Friday 1 January 2016

Happy New Year And Hoping For a Better 2016 Weather Wise.

I worked it out in the early hours of this morning.  That this Christmas is the first one in 22 years that I haven't been able to dig over the veg plot.  The weather's been pretty diabolical this year.  The year started in gales and ended in gales.

April was better than July and we managed to get to the Algarve for a week that month.  April is a great time for an holiday.  Far away from the madding crowds, 32 degrees in Seville (for the day) and only a couple of Euros for a pint of Super Bock.

We made hay in June.  Three days of worry and then we put it in the barn and took it out and stacked the small square bales on in the field because they started to sweat.  Three days later we took them back in and they turned out fine.

The summer was nothing to write home about but at least England won the Ashes.   We only sat outside drinking home made Sangria twice.  The Autumn turned into a bit of an Indian Summer.  Then for the last weeks it's been raining almost constantly and we have had six storms already this winter.

Cattle prices at the mart have started to drop and surplus feeding is going up country to help the poor farmers who  have been flooded out to feed their livestock.  Over the last few years we have been tempted to sell up and move to warmer climes like Portugal.  We are getting really tempted.  Here's to better weather this year and don't worry veg plot.  We haven't forgotten you!

16 comments:

  1. hey Dave, it is really hard to decide where you think you should live. We have agonised over it for YEARS. We are here for now, I can imagine that if we can afford it, that later on we will move to Devon or Cornwall. For now, well we have bitten off more than we can chew with this house. I cant imagine taking on a renovation and starting a small hold.

    Got my chillies in. That is all for seeds right now

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    1. Hi Sol, I always wanted to live in Cornwall or Herefordshire. We keep saying we will rent somewhere in Portugal one Winter and if we like it we will buy a smallholding. Would have to have some livestock and have a place to grow vegetables also not too far from the sea and you can can walk to a village or maybe even catch a bus. Horrible weather here today! Thanks!

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  3. sorry that was a double publish

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  4. Happy New Year Dave. Perhaps you should move east, it is pretty dry here! Or go further east and buy a plot in Poland, it is cheaper there and cheap to build a house too.

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    1. Happy New Year Rachel. I have been to Poland twice. It's a lot cheaper than Britain or Ireland and the get really hot summers. It was 36 degrees in Krakow. There's a good rock scene in Warsaw. I saw Roger Waters, Suzanne Vega and Kansas there. Think we will move to Portugal some time and buy a cheap smallholding doer upper. That's the plan any way. Any football transfers news?

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    2. I often talk to people on my train from Poland. One man is working as a care worker here and sending home money to build a house in Warsaw. Each week when he finishes work he tells me "that will be enough for the roof timbers" and so on. When the house is finished he will leave England and go home. He sleeps in a house with 8 others in bunks. Arsenal are trying to get Insigni from Napoli, forward and Chilwell from Leicester, left back. I think others are in it too. I love Poland, great country, but I also like Portugal.

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    3. I know Polish people in Bantry who worked here in the supermarket and built an house in Poland with their wages. I like Poland and Portugal because the cost of living is so much cheaper to live than Ireland or the UK. United are after a striker. Vardy would be worth signing from Leicester.

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  5. Replies
    1. Happy New Year Deb. Is it raining where you live? It is down here in West Cork. Cattle are inside scoffing their hay and are content and dry. Thanks!

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    2. It's slinging it here too. If it carries on I might join you in Portugal! :-)

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    3. I am going to go for one a month winter Deb. If we like it, it's buy a smallholding in Portugal. Thanks!

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  6. I hope the storms blow out soon, I did get a little digging done today, our soil drains pretty fast, could do with a good cold snap now, Wishing you a wonderful 2016

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    1. Hi Dawn. I envy you being able to get some of your digging done. Good luck with your plans for 2016.

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  7. I hope you have a good year this year weather wise.. I am hoping it for us as well :O). We had flooding early spring and that is so not like Texas. Now we are having flooding winter lol... But we are usually in a drought so I dare not say a word :O).
    I hope you get to go check out Portugal to see if you want to move there. I totally understand wanting to move to a new location. I am hopeful still on us going to Arkansas. :O)

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  8. Thanks Texan. I hope you have a good year weather wise. I think we would rent somewhere for a month or so before committing ourselves to buying somewhere. Hope you get to Arkansas.

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