Sunnyside Homestead

Since we expect rain tomorrow I’ve been giving the outdoors a lot of attention today. Below are some before photos of our 3-5 year neglected gardens. Hopefully I will have some good after photos. Jamie is continuing his work on the coop after a brief break to help me with a driveway fire. I forgot to take a before of a couple of places but I figure you will be in enough awe from the few befores that you’ll get the impression of just how overgrown everything was/is.

This tree has been down since long before we took over the place.

The brush pile we needed to burn – because there is no yard waste pick up in the country.

This is actually a raised bed garden, the barely visible peony is the middle of the garden. This was after I cut down a tree.

After much huffing and puffing, a little man strength from Jamie and a trip into town for some penetrating oil, Ed has been revived. The new belt works like a charm, and I even know how to take the whole mowing deck off now. Just in time for the weekly mowing – although I don’t think the whole lawn needs it this week.

I am also going to share some photos of pretty things because it is Sunday, and I say so.

If you know the name of any of these things and want to share leave a message in the comments.

The bush that is like a snowball but is not…

The splendid peony that is the largest and prettiest of many…

One of three rose bushes in bloom right now…

A beautiful bush, which I have no idea what it is…

And the prettiest of all the things on our land, Ed 🙂

This is the first weekend since we moved that we don’t have people coming over or I’m at work. Although I was hoping to get going outside I’m feeling lazy and it is damp so instead I am sitting by the fire, cat on my lap reading Hobby Farm magazine.

Full disclosure those are angel cats on my pyjama pants.

– Siobhan

So originally Jamie and I had a plan to start slow with the animals.  A few laying hens this year, working up to pigs and such next year.

Well the opportunity has arisen to host the school’s green technologies animals this summer.  The good news is that it will only be for a few months.  The other good news is that it will allow us to test drive this whole livestock management/care piece and still give them away at the end of the summer if we discover it is not for us.  We will also have access to their teacher who normally cares for them.

We will be getting 1 rabbit, 2 goats, 5 ducks and about a dozen laying hens.

The bad news is that we need to get our act together fast.  We need to clean out the lower area of the 2 storey shed and get some fencing up quick.  We also need to build a coop and a hutch and some kind of swimming area for the ducks.

– Siobhan