... and a happy new year 2

Well, my significant other has already reported all the juicy news for Hogmanay. The festive season is over. Enough with the over-indulgence and jolity. And on with the rest of the year, which as Richard says, gives us plenty to go at.

We have started the new year with some head scratching; still trying to decide on how to change the heating system for this place, which must happen. Oil is very expensive (not to mention all the environmental stuff), and it is very cold (currently minus 16). Wood costs us our time and a little chainsaw fuel, giving us an opportunity to vastly reduce heating bills, and gives us a valid excuse to spend time in our lovely woods. We have hopes that Mocha, the big horse may be able to haul timber from the woods one day ...

We really need to sit down and plan veg beds for next year and order seeds and fruit trees/bushes soon. We're probably going to try a little of a lot of different kinds of things and see what works and what doesn't this year. We don't really know what to expect,as there are so many new factors - new climate, new soil, new varieties of veg, new pests. Speaking of pests, as far as growing is concerned, I think our biggest challenges will involve keeping friends and foe out of the garden - the friends, our dear chickens, and the foe; the graceful and much admired by all passing drivers, white-tailed deer. I think they will look less beautiful if I see them munching my brassicas!

As the winter rolls by, dealing with snow and ice are high on the daily agenda. There is a lot to learn, the dangers of one kind of snow after another (and there are so many different kinds of snow - I'd forgotten!) on the roads, walking over different kinds of deep snow, how long it takes for the chicken drinkers to freeze, that sort of thing. But there are so many lovely things too, the different patterns made by ice on the windows, following tracks in snow in the silent woods, the (distant) shrieks of the kids having a blast as they sled down the hill, our hill, a dream hill for sledging.

We've come a long way this year, in more ways than one, but there's still so much to learn. Better go pick up a book ...