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Saturday 25 January 2014

Saturday Sunshine and Monsoon

What a day of contrasts, we started off very cold with grey skies. That went, kicked into touch by bright sunshine and a brisk breeze. I took Ben out and he romped around the field. Meanwhile I got a load of washing on the line. I brought it in,ironing dry, and it is now done and tucked away. We have just had a thunder storm right overhead, with streaks of lightning and torrential rain. 
I have continued picking my way through the house and filled some bags and boxes for the CS. It seems as though the more I turf out the more there is to go through. Yesterday I opend a top cupboard, moved a box and found a bundle of fabric that I had obviously stuck up there and then forgotten.
I need to allocate a few days to just sew, I haven't done much in a few days but do have the urge to sew tonight.
Yesterday I managed to clear some things from the garden, broken pots, odds and ends of netting and fleece, empty compost bags and so on. I do grow potatoes in compost bags but these had been used 3 times and were disintegrating. This has all been put into rubble bags and is heading for the recycling center during the week. I must dive right into the shed and remove a dozen or so paint pots, these have also been planted up in the past but I have too many.
I have been watching a run of repeats of Doctor Who and enjoying vegging out and doing a little stitching. Nothing remarkable, just trying out some new stitches and getting used to doing some hand sewing other than patchwork.
I have been reading back through some of the blogs on my list and clicking on comments and exploring further afield. Some bloggers seem to have three times the hours in the day that I do. Perhaps they just move at top speed all day, every day. I like to be busy but I do have Ben to walk, cleaning, washing and ironing and so on. Having said that I start my day with a pot of tea and go through emails and then spend a half hour,at least, on blog reading. Naughty? maybe but now that I do not work my time is my own and I am enjoying it.
No photo,s today, I haven't taken any for a few days and my batteries are on charge, both sets! I can not think how that happened.
Fish and chips for dinner last night, it is ages since I cooked them it hardly seems worth it for 1 but I had company. Tonight I am having  Cottage Pie with cauliflower and cabbage and lashings of gravy.

Reasons to be grateful.

1. I am off to visit Jeannie next weekend

2. Washing done and dusted for a few days.

3. I am planning a trip to the big garden center just outside Spalding for next week.

4. 2 Duck Dynasty books to read.

5. My new Quilting book from Camille Roskelley arrived. 

I feel for those in flooded areas, more heavy rain is forecast and the ground is at saturation point now. I still need to contact the British Red Cross to donate my quilts, I intend to wait until they are all finished and ready to go. I need to get a wiggle on as my next projects are at the planning stage.
I managed to develop an infection which has had me running backwards and forwards to the loo. I am so glad that I no longer pay for prescriptions as I was given 6 little pills. I just have to drop another urine sample at the surgery on Wednesday. Don't you just love those dinky little containers,  obviously designed my a man with no imagination!

Right, I am off to make tea and cook dinner, well cook the potatoes as I made a batch of minced beef and veg in gravy earlier.
     TTFN                                             Pam.






8 comments:

  1. We too had that thunder and lightening, hail and rain .. were did that come from?
    What a changeable day .. we have just have strong wind all afternoon .. a nightmare trying to pack the van ready for trading tomorrow.
    Keep taking the little pills .. I believe cranberry juice and barley water are helpful ... give yourself a good sluice through with lots of drinks.
    Take care x

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    1. I am drinking so much Barley Water that I ought to buy shares in the company.

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  2. Hope the pills work. No washing on the line here, managed to iron though. I can't wait to get out in the garden, it's just so sodden at the moment. We love garden centers, have a good time there.

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    1. When I bought the cottage I divided the garden into 3 sections, a little courtyard, then through a gate with a sharp left turn into a big paved area bordered on one side with espaliered apples and flower beds around the perimeter. This is where my washing twirly whirly lives and Ben plays. The through another gate into the veg garden which is around 100 ft by 30 ft. I will spend ages looking round the Garden center, it is a very large place and not part of a chain. Then on the way back there should be time to drop into the shop of a nursery who grow plants for the supermarkets. They sell off all the surplus very cheap and at times give some away.

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  3. We've had a storm this evening, thunder, lightening, hail and flickering lights. I got the candles out just in case but everything settled down quite quickly. I hope your infection clears up soon. I have a slight bladder abnormality and have to be really careful to take my time on the loo and empty completely or I'm prone to infections.

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  4. I was on it at the first sign so hopefully when I have taken the rest of the tablets it will be done and dusted. Our storm was powerful but the lights were stable. My neighbours told me that they lost Sky TV but I was being virtuous and continuing with decluttering.

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  5. Pam - do you find growing potatoes in bags of compost to be successful? I've never tried potatoes, although one year I did tomatoes and the first strong wind ripped them right out. I have really sticky greasy clay in some of my garden beds and nothing grows well there! Always looking for ideas!

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  6. I start with an empty bag, roll the top down to halfway, and add about 3" of stone/gravel for ballast. Then fill to the 1/4 mark with good compost and set 3 or 4 seed potatoes and cover with more compost about 4". I keep this just moist and when the leaves break the surface I top up to 4" again. I keep doing this until the bag has only 4-6" of space at the top, I unroll the bag as I fill, then keep the compost damp I let them grow. As soon as the flower buds form I increase the watering and make sure that they never dry out, for drainage I just snip the bottom corners off. I have scooped out a sort of trench along one side of the garden, with a layer of stone/gravel on the surface, and I put the bags into it, it is just wide enough to hold them firmly upright. I do grow Tomatoes in large pots outside but only a bush variety, anything that grows tall goes into the soil. Sometimes I will sink a large pot into the soil to provide optimum growing conditions for a fussy plant. I hope this helps. Pam x

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