@Piglet Don't worry about D's ashes, they're safe with you and there's no "appropriate" timescale. We waited over 3 years until the children had graduated before taking my late-lamented to Saint David's (well, Stumble Head) to release her ashes into the wind while we had a glass of champagne and a cry.
Strumble Head must have been a wonderful place to do that!
Strumble Head was wonderful! We'd spent the day at Whitesands (good surf) before driving up to park as close as we could to the lighthouse; enough wind to send her ashes away and a glass (yes, real glasses) of Taittinger.
Very pleasant weather for us this weekend. Now we're finally allowed out a bit more, I put Captain Pyjamas in the pushchair and went for a Long Walk yesterday. This morning I am embarrassed to discover that I am as stiff as a board. The most exercise I've had in two months is walking for an hour, often at toddler pace, but I hadn't realised just how unfit I'd become.
Today we went to the big gardening shop, which has just reopened, and got a load of stuff for our balconies. My tomatoes are already coming up well, and I now also have seeds for radishes and salad. Oh and for a sunflower because I like sunflowers and I thought it would be fun to grow one. We went there on the metro, which was an odd experience. There are very few passengers, all masked and spaced out. I came home with itchy eyes from wearing a mask all that time (compulsory in the metro and the shop) but that's how it is, I suppose.
A couple of years ago, we had a spectacular display of sunflowers courtesy of the selective eating habits of the patrons at the birdie bistro. I think it was the grackles: they seemed to chuck more seeds out of the feeder than they actually ate, and the ones that fell onto the grass just below the deck sprouted, giving us 40 or 50 huge sunflowers!
The pork chops came out really rather well (considering I've never cooked a pork chop before!). They tasted fine, but I couldn't help thinking that a rather large proportion of their (apparently not inconsiderable) cost went on fat and bone: there was about 2 inches depth of fat round the outer edges, of which we both ditched at least an inch.
I'd do the recipe again though - it was really quite flavoursome.
@la vie en rouge I don't think I've ever been so unfit as when my daughter grew out of the baby carrier and mostly refused the push chair, toddler paced walks are not exercise.
@fineline we've found getting out early to walk helps around here, so out at 8:30am, when we'll meet dog walkers and joggers, but not all the families.
Afternoons are the busiest. And weekends we avoid the well known paths.
just catching up on the holiday chat - we had booked up with 2 holiday places, one in the Netherlands, the other in Germany, and a ferry to get us there.
We may end up in the position of the holiday places being open and accepting visitors, but unable to actually get out of the country.
We intend to leave it as late as possible to decide whether or not we're going - and then if we're not we will probably re-book for next year which all 3 companies involved have said we can do.
As we're not in 1 place for the 2 weeks, we can't really agree to quarantine ourselves while away on holiday, but would be happy to do so on our return, if needed.
And if we cancel but we're allowed out and about and interacting with other people by then (early July) it might end up as short holidays at parents' houses.
Slight other complications (if we actually can get away) are:
- my wife was due to finish her current contract by then, and be completely free to go on holiday. Now there is a chance they would keep her on for a short while, but that wouldn't allow her enough of a holiday entitlement to take all the time off
- I'm currently working my notice as I'm moving jobs, so am unsure if current folks will be as keen to allow me 2 weeks off, just 2 weeks before I leave.
I loved seeing the huge fields of sunflowers in France (tournesols ?).
There always seemed to be at least one much taller than the others...
Tournesols indeed, because they turn (tourner) their faces towards the sun (soleil). They grow a lot of them down our way in foie gras land, for oil production.
I’ve changed my daily routine as I’ve started the ‘couch to 5K’ running thingie with an app and earphones and some running trainers with purple laces.
So here’s the routine -
Get up, quick shower
Feed dogs
Cup of tea
Laundry
Take puppy for a walk
Breakfast + Ship time
Chores
Leisure (jigsaw, painting, reading or such)
Zoom with friends at mid day
Running couch to 5K
Quick shower
Lunch
Chores
Leisure (German lesson, Pilates etc)
3pm Zoom with family
Puppy training
Walk puppy
Tea (ie evening meal)
Wash up
7pm Zoom with friends
9pm into front room to watch TV
10pm bed
I loved seeing the huge fields of sunflowers in France (tournesols ?).
There always seemed to be at least one much taller than the others...
Tournesols indeed, because they turn (tourner) their faces towards the sun (soleil). They grow a lot of them down our way in foie gras land, for oil production.
I recall now that my sister wot lives in France told me about the way they turn their faces...
Does the taller one give them orders as to which way to turn, s/he being the first to notice the position of the sun?
I have fond memories of the Livingston daisies my dad used to grow: they only opened out when the sun was shining, which in Orkney was not exactly an everyday occurrence. But when they did, they were absolutely gorgeous.
They wouldn't be open here today - it's cloudy - but it's also quite warm (15°), which will be nice ambling weather.
Kansas is called the Sunflower State. My great-grandmother's obituary told of her amazement at the fields of sunflowers she saw on a visit from New York state to visit her aunt in Kansas. While she was there she met and married my great-grandfather, and never left.
Big fields of sunflowers, in full bloom, are indeed an impressive sight!
I'm not sure if we grow them in such profusion here in the UK - I expect they need a hotter, drier climate (though global warming might change that...).
A good day today, my pulse has stayed within fairly normal limits (with fluid management), I’ve done my work admin and I’ve written a thousand words of my end of year assignment (a section of my literature review looking at barriers to learning with mental health challenges). At this rate I will able to submit in next week and will only be two weeks behind schedule.
For tea we are having steak and Stilton pies with mushy peas.
Can I help you eat those? (My wife doesn't like Stilton).
I spent about half the day "hearing" Secondary School admission appeals. Although it was quite gruelling (and there are more to "hear" tomorrow), doing it via Zoom and emailed paper documentation meant we could move through many of the appeals very rapidly.
A British Sunflower Field. Just remembered there were bird seed farms who grow sunflowers in the UK so went looking.
The bird around here at the moment is the goldfinch. Not sure why but two sightings and a book sighting in 24 hours is really good going for goldfinches.
I’m growing livingstone daisies this year. I love their colourful cheerfulness, as you say Piglet, at their best in full sun. I plan to plant the first batch out this week.
I've seen sunflower fields in the UK, not recently, but when they were first being experimented with - and hemp fields, linseed, borage, bean - all sorts of interesting stuff grown in different places. Maize is not such a joy. The bean fields smell fantastic, love finding them in flower on my wanders. There's nothing so interesting around this year - wheat, barley, grass various, oil seed rape (canola), but the edges show the beans or borage from last year in a couple of places.
Good luck, Tree Bee - send pictures when they come out!
We had another Guilty Secret™ Situation at supper time: I was about to go and make pasta with broccoli and sage, when a picture of a pizza came up on TV, making S. think she fancied pizza. This was swiftly followed by a completely unrelated conversation on Whatsapp as my nephew posted pictures of the home-made pizza his wife had done for their supper. So a delivery from the Balerno Fry it was (and not bad either).
I wouldn't fuss anyway about one variety in a garden doubtless stuffed with pleasures for pollinators. Grow something for its beauty, and ten other things for usefulness--at least that's what we try to do. (And when we can combine them, as in the old rose hedge I have in mind to make, well....
My mum sent my daughter some "magic" beans, one of which has now sprouted and is growing an inch a day. My daughter (4 next week) is concerned that it will need a hole in the roof to grow tall enough to reach the giant.
We've also successfully (and not entirely intentionally) overwintered one of our tomato plants which has now revived with exceeding vigour, and already has a couple of dozen rapidly growing fruit.
... one of our tomato plants which has now revived with exceeding vigour, and already has a couple of dozen rapidly growing fruit.
Lucky you - there's nothing quite like a tomato straight off the vine!
It looks like a nice day - and warm (16°!) - so a good day for amblage. I've already been outside - some creature (probably a fox or badger) got into our food-waste bin last night, and its contents were scattered over the front lawn this morning. The same thing happened to next door's bin the other day: one of the side-effects of so much less traffic seems to be that the wildlife round here is getting a lot bolder!
Perhaps it's time to either keep the bin in the garage or get a brick or paving stone to help keep the lid down; the lid has a sort of locking mechanism whereby it stays closed as long as the carrying handle is vertical, but if it's knocked over it'll unlock itself.
16C? Warm?? Ha! It's a balmy 24C here today, possibly up to 28C tomorrow! Why, I've had to remove my pullover!
Actually, the Time Has Come to let the Ark's coal-fired range die down for the summer. I have a small electric heater (one of those wood-stove lookalikes) to take off any evening chill, but it will be a bit of a relief not to have to shovel coal and/or ashes, or to remove layers of dust from every flat surface every day...
The Cook Ing will be transferred to the microwave or the gas oven/grill...
In the Facebook foraging groups I'm in, a meme is doing the rounds saying that dandelions are not a weed to despise, but a flower to be enjoyed, and part of the sunflower family. So from this perspective, as I haven't mowed my lawn for a while, my lawn is full of little sunflowers! I'm thinking of possibly making some dandelion honey with them, as this seems to be a thing that lots of people are doing, and seems to be relatively easy.
16C? Warm?? Ha! It's a balmy 24C here today, possibly up to 28C tomorrow!
Crikey!
TBH it didn't feel quite as warm as 16° when I ambled, but it was very nice all the same.
Before I went out, I spent what seemed like an age filling in an application for a job at Edinburgh University - considering it's only part-time and consequently Doesn't Pay Very Much, I wonder if it was worth the effort. It sounded like a job I'd enjoy - I'm just not sure if I'd be able to live on it. I've never been completely self-supporting before - I lived at home until we got married, and was lucky enough that D. was earning (albeit not very much - they don't pay organists anything like what they're worth!), so my salary was sort of a top-up.
I currently have no heat tolerance, so I wish it was 16 degrees here, not 23.
I have some sunflower seeds sprouting in my garden
Managed to get some more writing done this afternoon, just 2-3 thousand more to go. I always overwrite though, and then have to trim a huge amount.
Tea is fish and spinach risotto with boiled eggs. I then have a meeting at 7.30 with the module team for my death and dying course.
Now I can go out more than once a day for a walk, I've taken to walking at my usual walk to work time (to prepare myself for a relatively possible return after half-term, though I'm still low down on the lists for that, according to the poor soul who is tasked with working out all this, and who would rather I didn't if it can be avoided.) and then later in the evening which is cooler.
Good luck, Piglet! Even if the job doesn't pay very well, it will be work experience. That will be useful to you, and will also look good on your resumé when you move on to seek a better-paying job.
Walked down to Waitrose early, then had the morning on Skype finishing of secondary school admission appeals. There were 55 appeals; what would have taken four days in live sittings took not much more than a quarter of the time doing it this way, though we were very thorough. Sermon preparation and emails this afternoon, then garden watering ("It be mortal dry"). Now doing dinner (very simple) while Herself has an online Welsh class.
Is anyone else finding it harder to be motivated to take a daily walk? To begin with, I was going every morning at 6am. Then I started taking it later in the morning, and then switched to evening, but lately, I'm only going a couple of times a week. It seems a huge effort to go out.
I think my sister would sympathise with that, Fineline - she's trying to work from home (with v. dodgy technology), and by the time she's finished she rarely feels like even a short walk.
Although I don't amble very far, I always feel better for having done it - and, conversely, feel noticeably worse if I don’t. I'm very much a fair weather ambler, so I only really miss it if it rains.
Piglet, yes, I am also working from home, and it's the days I work from home I'm least motivated to walk, though in theory, they would perhaps be the best days for me to take a walk, as a fresh air break from the technology. I always do feel much better if I take a walk - it's just so hard to muster up the energy and motivation.
I’ve worked from home for 12 years. I like to go for a walk before starting work in the morning, as a sort of psychological journey to work which separates the two spheres of my life. I find it clears mind and prepares me for the day.
I've been walking each day, normally around 2 miles, occasionally a little bit more. By now I should much fitter and full of boundless energy, sprinting back up the hill to my house.
Yes, I trudge, and far more so if I go every day. If I miss a couple of days, I have more of a spring in my step when I next go, and can walk at least five miles.
Whereas I have been walking with my daughter every day for 4 miles plus, yesterday was nearly 7, and she's getting quicker; she was taking 25 minutes to walk a mile on average at the beginning of this year and now it's nearer 22 minutes. That's taken eighteen months of trying to walk 10 000 steps a day. Last year she succeeded in walking 1,000 miles, an average of 2.83 miles a day, so not as much.
Interestingly, part of that is an increase in stride length, 4 miles used to be 10 000 steps, now 10 000 steps is nearer 4.5 miles; one of our 4 mile walking circuits was 10 000 steps and now is irritatingly just under.
I’m desperate to be able to walk 4 miles a day again, like I did 6 months ago before badly breaking my toe and then getting covid. I occasionally walked 6-8 miles in a day previously. But I could manage 2 miles at present, if it wasn’t so hot! I must go out earlier in the morning.
A relaxing morning so far, I’ve been for a walk and watered the garden. No work today as I worked yesterday, including an evening meeting, but I really must go and do some writing. Today’s literature review theme is how students with mental health challenges might be supported to complete their modules.
Zoom local church group this evening.
Comments
Strumble Head was wonderful! We'd spent the day at Whitesands (good surf) before driving up to park as close as we could to the lighthouse; enough wind to send her ashes away and a glass (yes, real glasses) of Taittinger.
Today we went to the big gardening shop, which has just reopened, and got a load of stuff for our balconies. My tomatoes are already coming up well, and I now also have seeds for radishes and salad. Oh and for a sunflower because I like sunflowers and I thought it would be fun to grow one. We went there on the metro, which was an odd experience. There are very few passengers, all masked and spaced out. I came home with itchy eyes from wearing a mask all that time (compulsory in the metro and the shop) but that's how it is, I suppose.
The pork chops came out really rather well (considering I've never cooked a pork chop before!). They tasted fine, but I couldn't help thinking that a rather large proportion of their (apparently not inconsiderable) cost went on fat and bone: there was about 2 inches depth of fat round the outer edges, of which we both ditched at least an inch.
I'd do the recipe again though - it was really quite flavoursome.
There always seemed to be at least one much taller than the others...
@fineline we've found getting out early to walk helps around here, so out at 8:30am, when we'll meet dog walkers and joggers, but not all the families.
Afternoons are the busiest. And weekends we avoid the well known paths.
We may end up in the position of the holiday places being open and accepting visitors, but unable to actually get out of the country.
We intend to leave it as late as possible to decide whether or not we're going - and then if we're not we will probably re-book for next year which all 3 companies involved have said we can do.
As we're not in 1 place for the 2 weeks, we can't really agree to quarantine ourselves while away on holiday, but would be happy to do so on our return, if needed.
And if we cancel but we're allowed out and about and interacting with other people by then (early July) it might end up as short holidays at parents' houses.
Slight other complications (if we actually can get away) are:
- my wife was due to finish her current contract by then, and be completely free to go on holiday. Now there is a chance they would keep her on for a short while, but that wouldn't allow her enough of a holiday entitlement to take all the time off
- I'm currently working my notice as I'm moving jobs, so am unsure if current folks will be as keen to allow me 2 weeks off, just 2 weeks before I leave.
Tournesols indeed, because they turn (tourner) their faces towards the sun (soleil). They grow a lot of them down our way in foie gras land, for oil production.
So here’s the routine -
Get up, quick shower
Feed dogs
Cup of tea
Laundry
Take puppy for a walk
Breakfast + Ship time
Chores
Leisure (jigsaw, painting, reading or such)
Zoom with friends at mid day
Running couch to 5K
Quick shower
Lunch
Chores
Leisure (German lesson, Pilates etc)
3pm Zoom with family
Puppy training
Walk puppy
Tea (ie evening meal)
Wash up
7pm Zoom with friends
9pm into front room to watch TV
10pm bed
That’ll be me until lockdown is over.
I recall now that my sister wot lives in France told me about the way they turn their faces...
Does the taller one give them orders as to which way to turn, s/he being the first to notice the position of the sun?
They wouldn't be open here today - it's cloudy - but it's also quite warm (15°), which will be nice ambling weather.
To be followed on Thursday by thunderstorms...
Meanwhile, I have found, in the engine-room of the Ark, two new tins of suitable deck paint, so some touching-up of Rusty Bits is being done.
Before Thursday...
I'm not sure if we grow them in such profusion here in the UK - I expect they need a hotter, drier climate (though global warming might change that...).
For tea we are having steak and Stilton pies with mushy peas.
I spent about half the day "hearing" Secondary School admission appeals. Although it was quite gruelling (and there are more to "hear" tomorrow), doing it via Zoom and emailed paper documentation meant we could move through many of the appeals very rapidly.
The bird around here at the moment is the goldfinch. Not sure why but two sightings and a book sighting in 24 hours is really good going for goldfinches.
We had another Guilty Secret™ Situation at supper time: I was about to go and make pasta with broccoli and sage, when a picture of a pizza came up on TV, making S. think she fancied pizza. This was swiftly followed by a completely unrelated conversation on Whatsapp as my nephew posted pictures of the home-made pizza his wife had done for their supper. So a delivery from the Balerno Fry it was (and not bad either).
The broccoli and pasta can wait until tomorrow.
I'm not keen on double varieties of otherwise open faced flowers. Nothing there for the pollinators.
My Honey Bear sunflowers produced seeds after the blossoms passed their prime.
We've also successfully (and not entirely intentionally) overwintered one of our tomato plants which has now revived with exceeding vigour, and already has a couple of dozen rapidly growing fruit.
I think my crazy 35Kg puppy may be a danger for sunflowers! 🌻
It looks like a nice day - and warm (16°!) - so a good day for amblage. I've already been outside - some creature (probably a fox or badger) got into our food-waste bin last night, and its contents were scattered over the front lawn this morning. The same thing happened to next door's bin the other day: one of the side-effects of so much less traffic seems to be that the wildlife round here is getting a lot bolder!
Perhaps it's time to either keep the bin in the garage or get a brick or paving stone to help keep the lid down; the lid has a sort of locking mechanism whereby it stays closed as long as the carrying handle is vertical, but if it's knocked over it'll unlock itself.
Actually, the Time Has Come to let the Ark's coal-fired range die down for the summer. I have a small electric heater (one of those wood-stove lookalikes) to take off any evening chill, but it will be a bit of a relief not to have to shovel coal and/or ashes, or to remove layers of dust from every flat surface every day...
The Cook Ing will be transferred to the microwave or the gas oven/grill...
(Reminds me of the wonderful book of that name, by Ray Bradbury).
The Episcopal Ark is well prepared
For every Ev-ent-u-al-it-y
And even if we get a power cut, I have my trusty little Jenny (aka generator...).
TBH it didn't feel quite as warm as 16° when I ambled, but it was very nice all the same.
Before I went out, I spent what seemed like an age filling in an application for a job at Edinburgh University - considering it's only part-time and consequently Doesn't Pay Very Much, I wonder if it was worth the effort. It sounded like a job I'd enjoy - I'm just not sure if I'd be able to live on it. I've never been completely self-supporting before - I lived at home until we got married, and was lucky enough that D. was earning (albeit not very much - they don't pay organists anything like what they're worth!), so my salary was sort of a top-up.
Ah well - time to stand on my own two trotters!
I have some sunflower seeds sprouting in my garden
Managed to get some more writing done this afternoon, just 2-3 thousand more to go. I always overwrite though, and then have to trim a huge amount.
Tea is fish and spinach risotto with boiled eggs. I then have a meeting at 7.30 with the module team for my death and dying course.
Although I don't amble very far, I always feel better for having done it - and, conversely, feel noticeably worse if I don’t. I'm very much a fair weather ambler, so I only really miss it if it rains.
Instead, I trudge.
Interestingly, part of that is an increase in stride length, 4 miles used to be 10 000 steps, now 10 000 steps is nearer 4.5 miles; one of our 4 mile walking circuits was 10 000 steps and now is irritatingly just under.
A relaxing morning so far, I’ve been for a walk and watered the garden. No work today as I worked yesterday, including an evening meeting, but I really must go and do some writing. Today’s literature review theme is how students with mental health challenges might be supported to complete their modules.
Zoom local church group this evening.