Well that was close!

Our dear sweet Freddie

The forecast was for a drop in temperatures, so I thought I had better make an effort to dig up the root vegetables this weekend. The cabbages, broccoli and Brussel sprouts would stand some frost and I would still be able to get to them. Root vegetables once frozen in the ground are not so easy. It was a good job I did, not because they were in danger of being frozen in the ground after all, but I would have had more difficulty locating them under a blanket of snow. We were expecting some snow, errrrrr.... but not quite so much. Not that it is a lot of snow by Latvian standards and we've known more to fall in one day, but the consistent fine snow that fell all day today means we have a reasonable accumulation that we weren't expecting. 

George in a festive frame. No the snow was not
that high but the shot was taken from between
accumulations on the gate.

Beetroots

I started off nice and easy digging the vegetables with the beetroot. I was quite pleased that the majority were a reasonable size, especially as I use our own beetroot seed mixed in with some new ones. They are now all in a crate snuggled in a blanket of wood chippings. The beetroot leaves are drying in or on top of the oven. I have some leaves in the freezer already that will be used as a spinach substitute. I find spinach hard to grow because the summer is not kind to it and I always remember too late to grow some at the end of the season, so this will work instead. The beetroot leaves I have drying will add to my dried vegetable powder stock. I find that there are quite a few things that take up too much room or not quite right for eating directly because they might be a bit stringy or too strong in taste but dried out and ground into a powder they make tasty low salt stock. I dried out bean pods and ground them up. This was not a total success but I sieved it to separate the powder and the flaky bits, we get the powder and the chickens will be quite happy with the flakes added to their food, so nothing will be wasted.

Brencis does like to come up close and personal.
He can be a bit intimidating at times as he's so
big, but he's a gentle giant really - as long as
you don't touch his back legs.

A barrow load of parsnips

I also dug up the parsnips. I've had a couple of years where I've managed to grow these successfully but it is a bit hit and miss. This year was absolutely amazing, I've never, ever, grown parsnips as big. The ground was possibly a bit rich for them and they sent out lots of side roots, but even so, they were enormous and not woody at all and they tasted nice and sweet. I hope to save a few for next year to get seeds from or at least re-sprout the tops for new seed plants. I also dug up a bed of Jerusalem artichokes. I save a few for us and give most of them to the chickens -they are fine under a mulch and then they can be fed on a regular basis to them. We like Jerusalem artichokes but not so keen of their smelly effects. If that was all we had to eat, I would certainly do that no problem, but we have so many other things to eat we don't need to bother. I will have to do some research on ways to reduce their aftereffects though as they are super easy to grow and take no care at all. I dig them up in autumn to use in winter and then again in spring as soon as the ground defrosts. They are some of the earliest vegetables of the year for us.

Meet Pete the Parsnip. The fork and 
my old wellie is for size comparison.

My view from the apartment window this
morning

Of course work takes up much of my time now and this week I've been searching for photographs for a book and database - easier said than done when some companies do not even bother to respond to emails. Anyway, I persist and that usually gets some results. We have a database launch date this week and so I've been making sure that is sorted. It will still be a work in progress but there is enough there to create interest and it can be added to over time. There is still a paper to finish and so I've been dipping into that, which kind of feels like getting blood out of a stone as it is such a slow process. I shall be glad when that one is done. I put on my diplomatic hat on this week too as I had to finish peer-reviewing someone else's paper. I needed to be kind and constructive with that. I feel sorry for the authors as they will have a lot of work to do on it. The science writing aspect is a tricky path to navigate especially if they do not have access to a native speaker to help them. 

Ian's morning view out on the land

George, Mari's oldest son had been outside in
the snow

There was a break from work on Thursday when I went out to the land with Ian one morning to help hold alpacas while they were scanned. We had 8 of them scanned and five were pregnant. Vanessa we were fairly certain was not due to the fact she was very adamant that she was not going to sit down for any male alpaca, well not for Mr. P anyway, as Tellus and Brencis are too closely related to her to be mated with. We were disappointed that Valeria and Antonia were not pregnant again this year and we'll have to try early again next year. Aggie and Chanel we were fairly certain were pregnant as they have been horrid, spitty and temperamental and so it was a relief to know they definitely were pregnant and not just obnoxious for no reason. Mari was definitely not as far on as they were, so due much later but at least she is pregnant - she does have nice babies too. Amanda and Silla were easy to see too, so it looks like most of them are due earlier rather than later. 

I love this shot as it would make such a good
subject for a detailed drawing showing the
way George's fleece covers his face, especially
around the nose.

The detail on Lady V's face would be a good
one to try and capture in pencil

We went to see some friends on Friday. One of them has been very ill for such a long time and we know he's vulnerable to any infection. You could guarantee though that even if we thought about going to see them I would get a tickly cough or start sneezing. Then there are the days when trying to get work done means I finish too late. We also didn't want to go and see them if we had been in contact with others where we weren't sure about their Covid bubble either and so time just stole away. To take Covid19 germs to someone already reliant on oxygen is not helpful though. Finally we found a time when we hadn't had contact with anyone other than in the local supermarket and so went up to see them. 

Hay stacks with a blanket of snow

Have you been out in the snow Mr. P?

Life used to be so simple when we didn't have to factor these things in. At least we are more confident of not having come into contact with the disease due to being tied up on the land means we don't see many people and our trips to the supermarket are relatively safe due to there only being a low incidence of cases in the area. In the whole of the time since the disease came into Latvia there has only been twice when there has between 1-5 with the disease in our region (they don't give numbers below 5). The numbers in certain parts of the country are not looking good though with huge spikes in numbers and the hospitals close to being full for allocated beds. There are additional restrictions in several places but not in the capital, which has the highest number of people and the highest incidence - just not the highest number per capita and that's how they get away with not placing the additional restrictions there. Unless the numbers come down quickly there will be a lockdown according to the murmurings.

Hmmm! I can see you have. He looks like an old
grizzled man

I see our Christmas tree is ready decorated

On Saturday we took a trip out to see someone with some alpacas. She was a relatively new owner and needed some advice and guidance. The alpacas' toe nails also needed cutting and so Ian demonstrated the correct way they should be done. It looks like we will have more customers in the next shearing season too and so Ian was explaining how to prepare the place ready for the shearing process. It is worrying though that she needed the advice on simple things like toe nail cutting, body scoring to ensure they are not too fat and general ideas on how to make sure they stay healthy. Ian wouldn't let any of our alpacas go without the people knowing how to care for them, as any responsible breeder should. `He would find selling them hard enough as it is and even harder if he wasn't sure they would be looked after properly with the correct after care services too.

So bright despite the gloomy skies. Makes a change
from dark and dreary we've had.

Little Ilvija doing her best to look like a unicorn

One of the things I've been spending time on this week is sorting out Christmas presents. I haven't finished yet but I've been trying to think of presents that will be of use, but fun and where the profits do not go into the hands of the temple of mammon, aka Amazon. Buying local becomes a bit more tricky when you are many miles away and they are not always ideal anyway. I've been putting together some sites for myself of places to buy local foodie items and things we might need and so that was helpful to send to my daughter when she wanted ideas. Maybe that would be useful for anyone who has distant relatives, a bit like the wedding gift list but packed with details of greener, more local companies, especially when it will not be so easy to pop over to deliver presents yourself. 

I think the unicorn look needs a little work though

I said the snow had got a bit thicker than we were
expecting

Mari with Lady V looking anxiously on. I'm not
going out in that, I think the look says.

The greenhouse looks quite gloomy with its blanket
of snow. I hope that plastic holds.

Boys you do know you have water
buckets inside don't you?

Getting there! Again!

A rather dramatic sky, but not tonight's.

We are sat in the caravan in the sweltering heat with the fan going. The last few days have been hot and dry. We could have been haymaking but the weather forecast said rain for today. Pah! When the forecast was for no rain - we got rain, not just a sprinkling but a torrential downpour. They forecast rain and we get blue skies and hot sunshine! Perfect haymaking weather! It's not helpful. The thunder clouds are rolling in now and we may get rain after all but they stopped forecasting rain for us yesterday. Sigh!. We still have one field left to cut for hay and time is ticking on as we collect subsidies on that field. That means we have until August 15th to cut and clear. The forecast is for lower temperatures next week and we are still not certain about the rain, one site says no rain after Friday and the other says yes and only goes till Sunday. Sigh again! Will we won't we? At least we did get some hay in last week and that's why I didn't blog. I was in the field until well after 10pm and we only rolled into bed at midnight. 

Finally got to see some noctilucent clouds. Usually
it has been too light to see the high silvery clouds
that you can see in the background. I decided that
the reason I never became an astronomer is because
really I'm not a late night person.

Poor guy! All a bit too much at
times

Turbjørn is doing a bit better these days. He doesn't seem as stiff. He still obviously has a sore neck and it is still a bit twisted. The animal physio came out again and used some laser heat to heal the tissues. She is fairly sure it is just soft tissue damage because of the way he is responding to treatment but she cannot be absolutely sure without an x-ray. The problem is that, although we found a couple of vets that can do mobile x-rays, they can't come until August. Meanwhile Ian continues to massage the tissues around Turbjørn's neck and the tops of his legs, where the problem may have started. At least he seems to be staying out of the way of any fights that break out from time to time. The young boys are growing and testing their place in the herd and the older ones have been on mating duty, so hormones are a bit high. 

Sometimes he looks quite perky though.

I have a wilderness for a garden, as
usual, but it never ceases to amaze
me what beauty there is to be seen.
This is just a weed, but so pretty.

Hopefully the boys will all settle down soon though as the females get pregnant. We are fairly confident with a few of them, as they are usually compliant and are definitely being resistant now. We were surprised with one of our particularly spitty females though (at least to males not to people), as she actually sat down for mating today. It seems she may have been ready. Normally she puts up quite a fight. Her and her mother have not read the books on alpaca mating that say spitting and fighting only occur once they are pregnant, not before. They are definitely a feisty pair and take after Veronica, who is the mother and grandmother of the pair. She too though has been showing signs of being ready to mate. The difference is that there is no way we will let a male near her, she is not in a good condition for pregnancy with a bowed back and wonky front legs. It is possible for alpacas to give birth successfully at her age but not recommended with those issues. 

A damp morning making the grass look frothy

Clustered bellflower

With the increase in temperature comes an increase in flies that are bothering the alpacas. Some of them get sores from the constant nibbling by flies and is not pleasant. I've been putting some of my cream on mixed with clay. The clay of course is good for skin, but it also hides the redness of the sores, which should stop the flies getting to the sore patches. Unfortunately that is not working quite as well as we would like and so they also still get some fly repellent sprayed on them too. At least that seems to do the trick.

The lawn's doing well

Flowers amongst the grass

This last week we took a trip to just north of Riga to see a couple who have got some new alpacas. It was interesting to see them in their large garden. They are hoping for more space but the animals seemed contented enough. We were able to reassure them that on the whole fights at their age are not really something to be concerned about, they are still young. As it is between the less dominant ones they are probably just working out their hierarchy in the small herd too as well as just playing.

The remains of the old small greenhouse, repurposed
as a smaller drying shed again.

A start of another project. There will be a replacement
shed here where the old little greenhouse had fallen down

You can just about see the new greenhouse. The 
potatoes have taken over. No chance to mow
between the rows at the moment.

We have been getting a trickle of visitors to the farm. People are coming in small groups of about 6-7 at the moment. That's nice as it is small enough to handle but the money earned is of course better. One group sent Ian a very nice email afterwards to thank him for showing them around. Obviously they have enjoyed themselves. I leave Ian to it, so I can get in the garden or on with my work. Sometimes I would like to just join in, but then I wouldn't get other things done and I only have so many hours in the day. One family who visited turned out to be someone we had met many years before at Gančauskas, a camp just north of Sigulda that started us off on our journey to living in Latvia. This lady had been there at a time when it was just the two of us, without the children. Not sure if she recognised Ian or not and I've changed a lot since then, but we managed to find her picture amongst ours. I wonder how many more there are who will visit us and will they remember us?

The tomatoes are doing well though

In different colours too

A cloud building this afternoon while I was working
on the project

I'm still working and trying to finish off work projects. I'm determined to have them finished by the end of the week to get some time off before I start on my next project. I'm getting there, it is just taking too long for my liking. At least I got the chance to get in the garden at the weekend but that is another slow job. I have a huge pile of weeds and a long bed and a half of strawberries cleared out now. At least Ian has somewhere to dump the manure to give the strawberry plants a good start for next year. Strawberry season was a little short this year as there were not many strawberries, probably due to a frost at a critical time but they were nice. At least the tomatoes have got going and so we are starting to get colourful salads again.

Our fruit is doing well. I must get some of it in the freezer or in jars.

Raspberries

White currants

Red gooseberries

Redcurrants

Blackcurrants

The one cherry! Actually there was probably about 5

The wilderness garden

Somewhere in between the hemp that self-seeds there
are carrots and dill.

Self seeded pansies

And self-seeded little violas

The day lillies are just about hanging on in there from 
the onslaught of the hop. I think I'll have to move them
this year to give them some space.

A viviparous lizard.

We love collecting mushrooms, but these aren't
on the menu. A hairy mushroom fungus on a
mushroom, a new one to me. 

It's Christmas time

Not quite Latvia! I have my oldest son to thank for the
photos this week as I keep forgetting to take my camera

On Christmas Eve, I had a surprise, Ian finally accepted my friendship request on FB. The surprise did not last long when I found out he didn't mean too and I had to explain how to unfriend me. Don't worry I'm not overly concerned. We can always send emails to each other..... errrr I mean talk to each other instead.

They wanted to see pictures of the alpacas

Usually on Christmas Eve, I decorate the apartment but not this year. I would be travelling and it would mean Ian putting all the decorations away and he's not that bothered. What he is bothered about is the Christmas food though. So instead of decorating I did the cooking. However, I didn't even try that hard with the cooking. Just enough to make it a bit special. It's hard to think of what to do when I bake so many cakes and we eat locally sourced, organic food throughout the year. Dried wild mushrooms? No problem, I have jars of the stuff. Different herb mixtures? I dry my own and use them regularly.

My helpers in the garden

I attempted croissants but they didn't work as well as normal. My arm was still aching so tried the pasta machine to make thin sheets of pastry. That bit worked all right but the croissants weren't as light and flaky as normal. They were alright and we still ate them for breakfast on Christmas day. At least I didn't have to do any cooking apart from making some Yorkshire Puddings. I also left Ian with a pile of leftovers to keep him going for a few more days before he had to start cooking for himself.

Taken on a family walk

On Christmas day I went with Ian to put cream on the animals that needed some extra TLC (tender loving care) before I went away. I also sorted out some of the things still left out in the caravan or in the greenhouse while Ian showed visitors around. We had a young couple from Riga. It was the husband's surprise treat for his alpaca-mad wife. He even blindfolded her in the car just outside of our village before they arrived, so she couldn't guess where she was. Ian took Brencis to the car for her to reach out and touch before he took the blindfold off. They promised to come back in warmer weather.

Well nearly all the grandchildren together in order of age.
One was not so happy about the idea.

On Boxing Day (2nd Christmas day) I took the early morning bus from our village to Riga so I could get to the airport to travel to the UK. It was weird to arrive in Riga with Christmas preparations still ongoing. A couple of guys were trimming the bases of Christmas trees for sale and at first I couldn't work out why, then it dawned on me that for those celebrating Orthodox Christmas (7th January) the preparations would just be underway. Since the proportion of Orthodox Christians is 26% in Latvia and most of those live in Riga it makes sense.

Opening more Christmas presents

Travel on Boxing Day is difficult in the UK and so my parents arranged to pick me up. Well I arrived but there were no parents to greet me. I sent texts and tried to phone a couple of times but got no reply. I headed for the Terminal pick up point and on the way I finally got through to my parents to find they were stuck in traffic at one of the large shopping centres. So having spent a huge amount of money on presents that might not last long, much of the population head to the sales to spend yet more money - and some people wonder why I don't live in the UK! Eventually my parents arrived and I went to their house for an overnight stay.

My youngest son and the amazing cake my
daughter made. She based it on a car that
my youngest designed and actually
went into production for introductory
level racing

The reason for leaving Ian alone for much of the Christmas period and into the New Year is that I wanted to be in the UK for one of my grandson's 7th birthday and my youngest son's partner had organised a surprise birthday present for his 30th birthday on the day after Christmas. I could spend about a week at each of my children's houses and still get to both birthdays. The surprise was a little dented in so far as we got stuck in traffic again, between my parents house and the venue for the party. We ended up nearly an hour and half late. At least we didn't spoil the initial surprise of having a party organised for him.

An evening meal with the grandchildren before their parents
went out in peace for a meal and left me to babysit them
all. They were all in bed by the time I was left alone with
them though. 

This time I travelled with my older son and his family to stay at my daughter's home as we were all staying there until the New Year. My youngest son came up for a pre-arranged day that he did know about and so I was together with all my children, their partners and children - all 15 of us.

Together!

So happy New Year to you all, may this year ahead be one where we can move forward and address the many issues that have held us back and threaten our future from the last decade. May we all be bold enough to rise to the challenges of changing our societies to ones that care more for each other and the environment.