It's been a while

It's been a while, and not for good reasons.

Everything is changing. Old man was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, and it is a death sentence. We (my family and relatives and village as whole) have been relying a lot on him, because he's the one who knows everything and can everything. He's been building our house, felling trees for our firewood, taking care of maintenance of village roads, taking care of three houses...
He doesn't have the most worst type of that disease, but even less worse versions are leathal.
Everything is kind of on hold - part of it is of course the season, late autunm/early winter, when there isn't much to do.
My sister moved near to us, to nearby town. Now our distance is 12km instead of 200km. Number one is a delight, even if a bit lively (an understatement if any). I have had a couple of video meetings while having him around, and they were... interesting, to say.

D is attending college much more eagerly than I thought, part of it is because her friends are there. She's much more socially active than she's been for several years.

I put birdfeeders under some spruces in our yard, I can see them from my desk/dining table. One of our kittens is sitting under trees waiting to catch a birdie... No such luck, and I think he spends his time there just to took busy, not actually wanting to hunt.

But life lately has been drifting fron one disaster to another. Like yesterday. I had doctor's appointment at 10 am, and decided to pick some groceries on my way there. And the car died on a parking lot on one of the stores I visited. Great. Fortunately I was near enough to practise, I managed to get there under 15 mins in pouring rain. Great again.
I was supposed to have a minor operation, max 15mins with local anesthetic. Doctor (lovely Russian lady) broke her equipment and I apparently have vein where there are no supposed to be a vein, so a lot of blood instead of a little plaster. Great. Had to wait few hours to get operation done with another equipment (which didn't broke) and now I have two huge patches of bandages (she found another vein in unusual place, no wonder lab nurses have trouble to get blood, my system is all wrong) and no showering for few days. Great. And had to buy medication (antibiotics etc) I was not supposed to need at all. But anyway, a short 15min app turned to three hour saga.
I got the car running (battery had died but managed to came to live again, so I got home. I called an emergency number and they brought me a new (expensive, but not as expensive I feared) battery and replaced it. Old battery was actually hot, so there was short circuit and it would have let me down soon anyway.

Any good things? My workload on next year will be different from what I feared. Most presents are bought, planned( like rocky road I can't make too early) or made. 'Suma is a delight as well cats. Wood burners work fine, and I have plenty of wood to burn.
And I ordered several Doctor Who dvd:s for my own present (because hb isn't getting me anything). They made a serious dent to my bank account, but I really wanted to have something nice after this Autumnales Horrobilis.

And then some

 Forgot to mention:
-battery in car keyes/remote died. Need replacing, but that thing is glued together (by someone who had no idea what he was doing) so it's not the 5min/10€ work, instead it takes 1,5-2 hours and 60-70€ depending how much damage there is. I think I have to buy new set of remotes, and that's about 250-300€. Or I can buy a new car (new to me anyway) and that'll be anything from 3000€ to 20 000€ depending how desperate I am. And that sum doesn't buy me a new car.
-'Suma ate one of my shirts (not the whole shirt but quite a big hole and in a way there were no way of salvaging). The one I was planning to wear next weeks seminar. Now I have to buy a new shirt (because I have very limited wardrobe) because I have no time to sew new one (I have fabric but no tested pattern).

Waiting game

I was so looking forwar for half term. Ha, I was planning to have most of the week off, doing all those previously listed things in veg plot and polytunnel and greenhouse. Time to relax and enjoy autunm.

No such luck. I got called (ordered) to a planning group at work. Two full days of meetings (and  train trips to capital). I got two days off, spent them driving to sister's and back (detour to Ikea).
And on Saturday I took part of emergency exercise organized by local Red Cross. There was also emergency services (fire dept., ambulance crew and police) some other voluntary organizations (I was representing our community committee). Spending six hours in the wind and rain I was exhausted and cold. Now I have headache, slight temperature and sore throat. So this Sunday was the day I was supposed to do all things I had in mind... Nope.

I got clocks switched and separated last garlic bulbs I had waiting. I've given up hope (long ago) to build any new frames this autunm, so I just pulled last golden beets from garlic+beet frame I had this summer and planted all gloves I had. So 20+18 gloves planted. There's also those mini garlics grown from scapes, they might be ready next summer!
Anyway, I got that done and took 'Sumawalk, and then it started to rain. Now rain has turned to snow.  Next week is going to be frosts all week, so I can't get polytunnel down even if I had time.

Sister asked for "tummy tubes" or knitted maternity belts. Number One is going to have a sibling! Sis has some difficulties to fit in her winter clothes, so I knitted her two tubes (brainless ribbing with stripes). It didn't take time away from veg plot, because I knitted during evenings, and we have darkness by half eight - by half seven today.
I wanted to pick some mushrooms today, but no, my fingers will not work in this weather (I don't have arthritis in my hands, yet, but my mother and my brother have, so it's in my genes and working in cold and wet environments is trigger to it).

Sis is also moving closer to us, and now I have to sew that cover for that chair I bought for her. Now they will have room for it. And Number One will have his own room, we shall see how much sewing that includes.

It's Sunday, and so far I haven't had time to relax. I should be writing presentation (or making PowerPoints) to next weeks seminar, because I will not have any time next week because I'm still working on that planning group. And all my other work is on hold at the moment, which means I have to squeeze it all into few weeks I'm able to work in December. And when I thought I will have nice calm summer next year without rushing through all berry picking farms, I will be working even more during the summer - at least for the next four years.

I have a terrible headache and I just wish this four years will rush forward very rapidly.

Brrrrr!

It's snowing. Not hoped for this, but oh well, it's October. I still haven't made a teacosy for my teapot, and I still haven't build another cold frame for my garlics. So thick scarf will keep my tea hot and old garlig frame will do another year.
Of course this snow will not stay. It's been snowing for three hours now, and ground is not covered. Ys is sick and stays at home, and he wanted to get dressed to see snow falling down.
'Suma spent some time chasing flakes, but realised they just melt into water ans she really really doesn't like water. Cats came in as soon as I was able to open a door to them.

There was some slush on lense. Couldn't wipe it dry because more of it was raining.Now it's actually a flurry!

Still snowing

There's still light in mornings, but evenings are getting shorter quicker than I'd like. If I go 'Sumawalk after eight o'clock, I need to take some light with me, I can't see my feet in forest. I'd stumble on branches even if I know where I am. I know paths and tracks by heart but new branches will fall daily.

There are also areas I will not go if it's dark or near twilight. Not because I'm afraid of monsters or something, but because it's actually dangerous there:

Also so creepy.

This is an old spring, it's lined with logs to keep it clear. Water was used in the fish ponds, it's about 2-3m deep, and if you fall, you will not be able to climb up alone. At least one moose has fallen to it's death to this pit/spring, it couldn't climb up and died of exhaustion and panic.
One thing I have no answer - why is the edges clear of any vegetation? This is in the middle of woods, no-one takes care of this (it's built around 1910) . Usually there's plenty of water, but ground water is so low now (at least 1m lower than norm), that you can see the bottom.

I've been knitting, socks. Someone's not impressed.

I have started fire in above seen stove. Hb bought me a fan to put on it, so heat can be distributed around downstairs. I don't know if it's working that way, but at least it's spinning allright. At least this corner where I work is warm and cosy.  Os complaned 'Suma has eaten all is socks, so I had to make him another pair.

I did get all tomatoes, pumpkins, melons and others from greenhouse and polytunnel. I harvested corn and beans, and since then there's been heavy frosts so no more harvest.

 

 

My pumpkins, and a zucchini.

Green harvest

I have some beet and potatoes left on veggie plot, and parsnips and carrots in one of cold frames. I pulled some parsnips few days ago - they were tiny and few were very wooden, But after all, it's been a successful experiment and I'll sow more next year. I just have to start early enough!
There's some kale left in polytunnel, and herbs.
But that's all.

Preparing for colder months

Mid September. Somehow it feels like winter is going to be here right now, but in real life I know it'll take at least two months until we are really in to the winter.

I have a bunch of tasks to do before serious frosts and snow (and the darkness October and November brings).

Garden, veggie plot, geenhouse and polytunnel:

Things need to be done now (before we have first frosts at the end of this week):
- harvest everything that can be harvested (beets, chard, nz spinach, zucchinies, beans, corn, potatoes from bags)
- cover plants that need shelter (pumpkins, zucchinies, beans)
- get strawberry runners planted
- make sure greenhouse and polytunnel are kept ready for cold nights

Things need to be done ASAP:
- build a new additional cold frame for garlic
- build a new frame ready for next summer's cucumbers
- build a new additional frame for more strawberries
- empty compost bin to aforementioned frames
- harvest everything that will not be producing anymore from greenhouse and polytunnel (cucamelon, herbs, potatoes)
- mix old spoiled concrete mixes with sawdust and fill holes on the forest tractor tracks (so that tractor is no longer in danger to fall over or lose it's oil plug)
- forage more mushrooms (boletes are soon over)
- get chillies and peppers from polytunnel inside house (and buy a growing light for them)

Things need to be done before winter is here:
- harvest all pumpkins
- harvest all tomatoes
- harvest carrots and parsnips
- plant garlic to new frame
- empty all growing bags (excluding ones inside greenhouse) and pots into cold frames
- harvest everything else left in greenhouse and polytunnel
- empty greenhouse and polytunnel, rescue rosemary and ginger (they need growing light, too)
- harvest aronia berris from aunt's garden
- harvest rowan berries (from aunt's garden?)
- empty ash buckets to cold frames (this needs to be done several times to get all frames covered)
- take poly from polytunnel down and put it into greenhouse for winter
- try to figure out how to protect kale from hares during the winter....

And some additional stuff to be done:
- try to locate some free apples
- buy new winter shoes fro three kids
- check kids' winter coats if they neew new ones
- mix sawdust and (garden) peat for outhouse use
- get some heavy duty candles for outhouse
- grind ys's new room's outside wall ready for filler
- level out that wall with filler
- get one wall done with planks, treat planks before that
- fill, sand and fill again plaster walls to be painted
- figure out what colour ys wants for those plaster board walls (hopefully not wallpaper)
- make floor with vinyl planks
- move ys to that room!
- and then the toilet...

Waiting for the goodbye

On the other side of the field Frederic the cat is very very poorly. He has a large tumour in his abdomen, and those are always bad news. He is at home now having terminal care (that is medication for pain) because nothing else can be done. The vet said maybe a day, maybe a week.
He loaths 'Suma with all his might, so we haven't really been talking lately. I do not intend to go to say my farewells, because it will only upset Frederic - he thinks if I'm there, 'Suma will be there, too.
He has been the mightiest cat I have ever known, he is not a Norwegian nor ragdoll, but with his magnificient fur he has always remainded me of a huge beast. He even has wider nose than cats usually have.

I forgot to mention

Spa visits are free to us. We get (me and hb) some workplace health promotion money from our employers, and that can be used to buy tickets to spas and pools etc. I bought season tickets to us with that money.

September - time to shikn about Christmast presents. Sister asked for a house...