Oh just tidying up

In the Tall Barn, having a bed time chat with Elise (our young heiffer) as she munched on her nibbles, and I espied a frond of greenness poking up from amongst one of the piles of things. We have lots of piles of things, but they are smaller piles than we have had. When we first arrived here the piles were humungously big, but gradually they have become smaller. Anyway, saw this frond of plastic greenness. Ah, the Christmas tree. 

Then it came to me that perhaps Christmas was closer than what I thought, that I really ought to think about putting some sort of effort into 'doing' Christmas. So if the tree was there, where was the box of Christmas decorations. Ah, out there. By the Chicken Hut. Oops. Should not be there. Should be inside keeping dry, there being baubles aplenty and several ropes of Christmas lights therein. Forgot to move it into the house when we had to make room in the Tall Barn for the wood for the ceilings. That was weeks ago. 

Had a walk over to the box. It has a plastic lid. The lid has a hole in it. The box has got lots of water in it. So, no, we shall not be using anything in that box this year, if ever. Left it there. Did not have the heart to sort it out. Left Christmas tree where it was as well. 

It is not that I am anti-Christmas, it is just that the busyness of getting a new life sorted out here fills up the time so that Christmas gets pushed to one side. It was not always like that. For years and years and years I have 'done' Christmas, and enthusiastically so. But sometimes I think it is nice to take a holiday from the madness of the Christmas season. And I am thinking that perhaps I shall not ever put those old Christmas decorations up, that perhaps I shall start afresh next year. 

Anyways, I have been sorting things out yet again. This is what I have come up with as a solution for storage in my temporary kitchen, which is going to be my proper kitchen eventually. Cheapo storage shelves.........

..... and I know I often mention the dishwasher, but the table and surfaces would not, I repeat 'not', be anywhere near as tidy if I didn't have it. 

I like this space. I thought I would keep bumping into the kitchen table, this being the first time of having such an item in the middle of a kitchen, but I don't. 

 In fact, the table has proved its worth already. We were just about to cut up this piglet when I took this photo. She yielded about 50 - 60 kgs of meat, bless her. It made a change to do this task on a table which didn't wobble about.  We have had to make do on a camping table for the other times when we have done such a task. Handling a very sharp knife when there is a wobble hanging about is not exactly sensible. Lester only cut himself once this time, but that was on the previous day when we were removing the hair from the skin. I didn't get cut. I just got a scalded a little bit as I poured the boiling water onto the skin so the hair would soften sufficiently for the hair to be scraped off. Two hours it took to do that job. Two hours it took to cut her up. It total, it took about five to six hours over two days from being alive in the field to being not being alive in the freezer. There were certain elements along the way which jolted us a bit, but her end time was fast, dignified, and happened midway through the munching of her breakfast. 

Meanwhile, I have been arranging things artfully in the Half Barn......

....and making things as well. Those little lacy curtains in the above picture are my first attempts at using the wool I have been spinning. The orange fabric in the middle is something I made a few years ago when I was having a go a tie-dying. All this arty stuff does make me feel usefully creative. It's nice to look at something and know that it is home made. It's good for the soul. 

And here is Hubs ignoring me as I faff around with the camera. This is our new 'office' environment. It is clean. There is nothing falling from the walls onto our computer tables, and there are no tarpaulins on the floor. It is a relief to be away from the dust and muckiness of the rest of the house. It is a relief to be in the Half Barn......

.....ceiling still unpainted, but everything else is done. It is a restful and joyful space. We think we shall be quite happy to stay put in this part of the house for however long it takes to do the rest.