Holotna

Vso normalno.
-26℃. Luckily no wind so no chill factor.
Should be warmer tomorrow.

I shound be checking my chili and artichoke seeds, but I don't know where to put seedling if there is any. The sun is too low to shine through our windows donwstairs and upstairs there is no room for them.

So instead I'm eating crickets (crickets and salted peanuts with chili) and watching Grand Desingns New Zealand on telly. There's no snow (yet).

I think I should get the snow off the trampoline before it gives up. Springs might hold but the net is a bit too stretched. Maybe it will be tolerable to go doing stuff outside in the weekend.

The Beast from the East

Or the blast from Siberia.
Yup. Cold.
-20℃, and with wind chill it feels like -26℃. Tomorrow -24℃, with wind chill -29℃. Not very funny. 'Suma can't stay out longer than max. 30 min with jacket, so no long walks this week. Cats can't stay out even that long. I have a house full of nutcases trying to make me insane, talk about cabin fever!
So, what to do?
Defrost one's freezers, of course!
It was actually long overdue task, but I haven't had time to do it.
Apparently we have one big Ikea bag of ice cream. Nobody wants to eat them at the moment. I wonder why...

Going nuts

I have bought food (and other stuff like cats' treats) from net store similar to Approved food   (I've better not to look up AF because I can't make an order because of postal fees) once every two months. But now I have a problem. Last order a month ago included a box of muesli bars (with lots of nuts but no raisins). Which were delicious. Note "were". ES, who doesn't eat, ate those bars, and told me he had eaten all of them.
So. A teenager who doesn't eat has found something he likes, and it costs twice as much elsewhere... They are also high in energy and high in fiber, which both are lacking in ES's diet. Should I make an order - there is also cheap(ish) puppyfoor for 'Suma.
Should I take the risk they won't be available anymore in next month when I was planning to make another order?

Sooo... Of course I made an order. Byebye money and well-laid plans.

I have spent a lot of money this year so far. Money for nothing occasionally (I had to buy car parts to my car and the it appeared they were wrong parts and the fault wasn't in those parts anyway and NOW I have to buy another part and that is also not free). Money well spent, too. I bought my first reading glasses, but I got them cheaply (kind of) because my old friend from school owns the place. Hope I learn how to use them, because honestly - I haven't been able to read that small print on labels for two years now.

On the other hand I have been doing good stuff. I have kept the house warm mostly with woodburners. I have been experimenting on different meals, made veggie burgers (first time ever) and fish cakes (second time ever). Veggie burgers not so great succes with kids (though D really liked them; next time I won't be using so much tarragon), and only two kids liked fish cakes, but hb ate them with vigour.
Last night I made omelettes, one with really really cheap sausage (hb loves that stuff, he doesn't like meaty sausages!), one with cheese and one with spinach. 7 eggs (10c per egg), a splash of milk (5c?) leftover cheese (max 50c, likely much less), 50c for the sausage and maybe 10c for butter, spices and electricity. So 1,85€ meal for six people and leftovers for hb's and my lunch, not bad.
On the other day I was raiding the fridge and found several seen-the-best-days-a-long-ago veggies like swede, cauliflower, broccoli, some iceberg lettuce, diced tomatoes... So I made soup. Now I have 9 containers of soup (each 2 portions) in the freezer for me to take to work for lunches. With free bread (provided by my mother) they make pretty cheap lunch.

This weekend I'll be browsing my seeds for the next summer. I think I have everything I'd like to grow - I had to adjust my plans because the crash of polytunnel, but with this kind of winter it really doesn't do much difference. Growing season won't begin before late April.
Maybe I'll sow some chillis?

Not a heatwave

Last ten days I have been walking the puppy and trying to keep the house warm. There is finally a decent winter after all the lousy years. That also means temperatures keep low, today has been coldest day so far, -17℃.
I usually rotate between heating kitchen stove and the big heat-storing fireplace, but because the cold I have to lit a fire every day to the big fireplace. And that means I have to keep hauling firewood inside. Now I'm up to two loads of wood, if weather keeps getting colder I might have to succumb to increase electric heating. And then of course there is the woodburner in the extension, but it needs only a half load of wood for the whole day (ant that could count also as a heat-storing system, because chimney is two stories tall and the damper is right next to the ceiling on the upper floor, so when the chimney has warmed, it gives warmth on both floors.
Heating the house during cold winters isn't about convenience, it is about keeping all systems operational. If I'd let the house get cold, I might end up with frozen waterpipes and drainage, and maybe even with some structural damage/water damage or moisture inside walls (I'm not talking about some condensation on the windows).
'Suma is a bit bored, she can't take long walks because of the cold. Yesterday we tried our basic route, but even wearing a shirt she was shivering half way and I had to pick her up and wrap inside my shawl. So short walkies.

So. It is cold and my polytunnel has collapsed. Darn.

Orange is the new Black(ie)

Meet Satsuma, our new puppy.

How hard is it to take a photo of a black puppy?

We have been looking for a puppy for nearly a year. We didn't want too big dog, not too small. Not too eager to chase game, but eager to go to long walks. Not too hard to train, but not too timid. She's been with us since friday, and so far so good - no fights with kittens, no pooped carpets.She was not supposed to be house trained, but seems to be. When she has to go, she goes to nearest door and sits very nicely to wait. Last night I got to sleep all the way from 11pm to six o'clock in the morning.

Winter wonderland in gray

We have been living in the winter wonderland. Thick frost has covered practically everything, and without sun there is only shades of white, blue, grey and black. One of the villagers has made country skiing tracks with his snowmobile, and our kittes use track as their jogging path.
There is a lot of footprints, cats, rabbits (hares), deers, but I didn't find any fox prints.
Two youngest might ski on that track, I haven't skiing since sixth form, hate it with a passion.
Behind the trees tehere is a little pond, now frozen, we are planning to go skating there (right after I have bought a new skates for D because she has once more overgrown her skates...).

Oh bugger

Yes, I have noticed the winter is here. First i the November the polytunnel was blown away (plastic cover). We set it back and tucked it tightly and neatly, no sagging  anywhere to prevent water or snow accumulating on it.
And then came third or fourth storm this winter, and with very sticky wet snow there was at least 20cm pile of snow, which turned to slush and there went crashing down my tunnel... It's broken. Metallic pipes of frame were bent and stretched, but the covering is intact. In the morning when I left for work, there was no snow over the tunnel at all, and by 3pm the whole thing was down ( I left work ealry just for specific purpose to take snow off the tunnel... too late).

I'm so mad and sad. Of course I know I should have to build a supporting extra frame inside the tunnel, but I haven't had time to do it. It's been three months of darkness after five o'clock pm when I get back home from work (and then I have to make dinner and make sure kids do their homework), and on free time I have been working on the dining/sitting room and toilet. There is only limited hours in my days and weeks...
So I have to buy a new polytunnel. Were it only the covering, I could have bought that separately, but of course no, it's the framing... Buying a new polytunnel is not a problem (yes, I have a plenty of other things to use my money, but right now it doesn't make me bankruptcy because I have money I was planning to spend on other things on the veg plot and polytunnel and greenhouse...). The thing is I can't begin to sow/plant anything outside now before I have a working polytunnel or big greenhouse and I can't build a new polytunnel until spring when all the snow has melted and ground has softened enought to put new foundations on ground. And by then it will be at least May.

The whole idea of having a big polytunnel was to get a headstart in spring with seedlings (I was planning to put a kind of a greenhouse inside the polytunnel), so aaaaargh. Growing season is so short here north, two weeks delay might lead to unsuccessful season.

Thank you and move on.

On the other news we got some venison to the freezer (one joint from the hunting party that is allowed to use our forest and a couple of pieces from hb:s co worker), as well as lamb from my brother. First small piece of venison made into a stew, a bit too sweet to my taste (I used beer) but no leftovers... D found some edible mushrooms at Christmas when she went to fetch some branches and moss for flower arrangements (all four of our children know their 'shrooms, they have been with me in the forest since they were babies). Wild chanterells go well with game.

Dining/sitting room is missing skirtings (they are waiting in the hallway) because Christmas got on the way, I hope hb puts them on place while I'm at work, otherwise I would have to put them myself and I.m not comfortable with glue or nailgun. And the ceiling is not finished, but I have no idea what kind of wood I need for the planned lattice I have in mind... Work on process.

All I want for Christmas is...

The end of the year is coming closer. We do celebrate Christmas, not because of its religious background but rather of its ancient function - turn of time. Days keep getting darker and darker towards Christmas, and by the 21st Dec day is at shortest. It is by no means turning point of winter, because winter usually starts properly just around the New Year.

Of course there is a feast - or feasts, and gifts. I love giving gifts! Not just gifts, but really thoughtful and meaningful gifts. I have been asking my closest people what would they like to have for Christmas, and by now most of them do understand I DO want to know. I want to give gifts that are wanted and needed. They don't have to be practical or useful - if someone indeed wants to have a snowglobe with singing elves, I'm delighted if I can find one!

I have been known to knit socks only few minutes before we're suppose to open gifts (and finished them on time!) because someone has told they actually would like to have knitted socks only the previous day... Because I KNOW I can make it in time - it gives me satisfaction. I know I'm different.

Our youngests are bit difficult. They usually dont need or want anything specific. Two years ago they asked for... long johns! (they were 10y and 7y at time), last year it was socks and colourful sheets! This year 4S has asked for legos (Which we have tons already) and 5S doesn't want anything.
OS doesn't need anything, but maybe (maybe) he wants to have a video game.
DD wants/needs new drawing pad/ pen tablet, she had one two years ago and it's all worn out. She has spent hours after hours drawing with both paper and pencils and with pen tablet, and is extreme skillful. I think it is not wasted money to buy her a new and maybe a bigger one.

My brother told he needs a decent bread knife, my sister's spouse would like to have a pasta machine or mincer...

So. I'm going to spent money on gifts, and I feel good about it. I don't except to get a lot of gifts, I'm fine if I don't get any. A few years ago I asked for a marble mortar - and I got one. It was lovingly wrapped in two different packages, the mortar and the pestle separately. I feel joy every time I take it in my hand, and I know for sure it didn't cost more than 15€. I could have bought it myself, I know.

It's been snowing and raining on and off, right now there is a 10cm blanket of white stuff, but it's raining water atm so bye bye white stuff. Two weeks ago my polytunnel got off, there was a big storm (power cuts all around) and one specially nastu gust of wind took my poly. It didn't fly far, so during the weekend we just picked it up and put it back. Some strings were cut off, but no holes. Now it's anchored once more and I really hope that was the big storm.

Today was the day. I  cleared top of my wood stove and lit the fire for the first time this autunm. The flue was a bit cold because i ended up having most of the smoke inside... Door open and few minutes later all was good. Maybe there is a faint smell of smoked salmon. Pork chops, some mushrooms and spices are shimmering on the stove tops and kitchen is nicely warm. It's nice to have warm fingers too, because today I work at home and I've been typing since six o'clock this morning.
We have three other fireplaces which I have been using, but lighting the wood stove for the first time is always a special occasion.