Signs of Life

This is both a sign that we are still alive as well as nature waking up to a new growing season.  Apologies for the long gap in posting, but I had to go to see my parents as they had some health problems and needed urgent help.  So I was out of the country for a bit, but luckily my cousin was still here to hold the fort together with Susan and Eddie, the Beagle.

During my absence they aparently didn't have the best of weather (I experienced snow and sub-zero temperatures while in Germany), but still managed to make some progress with supporting more damaged terraces.  Rains did cause some more minor damage on some terraces we hadn't secured yet, but all in all I came home to a general improvement.

They also planted the potatoes while I was away:

In other news the pak choi in the older coldframe is doing well:

and Al & Capone the almond trees are in flower:

Spring is on it's way!  We are expecting another helper this week who is particularly keen on wild foods, so soon we'll be gathering our wild asparagus and other spring greens.  It's still cold, but an end is in sight.  This year better be an improvement on last...

Reinforcements have arrived

...to reinforce the terraces and repair the damage.  My cousin from Holland has been with us for almost 2 weeks now and staying for another 2 months to help with clearing up the damage caused by the landslides.  Much needed support.  So far we have built some supports such as this one:

... built an additional cold frame:

constrcuted a raised bed, which we have planted with various brassica:

Daytime temperatures have been quite spring-like and we are making good progress.  Next week the first instalment of spring sowing will get under way and things are looking a lot brighter than a month ago.

Repairs have begun

The first week of the year the weather was quite good giving us a chance to start on some of the repairs to our terraces.  Some are of course beyond repair and I'm going to have to get used to a new geography.  Other places are still too unstable to consider repairing them before the danger of winter rains has passed.

So starting at the top we concentrated on securing what's still standing and patching up minor damage.  On the top two or three terraces the damage isn't too bad except some bits near the messy neighbour's land.  On a few places just a bit of the front of the terrace has slumped down by a few feet.  So the strategy here is to first support the remaining bit before it also collapses and takes the rest down several terraces, then build another support wall on the sunken bid like so:

and so:

The idea is that the lower bit in front can now be filled with manure and compost giving me a really deep fertile soil.  The rear part in this case will also be held up by a pomegranate shrub, which is still young at this stage.

Now the rain has returned and we are having another enforced break.  Luckily it's just a general drizzly damp rain come windy fog and not another downpour.  So hopefully no further damage...  Meanwhile I have some kale and tatsoi ready to be planted out, But I don't know where I'm going to put it...

Oh and the Epiphany witch hasn't come to visit for the second year running.  I wish she would let me know when and how I have been naughty so I can improve my behaviour in future.