More tomatoes and cultivators... and things..

Heheheh they just keep on coming, we have vastly reduced the amounts now though, and as Ive almost run out of jars, I was reduced to buying some new ones for pasta sauce the other day, I've rigged up a tempory drying frame this morning so I can sun dry whats left. Its not something Ive tried before, I just assumed it would be tricky and fiddly... suprisingly, its not. And as we love sun´dried tomatoes and seeing how expensive they are, I thought Id have a go. Again, a way to use produce, keep it for winter, and all without cost... So we'll see, in the temps we have at the moment, Im assured it will only take three days or so for the first batch... I'll update you all later ..

I picked the first batch of chillis yesterday, they are the tiny Piri Piri ones, and boy are they hot!!! I stupidly cut one and licked it to test the heat... not something I'll ever try again... as our tap in the kitchen is a tempory one and particuarly difficult to turn on and off... the dance and mad dash I did to the water bucket was by all accounts quite amusing to see... Im not a great one for hot spicy food like that anyway, so it was really stupid... but hey, you live and learn...
I made some hot chilli sauce, to put by for the winter, as we do use a little now and then in soups and stews for flavour more than the heat.. the rest I'll give to friends... or barter for things we dont have.. which luckily wont be much this year. We seem at the moment to be quite well set going into winter, I think better than almost any year before, I was really worrying earlier in the year but things have really picked up.
I just hope Im here to enjoy it and not in Ireland looking after Dad, he's still in hospital, his health is pretty good but mentally he's struggling, he wont come and live with us, or go to the rest of our family in England, yet there is only my niece to care for him in Ireland and he doesnt think she will cope... so he's lagging with his physio so he stays in hospital. He's so stubborn, he has people who love and want to look after him, yet he wont move... and then cant go home to his house because of lack of care there... its all pretty tricky, no one wants to give him any upset or tough choices but it may well come to that soon.. I just hope it wont be me...

Well, lots of progress on our economy drive to reduce our vehicles and the expense of insurance and fuel to us and the world...
We've done a straight swap with our much loved motorbike... for a LPG hybrid car... although we dearly loved the bike and will miss it terribly during the summer months, having a van and a bike just wasnt working for us cost wise, or my eco ideals either. So its gone... We now have a car that still seats 7 at a pinch, and runs on LPG at 76cents a litre most of the time, and gives very low immissions, and to top that we sold our great old van too!! We are serious van people, we've always had vans, great vehicles, you can go shopping, pick up building supplies, wood, people, and even sleep in the back if you need too... but... again, we now didnt need it, so it had to go... a tough decision, but Rik took it like a man... heheheh Bless...
Now today we are taking proud possesion of a large cultivator. We've part ex'd our smaller rototiller which was killing rik's back, for an older but better and bigger cultivator that is self driven instead of him having to push it round. It will hopefully revolutionise his work on the land and cut the time and effort in half... It will also fit onto our small trailer so we can use it as ..... transport to the village !!!! hehehehe it will pull up the hill so much better than the old one did...
And all that with a little money left for me to stock up with winter stores ...
What could be better...

The dogs are still coming along well together, Beesa is growing so quick, if you watch closely you can almost see her doing it... when shes not digging up the yard that is...the little bugger, she's terrible, we were happy that Bonnie seemed to have grown out of digging now she's almost 5 years old... but now Beesa has started, Bonnie seems to have renewed her enthusiasm and is going at it too... hanging out the washing has become a dangerous occupation... and impossible at dusk... I went head over heels last night when I went to fetch some in late...
But the good news is I seem to have cracked the house training ... nothing at all for the last week... I do still get up during the night once to take her out, I get up myself , so its no hardship... the hard part is getting her out of bed to go... I sometimes have to carry her downstairs... and thats not easy given her increasing girth... she's such a pig, she has decided she doesnt like the puppy food, and snaffles Bonnies biscuits at any chance she gets. She can hear the rustle of a bread wrapper or bisuit packet from out in the garden. She does at least sit, to ask for one though...