Bon voyage alliums

At last, some of the plants that I've started this year have travelled down to Leitrim :-)

Today, Sam took the garlic, onion sets and leeks down with him in the car.

I still won't be down until next week - but they are hardy enough to manage until then.

Sam was down last week, working on the vents for the heat recovery system and setting up for the plumbing. He didn't take any pictures. Mind you, pictures of tubing / piping might not seem to exciting - but I'll remind him to take pics this week.

Here's what the car looked like before he went down.

Garlic and onions in the boot.

More garlic (including 2 elephant garlic) on the back seat.

Some leeks .. and some more garlic (with more unseen in the footwell) on the front passenger seat.

That should keep any vampires away for a while. I didn't mean to plant THAT much, but every time our shop bought garlic started sprouting, I just had to plant it, especially the scrawny ones that are hardly worth peeling. So, garlic is in good supply.I might add some of the tiny ones to the flower bed and keep the 'proper' ones (2 cloves of Flavor) for the vegetable bed.

There are still a lot more seedlings to be moved down. This picture is just SOME of them. I fancy sticking to my planting plan, even though I'll have more ssedlings to bring down next week. I've also purchased some more flower seeds (tagetes, poached egg plant, nigella) to sow in situ soon - to divide patches of bed and make the place colourful.

Here are some of the broad beans waiting to go down.

All we need now is to get the Bongo van cheered up and running again. Otherwise it'll be a few trips in the car, especially with ducks and cats, which could be quite a juggling act.

I'm sending the Bongo Van good energy and trusting that Sam can get it sorted when he comes back at the end of the week.

Meanwhile, I'm busy trying to source paint - and we need a LOT of paint that is benign to us and nature and also affordable - and source other materials, while I have good internet access.

I reckon we can have the phone line in soon - a good neighbor came today (impromptu) and helped Sam feel the telephone cable down the piping . Luckily it was sorted easily (he put some flexible water pipe down it and ran the cable through with it - then removed the water pipe).

We'll need to remember the rope when we lay the piping for the electric - the ESB won't touch it if you don't.

I'm really looking forward to getting the phone in, as the mobile signal is very weak and I fancy conversations that last until the end without breaking up or dropping. It will make ordering things a bit easier when we're down.

And the electricity - well - it'll be party time when we have that in - and can run the well properly and easily run gadgets, lights and things other than tools (which naturally get priority with the generator).

My fingers are crossed that the good weather will remain (or at least return by next week), so I can go re-aquatint myself with the garden whilst basking in cheery sunlight. The sunshine lately just makes everything look lovely and lush and gorgeous. Long may it continue.

Getting back on track

Things are starting to get back on track after the 'wobble' earlier this week.

Our house is now set to arrive on Tuesday 10th March - so it's only to be one week later (better than two!) thanks to Lars sweet talking the lads in the factory in Sweden.

Our new stove is ready to collect and go down to site once the shell is up (see pic).
We'll be using it straight away to help dry out the concrete - so it will be nice and warm in there from the outset. Generally, it is really there for use in winter and a 'back up', for times when we have been away and thus the house may be cooler than usual. The house is 'near passive', which means that most of the space heating comes from heat we create in the house (the fridge, cooker, bathing, breathing!). The heat recovery ventilation system (HRVS) means that this heat stays in the building and is used to freshen the incoming air. Thus, the house is , well insulated, well ventilated and warm. There is also very low energy underfloor heating which gives a very low level heat. It takes a while for the heat to filter through, so the wood burning stove is great if we've been away and want some instant heat. Once lit, the HRVS then spreads the warmth evenly throughout the house - so I'm led to believe. I really am looking forward to the idea of all the rooms being an even temperature (rather than the room with the fire being warm and others very cold).


Also, I believe that our well is being drilled today. Fingers crossed that they hit water early on (and it doesn't have to go to deep...deeper = more expensive). They'll let us know on Monday.
Then we have to set up a pump. There is no mains water or group water scheme on our road, so a private bored well was our only option.
It will be great, as we've been bringing water down to the caravan in 5litre plastic bottles - and it is amazing how many you get through in a day (we usually use at least two) - with washing up, making tea, washing ourselves - and things like making hot water bottles .. and setting up the camping toilet).
Mind you, we'll have to wait until after the shell is up to get the pump fitted - as the team need clear areas of ground to build the roof - and we'll need to build a pump house for the pump, or is it the pressure vessel?(It all gets a bit technical for me). Anyway, we'll still be bringing water in bottles until mid March at the earliest.


My strawberries arrived yesterday and are heeled into three large pots, waiting to go to site in a couple of weeks.Think I'll try them in the polytunnel. I'm tempted to do them in guttering or on suspended shelves, to keep them away from pests. We did some here in beds last year and they got quite badly nibbled. I blame the straw mulch - it was a haven for slugs.

Haven't got round to sowing any seeds yet - but did get some rootrainers to ready myself.

I'm still deciding on the polytunnel. Will check the size on the plot next week and then go for it.