xabali ciervo and other happenings

Wild pig and deer defenses are springing up everywhere mostly electric fences little low ones with two wires and a big shock for the pigs mostly but there are other strategies too - a few fields below us a couple of orange flags and a few kilometers of plastic tape flutter in wind, here and there plastic carrier bags containing human hair swing from fence posts, DVDs dangle from strings in treees, on fences and fence posts, scarecrows ranging from a post with a bag on it to quite elaborate constructions with glasses and scarves etc. we have strewn a few solargarden lights around I put some in pairs so they would look like eyes in the dark, barking dogs are popular too they don't spring into action just to warn of intruders they just bark all the time really. Graham and Liz had a visit from them and they have been to Rioforcados as well poor Mel met some grunts in the night while hanging out washing I think and a lot of damage has been done to potatoes and other veg here and there. We ahve been lucky so far, I have not had time to finish our fence moving exercise but am nearly there I just need to crack joining two pieces of chain link fencing together - according to many web sites you just twist/ rotate one zig zag strand to interweave it between the two bits in need of being joined it seems but alas for me they are brave and over simple words that are not so easy to implement. The wind is blowing again today about 50 kph i think just enough to make those waves on the cearal and grass fields and get the Eucalyptus swaying and dancing. Looking down on our hedge today a straggling line of rooted cuttings of Escalonia, Holly, that green shiny leaved bushy stuff that grows well in Cornwall, the little green shiney leaved bushy stuff and the other even littler shiny greeen bushy stuff that grow well in Galicia and imagining it as a proper windbreak seems a long way off.

Weeds are growing really really well millions of them every time we dig over a patch it turns green again in a few days, the veg is doing ok although the soil does dry out quite fast after the rain, a load of the onions have bull neck but are still tasty fresh- due to mixed weather earliear in the year I think and we have had lots of strawberries with a second flush on the way, patakas (potatoes) are a mixed bag really we planted all sorts of varieties but the rodents have eaten a fair few and ther are a lot of gaps, the sweet corn is coming on well, first peas are formed and beans winding up their frames look good, I think we ahve arouind 35 squash type plants like courgettes, butternuts, pumpkins, various melons, and other mixed eating squashes we haven't grown before they are all doing we has the firsst courgete a few days ago and ther are lots to come.

We had magpie trouble 6 of them gobbling up the hen food so I stopped using the demand feeder and tried gincing them lots of litlte meals for a couple of days - the magpies stopped visiting but I think they were about to grow up and move on anyway.

I had best go and do some weed hacking while the sun is shining