The sun has just gone in so now might be the time to go for a walk. Inspired by photos from the Peak District ( too far away from me ) where my daughter is walking, beautiful scenery, middle of nowhere, completely deserted, so social distancing not an issue.
Even as I write, the sun has come out again so no walk just yet. Catching up with the papers instead.
I planted the courgettes out earlier, and a rudbekia that's been waiting for a suitable slot since last year.
I have a new phone! My old one met an unfortunate end due to accidentally sitting in a puddle of water I didn't know was on the dining table for a bit too long. As a result I have my first ever smart phone! The only problem is all my contacts were saved on the old one, not the sim.
We had Nepalese curry for tea, which saved having to come up with some inspiration for sausages that are too nice to cook with a strongly flavoured sauce.
For lunch we had vegan pies (we get these with the veg box, a different type each week, this week was Middle Eastern chick pea), with left a stir fry of leftover curry and rice.
This evening we had kedgeree cooked by our 15 year old. Then we had a Zoom quiz night with my family.
Thankfully there are only a few I've got to look up, like school, or ask people for, most will also be on Mr Dragon's phone or the white list for our call screening device. (It's very useful for dealing with spammers, recruitment agencies who got the landline number off one of Mr Dragon's old CVs, and anyone who has our number saved from its previous incarnation as a builder's merchant.) This is an Android, and I'm actually using it now so I don't have to get onto our PC.
A neighbour and I once discussed almost simultaneous playing of the 1812 overture do deal with another neighbour who favoured Boney M in the small hours, but never had the chutzpah.
In conversation it turned out that BM fan was doing it because she did not like the other neighbour's choice of music - which I never heard, but was classical.
It did stop.
In another time and place , we were plagued by angry loud music at silly o’clock.
After discussions with the other neighbours, there ensued a daily early morning offering. Legal but annoying. Istr it was drilling fence posts, sawing, opera, bashing something metal and my elderly neighbour who enthusiastically emptied one of their sheds at a time most folk would still be in pjs.
The message was most certainly driven home as we never had to listen to that type of music again.
We used to have a retired couple next door (now deceased) who relived their youth by inviting his old band members over to play the hits of the sixties on the patio every Friday evening throughout the summer; beach boys, that sort of thing. At first it was quite novel but the feeling of endearment quickly waned after the first few weeks, especially as they were below the window of our sleeping children.
Been out for a short walk this morning then watered the garden . church starts in 20 minutes but my husband is still in bed.
Just in from a couple of hours in the garden, in which I sowed a pot of sage and repotted an indoor begonia which was getting too large and messy to a sheltered corner.
Then Bindweed Patrol - except that I know it is massing beyond the borders. My neighbour - he of the plantless garden - enclosed his sterile plot with panel fencing, thereby creating corridors between that and the existing boundary walls/fences. Here bindweed, ivy, brambles - and very possibly triffids - breed unchecked, and one day, in a green tsunami...
I shall now go and make sort-of gazpacho for lunch.
Hehe...my sister (who is now a vegetarian) once told me that everything she cooks from scratch turns out as 'grey sludge'. Not quite true, of course, as much of what she produces is delicious, even if grey...
Re the bindweed etc. corridors - they do sound a bit of a pain, if you have to try to keep all the stuff out of your own garden. Look on them as a sort of linear wild-life reserve, as the various plants may be welcome habitats for all kinds of beasties (though, hopefully, not Triffids).
The Sludge (lettuce, tomato, peppers, bread, garlic, vinegar, hot sauce and vegetable stock) was tasty and refreshing.
I'm relaxed about the corridors/wildlife reserves. I just think that, if you are going to have a garden, you should engage with nature, plant things, produce flowers and fruit and herbs - not turn it into a room with grass. Because nature will come back at you - send suckers under your lawn and tendrils through your fence and dust you with seeds and spores on a regular basis.
Back out again soon with the paints for some plein air. The efforts so far have been rubbish, but it's the process not the product I tell myself.
My sage bumbles along without me doing much, but I got it as a small plant, not seed. I know parsley is supposed to be tricky to grow from seed, but I never had any problems, but never really had the space to grow it in useful quantities.
S. has sage planted in the ground and in a tub on the patio, and I've used it to great effect in pasta with broccoli, sage and peas.
I've had a lovely day: my nephew, his fiancee and the two kids came round this morning on their way to having a bike ride, and in the afternoon we went to my niece's and spent a very enjoyable hour or three in her garden in the company of Larry the Labradoodle.
Most of my standard herbs came from the Reduced boxes in the Fruit & Veg section of a supermarket, costing 50p (or less) as a windowsill plant. All thriving, especially the mint.
As it's another glorious day, amblage will commence forthwith. I managed to get a touch of sunburn yesterday: my right arm and the parting in my hair (!) are both rather red and warm ...
Yesterday I made the second of the Hello Fresh meals: pasta with sausages, peppers and kidney-beans, and it was really nice. It was also a very generous portion, so there's plenty left for an encore this evening.
I'm not sure if we'll continue on with Hello Fresh once our introductory offer expires: while the dishes so far have been easy and flavoursome, I reckon that at full price it might prove to be more expensive than we'd want.
Has anyone else been struck with lockdown retail-therapy fever? I've been reasonably restrained (I bought an iron because S's one had disappeared and I really needed to iron some clothes; and a load of toiletries because I needed them and couldn't get to the shops), but S. has been shopping as if it were going out of fashion. Nearly every day a Mysterious Package seems to arrive, and I'm practically on first name terms with the Amazon delivery bloke ...
Oh yes. My daughter is getting too big for her toddler bed so we've been setting up her own room, orderings bed and mattress and bedding and so on. Took me about a dozen attempts to find a bed that was reasonably priced and could be delivered here. I think it's ended up coming direct from somewhere in the far east because for whatever reason it seems to be easier to ship to anywhere in the UK from outside than inside.
Fairly steady trickle of parcels coming through the crenellated portal of Villa Firenze. Mostly bottles, but also books, bulbs and seeds, coffee and the odd clothe.
An industrious morning: up betimes, change bed linen, put on wash, put loaf ingredients in bread maker, heft crate of empties/ wheelie bin/ food bin to the kerb, carry 5 or 6 gallons of water to the garden, water plants, hunt weeds, come back in and retrieve successful loaf.
Another beautiful day here - cloudless sky (apart from a few wisps - and a single aircraft vapour trail - IS OUTRAGE!).
I tend to do quite a lot of shopping online anyway (mostly via eBay), but yes - it's easier to order (say) printer cartridges, or water purifying tablets, or even Paint, online.
I'm very fortunate, inasmuch as I don't have to wait in for posties, couriers etc. - parcels go to the Marina office, and then one of the Yard Lads brings them direct to the Ark. We used to get notified of parcels arriving, and then had to go to the Office to collect them, but for obvious reasons the Staff are keeping 1:1 contact as low as possible.
I’m about to buy a Wensleydale fleece from someone on Facebook, with the purpose of doing some dyeing and spinning. I may have to tidy my stash to find room for it.
Went for a walk first thing then did some yoga. A stray late essay has appeared (which I did expect) so I’ve marked and returned that. No more essays now as my modules have all finished for the year.
Some carding and spinning this afternoon. I’ve discovered I apparently can access BBC/Open university programmes even if not currently on iplayer so I might binge watch some history programmes at the same time.
Another beautiful day here - cloudless sky (apart from a few wisps - and a single aircraft vapour trail - IS OUTRAGE!).
The one I saw yesterday - the first for a long time - turned out to be a Transatlantic DHL cargo flight, which I figured was not something to get outraged about.
The one I saw this afternoon was Lufthansa en route from Frankfurt to NY. Of course a lot of freight is shipped by air. I wonder if they use cabin space for "stuff" too?
In our neck of the woods, you couldn't binge shop all that much during full lockdown. Even online services were severely limited. Amazon France got taken to court over it, and they ruled that all they could sell were essential items (food, pet supplies, cleaning products and the like). The courts had a point - the warehouse workers were being put at risk and not for stuff people couldn't do without. Some moderately necessary stuff like electricals you could get hold of by ordering online and going to pick it up from the shop - but not their whole product range.
Only my humble O, but it certainly made me think about how much stuff we buy that we don't really need. As soon as the shops opened again, there were a few things I bought immediately, notably new shoes for Captain Pyjamas. We were also glad to be able to buy gardening stuff for the balcony. But we definitely spent a good two months doing without a LOT of things we would usually buy and it made me consider more carefully what we already have in the house that is still perfectly usable.
I noticed the same change of attitude, LVER. Sort of a Blitz spirit. Make use of the essentials. - I'll see how long that lasts...! But it was certainly a useful break in daily routine, and thus felt somehow Lentian, penitential, even after Easter.
Has anyone else been struck with lockdown retail-therapy fever? I've been reasonably restrained (I bought an iron because S's one had disappeared and I really needed to iron some clothes; and a load of toiletries because I needed them and couldn't get to the shops), but S. has been shopping as if it were going out of fashion. Nearly every day a Mysterious Package seems to arrive, and I'm practically on first name terms with the Amazon delivery bloke ...
I've been wondering about this retail-therapy fever thing too. I see on FB a lot of people saying they are spending lots of money, compulsively ordering various things, during lockdown. I've only been buying food, and haven't so far felt any desire to buy anything else - I think partly because I'd decided in January to make this a no-spend year, and focus on decluttering - though not a lot of decluttering has happened yet! And also partly because I don't have much money, and I don't actually need anything - I have quite a collection of books I've bought from charity shops over the years, and quite a collection of art supplies. I'm feeling very conscious that I don't want to add any more clutter to my already messy and cluttered home. If I had DIY skills, I might be buying DIY things, but I don't. I am in awe of the people who are doing all sorts to spruce up and revamp their home and garden.
I was thinking today I might buy some more art marker pens though, as I was finally doing some art, and I realised some of mine are running out.
I’m about to buy a Wensleydale fleece from someone on Facebook, with the purpose of doing some dyeing and spinning. I may have to tidy my stash to find room for it.
Went for a walk first thing then did some yoga. A stray late essay has appeared (which I did expect) so I’ve marked and returned that. No more essays now as my modules have all finished for the year.
Some carding and spinning this afternoon. I’ve discovered I apparently can access BBC/Open university programmes even if not currently on iplayer so I might binge watch some history programmes at the same time.
I do indeed have a drum carder (and an e-spinner), though I’m used to re-enacting as a midwife who is also a spinster so I’ve done a lot of hand carding. Some of this fleece will be dyed to spin as uncarded locks though.
Comments
Even as I write, the sun has come out again so no walk just yet. Catching up with the papers instead.
In other news: I caught a bus! I was the only passenger.
I understand that certain Mysterious Engines are available online, wherewith to jam/silence unwanted mobile phones.
I do NOT know whereof I speak.
Which is good because I'm pretty sure they're illegal in the UK.
Trying to think of something different to have over tonight's steak. We tend to cycle through blue cheese/ mustard/ Mirabeau/ teriyaki/ flambé.
I have a new phone! My old one met an unfortunate end due to accidentally sitting in a puddle of water I didn't know was on the dining table for a bit too long. As a result I have my first ever smart phone! The only problem is all my contacts were saved on the old one, not the sim.
We had Nepalese curry for tea, which saved having to come up with some inspiration for sausages that are too nice to cook with a strongly flavoured sauce.
This evening we had kedgeree cooked by our 15 year old. Then we had a Zoom quiz night with my family.
In the past I have put a loudspeaker on the window ledge and player opera at full blast. The neighbours got the hint and I didn't have to repeat it.
In conversation it turned out that BM fan was doing it because she did not like the other neighbour's choice of music - which I never heard, but was classical.
It did stop.
After discussions with the other neighbours, there ensued a daily early morning offering. Legal but annoying. Istr it was drilling fence posts, sawing, opera, bashing something metal and my elderly neighbour who enthusiastically emptied one of their sheds at a time most folk would still be in pjs.
The message was most certainly driven home as we never had to listen to that type of music again.
Been out for a short walk this morning then watered the garden . church starts in 20 minutes but my husband is still in bed.
Then Bindweed Patrol - except that I know it is massing beyond the borders. My neighbour - he of the plantless garden - enclosed his sterile plot with panel fencing, thereby creating corridors between that and the existing boundary walls/fences. Here bindweed, ivy, brambles - and very possibly triffids - breed unchecked, and one day, in a green tsunami...
I shall now go and make sort-of gazpacho for lunch.
Re the bindweed etc. corridors - they do sound a bit of a pain, if you have to try to keep all the stuff out of your own garden. Look on them as a sort of linear wild-life reserve, as the various plants may be welcome habitats for all kinds of beasties (though, hopefully, not Triffids).
I'll get me flamethrower...
I'm relaxed about the corridors/wildlife reserves. I just think that, if you are going to have a garden, you should engage with nature, plant things, produce flowers and fruit and herbs - not turn it into a room with grass. Because nature will come back at you - send suckers under your lawn and tendrils through your fence and dust you with seeds and spores on a regular basis.
Back out again soon with the paints for some plein air. The efforts so far have been rubbish, but it's the process not the product I tell myself.
I'll put me flamethrower away.
I would quite like to have some sage on my balcony - the French don't use it very much and it's quite hard to get hold of here.
I've had a lovely day: my nephew, his fiancee and the two kids came round this morning on their way to having a bike ride, and in the afternoon we went to my niece's and spent a very enjoyable hour or three in her garden in the company of Larry the Labradoodle.
I could really get used to this nice weather ...
Yesterday I made the second of the Hello Fresh meals: pasta with sausages, peppers and kidney-beans, and it was really nice. It was also a very generous portion, so there's plenty left for an encore this evening.
I'm not sure if we'll continue on with Hello Fresh once our introductory offer expires: while the dishes so far have been easy and flavoursome, I reckon that at full price it might prove to be more expensive than we'd want.
Has anyone else been struck with lockdown retail-therapy fever? I've been reasonably restrained (I bought an iron because S's one had disappeared and I really needed to iron some clothes; and a load of toiletries because I needed them and couldn't get to the shops), but S. has been shopping as if it were going out of fashion. Nearly every day a Mysterious Package seems to arrive, and I'm practically on first name terms with the Amazon delivery bloke ...
An industrious morning: up betimes, change bed linen, put on wash, put loaf ingredients in bread maker, heft crate of empties/ wheelie bin/ food bin to the kerb, carry 5 or 6 gallons of water to the garden, water plants, hunt weeds, come back in and retrieve successful loaf.
This afternoon a 100th birthday via Zoom.
I tend to do quite a lot of shopping online anyway (mostly via eBay), but yes - it's easier to order (say) printer cartridges, or water purifying tablets, or even Paint, online.
I'm very fortunate, inasmuch as I don't have to wait in for posties, couriers etc. - parcels go to the Marina office, and then one of the Yard Lads brings them direct to the Ark. We used to get notified of parcels arriving, and then had to go to the Office to collect them, but for obvious reasons the Staff are keeping 1:1 contact as low as possible.
Went for a walk first thing then did some yoga. A stray late essay has appeared (which I did expect) so I’ve marked and returned that. No more essays now as my modules have all finished for the year.
Some carding and spinning this afternoon. I’ve discovered I apparently can access BBC/Open university programmes even if not currently on iplayer so I might binge watch some history programmes at the same time.
Buttermilk scones are being made downstairs as I write - later to be consumed with clotted cream and Wilkins' "Little Scarlet" strawberry jam.
... containing milk, obviously ...
Two more jobs applied for (probably to be followed by two more rejection e-mails); I think it's time for amblage.
The one I saw yesterday - the first for a long time - turned out to be a Transatlantic DHL cargo flight, which I figured was not something to get outraged about.
A garden hose might be called for and succinctly employed?
<erroneously hums 'The Archers' theme tune>
(I hope you will not take umbrage.)
Only my humble O, but it certainly made me think about how much stuff we buy that we don't really need. As soon as the shops opened again, there were a few things I bought immediately, notably new shoes for Captain Pyjamas. We were also glad to be able to buy gardening stuff for the balcony. But we definitely spent a good two months doing without a LOT of things we would usually buy and it made me consider more carefully what we already have in the house that is still perfectly usable.
It lent itself to it.
I've been wondering about this retail-therapy fever thing too. I see on FB a lot of people saying they are spending lots of money, compulsively ordering various things, during lockdown. I've only been buying food, and haven't so far felt any desire to buy anything else - I think partly because I'd decided in January to make this a no-spend year, and focus on decluttering - though not a lot of decluttering has happened yet! And also partly because I don't have much money, and I don't actually need anything - I have quite a collection of books I've bought from charity shops over the years, and quite a collection of art supplies. I'm feeling very conscious that I don't want to add any more clutter to my already messy and cluttered home. If I had DIY skills, I might be buying DIY things, but I don't. I am in awe of the people who are doing all sorts to spruce up and revamp their home and garden.
I was thinking today I might buy some more art marker pens though, as I was finally doing some art, and I realised some of mine are running out.
Please tell me you've got a drum carder.