KW-11 Planning the year ahead

Did you miss me? Oh wait. I was only phsically not here.

It’s nice to be back.

First pass of the vineyard. It already feels good to be in the soil. The pumpkin patch, pigfield and vineyard will be be under cultivation this year. First time evs. Maybe THIS year, we feed the piggies. And yes, I say that every year.

At the start of the year, around about that time when traditionally resolutions may be made, I did resolve to leave the barracks more often this year. Now that I have done that (once) (more often than never can include any number more than zero, including one), here are my conclusions.

Seeing people is great. Excessive movement is not.

Returning to the barracks, I took to my bed with a head full of other people’s germs. Where I remain until today.

I am not good at social media. This is the “before” photo of the blades of the Choppy Chop. I cleaned them all up, tightened all the screws, and took a hammer to the round metal side guards, returning them to round. And then I went and did some power digging. I forgot to take an “after” pic.

That’s a bit of a lie. I’m in bed now because it’s 6am. I will be getting up shortly, but I was here for an extended period of ice-box-bones, sandpaper eyes, olympic coughing and complaining. I got up for long enough to justify the excessive complaining, to clean Mr Rotavator, chop a bit of wood and mow a bit of grass.

The grass mowing is going to be tough for a bit. Last year, as you probably know, the grass tractor was out of action. I did a heck of a lot of mowing with the hand mower, but not enough. Catching up again with the tractor this year is going to take some time. On the positive side, there is already a LOT of grass for piggies. It’s not the soft fresh green stuff that really sends them crazy, but a good 20-40 kilos a day for them to rootle around in, keeping them busy for a bit, filling their days and getting them out of the house. Metaphorically. It might be the second week of March, but they are already sunbathing a good few hours a day.

Happy 80th birthday to the original Dread Pirate Green, seen here with my mother. The dawg.

This week we shall endeavour to do all or some of the following:

• Fix-up all three outside toilets.

• Sort out all the seeds, and plan the entire sowing year

• Chop the last of the chainsawed logs, chainsaw the last of the unchopped logs

• Tend the Nutzfläche

• Plan some events, and advertise them. The first Reading Retreat will be the weekend of May 31st

• Be interviewed

And that will be enough of a short newsletter for this week. Take care of each other, and see you all next week

Much love, your

Pirate Ben

xoxo