Bird Table New Year's Day

Enjoying the birds at the bird table and a look at a Mourning Dove with an attitude problem.

Happy New Year from the Cabin

Happy New Year everyone. I spent New Year's Eve day in the Cabin and thought I would take you along with me. The last day of the miserable month of December here's wishing for a better start to the New Year. Minus 16 today and even too cold to go for a walk. The beautiful male Cardinal was back at the feeder. I think he might have been out at the feeder at the cabin all along, it's closer to trees and much more secluded.

Tudor Monastery Farm Season 1 Full Episode 1

Published on Dec 30, 2013

The first episode finds the farm team arriving at Weald & Downland in West Sussex. There are domestic tasks to tackle, from lighting fires with flint, making meals with depleted crops during the Hunger Gap and using a tread wheel to fetch water from the well. Peter and Tom's first job is to move the sheep to fresh grass. Wool at this time was known as 'the jewel in the realm', because it generated much of the nation's wealth.

Ruth makes a tallow light out of rushes and sheep fat - it will provide the only source of light outside of daylight hours. And to equip the kitchen, she visits Robin Wood, one of the few men in Britain who can transform a log into a wooden bowl. She tackles making the favourite Tudor dish of Pottage and performs the ritual of laying the table, an act full of Christian symbolism.

Tudor pig breeds were large, wild and often dangerous animals and monasteries forbade pigs to run free, so Peter and Tom set about building a pig house, without nails! Peter and Tom must also master a new skill; ploughing with Oxen. These creatures, neutered cattle, had traditionally been preferred to horses. Today, there are no working Oxen left in Britain, so Peter and Tom hope to do the job by breaking in a pair of cows!

The team follow a key custom of the time in setting up a Religious guild, dedicated to the patron saint of farming, St Benedict. In an age before science, a guild was seen as a key means of ensuring favourable conditions for success for farming communities (and a safe passage to heaven!). The team also celebrate one of the most important religious events of the year: Palm Sunday - which signalled the coming of Easter - a time of much merry-making, where foliage was blessed by a priest and hung over doors to ward off evil spirits and misfortune. It also requires Peter to dress up and play the role of a prophet.

Hydroponics, Transplaning Peppers, Harvesting Parsley for Coddled Eggs

The chilli peppers that I planted from seed on December 8th. are ready for their first transplant into individual pots. A look at the lettuce and cucumbers in the hydroponics set-up, harvesting the first parsley from the aerogarden3 and making Parsley Butter Coddled Eggs for lunch.

Edwardian farm episode 12 FULL

Published on Feb 10, 2013

Episode 12 of the BBC's Edwardian farm with Ruth Goodman, Peter Ginn and Alex Langlandswith

Edwardian farm episode 11 FULL

Published on Feb 10, 2013

Episode 11 of the BBC's Edwardian farm with Ruth Goodman, Peter Ginn and Alex Langlands

Edwardian farm episode 10 FULL

Published on Feb 10, 2013

Episode 10 of the BBC's Edwardian farm with Ruth Goodman, Peter Ginn and Alex Langlands

Edwardian farm episode 9 FULL

Published on Feb 10, 2013

Episode 9 of the BBC's Edwardian farm with Ruth Goodman, Peter Ginn and Alex Langlands

The Queen's Christmas Broadcast, 25 December 2013

Published on Dec 25, 2013

Her Majesty speaks of striking a balance between action and reflection, and looks back at the birth and Christening of Prince George and the 60th anniversary of her Coronation in 2013.

Edwardian farm episode 7 FULL

Published on Feb 10, 2013

Episode 7 of the BBC's Edwardian farm with Ruth Goodman, Peter Ginn and Alex Langlands

Edwardian farm episode 6 FULL

Published on Feb 10, 2013

Episode 6 of the BBC's Edwardian farm with Ruth Goodman, Peter Ginn and Alex Langlands

Something New in the Grow Room

Getting a very early start on next years garden in the grow room and a look at the progress in the hydroponics and aerogarden3 set-up.

Edwardian farm episode 5 FULL

Published on Feb 10, 2013

Episode 5 of the BBC's Edwardian farm with Ruth Goodman, Peter Ginn and Alex Langlands

Edwardian farm episode 4 FULL

Published on Feb 10, 2013

Episode 4 of the BBC's Edwardian farm with Ruth Goodman, Peter Ginn and Alex Langlands

Edwardian farm episode 3 FULL

Published on Feb 10, 2013

Episode 3 of the BBC's Edwardian farm with Ruth Goodman, Peter Ginn and Alex Langlands

Edwardian farm episode 2 FULL

Published on Feb 10, 2013

Episode 2 of the BBC's Edwardian farm with Ruth Goodman, Peter Ginn and Alex Langlands

Edwardian farm episode 1 FULL

Published on Feb 10, 2013

Episode 1 of the BBC's Edwardian farm with Ruth Goodman, Peter Ginn and Alex Langlands

Testing my new iPad mini

Just a test of my new iPad obviously I need to speak louder.

BBC's Tales from the green valley episode 12 FULL

Published on Mar 9, 2013

Episode 12 of the BBC's Tales from the green valley with Ruth Goodman, Alex Langlands, Peter Ginn, Stuart Peachey and Cloe Spencer.

BBC's Tales from the green valley episode 11 FULL

Published on Mar 9, 2013

Episode 11 of the BBC's Tales from the green valley with Ruth Goodman, Alex Langlands, Peter Ginn, Stuart Peachey and Cloe Spencer.