Centring The Past 2025

This is just a short post, as I will do a proper one later in the week. But I wanted to share with you that I have just had an incredible weekend.

I was lucky enough to be invited along to an event run by Whitacre Bespoke Carpentry, which was called Centring The Past, reconstructing formwork for medieval vaults. The idea was that I was going to come along and do some carving tuition, focusing on carving on a beam that had been hewn. I ended up going for the whole weekend and I wish I could have gone all week, it was incredible. 

 I can't wait to share with you the two days we spent there. I'm so fired up about my trade right now! 

Overstood Hedge 8 months on

Below is a video looking at the hedge I laid back in the winter. It's come on well. not all the new trees have survived the dry summer, but most of them have - pretty good as I didn't water them! 

 This video shows why I cut the elder back int he hedge really well, I'm tempted to cut it back again this winter as it's already 6ft high and I've like the new trees to get established before it shades them out completely. 

Cakes For The Scout Jumble Sale

So last weekend was our annual Scout jumble sale. It gets a little mad (although less mad than it has been in previous years as the numbers got too much), but it does all our fundraising for the year. 

My girls are young bakers who are really getting the hours in these days. I feel their practicing is really important and I hope this skill will last them a lifetime. 

They both baked for the sale. And helped all afternoon in the tea and cake area, apparently they were super helpful which is always nice to hear. 

 I was really pleased with their efforts, but only got to try one cake! 

They keep asking me for new cakes to try and bake - any suggestions?

Canning Damsons

There's so much fruit about at the moment it seems a crime to not use as much as possible. I wanted to can some more produce as I haven't done any in a while. 

 The damson trees are heavy with their fruit this year, and none heavier than the Merryweather. I know I've talked about this amazing fruit on the blog before, but it really is great, the fact that it's free-stone (the stone doesn't cling to the fruit) makes it incredible for all sorts of preserving. 

I had three talks this week, so by Friday I was feeling a bit wiped out. I decided to do a bit of a kitchen day, with a nice tea planned for my family (I had a talk to go give), bake some sourdough and can some produce. 

I still need to do more though as the 9 jars haven't made a dent, and they haven't filled up the pantry enough! 

What's your favourite fruit to can (or bottle)?

New Chickens

To make sure we get plenty of eggs we have to update the chickens every now and again. 

Our breeding flock is for meat really, so when we want some more egg layers we tend to get hybrids. Some we buy in, sometimes we get given ex commercial birds. This lot we had to buy! 

Dehydrating Apples & Damsons

There's so much fruit this year I need to make a start on getting stuff stored away for the winter. 

A great use of early apples (which won't store) is to dehydrate them. 

Custom Wooden Potting Tray With Metal Bottom

A few weeks back I had an email from a potential customer who wanted to have a potting tray made with a metal bottom. I talk to them about how I could change my design slightly to make it fit. 

They also wanted it stained darker. This isn't normally something I offer as storage space is my main issue with these trays and I like to keep a good stock of them and get them shipped next day. They offered to pay for stain so I agreed. 

I think the finished tray looks pretty good, it's 1mm galvanised steel on the bottom (supported by 9mm plywood) and treated with Osmo oil. It was a pair of trays but I had the first already packaged when I saw the message from the customer about a picture! 

 Hopefully I'll get a picture of them in their new home as well!

Carved Dice Tower

Not homestead related, but I did make this as a magazine article which helps me earn my living from home. 

I love playing games, and for a long time have loved things like blood bowl and necromunda, which involve a lot of dice. As my son has got older, he's got into these games as well. A dice tower seemed like the perfect project to make. 

 

I filmed the whole process. It's a dead easy project to make, and an easy one to carve, only using 2 carving chisels really, make sure they're sharp though!

What games do you like to play?

Beehive Inspection At Hartpury College

 Last week we were really fortunate to be invited to have a look at the apiary at Hartpury college. 

It was part of the children's beekeeping course I'd expressing interest in for the girls, but the first time we'd been able to come along, far too late in the season now, but it makes for a good start for the course next year. 

Potting Bench Fitted For A Customer

 Today I delivered a potting bench I made for a magazine article a while back. Originally it had been for me, but I'd nver got round to building anywhere to keep it, so instead I thought it was best to sell it rather than keep moving it around in storage.

It went to a customer with a beautiful garden in a beautiful shed.