Sgubor Rhiannedd or the Maidens' Barn: December 2008

And after that small advertisement here's an update on the last six or so weeks.

We've planted up our orchard now and have a number of local and old varieties. These include

Pig yr Wydd - which translates as the Head of the Goose, it's an old local variety of cooking apple (early season)

Tin yr Wydd - which translates as Arse of the Goose! and is reference to the fact that this is a later cooking apple.

Marged Nicolas - are "Mature standard trees of this dual purpose variety, with their characteristic fountain shaped habit, grow in several farm orchards in Dinefwr. The yellow apples, speckled with russet markings, are ripe in late October and will keep until early Spring. The variety is hardy and disease resistant." (Dinefwr is where my offices are, just 15 minutes down the road)

Ashmeads Kernel - is "an old English winter russet, medium size, golden-brown skin with a crisp nutty snap, exploding with champagne-sherbet juice infused with a lingering scent of orange blossom. Flesh is dense, sugary and aromatic with intense flavor." Many of the descriptions say it's like pear drops - which is vaguely perverse in an apple.

Stoke Red - "is a traditional West Country medium bittersharp cider apple." (Yes we have ambitions to make cider.)

Yarlington Mill - is a traditional Somerset cider apple producing a medium bittersweet cider. (Lots of cider)

We have plums, pears and cherry as well - so we are looking forward to an excess of fruit in a few autumns time. One of our friends has very kindly contributed to the orchard, which is a lovely present thank you Julian, and for Christmas I know we are getting some native plants and trees to plant up our "shrrrubbbbbery!" from other friends and family, so thank you in anticipation.

The exciting news is that we have planning permission for the additions on the barn, which is great, and we have a builder. Yes we have a builder!! He is keen to work with us to do the lime rendering, flooring, working with Welsh sheeps wool insulation, he has worked with Ty Mawr before and I have been involved with them through Rounded Developments. Work should start at the beginning of Feb and we will be rolling up our sleeves and getting on with some building work (which also means we should be putting up some photos of the barn in various states of change which will be exciting).

It will also be a continuous list of questions, we have already changed our mind a couple of times about the underfloor heating. We have met some other neighbours who have got us back onto the underfloor heating now because we have witnessed theirs in action. These neighbours are the people whose house is on the hill in direct line of sight from the yurt. They were kind enough to offer us a shower as when they were building their place they used to bath out in the front garden! They said they couldn't see anyone else go through that. However when we did go up go for a shower the other week the wine came out, and they are generous hosts! We finally left at 2 in the morning and staggered down the hill after a lovely and funny evening.

Anyhow the last month has been a beautiful one, the weather has been spectacular and created some very magical sights. Perfect for the yurt and the range we have bought! However we have seen the inside of the yurt a little too much over the last few days, we have both had this bug, for those of you who have had it.. how horrible was that!? James is still in bed, we're missing Christmas eve at one set of parents, hopefully I will be able to put enough whisky down him so he doesn't care tomorrow.

So finally - we wish you a happy Christmas / Nadolig Llawen from our yurt in the corner of a field in Carmarthenshire. Hope you all have a fabulous one and thank you for all your cards.