Finishing Law School

Child is off with his dad today and the house is very, very quiet. It's always a bit of an adjustment but I managed to get some painting done (acrylic paint is a challenge for me, but I'm starting to get a hang of the medium), watered the garden, moved the cherry tree to try and get it some more light - I think being in the lee of all the scrub on the upper levels is one of the reasons the buds aren't open yet! - and also checking out the local wildcrafting efforts.
I used to pick mushrooms in the US but I haven't dared it here - I just don't know enough about the varieties and I'm rarely able to walk well enough to do the forays in the first place. So I was rather surprised when I ventured out this morning to find that there were some mushrooms growing right in my front garden! Hm...again I don't know enough about fungus here in the UK but these have a pretty standard "bolete" stem, no frills or anything on the stem, whitish-pink gills and a rather un-mushroomy fragrance which is rather strange. Doing some hunting about online it seems they are St George mushrooms and in theory are edible. However, I'm not stupid enough just to take a chance on these and therefore even though I suspect they are good eating, I'm leaving them where they are. It's good news though if I stay here to have some fungus I could maybe harvest next year if they're properly identified.
And then, there's the yarrow - tonnes of it. The whole front garden is half-yarrow and to be honest this is one of the reasons I'm often rather reticent to mow it! This is nature's antiseptic and I tend to harvest a good bit of this when I can manage it. Now that I've got a bit of herbal garden started in the back, I've been thinking about just lifting a patch of sod and transplanting it, removing the grass and letting the yarrow do its thing instead. Tempting, actually, and that may be tomorrow's project.
And we've got dandelions, yes we do! As a matter of fact, I've started to nuke the dandelion from a few places as I just don't need THESE many. Again, harvesting dandelion heads for wine has been thwarted by energy levels, but I have picked the greens to add to a salad which was heavenly. Noms! Whilst I was doing that, I checked on a patch of cleavers, which is coming along well and should be ready for harvest soon.
I'm still waiting on the elderflowers - I'm eyeing the trees and one tree in particular in the area which has an amazing collection of sweet-smelling blooms. The tree in the back garden is a bit "cattish" as it were, so I don't tend to use it for flowers, but I did pick the berries for tonic last year. I will do the same this year but shan't be taking it - whatever auto-immune issues I've got going on doesn't respond well to the berries, but sprog stayed almost completely illness-free this winter whilst on it.
Spring is definitely happening out there - an amazing spring so far although I do worry a bit about the complete lack of rain (oh dear, did I jinx the weather?) Still, it's hopefully a sign of a promising year out there, with plenty to harvest and share.

Labels: Garden, Good Life

i have been eyeing my back garden of late, less with a feeling of vain hope and more with a sense of actual possibility. It just seems such a daunting bit of work, so overwhelming that I wasn't sure I could possibly get anything done with it this year, but things begin to fall into place. At the same time, I get some idea of what I'd like to do, and how to do it.
The garden is east-facing, with significant shade on the right hand side from a rather out-of-control snowberry hedge, brambles and a massive apple tree next door. I wouldn't mind the bramble so much if it wasn't so invasive (I certainly enjoy the blackberry addition to the windfall apples and have made many a crumble this autumn). I will more than likely need to rip the stuff out regardless and gather our berries nearby instead, which is no horrible thing. However this means I have a very large bit of very uneven ground which I have debated returfing, or doing something with it - the same with out in the front which is mostly in shade and seems only to grow moss but for the extreme right.
Indeed, I considered returfing the whole garden due to its uneven nature which is rather dangerous to walk on - this of course is exceedingly expensive. Now...hm. Now I'm not so sure. There has to be some kind of plant I could put in full shade, in the lower part of the garden which will get a bit damp and wouldn't get too damaged by apples falling down a fair bit. Ferns would be the obvious choice, but I'm trying to figure out what might work other than that - not be poisonous to my son, and also allow for a bit of ground cover as it would be one of those areas that I probably couldn't tend overmuch - or maybe I could if I raised it a bit off the ground.
Hm...I'm going to have a think on't. I was going to cram the whole left hand side which actually receives a fair bit of sun with just about whatever I could manage to get in; raised beds with fruit and veg, cut flowers, plants which basically earn their keep and either feed us or delight the senses. This however meant the right hand side would have been rather boring and neglected. Instead of the sunken depression (the garden, not me, entirely), I'm beginning to see ideas for a bed with a bit more interest. Hostas, ferns, periwinkle and may even the british speciality, bluebells.
Plans for sprog to have a wee house of his own are coming into shape, as well as various flower beds which each have their own bit of interest; for eating, for cutting, for smell, for colour. On top of this, it all has to be somewhat easy to maintain. I love dahlias, begonias and freesias, but if I have to lift the corms and tubers every year to protect them from frost then at the very least I'd like to put them all in one place, and waist height, for my own economy of movement. The strawberries need moving as the bed they're in just isn't working for them, but space is an issue, so some investment in strawberry "towers" will be occuring in the new year.
Plots and plans for better stairs for my somewhat iffy balance, paving, and substrate for the side area where I barbecue and hope to have a tiny lean-to greenhouse is in the works.
Is it "horticulturally approved"; are plants in the right grouping aesthetically? Will everything match? Will the soil be exactly right? Will the lawn be straight and luxurious? To be honest I have no clue. All I really care about is that my son loves going out there and he enjoys it. The rest is a bonus.

Labels: Garden

In comes the harvest; and that means I'm doing lots of baking and cooking, I've been eating rubbish due to exhaustion and just not having the energy to cook and my diet has suffered. When I hobbled out to get some cat food today I realised my plans to take child into town were foiled. Everything hurt and even the pain medication wasn't cutting it. So, it's a day inside and rather than waste it being online, I decided to eat something and get caught up with a few chores here - but there wasn't anything for breakfast I could actually eat. I decided to do some heavy foraging outside as well as what I've frozen from earlier this year, and see what I could come up with.
Some white-chocolate/berry muffins have been made, half for the tin, and half for the freezer. Sprog isn't a fan, but for mornings when I only grab tea and maybe some toast, I now have something a bit more filling as well as a bit of a blueberry/redcurrant hit.
I also did a spelunk of the veg drawer; I admit I don't eat anywhere near enough veggies due to the fact the cooking and preparation is often too much for me; it's a shame as child actually loves his tatties, carrots and broccoli but even cutting and washing puts a lot of pressure on my hands, and I like my veg a bit more interesting than boiled. So after gathering what I could from the drawer, I went outside and harvested in some veggies, chard and herbs, and made a big pot of veggie-pasta soup, with a touch of miso added for flavour.
While doing all this I realised my garden is also very neglected; still don't have a strimmer and it's been raining too much to get the mower out. I've got to deadhead some blooms and may as well bring a bouquet inside today.
The house smells lovely and while I still have some takeaway in the fridge, I don't actually want it. The food I've made is much tastier!

Labels: Food, Garden, Good Life

I know, I know, I'm posting like a madwoman today, but the excitement has been huge.
I did very little work yesterday - Easter break is coming up and I need to conserve my energy. If I exert myself for a few hours, I pay for it for days. But I just couldn't resist; the raised bed was calling me, and the mound of soil before the bed just seemed like it would be perfect for straightening up my rugosa hedge next to the fence.
So, bright and early after losing an hour to daylight savings (and what of it? I'm used to being up at 6am) I was out with shovel in hand and I set to.
I wasn't convinced about the small path leading to the raised bed with mounds on either side; honestly, I think they just really didn't want to try digging that hill by hand, and I certainly could not blame them. There were four men out there and they could barely get the ground to shift. It's horrible soil; clay, flint, chalk. They managed to break it up with pickaxes but it was still backbreaking and the whole process took five hours. We're apparently going to get pummelled with rain over the next few days and I wanted to get things sorted out before the rain packed everything down again. So I decided to make a flat walkway with a bit of soil in between this and the patio space, either to be packed down or turned into a small planted "strip".The roses have always needed a tidy; when I tried putting them in last year I was so dismayed at how impossible it was to dig into the ground here, so I know exactly what the gents were going through yesterday! However, their efforts had loosened up plenty of ground, and I just shovelled this in round the rugosas, straightening out some of the leaning stems and packing the earth in. Roses are amazing plants - they are very much coddled usually; fertilised and trimmed and fussed over, but when left to their own devices they can survive for ages in some really horrible conditions that would kill other plants. I adore not only their beauty and fragrance, but their hardiness to withstand just about everything nature throws at them. So even though there's nothing but clay, flint soil round them, I know these rugosas will be just fine.
Vegetables however are a different story! The raised bed was now full up with clay soil left over from digging the patio space, so I started to break up the clods. I only had one bag of compost left - and even that compost, though rich, is incredibly dense. Inspiration struck, however as I remembered the sharp builder's sand left over! I started hauling buckets of the stuff from the front to the back, and then mixed it in with the clay, picking out the larger stones as I went, as well as any weeds and grass I could find. Then I went up to my compost heap and I raked out as much compost as I could get to, even some that was still composting (this went into the pea-bean area) and mixed that, giving it a good forking over. As I went, I tromped back and forth to try and make a relatively level space underfoot next to the raised bed, so I could get from one side of the bed to the other without needing to lean or strain myself - important both for me and also my young son.
I managed to mix in a fair bit of sand, organic matter and even left some furroughs which are almost all sand - primarily for growing carrots, which might struggle in the soil otherwise. Over this, I've spread the bagged compost, digging it in, and then covering the top with a thin layer. It's by no means "done" - clay soil can be a right bugger, and what I think I will do is just turn the whole garden under, burying any plants that have bolted, cutting the peas and beans at ground level and then digging them in, and at the end of the season when nearly everything is out, add any more sand that I have left. Adding compost will be a year-long thing, but that's what the compost bin is for, and so I'll keep at it.
I couldn't resist laying the cut ash canes to mark out the pea/bean area, and I planted out the strongest of the leeks - about three rows worth. Since the soil has warmed nicely, I also put in a row of assorted baby leaf lettuce seeds to get them underway as I've started buying lettuce for salads as the taste for them has returned, but of course there's the option of just growing my own!
I did all this in about two hours and I suspect I'm going to spend a portion of tomorrow wondering what I was thinking! But I so wanted that bed ready for the Easter break, when sprog and I can start planting some more seeds and get to digging in dirt together.

Labels: During, Garden

Another lovely day after a bit of cloud this late morning - body says it's 11, clock says it's lunch! Still I managed to get outside for a bit to note progress and to do some potting on of seedlings.
Out of the tom and chili seeds I planted I had low germination rates which I'm not happy about :/ I still have time to start more seeds, and I may do, but I think the potting medium was just way too heavy for such delicate seeds. I planted six seeds, only got two. None of the peppers had a chance and two out of three squash seeds rotted right in the trays. This is all I have to show for it, and considering everything was so up-in-the-air I didn't bother to plant any backup. Will be doing that in the coming week as it's still somewhat early.
One thing that is doing VERY well, thank you is the sage! Growing like mad and starting to season some roasting and soups. The chives which are just to the far lower left even survived the winter and will lend a hand in flavouring whatever I can put my mind to this year. I've a pot of basil which is currently on the windowsill which will also go inside, but not in this bed - it didn't do well in here as I think the soil is just too heavy. The grow houses however might suit it well and considering I've not got anywhere near as many toms and peppers this year, that should suit it nicely.
The raised bed combination of netting, cut twigs and sticks from the dog roses (very prickly!) cat repellent and slug pellets seems to be doing the job in keeping the bed relatively pest-free. As a result I have a bit more hope when it comes to my seedlings this year and I have managed to start the lettuce, peas and broad beans. I always plant the beans too deep however and I think I'll need to perform some excavation or plant some more to stagger things out a bit. Even so, the lettuce itself is growing well with no sign of slug damage at all. And that's not due to a complete lack of slugs - they've been going great guns all over my strawberry plants lately so I've placed another order of the pellets. They're very effective and don't leave anything in the ground that shouldn't be there but for a bit of iron, so happy to use the stuff - also the colour is very noticeable to child knows exactly where the pellets are, what they are, and not to put them in his mouth; vital when gardening with a Wump!
I have twice been thwarted by emergencies or hospital visits to get sand for my son's sandbox, but I refuse to accept defeat! Granted I'm somewhat glad I hadn't done it yet as with all the wolf spiders doing their thing outside I don't think he'd go anywhere near the fence line right now and I suspect it's why he's refusing to go out to his bit of the garden at all right now. I don't blame him, the grass is literally TEEMING with the wee buggers. This year I am well armed with strong erythromiacin (sp) in case I get bitten again as the cellulitis was NOT fun last year and if I can self-treat, more the better. In any event, once the grass gets cut a bit the spiders will flee to wilder pastures and then I can get the sandbox filled.
Today marks the first day I want to plant seeds outside directly into the bed, and I'm rather chuffed to do that! First on the list is some early carrots - child's favourites, these grow well in heavy soil and they "bunch" so I don't have to be religious about spacing. Fine by me! Another sowing of peas today as well, and maybe one more row of broad beans. I have to watch the legume intake sadly but I am still a great lover of falafel and growing my own broad beans for this is just a given, really. Child has been asking about growing runner beans (!!!) and so I'm all too pleased to help give him a designated runner bean space and we'll tie up some trestles for them as they grow as well. The holly bush which the wonderful volunteers tried to get out of the raised bed is now back - and I'm going to take that as a sign and leave it jolly well where it is! It's in the far corner against the wall so I shan't be unhappy with it. The tayberry has been planted in the raised bed as well for the time being though I don't think that will be its permanent placement - ideally I'd put it one of my other largeish pots but I'm honestly starting to run out of patio space to put potted plants in at the moment.
The trees and berry shrubs are all getting on with producing flowers, so hurrah there! I'm actually rather surprised when it comes to the minarettes, to be truthful - I didn't expect a single bud this year as they're so new but I'm thrilled to note that both the pear and apple minarette have some delicate pink-tinged bud clusters forming. Whoo! Again, I shan't hope for fruit this soon but it's still a good sign and I'm pleased! The cherry tree is also showing that it is very happily established where it is and I'm already seeing I'm going to have to do a tonne of pruning later in the year to encourage it not to get out of hand - robust growth indeed! The mulberry, as mulberries do, is taking its sweet time doing anything in particular - the buds are still tiny, but they're there. It definitely doesn't seem to appreciate being rushed so I leave it as it is and let it carry on.
With all this lovely weather the grass has been growing pretty well. Unfortunately, so have the weeds. So, with a qualm I have placed the order for the weedicide to try and kill out all the stuff which is encroaching from next door; it's a losing battle trying to fight all of it, so I'm going to nuke it instead. I don't like doing it but I know for a fact I can't spent all my rather limited energy hacking away at all the weeds creeping into our space. It's a bit gutting and I'm trying to figure out which bit of the dandelion "crops" I can leave alone so I can harvest - probably down in the patio bit which I'm sure looks very unsightly to people who don't understand why I have them there, but nevermind!
Energy indeed is something I've really had to be mindful of. Not pushing myself too far has become vital - more vital than before, as those little twinges in the chest remind me. So, when it comes to mowing the garden, I now have to take it in chunks. Every day I will be mowing a little bit rather than try and tackle it all at once. I'll be weeding the beds, planting the seeds, having the sprog help water (his favourite bit!). Carrying on the "haiku gardening" in small increments till I'm healthy enough to increase it a bit.
So onward spring, and with enjoyment, in bits and starts, and a fair bit of sunblock. I'm off out into the garden again!

Labels: Garden, Good Life, Languishment

I managed to get some of my errands done today though it seems every time one is sorted I've got two more to deal with, the phone rings to add a third, and then somewhere in between I have to have the energy to cook and clean and entertain sproggo. Today's mission to get fruit for sprog's lunches was foiled, as I just ran out of energy and couldn't walk another step. I think that's going to be a mission for doing a bit of PYO this weekend with a friend if she's feeling a bit better.
But what really did my head in was coming home on the bus, and counting apple trees; some wild in the hedges, some growing huge in people's gardens. One, two, three, four....and then a pear tree, absolutely massive...five, six.
Six apple trees. Three of them desert apples, the rest cooking apples, and a pear tree. And what are the odds that the people who own these trees are actually going to eat any of the apples which are up there? Pretty slim, to be honest; the trees are HUGE, so huge you'd need a picker in a lift crane to get to them, the lower limbs having been all lopped off to display the gardens below and to bring in light. Year after year, the scenario is the same - the apples fall and rot and they clear them up and throw them in the bin; not even composted.
And here's me, needing to buy fruit from the store for my son this week.
You'd think, wouldn't you, that I could just go up and ask to do a bit of scrumping. Surely, they're just going to go to waste? But no...I've tried in the past and people got nervous and "asked" me to shove off before they called the police. Gods forbid someone put a use to something they had no use for whatsoever.
So, I eye the half-dozen, beautifully laden trees with skins the colour of rubies and with a delightful blush, and the rich pale green - and I know they're going to be nothing but rotted mush in a few weeks.
And I'll have to pop down to Tescos and buy apples in a bag. Go figure.

Labels: Food, Garden

No, seriously - it's taking OVER. I can't believe how huge this plant has become, even with regular feline visits. It's giving the sage a run for its money. The catmint is literally crowding everything out of the bed and I'm going to have to do some serious pruning. I think I'll give a call to some of my facebook friends who have cats after I cut it down and offer out the love. I had tried to wait until all the flowers had been fertilised as it brings loads of bees to the garden, but now that most are wilting it's time for a big prune. It's really the wrong time for me to harvest this for medicinal means but I'm sure cats far and wide will appreciate it.
Today I am extending my haiku gardening and doing some mowing, strimming and hedge-trimming. This costs more than my usual allocation of spoons; as a matter of fact I've had to just call it a day at, oh, 10:30am otherwise I won't have the energy to make lunch; I've a whole chicken in the fridge today and I need the energy to quarter it, marinate it, cook it somehow and then freeze the rest of it, then after all that prepwork actually make myself a meal, then figure out what to make my son tonight. Still, in order to conserve energy I'll definitely be munching some salad tonight thanks to the baby leaf lettuce, which is a Gift That Keeps On Giving.
I was able to get the garden cut and beat back some of the weeds. The wumpy space now looks a bit more habitable (though sprog always loved his "jungle"). It has taken some work to get child back into the garden this year - a good portion of that is my fault; I haven't had much energy to play and therefore couldn't sit back there with him and engage him so he's been going onto his computer. Also, whenever the kids next door come outside the wildness builds up a pitch as they or he clamours for each other's attention. This rarely ends well and therefore I've gotten into the habit of ushering child inside well before it starts. As a result sprog needs a load of encouragement to go outside and play. I did however manage to get him into his sandpit a few days ago while I sat on the lounger (until I'd had too much sun and had to get back in) and he was happy for an hour, so we're getting there. Now if I can get him back into the Wumpy House we'll be double-sorted.
The catmint isn't the only thing exploding - the rose wine I started a few days ago has just decided to make itself known and the yeasty must is going everywhere! This isn't anywhere near as much of a disaster as the ex's ill-fated bramble-berry experiment which dyed my walls and ceiling, but it does warrant watching and topping up the water in the airlock. This will settle a bit in a day or so, but I watch it and make sure it isn't reaching nuclear meltdown.
There was a load of windy weather a few weeks ago which sent all my fruit trees pirouetting - was glad to have the supports to keep them from snapping in half! The downside to this however is we lost quite a few fruits, and I've done a survey to find, to my dismay, the cherry tree has only two cherries left on it. Woe! The apple didn't fare much better, losing about half its proto-apples. The Pear's fruit was a bit more protected and managed to survive thankfully. This is a problem and I'll have to think about solutions.
I had more things I wanted to do outside; weeding, topdressing a bed or two, some more intensive garden faff and prepping a spot to move the discovered peony but the truth is - I can't do it. Simply can't manage if I also want to be able to make myself something to eat today rather than subsist on toast. I've used up the day's spoons, but I revel in the thought I can go outside while the chicken is soaking in coconut milk, coriander and lime, sit down on the Languishment Couch and doze in recovery mode for a little while.
Not a bad day.

Labels: Food, Garden, Good Life

While garden plans continue apace and there's a lot going on and being planned, I am gathering up what I can as far as seeds go in order to plant a food garden along with the sensory garden.
My son's enthusiasm is very encouraging - ever since he was two, I've been starting seedlings in yoghurt pots or pots I made with newspaper. I once even found him "planting" himself when all my seedlings ended up in the carpet. I have always grown strawberries; on Mother Dirt I grew greens, onions, potatoes, carrots, cherries and lavender. I've downscaled a lot from that massive plot, and growing in long windowboxes is what I'm endeavouring at the moment, with maybe a small bit of raised bed to start with until the garden plans really kick off. I have the faith that eventually the garden as a whole will happen, but I won't put growing food entirely on hold, though I may not aim quite so grandiose at the moment.
As a result, my garden plans are considerably less extensive as previous years. My needs are simple and I am trying to stay in keeping with what I know I've the space to manage.
Peas - I'm so overjoyed that sprog wants peas. I like them myself, but I love them best fresh out of the pod. Where are these going? I've no idea...I may reserve a raised bed where the compost is for this.
Beans - beans are a bit hit-and-miss with sproggo but they're a good summer veg for me and when I dry them will be great in soups over the winter. Location? See above!
Carrots - I have both Rothchild and the "globe" variety, for juicing and storage and the small ones just for fun, as sprog may get a kick out of round carrots.
Potatoes - always a winner, my son loves his oven chips and he's also showing an interest in mashed. I buy potatoes rarely as I have turned them into a rare "treat" for myself due to carb content, but I do want a fair few to store. I'm going with my favourites, Yukon Gold.
Onions - red baron are my usuals; red onions give a better flavour, I think, and I always grow a bunch of these in with the carrots.
Purslane, chard, baby lettuce - my greens are a necessary thing, but I'm trying to find veg that really packs the biggest vitamin punch; I've already known that iceberg lettuce is pretty useless, but I didn't know about purslane until recently. Purslane is considered a weed, but it contains natural Omega-3 oils, and loads of B vitamins as well. Chard is not something I used to enjoy until I found a lovely, simple recipe with bacon, a splash of vinagrette and shallots. I could eat the stuff nonstop now and, sadly, there's hardly any chard in the stores and hasn't been for a while. If I want it, I have to grow it, and that goes for the rather trendy baby-leaf lettuce as well - much more expensive than I can afford, but I can cut-and-come-again with home grown for quite some time.
Herbs, herbs and more herbs - oh so underestimated! Herbs are a cook's blessing, a child's delight and the poor man's gardening material. These were the first plants I taught my son to grow; chamomile, coriander, thyme and sage. The chamomile I still have, and the thyme, but it's time to replace the sage, plant some new coriander, and I'm now looking with a view into lavender, some new chives, ginger-in-a-pot, basil (probably in a small growhouse), and I'd love to try and grow more mint and some tarragon. Besides, herbs are beautiful; a pot of blooming chamomile has greeted visitors at my door for seven years. A whole windowbox devoted to herbs is the goal this year, as well as whatever pots I have left over.
Squash and pumpkins; I had some success with these last year, but I had to grow them out front to keep the dog from eating the young squashes! If I manage a small bed for the beans and peas, I will plant Black Futsu with the legumes, and maybe even a Jack-O-Lantern pumpkin for halloween. However, it's all going to have to be netted I think to keep Ludo out of the lot, and even then I have to prepare for the eventuality that these plants will take up a TONNE of space, as squash tends to do. Still, the excitement sprog showed last year when the squash started to set will be worth fighting the vines out of the way of the stairs.
Sunflowers - just a given really when one has children. Strangely enough, I find that this is a type of flower that most of the English absolutely loathe. I'm not sure why; I've even heard people say they didn't like the way the plant "stares at you" (!). TRIFFID!!!! Regardless, I'm fond of the sunset variety, which is a deep, rich red, rather compact, and should work a treat.
Tomatoes - I have grown toms in the most unlikely of settings; in a chest of drawers, in an old nappy bucket. English summers are mercurial, and what I often ended up with was a lot of green tomato chutney, but I'm still on a mission to grow enough toms to make my own pizza sauce for sprog's pizza addiction. This will definitely necessitate a growhouse, but those aren't horribly expensive and four plants would certainly serve us.
Strawberries; I still have upward of 40 strawberry plants outside, and will always get more off the plants I currently have when they send out their runners. However, the bed they're in is a really inefficient way to plant them at the moment, and so I'm going to take them out and put them into "strawberry towers"; much more compact with netting to keep off the starlings. These aren't expensive to purchase, and so next month, before prices start to go up in anticipation of gardening, I'll get two and move my dormant plants somewhere more amenable.
Minarette cherry tree - maybe I'm being wildly optimistic, but I'm keen to get a minarette tree in, and cherries would be brilliant. However, again the question is "how to keep the dog out of it" and then how to compete with the starlings...I'll have to put some thought to this a soon it will be time to order a tree and it's either now or wait till November.
This still looks like a huge list; but there are no veg or fruit here which require a lot of time, space, or work. I love asparagus, but it takes a while to produce, so it's not here. No corn - and I love corn. No raspberry canes though both sprog and I could eat them till we bust, but I don't know where to put it and I can't prepare a space for them just yet. No leeks, no celery, no chicory, no cabbages.
My ex still insists that growing food doesn't save any money when he can buy Class A fruit and veg at the supermarket for pence. But if you're growing in your garden without the use of chemicals, what you're growing is organic food - and if you have a look at the price of organic in your local supermarket, the difference is made quite clear. Compare the cost of fresh herbs; pots of growing coriander are a con, because coriander is annual and fast-growing. You have to reseed the stuff constantly if you want to use the leaf. I can grow from seed continuously throughout the year for the cost of a coriander plant which will last maybe a month.
Besides, there's a lesson here - a lesson in interest and in caring for something with one's own hands which one cannot put a pricetag on. My son's interest is growing, and his enthusiasm, and this means we have a subject which we can always talk about together. That's worth a lot to me.

Labels: Garden

Child seems to be feeling the "spring rush" now the snow has melted. He has been asking about when we can get back into the garden again. The seeds are arriving and therefore he's getting ansty about doing some "digging". It's a bit early, but I am doing the beans and peas outside this week. I don't have soil yet for the pots but will get it soon, and even then, we've got another month or two before I think we can really start propagating in earnest.
What I do think we could do is work on the houseplants - topdressing would come in handy right about now. Will it be messy? Oh yeah. But it's also a great activity for us to do together.
It couldn't be any messy than child's earliest attempt at gardening - and yes, I took photos to embarrass him with when he got older. I started the Blackmail Files early.

Labels: Garden, Sprog

I received a call two days ago that I am receiving a DLA reward for my son. This decision was VERY swift, considering - it only took just over a month, but then I have kept documentation of everything and had a friend in pensions help me with the application - and I must say it was one of the most frustrating, depressing things I've ever done. There's something about seeing everything I do on a daily basis in black and white that horrifies....still, it's done, and sorted. I don't know what rate it will be, but I'm rather certain it's at least medium - I may even have a mobility award as well. This means I will have a bit extra every month to spend on things for my son - and that means the garden funding becomes more and more feasible! With back payments I may even be able to fund some things I have been struggling to sort out myself, such as getting the garden designer and her landscape crew in to do some of the heavier clearing. I may even be able to save up for paving.
Excited isn't the word!
I'm still waiting to hear about the fencing, but I was told that might be sometime in January, so not too long now. The same for the Rotary Club. Little by little I am chipping at things, and not a moment too soon; son keeps asking about the garden, and where D (the designer) is, and when the flowers will come and (to my shock) if he can grow carrots. That my son is asking - ASKING - for a vegetable fills me with equal parts joy and disbelief.
I'm in touch with a few more groups at the moment; to my dismay, even though I live in an area which has one of the lowest carbon footprints in the UK, the population as a whole can be described as apathetic at best to many concerns of the community. This may be why many of the outer areas have formed up their own initiatives to care for itself, rather than rely upon this city to do so. The disabled and elderly are left to their own devices, we seem to have a higher than average quotient of anti-social youth who get off their community service and talk about what trouble their going to get into. Programmes to deal with many of these issues fall through due to lack of funding, which seems ludicrous considering the amount of money the community seems to have (if the house prices and cost of living is any indication). So, while I'm generally cutting my way through getting this done for myself, I'm turning to ideas on how it might be possible to make this more accessible for people in my situation, as surely I'm not the only disabled parent with a stretch of ground which could be put to more useful ends than growing grass.
In addition to this, it has been postulated that this area could do with a community orchard. I think the idea is a great one, actually (though I also think to myself 'oh good grief, woman, will you THINK before you take on other jobs?!"). I don't know how easy it would be to sort something out, where it would go, or who would even be interested, but nothing ventured....
The most daunting thing about the task which currently seems to be getting bigger each time I look at it is I have no practical training; I like to garden, I love fruit and veg and flowers, but I don't have a degree. I am just a single mum. Desperation is my only goad, and I have to fill in the blanks by reading - and sometimes even understanding it, though garden design mostly sails over my head. I put in what I like; however, taking on something which is looking more and more like it might become a larger project means I need to think things through carefully. If I don't know something, I need to find people who do. Documentation and being able to be convincing is also highly important (thank the gods for all that public speaking I did in Secondary and Uni!). There's also the rather unpleasant truth that for whatever reason, I am going to face opposition - someone will come along and insist everything I'm doing is for nought, and they will demand I prove that what I'm doing is of any use. I'm more than aware that such people usually won't listen no matter what evidence you give them - some folks argue "just because". Still they're not going to go away; has to be dealt with, by hopefully a more level head than mine.
I couldn't really say where all this is going. There is potential for this to benefit not merely myself, but many people out there who love gardening and yet really struggle with the practical bits. Sure, there seems to be loads of advice out there, and advice is great - but when it comes to actually getting someone to man a shovel (or to scrape together the dosh to even BUY a shovel) something is missing. Maybe I'm completely mad for even thinking so large when I haven't even taken the first few steps.
But just like eyeing the bright catalogues coming through the post, I suppose it doesn't hurt to dream a bit in advance.

Labels: Garden, Good Life

You probably can't see the little-spinny-thing due to the sunlight in sprog's bit of garden, but it's there. I've also placed the toms and chillies in the growhouses on his bit - the one bit of stable ground which isn't going to get dug up, though topsoil will get raked in at that point.
You can see the new plants down toward the bottom - sprog chose the white osteopermum to go into one of his blue pots, and there's chamomile growing in the other. Lined up are the medicinal herbs, peppermint, snapdragon, more osteos, a few dianthus, and the psychedelic geranium.
We ate outside today, and played with bubbles in sprog's bit. We planted some more peas and transplanted the sunflowers into bigger pots - the final pot before I instate them in sprog's bit of garden in a month or so. We've still got more digging to do but I'm waiting on the clemantis and the "Red Rum" bush mallow which I think will look really good along the fence.
So my "weed infested" garden is coming along very nicely, thanks!

Labels: During, Garden

Another lovely day today, and the whole weekend looks to be glorious. This is A Good Thing.
I can't do much today, so I'm just staying chilled and giving myself permission to do the bare minimum. What I am doing today however is gardening; LOTS of gardening. I've potted my toms and peppers up and I'm letting them sit outside in the sun as long as it's over 10 outside, but the toms will take a bit of planning as both varities are interdeterminate. I'm debating doing a wire-system on the eastern wall of the outbuilding, but I don't think that's going to be anywhere near enough light. I could maybe get creative when the fence is installed, provided I can keep Ludo from eating my tomatoes.
Sunflower seeds have been started, and I hope to place them along the back garden fencing if possible, to provide them support and allow them plenty of sun. The zinnias are just about ready to bung into the ground, even though evening temps might drop a bit - I have an old sheet I can use to cover things up toward the end of the day to conserve heat. Swiss chard is planted - I discovered a few years ago that I adore swiss chard, red onion, and bacon fried with a bit of olive oil and garlic, and I can't wait for the stuff to grow! Sprog's experimental turtle bean is potted up (it needs hotter weather though so I don't think it will do much). Peas are just starting to break free from the ground, so it will be time to plant the next lot soon. Round carrots are planted - I normally wouldn't bother with carrot plants bought from a nursery as transplanting carrots is iffy, but I've wanted round carrots this year for sprog and yet couldn't find any seed for them for some reason. So, taking a chance on the experiment and I've got some now. I will still plant the Rothchild carrot seeds I have, however, possibly in between the zinnias. They're a few years old, though, so I have no idea what the germination rate will be like, but we'll see how we do.
I potted up more potatoes but I still have about ten more. Good grief, where to put them?! I have an old-style bin in the shed area which I am considering cutting in half - one half for the rest of my potatoes, the other half for the squash, which is growing like mad and soon will be ready for hardening off. That should do; I'll be utilising the compost in a half-and-half growing mix for both the toms and the squash, to give them a good start.
Even with the pots I managed to salvage from the far neighbours, I'm running out of containers to plant in. I'll be turning my attention to all kinds of stuff kicking about the house which I may be able to press into service; juice cartons, plastic buckets and old storage bins. If I can fill it with dirt and give it a bit of drainage, I will plant in it. I've done it before, and I'll do it again. I may just cut slits in the tops of the compost bags I have and use them as growbags.
Strawberries are enjoying their new planting system, and I am topdressing with compost and watering in well. I want a good crop this year, and this means lot of fertilising. I have used organic strawberry fertilising pellets in the barrels this time round when I planted in, but I'm going to do my best to keep on top of the fertilising this year - the crop last year was pretty crap, so going to do things right this year if I can manage it.
Fruit in general seems to be promising; the rather weedy looking raspberry cane I planted is now going great guns in the compost I've placed them in. The cherry tree is starting to bud out, and seems to be happy in its pot. Just going to nuture this fruit this year and make sure it gets a good start so that it will hopefully produce next season - the raspberry canes may find themselves in one of my big pots, tied to a centre stake, once the spuds are done and I have a large pot free. I still want a mulberry but all in good time.
The water-barrel is nearly empty, which is good as it's never been cleaned out, and the bottom is filled with a rather nasty, slimy sludge - hence I've had to fill my watering can from the top rather than the bottom. In the next few days, I hope to nearly empty it entirely of water so I can give it a clean out in time for what appears to be next week's rain. I seem to collect a lot of rainwater with the system so I'm very grateful for the barrel being there and I want to keep it in good condition.
Wumpy house has been chosen! With luck we can get the ground level enough that we can place the house on supports or some substrate and put it right into position in mid-May. At least that is the hope! Of course, sprog wants it painted blue, so outdoor paint and primer will be sorted, as well as a spider-scarer. Nasturtiums have been planted in the salvaged blue and white pots to go outside the Wumpy House, and I've found a really cool sand pit which has a cover so I hope to get that some time in June, cash allowing.
I've got dirt under my fingernails and my leg is throbbing a rhumba up my nerve endings, but I'm sitting on my bed in sunshine and gazing outside at spring with a huge smile on my face.
Bring it!

Labels: Garden, Good Life

...but it's bitter cold!
I was out and about this morning; dentist trip with sprog (he's got a cavity but with a child who can sit still for only 2 minutes at a time, getting him desensitised enough to sit for it to be worked on can be time-consuming), then round and round getting a few deliveries made and copies run off. It figures, when I got home, the sun decided to come out, but at least it's given all the seedlings a good bit of light.
I visited a friend with Languishment and discussed our various propogation plans for the year - another friend of ours was made redundant this year and she is also turning to growing to supplement her groceries. In our wee social circle, we're trying to get together to trade cuttings, seedlings, surplus plants and also put together a plan for attending Pick Your Owns and how to store our food if we don't have a bunch of freezer space; with the way we've been cut off from grocery deliveries the last two winters, we've all decided we don't want to face difficulties, especially as disabled people, so we're banding together on this and many other levels. We're putting together sewing sessions and embroidery and all sorts of other stuff, tightening our belts and helping one another out - all of course with our own unique touches. Typical hausfrau we are not! Tattooed, pierced, black velvet gawth types but still embracing the Old Skool.
So this means my own efforts of growing from seed is not only for us, but anything extra I can't cram into the ground or a pot will still have a home! The asters and zinnias are doing well, the lavender even coming up - not a great germination rate, but I expected that, at least it's something! Tagetes are doing well and the sage is coming along nicely. I planted the tom seeds after doing a "wet germination" (wrapping them in bits of damp toilet roll) and the peppers have also been started. Sprog insisted we plant some peas even though it's early, but he's so excited to watch them grow I figured it was worth doing - my non-veg eating child happy about peas is a good thing! Even the black bean has sprouted, to my surprise, and I hope it will make it. I still have seed to propogate but I'm still out of dirt - may need to ask next door so I can get some potting soil to get the next wave of seeds going. Then again I may be able to give the compost a check in a few weeks and see if I might be able to mix it with the front compost pile to plant in. We'll see.
I'm still waiting on my potatoes to arrive so I can get them chitting. My shallot and onions sets have arrived, however, and once again it's just a matter of having the dirt to plan them in as my long windowboxes should do the trick for those. They can share space with the leeks and carrots. I've got ideas about where to put the growhouse but I still need to wait on the works in March before I can set up - and the toms won't need it till Aprilish anyway, so no rush.
After a somewhat productive day in the outbuilding I have managed to almost clear the space for the homebrew shelving. I've got my eye on a strawberry cider kit which sounds too good to pass up! My homemade ginger beer is also very nice to have on hand, is easy to make, and I embellish it with mint or strawberries from the garden. I've got my own ginger growing right now and I'm hoping to have a fair stash of the stuff by the end of the year if I can treat all the cuttings well enough.
We're coming to the end of Feb now, and it's time to wait on pins and needles for the first grant decision, as well as cross fingers for the charity work coming at the end of March to clear, pave, prune, and fill in some topsoil so I can start getting things outdoors properly.
It doesn't feel like it yet - and this week is going to get colder still - but spring will happen soon. Can't wait!

Labels: Garden, Good Life

It's a semi-lovely day outside, bit of sun with a bit of gloom, then a bit of sun again...it's enough to get us donning our wellies and getting outside (though I am having to have a care, my feet are painful to walk on - that was going to happen when I was all over the place on Monday, I pays for my days out, luvs). I managed to hobble to the bottom of the garden and get some of the composted soil from the tomato/pepper dump, then brought this back in a bucket indoors so we could do some indoor planting.
I did a tray of wildflower seed - figure I'd start them in there then transplant them when they've grown of a height into son's bit of the garden, or down in the second bed and just leave them to it. They'll be rather pretty and may also act a bit as weed control so hurrah there.
Whilst I was outside, I had a think about what to add to the garden this year, and how far to make the budget stretch. I also did a bit of womble for inspiration. I had some large chimes outside which were lovely but between sprog and dog they didn't last long! I am however thinking of adding some chimes again this year and there's a really cool site where you can actually listen to the chimes before you buy them. I've never seen this before, but it puts a smile on my face every time. Sprog rather digs it too so maybe he won't be so rough on them if I can put them up somewhere safe.
I really wanted to be outside just a bit longer but the pain isn't going to leave me be. Can I again thank the deities, charities, and Independent Gardening that I got the garden sorted last year with some presence of foresight? Truth is my mobility and health has got a lot worse, and the worst-case-scenario planning seemed a bit doom-and-gloom at the time, but now I'm very grateful it proceeded. I have a sturdy surface beneath my feet outside, no more uneven hilliness and I have the raised bed to work in! The big stuff was sorted, and now it's the small stuff I have to deal with: I'm finding I'm going to have to find some sort of portable thing to sit on while I work. Even if it's just a bucket, I don't care, but need to sort it. But this also brought me in mind of what to do for seating on the patio outside. The chairs work fine for wump but, let's face it, my cripple-bulk is too hard on the furniture I have. Besides the point, it isn't such a good idea for me to have my feet lowered for such a long period of time, nor for me to be outside unprotected from the sun. Most loungers are too low, I'm finding - so whilst the one near to Wumpy House is doable when he's in his bit of the garden, it isn't all that great for me; too low to get in and out of and, more to the point, my son being the tactile kid he is he ALWAYS has to be on a seat with me and the lounger isn't big enough for that. So, a Outdoor Languishment Couch is looking like it's going to have to happen in the future. I feel a bit weird about this; it's frightful indulgent for someone wot is Benefit Scrounging Scum, and buying things for myself is still problematic for me. But then I had to go through all the checks and balances of symptoms vs spending time outside safely and after a bit of squirming, sigh, yeah, guess so. Curling up with child outside as the sun sets on comfortable furniture is a dream of mine and always has been, we both love being outside so much and I really want to spend some late nights out with candles and lanterns lit, just hanging out. I'll save up for it somehow and make it happen.
I haven't forgotten the "pink tree" as sprog calls it either! He's fascinated by Acer palmatum "Oridono Nishiki" - a Japanese maple which has a lovely variegated pink tinge to its leaves. I've wanted one but wasn't sure where to put it or how to place it. Definitely needs to be in a pot! If I manage to save a bit after doing the obligatory spring clothes/shoes shopping in the next few weeks, I'll do what I can to score one of these for him and find a suitable pot to put it in and do it justice.
I've taken the last of the strongest paracetamol I have; there's stronger stuff in the house but when child is home I really can't risk it. So this will have to do and I will use my stick indoors just to keep from falling over! Still, the sunlight is coming out in fits and starts, I have a bouquet of tulips and roses which child and I have already discussed at length, we have the biscuits I made and frosted yesterday to share and it at least FEELS springish. I hope today has put him in a better mood for the rest of the week at school, and long may it continue into the week after. Give me strength to not need to break out the stronger meds, and hope for lots of sun so child can wump away in the garden space unhindered.

Labels: Garden, Good Life

I've received the quote now from dtep for the fence and the garden leveling - this is basically Step 2 in the plan to get the garden sorted, and will be submitted now to the Family Fund and then to the Gardens for Disabled Trust group. Hopefully we can manage to get a bit further along, and while we may not be able to get the full vision done this year, we're managing to come along apace.
I am also going to try to convince Gardens for Disabled to register for JustGiving, so that I can link to this blog and try to encourage this charity, as it is the only charity in the UK which actually offers funding for garden adaptations for disabled people. Their funds are very limited, so they're unable to help as many people as there are who need it, and once again I think this is a case of needing to use the internet more effectively.
I am actually grinning today - probably due to the weather! It's absolutely gorgeous outside, not a cloud, and whilst the sun is still rather feeble, it is doing its best to shine. I've been inspired (even through a caffeine withdrawl headache) to make a rather un-English sort of winter stew, drawing on my Native cooking experiences in the US by adding cranberries, apple and some more of the gorgeous local onion squash I picked up at the Wiltshire market - topped up with more English local leeks, mushrooms and a blend of wild game all thrown together with a splash of cider and fresh thyme from my garden.
A client stopped by as she placed a rush order for a friend (which required me to run down to the corner store to buy a few supplies!) and was exceedingly grateful that I was able to put her care package together on such short notice. I love being able to do things like that, and I know word of mouth travels far in this town! So hopefully a bit more business my way.
On top of all this, gardening stuff arrived! I'm turning into a coir block convert; mostly due to the fact that it's easily portable for me and stores better than huge bags. Along with the blocks, I managed to get a huge bucket of wormcast, which I'll blend with the coir and my own compost to pot up whatever I can get into a pot at the moment. Leeks to start, and then I'll pick out a few things sprog and I can grow together, as well as a selection of herbs to grow indoors and out.
Since ex has just called and has a full on Man-Flu developing, I'm really happy the planting stuff arrived today as it's now doubtful sprog will be spending the weekend in London. If the weather holds, we'll be able to plant seeds tomorrow, which is something sprog has been clamouring for since November. I am only too happy to be able to oblige.

Labels: Before, Garden, Good Life

When I first started to research plants for the Wump-Garden, I was dismayed to find that many of the plants I really admire are too poisonous to have about - hellebore is absolutely beautiful, very toxic. I have avoided planting onions in anything other than pots as I've already had my son mistake the bluebells as onions as he tried to hand these to me. I have explained to him we only grow what we're going to eat in pots, and everything else is not to eat at all unless I say, but still, it's a reminder I have to be careful.
Because things are equally complicated due to having a dog who eats raw foods (and grazes regularly on grass and leaves like a goat, I kid you not) I've had to be very careful with what manages to get into my garden - the convulvus isn't just an irritating weed, but is dangerous as Ludo could quite easily eat enough of it to kill herself. I actually suspect the first year we lived here she did manage to eat a fair bit of it as she spent a week being very ill. I've therefore banned the planting of bulbs or anything with poisonous foliage anywhere she could get it - and that means even the tomato and potato plants and cuttings have had to be disposed of very carefully.
However, sprog is learning what is safe, and what is just for looking at. He wears his gloves at all times when gardening and he doesn't eat anything unless I okay it. Ludo is, sadly, going to be moving on, but it does mean I don't have to worry quite so much about her digging up bulbs and eating them. So I'm now turning my attention to possibilities in the garden which I didn't think was all that safe before.
Now this doesn't mean I'll be filling the garden with belladonna, but things which I had originally written off as just being too much of a risk - and which people erroneously think of as being harmless - are now being considered. Namely, I'm eyeing certain bulbs for spring colour along the raised wood levels of the garden. I don't really care much for daffodils, but I have always adored tulips, and the few I've found as volunteers in the front garden caught sprog's attention this spring and he was captivated. This is impetus for me to maybe give a go by planting some this year - especially if they can handle our climate and don't need lifting every year. I'm so desperate for colour in springtime, so some tulips would really fit the bill, and would be a great excuse to get out in the garden again.
Some things however are just too dangerous - lillies for example are fatal to cats, even their pollen, and the sheer ratio of felines in the area means I really do not want to be planting any lillies anywhere. I've removed all the holly we've had in the garden as the berries are just too intriguing to sprog - he may mind me now when it comes to what is good to eat and what isn't, but I'd rather not take the risk when it comes to food items.
So I'm putting a thought, even while the riot of summer is upon me, to works for the fall. Mad I suppose, but I'll reap the spring rewards!

Labels: Garden

The plan to scrub our recycled pots was thwarted with extremely cold temperatures and a fair few flurries of snow. Instead, I went over to W's house and stayed for lunch; this time I brought over some leek-and-potato soup I had made last week (bringing forth from the freezer) and then a half-loaf of spelt bread I'd made on Monday. She and her visitors were baffled and amazed that I am able to do such things - making food from scratch, baking bread, is all part of some sort of anachronistic life which doesn't figure in desperately looking for new jobs, fixing cars, Sky telly or all the thousand other concerns of the modern world. But I don't live as I do because I have infinitely more time than they do, or more money. I do it because it helps me save money, and without it I'd probably have to live in council housing. I don't have telly, I don't have a car. I work at home; this has nothing to do with having a life of leisure, but due to being the choices I needed to make rather than going on the dole, which I refuse to do. Cooking from scratch is about survival for me - it helps that I enjoy cooking, but I learned very young and I've had time to perfect it. I wasn't born a cook, I wasn't born a natural parent, or a gardener. You learn. W seems willing to pick up a few tips and tricks and I hope I can help her reach a point where her own life doesn't feel so much like it's out of control with constant money-woes, organising, and all the other stuff which, honestly, is par for the course as a mum regardless.
We talked garden-stuff, and we're trying to find ways to help each other out; I'll grow the peppers and toms, as well as starting beans and peas for the both of us. She's growing squash as she has more space and we won't need to worry so much about animals or kids playing with them for footballs that way. I've also said I've a cherry tree on the way, and maybe next year we can consider putting in some raspberries. She's caught the bug, I think, but we've got a long wait - especially as it's been snowing off and on all day.
Still, I enjoy being able to share these little tidbits. I don't have much money but at least I can feed people!

Labels: Garden, Good Life

Now that the catharsis has been performed, I can move on apace - things are doing just that, and it's good, like a rotten tooth finally removed. Onwards as we go.
The patio path images - well I just have to add that one! Don't mind my rather rubbish storage of the hose - I don't have an economical way to wind this up yet (I want to install a holder on the other wall) and it's exhausting to coil it up every day after a good water. Today we've had several downpours though so no issues with watering till tomorrow or - if the forecast is right - next week! The path looks brilliant now compared to what it used to look like, and I now have a path I won't trip over. All recycled too - there were slabs all over the place here which weren't doing much of anything, really, so these were placed. Also used up old slabs and the bricks from here to finish the patio by the raised bed so I don't try to balance precariously on mud. The digging for that was a lot easier due to all the rain so all this was done in record time. I have planted my violets and some mint in the small triangle bit along the side - good place for them and they can spread as they like!
The whole garden is looking lovely! For the most part the grass has managed to take on both levels although it's scant in some places due to the clay. Really needs a bit of topsoil treatment and filling in, but that's a project for the fall. Right now, I'm harvesting peas, leeks, onions, basil and sage whenever I like. The two patio chairs are all I have left now - but that's enough for me and sproggo. We eat most of our meals outside during the summer, weather permitting. There's plenty to keep on top of and loads of fertilising and weeding and so forth to do. I've been slacking a bit lately as I've had no energy whatsoever, but this coming week when sprog is off for camping, I imagine I'll have plenty of time to do all sorts of tidying and fussing and faffing and pottering. I'll make the time.

Labels: After, Garden, Good Life, Houseproudish

Child has returned home from a week in the surf and sun, with plenty of stories to tell and all kinds of fun and games. The day is sunny but I can feel the fall-time creeping in as I went outside and brought the rose wine in to see if it's cleared, and it has. So, into bottles this will go! If I had a fancy corking machine I'd do these traditionally, but my hand strength is pretty shot so the best I can do these days is the bottle capper I use for beer. It doesn't make much a difference to be honest (though don't tell the purists I'm doing it this way).
I also went out and harvested some Bromley apples straight off the tree, and while I'm grateful for the free fruit (it isn't even my tree!) a lot of the apples are rotting on the branch and taking all the other apples with them. Eek! I'm not even sure they're ready! But I'm trying to gather and pick as I can though I don't have the best storage for these - today I'll maybe make a crumble.
The elderberry/rosehip syrup is on the boil right now as we speak, and I added a bit of clove and cinnamon for taste and to help with coughs. It's a shame I can no longer take this syrup but it's a big immune-system booster and sadly that's part of my problems with the inflammatory arthritis. However in a pinch when I'm feeling a flu bug creep up on me I might just throw caution to the winds anyway - I'd rather have a bit of a flare than the flu! I save some of this in the fridge for the first couple weeks of school-return (any parent knows what a nightmare of bugs that can be) and then some goes into the freezer for winter.
I've just picked the pears off our little pear tree and I must say for a little minarette I'm rather impressed to get even one pear off it, let alone four! Not bad going for our little tree, and I've brought the pears in now to ripen up in our fruit bowl.
Strawberries and raspberries are still going for it at the moment, giving me fruit to the very last. I'm having to tug out various old sheets to plan for coming frosts but I'm hoping for a bit of an Indian Summer before that happens (though I now have space heaters at the ready!)
And so it goes: child's 8th birthday coming up (dear gods above) and so I'm keeping an eye out for present ideas and plots and plans for a birthday party if I've the strength - though I'm also mindful I may be trying out some new medication and I just don't know the effects yet. Maybe I can coordinate something with the school, we'll have to see.

Labels: Food, Garden, Good Life

Our Xmess tree is decidedly of the "Goth folk" variety...yes it's black. Yes, there are Nightmare Before Christmas baubles on it. Mwahaha.
However, this is decidedly artificial, and not really the subject of this 'ere post. I haven't done much garden whitter in here lately, which is a shame; I think I'm distancing myself from it really as I put all that work out there this year and yet, lo and behold, I have to move. It was good while I was here, and I hope the next tenants will treat the garden with respect and regard, but needs must. I'm just struggling too much to stay and discussions will begin next week to put the pitch forward how to make it happen (and of course, the Council, whilst it has to do the move once I've been granted it, doesn't want to spend the money, so I have to keep the pressure up).
I suppose it could be said I should have just moved earlier this year, but there wasn't any money on my end either in order to do so. I'm appealing and re-appealing positions for more funds now, and whilst it's all up in the air, I am feeling a bit more on the level for being able to keep me and child secure in an uncertain future.
However, there's no chance in Hades I'm giving up gardening - I just need outdoor space too much to ever give it up entirely, and I've noted with a gleam in my eye quite a few bungalows (yes, having to forego stairs is one of my considerations now) are offering gardening services along with their rents. Good news for me, at least!
I'm also still on a mission for fruit trees. Now that Ludo is back in her ancestral pile, I don't have to worry about massive Leonbergers eating all the pears off the trees, just wumps! He has been asking and asking for a pear tree, so I have certainly decided to invest, and of course there's also a mulberry. These will go into pots, as the cherry outside seems to be doing quite well in one, and I'll continue hoping for a good harvest eventually.
Come to that, when it comes to lettings I do tend to look for more "greener" choices - wood fires, good insulation, and enough space to grow some food in. I've been turned on by a friend of mine with similar mindset to a local estate agency which prides itself upon catering to folks looking for such homes. I've presented my case - rather impoverished disabled family geared to greenness - and hope perhaps they might actually be more stirred by being united like minds than whether or not they can gouge a bunch of cash out of me. The only downside is they are one council over, and due to my son's Statement I really can't move out of county - I don't want to go through all this mess again! However, there is one property they have, in Warminster, which has caught my eye - it fits all my requirements; bungalow, shower over bath, lovely garden, what appears to be a heater in the front room (albeit it may be electric, I don't care I'll take what I can get) and a heated, lighted, insulated garage which would do nicely for a studio space. The price is great as well and pets are considered. I'm crossing my fingers it will still be there for a while (and since no one really wants to move during the holidays, I'm in with a chance).
In any event, we're going to enjoy the holidays where we are, best we are able. I'm going to wade my way through loads of paperwork, meetings, and then gather my strength for the two weeks of holiday time. In the interim, I'm doing some fruit tree price comparisons.

Labels: Garden