Hi guys,
I'm still here, too, ...well, on and off.
Nice to read what you are all up to. Janet, why did you move? You had
such a nice place from the sound of it...?
Sounds like there have been major changes for Fran and Pete too.
Well nothing much has changed here, trees are agrowin', goats still
around and multiplying, chooks have been added, once again. Was pretty
busy this year trying to make a few bob, now busy spending them ... just
got a big paint job done on a shed complex and our rotten old big
corrugated hayshed is being taken down as we speak, stripped to the
still perfect H-beams which next spring, touch wood, will form the basis
for a new shed and office and WWOOFER space and workshop and space to
move stuff into to enable us to do work inside the cottage... in short:
space.

Had a good few WWOOFers this year - thanks again guys and gals' if you
are reading this! - who greatly helped in keeping the garden going, the
trees mulched, the goats milked and fed, and were good fun, an
inspiration and generally nice to have around too.

Donw under spring is on the way but here things are slowing down. We had
the first frost and nasturtiums, tomatoes, cuces, aubergines, pumpkin
plants, all blackened and shriveled up in the tunnel. The house is
getting unpleasantly cold, need the fire stoked up and hot elderberry
juice to warm the insides.

Had a lovely organic produce market in our village last weekend. It's on
only once a year but it's now so successful that there's talk of
additional dates. I (wo)manned the Seedsavers stall
(www.irishseedsavers.ie) and it was great to see people becoming more
and more interested in such issues. Managed to recruit a few new
members, sold loads of seeds and the apple tasting was a big hit too.
There was a 'newly found old apple' variety for tasting the likes of
which I had never tasted before - so refreshingly crisp, juicy, sweet...
must find a space for grafted offspring of that one... ('Mrs Perry's').

Our own apples are becoming more and more productive as well and this
year was a good one for fruit anyway (here in Ireland at least). Surplus
jam sale at the market bought me a few nice new tools!

Anyway, that's it in a nutshell (which reminds me - how long does it
take hazelnuts to come into production?)

TTFN
Ute

BTW Can organise Aran sweater if required, the Aran islands are only a
few miles away as the gull flies - will not knit though!