Aug. 9, 2025

The borehole is officially installed and working. I got a generator off facebook marketplace, and it just plugs into the pump in the borehole. No problemos! I bought a long hose to pipe out the water and did my first round of watering. I definitely need a more automated solution.  Dragging a 25m thick hose without damaging small trees is difficult and it takes too much time. I find that I need to experience things the hard way first to figure out the best way forward. I think sprinklers will be best to cover the area effectively without laying too many pipes everywhere.

installation incoming

what it looks like finished. will build a mini house for it.

I had a run-in with a snake last week, hiding under a log. I had decided to move the logs all in one place instead of scattering them around, as it was hindering my grass trimming task. Now I realise that snakes like to hang out under logs. I don’t want to encourage that… even though this one was a harmless grass snake, it gave me the creeps. 

I finally had a breakthrough idea of what to do with all the logs I have piling up from the arborist (I keep saying yes please, I’ll take some, thinking I’ll find a good use). Well, I finally have a good idea… Hugelmounds (hugelkultur). Basically, you dig a shallow trench, put down logs, fill gaps with woodchips and soil, pile up mulch and soil until you form a mound, like a raised bed. You don’t want to have too many air pockets, so lots of small materials. The idea is that the wood breaks down slowly (over a few years if done correctly) and creates fertile soil. On top, you can put some compost or topsoil and start growing plants. Since I couldn’t find an above-ground use for the logs, if I dig them into the ground, keep it moist, and make them decay, it can provide fertility and I won’t have logs clogging up the field. 

My first attempt had a few flaws; I didn’t dig a trench first or put in enough smaller woodchips to fill the gaps. Gaps will cause it to dry out and most definitely attract more snakes and mice to hide. So I will need to redo my first attempt, but happy with the idea.

hugelmounds

Otherwise, have been harvesting loads of blackberries, many kilos worth I think, and am freezing them all to use on my morning yoghurt bowl. Keen to see how long it lasts. 

Future plans on the field include mowing the grass! I’m so over the long grass. It did help define the paths and make it kind of fun to wind around the long grass, but nope, no more. I want neat, short, trimmed grass. Now that the growing season is slowing down soon, a good trim will last a while. I’ve gone through a few tools already in this saga; the nylon strimmer, the metal blade, the manual push mower… I think I need a petrol self-propelled mower, one that’s good for uneven ground… That’ll be the next step. If that doesn’t work, i.e. maybe the grass is still too long or the ground too uneven, or the work is too slow to cover everything, then the only other option is a mini tractor… Ideally, I don’t invest in that just yet. 

Moving on, I’ve started spinning some of the Belgian wool, since I have so much now. I did my first dyeing attempt with half of the merino wool. I bought some oxides to help with natural dyes and decided to try green, using rosemary and grass. It’s worked pretty well, though let’s see how the colour holds up. I’m going to make a shawl, will bring the project with me to France for the next few weeks.

the pattern I'm making - Châle Saison by Laine Poudrée

The garden at home is looking good, harvesting courgettes and tomatoes now.

 

 

Total Likes: 0

Comments

---

No comments yet.

---