What day is it now? It has been a slightly bizarre couple of weeks with all these banks holidays and special occasions. There is hardly anyone here so it must be Sunday and we have just one more bank holiday to come tomorrow, so we should be back to ‘normal’ in a few days. Next week is of course short again but hopefully we will be able to cope if we are not too over swamped with orders. We managed a few hours off last Sunday for a family Sunday lunch which was delicious, as usual I overdosed on meat and pudding which meant I couldn’t eat again for nearly 24 hrs! I can’t believe Easter was only last weekend. It’s a shame that so many centres have to close on that day right at the peak of the season, but there you go.
It is such a bonkers time of year it reminds me of my first nursery selling fruit and veg. Christmas was the daft time then, prices used to shoot up, the quantities bought were silly and the work load huge, but by the time the post Christmas lull was taken into account it all evened out to be normal few weeks. At least with the plant sales we get a reasonable run at it before the autumn and winter lull kicks in. At this time of year will can sell as much in one day as we do in an entire winter month, so make hay while the sun shines (and wind blows).
We had a heavy shower last night, just enough to lay the dust for a few hours, but we need loads more really. Although the temperature dropped last week, the sun and constant east wind has meant no drop in water use which is really high for the time of year.
With so much going on it’s difficult to keep up. I managed to catch the highlights of the big wedding, if anyone missed it, it was all ok. He turned up, she turned up, she had a white dress, they got wed and they kissed. Hopefully they all live happily ever after as prince and princesses should although apparently rarely do! (at least not at the first attempt). Coincidentally it was our anniversary this week. We celebrated in traditional style, Caroline went out to see an Eagles tribute band with a couple of boys and I stayed at home to make my own dinner! Luckily the Riverford organic veg box was still full of fresh yummy goodies so I naturally I went straight to the phone to order a chicken tikka khauri and mushroom rice, mmm nice.
Eco news
After a week of irrigating, the recently sown wild flower strip has germinated, it’s either that or the weed population in the soil popping up to have its say!
The wind turbines are another step closer with the money going out to have the overhead power lines and the poles removed from the site. The last instalment of the large deposit on the turbines themselves has also gone, although still no actual activity on site other than the movement of money out of the account. I’m just beginning to wonder if it’s all just some sort of very elaborate scam.
Have a good week, from all at Kirton Farm Nurseries
Showing posts with label easter. Show all posts
Showing posts with label easter. Show all posts
Monday, 2 May 2011
Monday, 29 March 2010
Another month gone, and it’s Easter already. It’s great being this busy, lots of things to do and challenges to meet. Most of the time getting on top of those challenges can be very rewarding but I must admit it can get a bit much sometimes, especially when you can’t find enough hours in the day.
This week’s challenge was with the wooden label printer, all week it kept printing a black line where it shouldn’t and despite learning a lot about the little habits and tricks of this printer over the last two years, this one stumped us and we got quite worked up! After a lot of huffing and puffing, head and bottom scratching we did solve it on Friday. It turned out to be a bizarre combination of events involving the magnets in the ink cup picking up some metal bits into the ink which caused some damage and a slightly dislodged magnet position in the cup itself, caused in the same incident. Phew, what a relief and such a joy using the printer again without the frustration element.
When we get a bit pressed it can be quite easy to slip over the edge into doom and gloom, but a few years ago we did a bit of ‘happiness training’ involving identifying how the brain works and how you can influence moods. One of the key bits was recognising triggers which make you feel different things and using them when you need to. A trigger could be a smell, an object , a memory, a song, anything that provokes a mental response. You can use it to get your mood right for any occasion although I tend to use it to make me feel better if things are getting tricky. If I am in the right frame of mind it does make life easier for all around me. Anyway, I got a surprise on Friday with the arrival of a new and very expensive trigger. The new 3.5 tonne van arrived causing quite a stir. We bought it in a bit of a rush after being unable to get a suitable second-hand one having just worked out the minimum dimensions needed to get the trolleys on and minimise the weight. The resulting vehicle is great, quite different and has made several initial observers laugh out loud. It’s like a cartoon van in its proportions, but it goes really well, is super clean and efficient and we will get noticed! We haven’t done the sign writing yet but I’m sure we can come up with something appropriate when we do get round to it. We have parked it up in the yard and it is making a great impact, you just can’t help smiling everytime you look at it!
Currently we are saving about 17% on our electricity use, compared with last year despite the extra heating costs of the prolonged cold weather and the installation of sodium grow-lights in the microprop weening tunnel. The consumption in the office and print room has dropped 75% since the warmer weather arrived, which just goes to illustrate how much of our energy goes on heating. We will have a look before next winter to see if we can improve the heating efficiency and save in the long term. Maybe we can tap in to some of the grants and loans being used to promote better systems. I did get a call from the local Business Link office to say that they have up to £500 per business to give away on any energy efficiency project which can show savings, so there is help out there encouraging us to do more.
Nature notes
Mad excitement in the pond last Sunday and Monday, with loads of frantic amphibious activity creating loads of frogspawn. I had almost given up waiting for some action but they got there in the end. Because we had to line the pond (on chalk) I was wondering if it was too slippery /tricky for them to get in and out despite the overhanging foliage. I had laid a strip of carpet over the edge to help and it was at this end that all the activity was occurring. I expect it was the combination of an increase in temperature, a lazy Sunday morning, running their toes through the shag-pile and Spring in the air that did the trick.
Don't forget to do your bit. Have a good week,
This week’s challenge was with the wooden label printer, all week it kept printing a black line where it shouldn’t and despite learning a lot about the little habits and tricks of this printer over the last two years, this one stumped us and we got quite worked up! After a lot of huffing and puffing, head and bottom scratching we did solve it on Friday. It turned out to be a bizarre combination of events involving the magnets in the ink cup picking up some metal bits into the ink which caused some damage and a slightly dislodged magnet position in the cup itself, caused in the same incident. Phew, what a relief and such a joy using the printer again without the frustration element.
When we get a bit pressed it can be quite easy to slip over the edge into doom and gloom, but a few years ago we did a bit of ‘happiness training’ involving identifying how the brain works and how you can influence moods. One of the key bits was recognising triggers which make you feel different things and using them when you need to. A trigger could be a smell, an object , a memory, a song, anything that provokes a mental response. You can use it to get your mood right for any occasion although I tend to use it to make me feel better if things are getting tricky. If I am in the right frame of mind it does make life easier for all around me. Anyway, I got a surprise on Friday with the arrival of a new and very expensive trigger. The new 3.5 tonne van arrived causing quite a stir. We bought it in a bit of a rush after being unable to get a suitable second-hand one having just worked out the minimum dimensions needed to get the trolleys on and minimise the weight. The resulting vehicle is great, quite different and has made several initial observers laugh out loud. It’s like a cartoon van in its proportions, but it goes really well, is super clean and efficient and we will get noticed! We haven’t done the sign writing yet but I’m sure we can come up with something appropriate when we do get round to it. We have parked it up in the yard and it is making a great impact, you just can’t help smiling everytime you look at it!
Currently we are saving about 17% on our electricity use, compared with last year despite the extra heating costs of the prolonged cold weather and the installation of sodium grow-lights in the microprop weening tunnel. The consumption in the office and print room has dropped 75% since the warmer weather arrived, which just goes to illustrate how much of our energy goes on heating. We will have a look before next winter to see if we can improve the heating efficiency and save in the long term. Maybe we can tap in to some of the grants and loans being used to promote better systems. I did get a call from the local Business Link office to say that they have up to £500 per business to give away on any energy efficiency project which can show savings, so there is help out there encouraging us to do more.
Nature notes
Mad excitement in the pond last Sunday and Monday, with loads of frantic amphibious activity creating loads of frogspawn. I had almost given up waiting for some action but they got there in the end. Because we had to line the pond (on chalk) I was wondering if it was too slippery /tricky for them to get in and out despite the overhanging foliage. I had laid a strip of carpet over the edge to help and it was at this end that all the activity was occurring. I expect it was the combination of an increase in temperature, a lazy Sunday morning, running their toes through the shag-pile and Spring in the air that did the trick.
Don't forget to do your bit. Have a good week,
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