2017 Goals ~ Let’s go with Healthy, Wealthy and Wise… and a couple donkeys

I absolutely adore that the advent of the New Year gives one a sense of renewal, a chance to reflect and consequently focus on ones short and long term goals.  We have lots of changes planned for 2017 and, I must say, yes, I must, that we are very, very excited (and a teeny bit scared).  We will be putting all our eggs into our  entrepreneurial basket and focusing our time specifically ~ Pumpjack’s to our new wine business Terroir au Verre and me, Piddlewick, to my Pumpjack & Piddlewick  Shop and the life that goes on behind it, so our blog will get a bit of a face lift too this year.

Welcome 2017! It’s make or break time.
(Hmmm, maybe not a good euphemism when talking about entrepreneurial eggs.)

Chamomile has taken over my garden – tea any one?

Last year I planted Chamomile, with no great success. I tried it in various places and had a little grow in one of my pallet planters. It produced one really good bunch of flowers, which were duly harvested and made into Chamomile tea.

But what I had forgotten, when I had been, with desperate conviction, trying to get my chamomile to grow, was that I had ‘lost’ almost half a packet of seeds that had spilled out of the envelope. Fast forward to a little over a year later and I now know where the seeds have gone.

Pumpjack’s Mathematical Gate (for the Chicken & Duck house)

During the summer, the gate to the chicken and duck enclosure gave up its life and collapsed in a heap of rotted wood and chicken wire.  As part of our roles as Gardiens (Caretakers) we fix things as and when needed. This was a big need and great research, planning and detail went into its replacement. This could be no ordinary gate, not where Pumpjack is concerned.

What’s In Store – From Us To You

We have been travelling the world for the last few years, making wine. In 2014, we took a leap, to follow our dream and make our own wine in France. To assist in supporting this dream, and with true entrepreneurial spirit, we are also putting our creative juices (or should that be wine?) to the fore in making a variety of additional items, crafted from the world around us, to sell in our shop Pumpjack & Piddlewick.

Making a Hanging Garden Bed

I admit it wholeheartedly, I am in love with pallets. They are right up there with shipping containers in versatility ~ but maybe, just slightly, more transportable and easier to work with. So, when I came across a picture on Pinterest for a hanging garden bed made from pallets, I fell in love. It went top of the project list

Turning my hand to handmade beauty products

Something I have been aware of as I get older is the sheer quantity of chemicals I have been putting on my skin over time.  It took moving to the countryside and a complete lifestyle change (and a lack of expendable money) to finally get me to do something about it. And now I am asking ~ what took me so long?!?

Breakfast in Bed Pallet Headboard

Today was a lovely day. Sun shining, daffodils starting to show their faces, hanging out with  the rabbits this morning. And, I built a simple headboard out of pallets, complete with shelf and hanging pockets for pillows so we can lean against whilst having our breakfast in bed, comfortably, everyday. Tick – off the list.

Whatever’s Wattling?

Piddlewick composting wattling bed

Wattling Bed in place

Wattling Bed almost done

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Whatever is Wattling? Wattling is an old fashioned, and rather beautiful, way of making fencing our of thin sticks and posts.

How to: With good size stakes, pound them into the ground about a foot/30cm or so apart. You then weave, preferably green, thin-ish branches back and fort through the posts, with the next layer going the opposite way. Think basket weaving.

It creates a really strong wall, but is also stunning to look at as well, allows flow of air, but still screens.

For our raised wattling bed we re-used pruned branches from trees. We also added a left over liner to keep the compost within, though not strictly necessary.