barrys-blog

End of a Year, End of a Blog - 31st Dec 2010

Fri, 31 Dec 2010 14:40:53 +0100

So....end of 2010 and Barry's Blog, NAD, comes to an end on Homeland-Scotland.com......but not to worry Barry has finally got his own web site up and running just in time for the New Year.....Earshadercroft.com is all ready to go.....link below. I will keep his previous ramblings on here for a while as an Archive.....please check out his new site.....thanks to Barry for all the updates......!

www.earshadercroft.com

Seasons Greetings - 28th Dec 2010

Tue, 28 Dec 2010 12:06:10 +0100

Wishing All Seasons Greetings and All The Very Best for 2011 !

Health and Happiness!

Snow at An Traigh Mhor, Tolsta, Isle of Lewis
by John MacLean Photography, Lewis (used with permission)
www.johnmacleanphotography.com

Winter's Light (ii) - 21st Dec 2010

Mon, 27 Dec 2010 14:57:58 +0100

A view from the future house site, looking north-east last Friday.

Winters Light (i) - 20th Dec 2010

Mon, 27 Dec 2010 14:52:43 +0100

Digitally manipulated, true, but trying to capture the feeling of the shortest day of the year.

Autumn Images - 28th Nov 2010

Sun, 28 Nov 2010 21:11:31 +0100

Photos taken at and around the Bernera Community polytunnels.

Brussels Sprouts, a purple variety

Compost heap cabbage, Savoy

red ones

last of the tomatoes, suitable for stewing

At The Dip - 26th Nov 2010

Sun, 28 Nov 2010 21:02:29 +0100

Sheep were walked in off the moors a few weeks back.
Saturday 20 November was fine and dry. But not for the livestock as it was time for the annual dipping

pens at Earshader

Next to go

Post Dip

Not quite Loudres - 25th Oct 2010

Mon, 25 Oct 2010 20:36:25 +0100

The Earshader “gargoyle” appears to be weeping. Does anyone think we could or should sell tickets?

East Pacific Drift - 13th Oct 2010

Sat, 16 Oct 2010 12:54:57 +0100

the runner up from Napa County (as reported by CBS news)

The North Atlantic Drift has shifted more than slightly, to the Pacific Coast of North America, for a few days, at least. Over 90º F in the Bay Area’s eastern suburbs, which is a bit unusual for mid-October. Winds off the land, rather than off the ocean. Bad for wild fires. Others may tell you that this Earthquake weather. No connection scientifically for the latter of course.

Saw the biggest pumpkin entered in the Half Moon Bay pumpkin festival. Only 1,500+ tons. Squashes appear to have become big business in this once sleepy hamlet south of San Francisco. But the tail back leading into town on Monday at 11.30am was about six miles long. Traffic cleared once we were past the 5x football pitch-size fields full of picked pumpkins.

You may not be aware [I certainly wasn’t] but Half Moon Bay California is the world’s pumpkin capital. Well, the promoters of this weekend’s festival say so.

A Peaty Easy Feeling - 6th Oct 2010

Sat, 16 Oct 2010 12:48:19 +0100

That's what I have. All of the peats are in from the moor and next to the hearth, practically. Done for another year.

the first circle

. . . progress . . .

the final stack

It Works Because.... - 29th Sept 2010

Sat, 16 Oct 2010 12:39:22 +0100

....it stinks. Any natural fertilisers I have ever made stunk to the proverbial high heavens, whether from rotting nettles or comfrey. Seaweed is no different.

I first experimented with seaweed in Glasgow. After a campervan trip to the northern edge of the Scottish mainland, we returned the hired vehicle to Gourock, coincidentally after a good southwesterly storm. Lots of lovely, fine leafy seaweed had washed up on the nearby beach, so while Elizabeth dealt with formalities (busted wing mirror due to a coach that wouldn’t stay on its side of road north of Oban), I combed the shingle with plastic bags, filling about a dozen.

That time I put it straight onto the bare, raised beds at Willow Cottage, shells and all. By the spring it had mostly rotted down into the soil (except the cockles).

Here one traditional practice would have been to collect seaweed and put it onto the so-called lazy beds (feannagan) in the winter, letting it mulch the soil, suppressing weeds as well as reinvigorating the soil.

What I have here is a tonic that has been steeping for over a year in a covered plastic household rubbish bin. First the seaweed is pulled up and left to dry (and this allows passing showers to rinse out the salt). Once desiccated, I shredded it in to pieces roughly three inches or 7cm long. Piles of it then went into the plastic bin with several gallons of water.

The result after time? A putrid, deep amber liquor. Dilute and water your plants. One local company collects and processes seaweed on an industrial scale and makes the following boasts:

• A wide range of beneficial effects including increased crop yields, resistance of plants to frost, increased uptake of inorganic constituents from the soil, more resistance to stress conditions, and reductions in storage losses of fruit;

• Promotes vigorous growth and helps deter pests and diseases on fruit, flowers, vegetables, lawns, etc;

• Extends the shelf life of fruits and vegetables if applied 10 days before harvesting;

• Lengthens the life of cut flowers if they are sprayed with Liquid Seaweed a day or two before cutting;

• Treating seeds or seed pieces with Liquid Seaweed prior to planting will improve seed germination, root growth, and early seedling vigor;

• Seaweed applied to pasture crops increases the nutrient uptake, the protein content, and overall quality of the crop;

• Seaweed organic fertilizers can be used as a soil treatment to grow healthier, stronger, and more disease-resistant plants.

I can certainly agree with the final bullet point. So my mix goes on sale this autumn at the Crofters Market and at the gate here in Earshader.