 2/3 of G6 to help with decorating the Dingle - Joanne (and me), Lisa (and Scott), Janine, and Jane. With two 9 foot trees it really required organisation (too many managers?) and of course alcohol. Shaun the Sheep adorns the tree in the dining room.

Fondue night

Here are three happy ladies enjoying the Dingle's inaugural fondue evening. I guess this qualifies as a cheesy photo?

Breakfast time

Here are Dave and Martin (with the muscles) from Shropshire Pine enjoying a Dingle breakfast while on one of their many visits to fit wooden radiator covers and pelmets.

Tenerife

We managed a pre-Christmas break in Tenerife this year - Mum and Helen looked after the cats and chickens so we could holiday with a clear conscience! Great weather, lovely apartment (thanks Sharon) and some nice food.

Fireworks at the Dingle

Fireworks night at the Dingle was cold, dark, loud, and alcoholic. We sampled the homebrew and I made a chilli. Nicki brough vol au vents which all went very fast.

Long lie-in

Bodie and Doyle started the day slowly today - sharing Bodie's favourute chair ... its a cat's life!

Cute but deadly.

Bodie and Doyle continue to look cute, even though they are spending all day out in the garden terrorising the small mammal population. So if you look vaguely like a mouse, mole, frog or bat think VERY carefully before coming to the Dingle.