This is an old gardening trick which is particularly relevant at the moment when, in Britain at least, every other human has foot root from the constant rain.
If your grass is desperate for a good mowing but is very wet, walk up and down the lawn with a rake and bash the grass with it. This knocks all the water off the grass onto the soil and allows you to mow with ease.
Unless one is in Scotland, we have generally got off quite lightly with the weather in the UK so far. But it will come and it’s important that you take every precaution to keep yourselves safe.
Many garages will do a free winter check on your vehicle which includes oil, water, antifreeze, lights, wipers and tyres. Certainly my excellent local garage, G & A Autocare in Desborough, does this and it is well worth it for the peace of mind.
So that you are not caught out if the weather does turn nasty, make sure that you do the following things:-
FOR MORE WINTER TOP TIPS ON HEATING, CLOTHING ETC CLICK ON THESE LINKS:-
Double Glaze your Windows for about £1.50
Andy & Teddy’s Guide to Cold Weather Clothing
AND FOR THOSE OF YOU STARTING TO PANIC ABOUT CHRISTMAS STUFF:-
Some last minute Christmas Tips
In which the Wartime Housewife cuts fuel consumption and stimulates the economy in one fell swoop.
Regular reader, Philip Watson, raised the subject of hats in one of his recent comments. I am a great fan of the hat. Not only do they keep your head warm, but a hat says a great deal about one’s character and purpose. A decent hat can immediately turn a mediocre outfit into a smart one and there is something about a hat which seems to confer a bit of status on the wearer, whether it is a mad creation or a sober Homburg.
There are so many different types of hat on sale in the shops from woolly beanies to flat caps to luscious creations with swooping brims and clusters of flowers – even the wretched Fascinator at least shows that one’s made an effort. But who is buying these hats? I’ve been to weddings and funerals where I am the sole supporter of the milliners’ art.
However, my real focus for this article is the wearing of hats to keep our heads warm and obviously we owe it to ourselves to do that in the most stylish way possible. If our heads, hands and feet are warm, the rest of the body will follow.
The problem is that everywhere is too damn hot. On an average winter day, we lurch from overheated house, to overheated cars or public transport, to overheated school or office. At lunch time we saunter into wildly overheated shops and eating places, only to mosey back to our respective hothouses for the afternoon bout.
When do we get the wear out of our hats and coats? One of the main reasons why I hate shopping is that one needs a coat for the High Street but the second you go indoors, it’s usually so hot that you immediately need to take your coat off again . If you’re wearing a hat as well, you either have to take that off or risk brain bake and fainting fits which rather puts the kybosh on your outing.
Taking hats on and off also ruins your hair style. Cold, damp air does terrible things to your hair and the wearing of a hat protects it from the drying effects of winter and also acts as a useful cover up if your hair needs washing or styling.
If we turned down the heat in our homes, offices and shops, we would save masses of money and masses of energy. Winter clothes would then be worn to better effect and we could wear our warm coats and hats when we go outside without alternately boiling and freezing like some bizarre junior science experiment. And let’s not forget gloves – warm paws make for warm bodies.
If everywhere was less tropical we would buy more coats and hats thus stimulating the retail sector whilst simultaneously reducing our need for heat energy. This theory also extends to cardigans and jumpers of course. If you’re a bit chilly in the evening, pop a cardigan on, don’t turn the heat up.
Fish out your hats and coats and be an eco-style sensation this winter!
I apologise for the lack of photographs. Boy the Younger has had his filthy thieving paws on my camera and can’t remember what he’s done with it.
Just outside Corby, Northants
This evening, as I was driving Boy the Elder to his Scout meeting(in a field, in the dark, in the middle of nowhere) we saw a barn owl, a muntjack, a weasel, endless rabbits and something small and very fast which flew right in front of the car. It was wonderful, particularly the barn owl whose ghostly white wings described delicate and silent patterns in the air, like a pale and feral angel.
I was gratified to witness the excitement of the boys at seeing these creatures and pleased that, despite living in the country, wild creatures are still wonderful to them. As a child brought up on the outskirts of London, I remember reading nature books that would cite certain insects or birds that were apparently ‘common’ throughout England. Not in bloody Stanwell they weren’t and I remember wondering where all these creatures could be living? Actually they were probably there for the finding, but I didn’t know where to look.
Of late, I haven’t spent enough time taking the boys on walks in the countryside. The last few years have caught up with me a bit, and on the rare occasions when I sit still I fall asleep. They play sports at school and spend time outside, but there is no substitute for just being in the woods or the park, taking time to see the detail, making up games that involve trees, sticks and mud, listening to the trees, the birds and the tiny sounds.
Speedwell
A couple of weekends ago, I sent the two of them off into the woods and told them not to come back for at least two hours. Their mission was to explore their surroundings, get the lie of the land, see what was beyond the Co-op and the fish and chip shop, find out where the railway line went, discover the best climbing trees and viewpoints.
They came back tired and delighted. They had found footpaths and a tree swing, a circular walk all round the town and the track bed of an old railway line. They were particularly pleased with a concrete lookout point on which someone had sprayed the word ‘cock’ in large red letters. This is now known as The Cockpit and is the focal point of many games and rendezvous.
Hawthorne
Children need to connect with nature. They need to have unstructured time in which to get bored, thus giving them the brain space to get really creative. Separation from the natural world takes away their freedom, their peace of mind and their independence. Some parents are terrified to let their children go to parks or open spaces unsupervised because they have become obsessed with the idea that there are perverts and kidnappers round every corner. Those same children may not have been taught to cross the road properly and yet the fear of them being run over takes second place to the threat of paedophiles.
Children’s time has become too structured, outdoors has become a facility not a place to be enjoyed on its own merit. Children are taught about nature in schools through eco-disaster, floods, famines, global warming and whilst these things need to be taught, I wonder if this encourages them to really connect with nature or whether it persuades them that nature is an enemy to be overcome? How many people became passionate naturalists without actually experiencing nature at first hand?
Where have the nature tables gone, with their birds’ nests, conkers, multi-hued leaves and shells? When do the nature walks happen when children can feel the ground beneath their feet, smell the leaf mould, discover wild flowers and learn the difference between moths and butterflies?
We don’t have to live in the middle of nowhere to find these things, any tiny wild area will have something of interest and we need to find them, enjoy them and then pass on our enjoyment. Note the difference in someone after a day in the fresh air to a day in front of the TV or a computer screen.
Let’s reclaim our natural spaces and in return find some space for ourselves.
How deep?
British Saddleback
Before the Shire Book of the Month, currently Pigs, changes, I want to tell you about a local meat producer called Waterloo Cottage Farm and the important role that small producers have in selling good meat from happy animals.
Meat is expensive and so it should be. To produce good meat takes time, through slow fattening on the right kind of food, fresh air and exercise for the animals, slaughter in the least stressful way possible followed by a decent period of hanging before it finally arrives in your kitchen.
With this in mind, I visited local producer Waterloo Cottage Farm in Great Oxenden, Northamptonshire and was given a tour of the farm by owner, Kirsty Clarke. We met in the light, cool shop, where a mouth-watering array of meat and produce was displayed. After a brief chat about what I wanted to see, I was taken out through the back door to the business end of the enterprise.
Glorious Pig
I was confronted by lots of open pens, with several different types of pigs enjoying the sunshine. I was wearing a long skirt and strappy sandals, so I tucked my skirt into my knickers and prepared to meet the pigs and what a gorgeous crew they were. I have a big soft spot for pigs at the best of times, but being able to climb into the pens and actually scratch them and talk to them was a treat indeed.
Happy Pig
And Kirsty did indeed talk to her pigs and her care and enthusiasm for the creatures came across loud and clear. The farm has a herd of British Saddlebacks which are allowed to mature fully in the fields and woods which surround Waterloo Farm, as well as Petrans and Ginger Durocs. I became extremely soppy when she introduced me to the piglets who were running and rolling with their mother in the straw.
The Clarkes also have lamb and hogget, chickens, ducks and geese and they select beef and veal from local farms who also use traditional breeds. All the animals have something in common. They are all reared using traditional, sustainable farming methods which work with nature, not against it. The animals are free to lead full, natural lives on healthy soil and fed on natural, local feed and the pigs are slow grown until they are 9-10 months which is a significantly longer life than an intensively bred animal. The barley comes from the farmer next door and the slaughterhouse is only nine miles away, the animals being accompanied there in a quiet and unstressed way which is better for the animal and better for the resulting meat.
Looking at the meat in the shop is a very different experience to browsing the chiller aisles in the supermarket. The meat is darker in colour and more wholesome-looking than perhaps we’re used to and the bacon and sausages sit in great piles, pleading with you to take them home. The bacon and hams are cured on the premises and their master butcher produces fresh piles of traditional and artisan varieties of sausages every day.
I bought some bacon and something I haven’t eaten for over thirty years – veal. I have deliberately avoided veal because of the unspeakable practice of veal crating, but with the sure knowledge that the animal that provided this had been happy, healthy and natural, I took a chop home and had it for my supper.
My veal in the shop
I can honestly say that I’ve never tasted meat like it; it was tender, sweet and juicy and so flavourful I could have wept. I also had some of their dry cured bacon for my breakfast the following morning and, apart from the taste, the most obvious difference was visual. No white scum stickily coating the bottom of your frying pan here, and two rashers and a couple of fried eggs was distinctly more filling that the abominable mid-range stuff you buy at the supermarket.
Local producers do an incredible job of farming. Not only do they help to preserve the rare breeds but they also help to preserve the very land on which they’re reared because of the sustainable ways in which they farm. The meat hasn’t travelled huge distances and is therefore beneficial to the environment in a wider sense. They are also firm protagonists of old skills such as proper butchery and artisan methods of preparation and, because of the renewed interest in this kind of food, many farms are taking on apprentices. Waterloo Cottage Farm also runs meat craft courses to encourage you to get the best out of their meat.
We must support these local producers in their endeavours by shopping with them whenever we can. I have said it before and I will keep saying it until you do as you’re told; eat less, eat better. Learn how to use to meat to get the best out of it and, I am convinced that properly reared, slow grown meat actually fills you up more so you don’t need as much of it. Eat less, eat better. It’s better for all of us.
This evening I was waxing lyrical to a couple of friends about the ease and virtue of growing vegetables in pots. I love home grown vegetables but sometimes there are simply not enough hours in the day to be digging and composting, improving the soil followed by yet more digging and raking. Sometimes there is more to life than a fine tilth.
The easy and effective solution to this is to grow vegetables in pots. One can grow practically anything in a pot and the great benefit of this type of gardening is that each pot can contain a completely different soil type to get the best out of your veg.
Carrots like poor, sandy soil, so a big pot of earth mixed with sharp sand will produce a fine crop.
Cauliflowers like rich, firm, deep soil whilst
onions and garlic will grow in practically anything as long as the soil is well-drained.
A dustbin full of soil can produce half a dozen corn on the cobs.
Beans and peas (legumes) prefer a rich, light, slightly limey soil and don’t like the cold.
If you like new potatoes with your Christmas lunch, pop a few seed potatoes in now
Even better, crop rotation is easy, as all you have to do is change pots. I always keep a notebook in which I write details of what I’ve planted in each pot and this allows for a bit of experimentation. It is important not to grow the same plants in the same soil as the soil will become depleted and prone to disease.
There is also much scope for companion planting as you don’t have to use up valuable veg growing space with flowers.
Simply pop a pot of marigolds next to your carrots to repel aphids and carrot root fly –
onions also repel carrot fly,
oregano fends off Cabbage White butterflies,
sage is a deterrent against flea beetles, slugs and cabbage moth
and a shotgun soon sorts out the squirrels. I jest of course – a catapault is far less ostentatious.
Give it a go and pop in a few onion sets and spuds and see how you get on. Seed packets and small plants (sets) nearly always have clear instructions on how close plants should be and it may be that you just plant one cabbage to a pot, or a couple of seed potatoes.
Have a look at the sites below to see how I fared.
http://wartimehousewife.wordpress.com/2010/05/17/garden-update
http://wartimehousewife.wordpress.com/2010/10/04/garden-update-2
A clearly smiling Large White
What is it about pigs that singles them out from other farm animals? Chickens make good noises and lay eggs, sheep are stupid but feel nice, cows are a graphic designer’s wet dream and give us milk and pursuant dairy products, but pigs are different. Pigs smile at you, they wriggle when you scratch them and, particularly the smaller ones with long noses, are hairy, intelligent looking and you get the feeling that they truly belong in the English landscape.
The Shire Book of British Pigs by Val Porter is a glorious celebration of this animal’s transition from wild boar to domesticated pig. It starts by explaining the basics of pig keeping and the history of farming and gives detailed information about the various breeds and how they come to look as they do. Most British breeds have, at some point, been cross-bred with Chinese stock which has resulted in the squashed snouts.
Old English pig from 1842
The pictures in this book are so glorious they’ll make you weep; whether they are photographs of existing pigs or paintings and etchings of animals commissioned by proud owners and stockmen from the past.
Like many domestic farm animals, the drive for intensive, high speed farming homogenised pig breeds and had them shut away from public view. In the decades after the war animals were raised in large-scale, purpose built buildings where the only interest was how much bacon, pork and sausages could be made as quickly as possible.
Thanks to the renewed interest in rare breeds, slow food and local farming, there has been a concomitant awareness of animal welfare and pigs are appearing in our fields once again. The rare breed is making a comeback and it is quite usual to see Tamworths, Gloucester Old Spots, British Saddlebacks and Oxford Sandy and Blacks rootling around happily in the fresh air.
This book also covers the New Pigs on the block. Pig breeds continue to evolve and the farmers are interested in make the breeds hardier again so that they can manage an outdoor life. A pig with a fleecy coat is a sight to behold and I wonder how many people were aware of the, now extinct, Lincolnshire Curly Coat?
Pennywell Mini pig - so gorgeous you could just eat them ... except not these because they're pets, tiny enough to fit in Paris Hilton's handbag.
Porter’s clear and appealing writing style draws you in to the life of these delightful animals. She has written more than forty books about livestock, farming and self-sufficiency and her enthusiasm shines through. If you like pigs, read this book. If you like eating pigs this book can only enhance your gastronomic experience.
Erinaceus Eurpaeus
Back in June last year, I wrote an article about hedgehogs because we found one in the lane. I talked about their habitat, breeding cycle, what they like to read, how they starch their little pocket hankins without tearing them on their prickles etc etc and how to encourage them into the garden.
But now that autumn is approaching, we might want to give some thought to how to care for them during the winter. Although hedgehogs don’t usually go into hibernation until the end of October or the beginning of November, hoglets that have been born later in the year, called autumn juveniles, may not have grown sufficiently to allow them to hibernate and will need extra care and it is at this time of the year that we need to keep our eyes open for these smaller animals..
Autumn Juveniles:
Autumn juveniles need to weigh at least 1lb / 450g to have enough weight to see them through the winter. If you find one wandering around after about the end of September, it might be a good idea to put some food and water out to give it a fighting chance. You can buy special hedgehog biscuits and a canned food called ‘Spike’s Dinner’ if you’re really dedicated, but there are some menu ideas below.
Many baby hedgehogs
Baby Hedgehogs or Hoglets:
If a hoglet is under 6oz / 160g it will need food and warmth during the winter or it will die. It will need to be placed in a box with lots of clean straw, old towels or scrunched up newspapers. If it’s really cold, a little hot water bottle could be placed in the box as well. Make sure you don’t put the little bods on a concrete or mesh floor as their feet are very sensitive and they will get chilled.
Feeding:
Hoglets will need to be fed. An appropriate diet would consist of meat pet food, without gravy, chopped cooked chicken without bones, minced beef or lamb or even a bit of bran or unsweetened muesli cereal with a bit of water to moisten it. They also like banana, raisins, unsweetened crushed digestive biscuits and dry cat or hedgehog biscuits. They will need a drink of fresh water but cows’ milk must not be given as it gives them diarrhoea. If in doubt, contact your vet or the British Hedgehog Preservation Society.
Hibernation:
Adult hedgehogs start to hibernate around the end of October or November and their hibernacula are similar to their nesting sites but thicker and more protected. These nests are often sited under tree roots or piles of brushwood, old rabbit burrows, piles of garden waste or under sheds and outbuildings. These nests can be up to 20” / 50cm thick. They do occasionally wake up during hibernation but rarely leave their nests.
The main problem with their nesting sites is that often choose places that humans have earmarked for bonfires. As November 5th approaches, take great care to check heaps of garden rubbish and if you’re preparing a bonfire in advance, check it before the night and, ideally, move it on the day of the bonfire.
They usually start to emerge from hibernation around the middle of March to early April but this will depend on the weather.
Hedgehogs are the gardener’s friends and should be encouraged. If you go onto the BHPS website they may be able to advise you on how to obtain a hedgehog for your garden and there is useful information on how to care for hedgehogs and how to build a simple nesting box to keep them safe and warm.
By the way though, they don’t really read or wear aprons… they’re fantastic at croquet though.
September seems to be the month for Vintage festivals. Here are a few which sound fun.
The Duxford Air Show, Cambridgeshire
3& 4th September – 8am – 6pm
The Duxford Air Show is the highlight of the Museum’s flying events each year and features both historic and contemporary aircraft, civilian and military. At the heart of this year’s air show, and 75 years since its inaugural flight, we celebrate the sight and sound of the Spitfire, that most celebrated British single-seat fighter aircraft.
The Victory Show at Cosby, Leicestershire
3-4th September from 9am
The two day event is held over a 60 acre site, providing historical societies & re-enactments through various forces from several era’s and theatres during the period of 1939-45. From Airmen to Infantry, the Victory Show 2011 opens a window in time to the fabulous 1940′s.
Shackerstone Festival
Shakerstone Family Festival, Leicestershire
3-4thSeptember
Battle of Britain planes, wingwalkers, aerostars, jousts and stunts, duck herding & sheep racing, dog displays, marching bands, steam trains, canal exhibitions, birds of prey, tractors, cars, steam engines, ploughing demos, craft fayre and so it goes on…
Dorset Steam Fair
The Great Dorset Steam Fair, nr Blandford Forum, Dorset
3rd & 4th September from 8am
You can stand amazed at the variety of exhibitions and the sheer scale of the show means that there is always something new to see. The show has something for everyone, whatever your interests – collector, a steam fanatic, an exhibitor, a heavy horse fan, an avid camper, a music fan or just on holiday in the South of England. The Great Dorset Steam Fair is a typically British event offering a unique blend of nostalgia and entertainment. Come and soak up the special festival atmosphere whether as a day visitor or taking in the full five days by camping on site. There is no other event like it anywhere in the world.
Capel Manor Classic & Vintage vehicles
Capel Manor Gardens, Enfield, Middlesex
4th September 10-5pm
Motor along to the Classic and Vintage Vehicle Show with cars from as far back as the 1920s, the Annual Rally of the North London and Middlesex Morris Minors Association, auto jumble, the Enfield Brass Band and crafts in the Manor House with Fig Fairs
Maldon & District Vintage Working Day at Southminster and
Ploughing Past and Present Country Show at Pebmarsh:
East Anglia
4th September
Goodwood Revival
16th – 18th September from 0730-1900hrs
In the summer of 2010, a brand new concept in British festivals was launched at Goodwood to huge critical acclaim. Known as ‘Vintage at Goodwood,’ this award-winning new event enabled fans of British Cool and Popular Culture to fully indulge their love and passion for the golden era of British style and influence.
Vintage at Goodwood brought together a unique blend of 1940s, 50s and 60s fashion, music, film, art, dance and design in a fun, authentic and imaginative way. Similarly, the annual Goodwood Revival, the world’s biggest historic motor racing event, has been successfully doing this for over a decade, with the added excitement of thrilling wheel to wheel motor racing as a unique and extraordinary backdrop to an utterly British experience. The Goodwood Revival brings together the most glamorous and exotic cars, and their star drivers all racing on the original classic race track, it is the only major sporting event to be completely staged in an authentic period setting, creating a truly magical step back in time.
17th & 18th September 10am-5pm
Foxton Locks Festival is Leicestershire’s Premier Day Out with something for all the family.
Come and browse the craft stalls and grab yourself a bargain, watch the interactive Viking re-enactments taking place during the day and grab a bite to eat and drink at our Food Village and Real Ale Bar.
Take time out to visit the Locks and see the brightly coloured boats negotiate their way up the staircase locks, pop into the museum and learn about the history of the canals and don’t forget a visit to the remains of the Inclined Plane Boat Lift.
Now I know there are a few of you out there who would find much use for a sturdy pair of brackets like these for your velocipedes, to say nothing of frollicking with a bracing strut …
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