KW-03 Pretty and cold.

And pretty cold

It’s not unreasonable to expect the second week of January to be cold, and indeed it has been. It is kind of amazing that this was (as far as I recall) the first week of constant sub-zero for the entire duration. We’ve still not hit the depths of mega minus temperatures, but it was quite nice to be below the freezing point of water for a whole weekly cycle.

Nothing is more important at this time of the year than what happens in the kitchen. I realised that I have been cooking more interestingly than usual for a winter - nothing fancy, of course, but a bit more than the usual stodge of potatoes and beans. Actually, I’m possibly a bit down on the bean intake which will be rectified this week. I’m planning on going full on leguminous. Beans were hugely successful in the garden last year, and if I fall behind, I might have to overdose on them by the time the peas come start podding in June. I once was challenged by a friend to cook potatoes 101 different ways. I’m not into that this week, but who knows, I might turn next week’s newsletter into a melange of spuds. (And it will be on time again, hopefully! Apologies for the extreme tardiness of this one!)

Despite the cold, though, I did manage to get outside and get some stuff done. I thought (very optimistically) that the wood pile might have mysteriously disappeared by this week, but there is still a good 10m3 to go. This is, of course, great for the stove and the cooking and the roundwood construction which is going to happen, but it turns out that wood which is frozen is harder to chop that wood which is not. I was, somewhere in my delusions, thinking that it might make it more brittle, more susceptible to splitting with a good whack from a very heavy pointy lump of metal, but no. It’s very reluctant. I’ve been having to split most of the logs open with wedges. they succumb pretty quickly after that though.. This week, the main plan is to bring a month’s supply inside. Actually, 6 weeks’.

Regarding which - two very exciting new things turned up this week. Presents from the internet. A froe and a carving axe. I believe that in last week’s newsletter, I said a froe and an adze. The silly shop had run out of adzes, and the silly pirate forgot this and told you the truth he was hoping for, not the truth as it is. He does that sometimes! :)

And with that, I shall sign off for another week. Spirits are good, pigs seem to be happy and although I am trying very hard not to wish the weeks away, I am going to start planning the planting for next season this week. It is, after all, the most productive and the most gardenny thing we can do when everything else is frozen solid.

Much pirattey love

Your Pirate Ben

xoxo