Still Troshin'

I have not let the grass grow under my feet (I did cut the lawn) for the past 3 days, it hasnt quite been perpetual movement but close, very close.

The newly planted bed looks splendid, tomatoes standing to attention and courgettes putting on strong growth.

My attention is now focussed on the cucumbers, those reluctant little plants who seemed to wish to stay as seeds forever.

I now have a dozen healthly plants of varying sizes. 
Where to put them ?
How to grow them ?

My friend Jess grows hers up rose arches, mmmm very pretty.
I don't have rose arches.
I am not about to drive out searching for some.
My garden is more exposed and I am not sure how suitable they would be.
Or how long they would last.
Or where I would put them.

What I do have is a good supply of Hazel rods.
I could make stylised arches, a bit rustic,widthways against one of the fences. I can push the rods into the ground, tie in cross members at the height that suits me (and the rod length) and then tie in short bits like ladder rungs. It is possible to fix them to the fence if I wish to.
They can be level with the top of the fence, so no wind damage.
They would be behind the newly planted tomatoes.
They would cost nothing but a bit of work (and that's my favourite price FREE)

Guess what I will be doing today.

I had a look on line and strong arches are a wicked price, the cheapy ones are blown together, and blow apart easily in the wind. Plus they rust, wood rots and goes into compost eventually and then gets replaced.

I have been knitting a little, reading a little, watching a tiny bit of TV and the days are full. I relised this morning that I am living as my granny did, she rarely went further than the garden for large chunks of her life. For a few years she worked in Norwich and of course there were the annual trips out with the Buffs and the Oddfellows. If we managed a day out at the seaside, as long as it wasn't Gt. Yarmouth, she would come. Cromer, Sheringham and Wells next the sea were her favourites. 

I am happy to live like this, for now, I do miss meeting with friends and am aching to see the grandchildren, but it will happen. Later rather than sooner, but it's best to be safe.

On that thought it's time that I got herbie out, he is giving my the look, he wants his walk and he wants it now.

Stay safe.

                                 TTFN                           Pam

Flowing downhill

Primarily it is the Squit, Nonsense and absolute Excreta that is pouring from the PM and his band of idiots. The absolute fool Cummings,who decided to drive out to "test his eyesight" (and other blatant stretching and bending the rules) is not fit to hold office. 
A case of  "Do as I say, not as I do".

My eyesight is poor and I would not drive as far as the next house to test it. I know how far and how clearly I can see.

Secondly it is the perspiration that is pouring from me. All of me.

I took the decision yesterday to take out the monster Czar tree. I had a good look round it and there were precisely 3 tiny fruit on it. They did not look like plums to me. 
I think that I bought a pig in a poke.
AKA a bird cherry.
I got out the extending loppers and took all the small branches off, leaving the trunk in situ.
This morning I dug the stump and roots out, hot and sticky work.

That is the second tree that I have moved from that corner of the garden. 
There will not be a third. 
I can take a hint.



The resulting space may just be big enough for the raised bed that I want need. 


The tree is gone completely, the small stuff has gone through the chipper and the rest is ready for my neighbour to take to his Mums, she has open fires and once seasoned it will give her a warming.

I have had to come indoors now, it is very hot, too much for me and the dogs. I took them out early for a long walk but they do like to be where the action is. There is shade but they would far rather be in the hottest spot, panting away and making me feel guilty.

I will go out a bit later and tidy the ground up and then measure.
There are some small fruit bushes nearby that I grew from cuttings. I might relocate them in the autumn, or they might be incorporated in to a larger raised bed. I will play it by ear, and take into consideration what materials I have to hand.

Now it looks like lunch time, absolutely no idea what to have. Dinner tonight is griddled Tofu with a hoisin and garlic sauce on a noodle stir fry. I hope that pea shoots will replace mangetout as I don't have any.

Stay safe.

                          TTFN                                         Pam

Another day

Another year older. 69 years ago yesterday I entered the world in a rush and I have been rushing ever since.

I like to be busy and hate sitting with empty hands. I am not sure whether it is nature or nurture but my Granny and my Mum were just the same. Of my siblings both my brothers are fidgets and my eldest sister is, my baby sister (52) could still be a teenager as she is quite happy to just loll.

Michael continues to walk/shuffle/hop around with his elbow crutches but is still in some considerable pain.

Herbie is delighted to have a sofa bound person to snuggle down with. He does sit with me at times but hates it when I move, he's not too keen on me knitting either, I am sure that he resents every tiny movement.

I sat in the sun too long yesterday and have the headache to prove it this morning, 2 paracetamol will soon sort that out. I did have shade up but the rays bounce off shiny surfaces and of course I wasn't sitting for long stretches, I was back and forth across the garden.

Nothing much planned for today, there is a small pile of ironing and I will do the usual bathroom/kitchen/hoover. I am convinced that I hoover up a dogs worth of hair every morning.

The garden is looking a bit wild after the wind and I will be putting some changes in place through the summer. The Czar plum has some tiny fruitlets on it so it may live on but it has to be stopped and at least 3 feet taken off. The soft fruit bushes will be lifted in autumn and relocated, they are in the wrong place. The new raised bed will take that space ready for next spring.

I have cast a beady eye over my bedroom and want to make some small changes. I have a storage unit that is not right for my needs so it will be swapped out. I need a chest to house my quilts, they are vac packed on top of the wardrobe. I am sick of looking at them so that will be sorted as soon as possible. 

I have got the rest of the house more or less as I want it, things do change from time to time, and am happy with it. The sewing room is slowly being denuded of stash. stacks of smaller cuts of fabric went into the face masks and the paler and bright skeins of wool have produced many pairs of socks. I look forward to using the darker and richer colours once my eyes are dealt with. There will be no need for more sock yarn this year, and probably much of the next one. All the leftovers are making scrappy socks or going into a scrappy Flax Light, that is about 3/4 done. I still have an amazing amount of scraps to work through.

It is time that I stirred myself off the sofa and moved about, I don't want to seize up.

Stay safe.

                              TTFN                                Pam

The winds in the willows

And the oaks, ash, holly and every other tree, shrub and plant in the valley. 
It seems to be waning now but its been a rough couple of days. 

I have been out in it, Herbie still needed his walks and I need the exercise and fresh air.

I have been up and down the stairs more times than I care to count.
Michael did make the journey downstairs and stayed down for a while. The return trip from the bathroom was just too much but hopefully he will be more able as the days go by.

I don't seem to have suffered much mayhem in the garden, a few pots had arrived on the wind, and the greenhouse is still in situ.

Francesca sent me a bouquet of flowers, they are lovely, I have a look at them between trips up and down, very soothing to the soul.

I was up early and made the most of it by bottoming the living room, a great deal of "stuff" has gone and there are some empty spaces here and there. Much better.

A collection of bits and pieces that live on Michaels side table are now housed in an unobtrusive lidded pot. All are apparently essential, I understand, I have my own collection. I just don't want to have to move them piece by piece when I dust, so they are now housed together as mine are.

Gosh that was a bit moany, I am no Hyacinth Bucket/Bouquet. I just don't like piles of clutter around, not even my own.

Nothing much to say really, I hope that none of you have suffered any wind damage. It's nothing compared to what some countries have as a matter of course. I think that the Brits take any extremes of weather as almost a personal afront.

Now I better get Herbie out for his last walk, he's snoring his head off beside me and its making me feel weary.

Stay safe.

                               TTFN                              Pam

A ray of sunshine

Thank you for all your kind comments regarding Michael the Lame.

He is home but confined upstairs for a while, the doctors had to manipulate his ankle quite considerably and it will take a few days to calm down.

He has some mega watt pain meds and is spaced out, like cool man.

It hasn't affected his appetite though, he managed a grilled cheese sandwich about an hour after getting home and, for dinner, worked his way through homemade burgers, sausages, 2 doorsteps of bread still warm from the oven and a huge salad.

The ray of sunshine came from Jess and Will. Now that my garden plans are on indefinite hold ( a bit like the Tokyo Olympics) I have to rehome 7 large potted shrubs, all of which need to go into the garden this autumn. They are too big for me to manhandle and Jess and Will have kindly offered to rehome them at the weekend. As luck would have it they have an area that needs clearing and planting up. Win Win.

Perhaps the Gods had seen beyond my initial idea to the next step and have given me a solution to a future problem.

I was in the garden after dinner potting up the tumbler tomato plants and putting stakes in for the rest. Of course I have too many, even after giving some away to a brand new greenhouse owner. If I cannot find a suitable slot for them I hope that she has room for a few more.

The dogs had settled down for a snooze, they had a busy day following me round house and garden plus 2 decent walks and several sessions of rough and tumble.

I was in bed quite early, I didn't manage to sleep in the afternoon, I was too wired. Although I merely pootled about I knocked a few jobs off the everlasting list.

We had rain overnight, I didn't hear it but the tiles are still damp and there is the odd puddle of water on the road.
It is quite grey and windy out there so I will catch up with any chores that I missed/avoided yesterday. I can turn a blind eye with the best of them.
I did get an hours worth of tidying in the sewing room yesterday. In one corner I have a shelf unit that houses all my preserving gear, jars both empty and full, the maslin pan and waterbath canner.
During my rejig those had been decidely muddled but all is pleasing to my eyes now. Another short session should get it completely back to rights.
But first, tea and later toast?, not porrage this morning I don't fancy it at all.

Stay safe.

                          TTFN                                  Pam

Famous last words

People make plans and the gods laugh.
They are certainly laughing in my direction.
Michael and I had a good chat about my ideas for the garden, we walked up and down and came up with A Plan.

This was after dinner. Then we decided to take Herbie and Co out for a walk. within spitting distance of the house Michael slipped off the edge of the pavement and broke his ankle. It's nasty and he is still in hospital but should be back later today.

He has a job halfway through and there is no telling how long it will be before he is able to work, or even if he will be able.

Time for a big rethink about the garden and the future. If this doesn't mend properly it may well mean moving, once we are out of lockdown. The bathroom is upstairs and it would mean an extension to have one downstairs.
I can not begin to get my head round that one, it can wait.

The dogs are sprawled out on the sofa, all snoring gently with the odd wimper here and there.

Washing is pegged out, dinner is in the fridge. I made a large pot of beany chilli yesterday and picked a vast amount of salad from the garden. 

It could be much worse.
We will get everything sorted once we have a full prognosis.

Onwards and Upwards.

Stay safe.

                              TTFN                                    Pam

Baby it's hot hot hot

Too hot for me and the furries to be outside after around 10, and that's pushing it.

An early walk, an hours selective weeding, a check round the various pots and beds and indoors for some shade. Not forgetting the daily chores.

My selective weeding is done up the stone steps and along the path. I let the mint spread as it wishes, if it gets out of hand I can just pull some up, wash and dry it for tea. There are some creeping buttercups and I allow a few to flower, they are pretty and the bees like them.

Some of the lawn grasses have escaped to poke up around the stones, some are mini boulders, that border the steps and I leave them to grow tall. They provide a refuge for tiny wildlife although I do cut the stems back before they seed, likewise the corners of the lawn. They grow tall and get cut back by hand before they get too unruly. It all helps to soften the edges and is to our taste, my Mother would have rooted it all out and just had a designated wild area. I have one of those around the hedgehog house, the brambles are so fierce that even Herbie keeps out. Revi and Poppy show no interest, perhaps because there is a patch of the 3 cornered wild leeks growing there. A very handy source of food, they have a strong scent but taste very mild, we are having omelette and salad tonight and there will be stems in the omelette and flowers in the salad. The flowers make tasty fritters with gram flour to have with chilli or even curry. Makes a change from onion bhajis.

As many of the plants as I had space for have been taken from the greenhouse to enjoy the fresh air. Some will be staying in there, tomatoes, for the duration and even though the door is open all night I am sure that a spell outside will do them good.

I am thinking of having a leanto greenhouse on the gable wall of the kitchen. There  aare 2 plant shelf units there now that Michael made but I want to move them into the little courtyard garden. The clumsy Revi has stood on or fell in/over everything in there, hopefully she would see the shelves. She isn't really clumsy, like a  foal she needs to grow into her legs. I am sure that she considers herself to be the same size as Herbie, if not Poppy. She constantly tries to get herself on my lap, not understanding that there is not room for her body, head and all 4 legs. She usuall ends up with her bottom perched on my knees, head under my chin and front legs wrapped round my kneck. Not comfy for me and she slowly slips floorwards.

I washed a pile of socks this morning, Michael is busy working and going through them at an alarming rate, 1 pair for work and a clean pair after his shower.

My new "sourdough" is doing well, I have made 3 loaves and the bubbles are getting bigger and the distinctive aroma and taste is getting there.
It isn't a true sourdough, I got the recipe? method? from a YouTube channel, Mary's Nest. As yeast is as rare as rocking horse manure. along with baking powder, I thought that it wouldn't hurt to try it out.

I have been looking at the garden with a new idea. My square footage is on the small side and I have fruit trees and some ornamentals, but there is plenty of room upwards. I plan on getting the structures in place over this winter. Not me personally but I know a man who can. I thought about a pergola over the path but that would cast too much shade so it has to be the south facing fence.
Posts will have to sunk independantly of it, I don't want it collapsing under too much weight if we have gale force winds. Cross rails with bracing struts firmly fitted will give me the basic structure. Then I can tie in hazel poles with canes woven in at an angle to strenghten it. Peas and beans can romp away and the raised beds will gain a bit of extra shelter but lose no sun. Between that and the fence will be the ideal place for squashes to rampage.

Man makes plans and the gods laugh, we will see. I may be aiming too high, pun not intended, but if you don't make a plan it doesn't stand a chance of happening.

On that note I am off to make a cuppa, mine is sitting beside me as cold as a witches t*t. sobs into a tissue.

Stay safe. 

                              TTFN                                   Pam