Wednesday 13 March 2024

What are you growing this year?

 I hope to grow tomatoes, chillies, carrots, beetroot, various lettuce and other greens, dwarf French beans, radish, might squeeze in some peas, and more annual flowers for the bees.

On the fruit side of things not much. The bramble usually does well, but strawberries, gooseberries and rhubarb were all pathetic last year. Hopefully they will do better this year. Still have my red pear but it too didn’t do well.

Ah well, got to keep trying. 

On the herbal tea front, another month should see the nettle growth in a wild patch close to us. They will gradually get harvested and dried for tea. Made two jars worth last year, used one so far. Need to plant a lot more mint in tubs as we almost ran out of that.

If you have only bought commercial mint tea, lemon balm or lemon verbena, or nettle tea, your own that has been dried is way better.

Sunday 10 March 2024

Another gardening year begins!

 Last year we grew first early potatoes 'Winston'. Allegedly they weren't supposed to be very good but we enjoyed them. This year we are trying two 'new to us' varieties, Caledonian Pearl and Sharpe's Express:


They were already sprouting when we bought them and I needed to remove one or two long sprouts but the rest were stubby so okay.

Haven't got the compost/manure yet to plant them into containers but we will remedy that soon. I lost two of the wallflowers in a front pot so remedied that by buying two nice primula.


Friday 8 March 2024

Creature comforts …

 A tv programme where slow motion animated plasticine puppets play out everyday overheard conversations.

We visited a garden centre this morning to pick up a few things, stopping in their cafe for a coffee. On the table next to us, were a couple visiting their friend who was filling them in on his latest medical news.

No matter how hard we tried, we couldn’t tune him out!

Genes for Huntington disease, inherited from his mum, patches of his brain not working properly, Ménière’s disease, vertigo etc. Doctors at the hospital who say they will refer him to other specialists but don’t.

He can apparently get around his house, go to the very local shop, just about get to the pub but can’t get home.

The mind boggles.


Monday 4 March 2024

First lovely warm day

 It is gorgeous today and we hope to be able to sit outside to have a cup of tea, with a coat on! We tried on a sunny February day but a cold wind stopped us.

We are still ill but both feel we have turned the corner. A chesty cough has developed, still a slight runny nose and headache though. We both feel shattered. Did a Covid test which was negative. 

Whatever it is/was, we hope to never have it again!