Patio and shed cleared, ready for shed to be pulled down and new one put up over the weekend.
Tea was Cajun chicken with onion, courgette and cheese risotto and tasted rather good. Pudding was banana and clotted cream.
The lamb tagine was very flavoursome - I'm rather looking forward to having the other one!
We've got some rather nice plans for the next few days: we're going to a herb farm with my brother and s-i-l on Friday, and to view a flat on Sunday. I'm a bit iffy about setting up on my own without having a job, but if I did buy somewhere, it would eat enough of my savings that I'd be eligible for some benefits, and be registered as looking for work.
Good luck with the flat search @piglet. I like the looking at properties, I'm not so keen on all the faff that comes after.
By eight this morning I'd been down the Royal Mail depot to pick up a parcel, a local small supermarket to pick up some mushrooms for tea, sorted out some of the admin for our up-coming flight to Italy and put a wash on. The rest of the day is going to be much lazier
I’ve been to Waitrose for the weekly shop and now need to hang out the laundry, water the garden and do some weeding. Another reading day planned, with perhaps some yarn spinning.
Lunch is chicken Kiev’s and mushroom salad. If husband is on a work social this evening the boys and I will be having a takeaway.
Proposed dinner is haddock on a bed of potatoes and chorizo with dry sherry. Have done this before - the fish is nice, but the spuds are to absolutely kill for.
We went to the Secret Herb Garden this afternoon, and it was absolutely lovely - acres of beautiful, fragrant beds of herbs and flowers made for a really relaxing, restorative jaunt. Their café was open, and we had a lovely lunch of ham hock terrine and salad - I'd highly recommend it.
Cafe latte and pain au chocolat (courtesy of Jus-rol) for breakfast, the perfect start to the day.
This morning we are dismantling the old shed ready for putting up the new one tomorrow. Bacon and egg butties for lunch, I think, in true builders style.
This evening we are trying out our new pizza stone on the barbecue.
My family bought me a two-seater arbour for a significant birthday just over a week ago.
The most suitable site for it was my only flowerbed (everything else is raised beds for veggies, or what passes for Mr RoS's 'lawn'), so I have spent the cooler parts of the last week digging up all the plants, which I put in 4years ago, shortly after we moved in.
Now in pots, in a shady corner, are a clematis texensis, a surprisingly large number of oriental hellebores (they have self-seeded prolifically), a couple of heuchera, many cyclamen corms (Mr RoS disobeyed my instructions and dug up the neighbouring area where they were all planted, instead of just raking off the debris), one or two other plants brought from my old garden and a few self-seeded incomers.
I also moved a 4yr old clematis montana by about 15".
All my digits are now firmly crossed until I see if they survive until the spring.
My son has sent me a plan of various layouts for the necessary paved area he will be laying. It doesn't leave much room for re-planting - but many of the plants I dug up have memories of our old home attached, and some of much loved friends now deceased.
I think I might need to extend the planting area by stealing a bit of Mr RoS's lawn
I'm immensely impressed by all the budding Alan Titchmarshes out there - I'm so un-green-fingered I could probably kill a spider-plant.
It's a glorious day in Embra - blue sky with just a few little fluffy clouds and 17-19° - perfect Piglet weather, so amblage will take place forthwith.
Supper this evening will be chicken cassoulet from Root to Market, with lovage potatoes and something green (can't remember what).
We were supposed to be going to a nice new cafe/restaurant for lunch today, but I stupidly drank too much wine with dinner last night and am now sitting on the sofa not fancying eating anything. We've re-booked for Thursday lunch time instead. The advantage of that is it may well be quieter, but we were hoping for an outside table and I think rain might be in the offing for then.
'budding Alan Titchmarshes...' - I saw what you did there @Piglet!
I tottered off to Our Place this morning to do some weeding/dead-heading in the little garden near the main door (our regular Gardener Chap - one Mr Dig-It) looks after the grass and shrubs, but leaves the bits with flowers in to us).
It really was a bit too hot and muggy (albeit only 27C) to stay very long, but the rosemary, lavender, roses, and geronimosgeraniums are not doing too badly. They will be much refreshed, no doubt, by the promised thunderstorms next week!
Time for lunch - a CHEESE Sanwidge, with Celery, and some cold BEER, I think.
I think I might need to extend the planting area by stealing a bit of Mr RoS's lawn
That’s what I would do.
Shed was easily removed this morning as it was quite rotten, even the bits attached to the concrete outhouse. However, the new one is going to need some ground work as the concrete patio only extends part way under the shed and the current hodge podge of slabs and gravel covering the rest of the floor area does not meet my husband’s engineering standards. He has the tape measure and note book out and is surveying random paving slabs in our and next door’s garden and has started talking about cutting up masonry.
And now the lawnmower has gone kaput. Ah well, there's another item on the plastic.
Money be like muck, of no use save 'tis spread.
Very true, but fret not. Lack of a lawnmower is the perfect excuse to encourage your very own Nature Reserve! Purchase a bag of wild meadow flower seed, and a Scythe, instead...
I've done the dedicated wildflower meadow thing - and very splendid it was: a riot of poppy, cornflower, field marigold, yarrow and willowherb. That doesn't get mown (or scythed) but thinned as the monbretia and nasturtiums elbow their way out.
I am already reading Spring Porn (aka bulb catalogues).
Shed was easily removed this morning as it was quite rotten,
We've got one of those. It was on its last legs, and listing badly, when we moved here. Unfortunately Mr RoS is inordinately proud of the fact that he has kept it going - by patching with duct tape, odds and ends from the garage, and regular applications of tarry stuff to the roof.
I could have had a new shed instead of the arbour for my birthday, but the work of demolishing it and installing the new one would be far too big a task because of foxes tunnelling underneath it from the neighbour's garden behind us.
When we moved in we were very puzzled by the large heap of dirty looking sand, in which nothing was growing, covering half of one border, and the same substance piled up between the shed and the garden walls behind and next to it.
I'd seen a fox about, and had my suspicions, but it was only when a new scrape appeared coming from underneath the shed last year that I was sure that was where all the sandy stuff had come from.
The previous owner was a frail elderly lady, and I assume the shed had been regularly exhumed by a handy-person, who spread the diggings over the flowerbed.
One day the shed floor will give way, and I will disappear into a foxhole.
That is hot, it’s been over 30 degrees until about 7pm here in Cambridge for a few days. Much cooler tonight though, only 20 degrees now.
The pizza stone for the barbecue worked really well, very crispy wood smoked pizzas.
I'm having for breakfast some smoked trout slices (half price) with leftover pasta from yesterday, and sliced white raddish - which goes surprisingly well with this! - and a dominical mug of coffee or two.
Still sunny and heatwavish here, 25°C at 11am, 31°C+ later. I read with envy the drizzle'n'mist reports on this thread, and the wonderful tales of far less hottishness and more pleasantness. Inspirational in transpirational times! - Well done, whoever it may concern!
I managed to do some tidying and cleaning out of a number of spaces in the Wesleyan apartment in the last few days, which fills me with exhausted happiness.
Heat here is currently 27 degrees and heading towards 32. I’ve been for a walk (breakfast of wild blackberries) and watered the garden, we skipped church this morning and are currently putting up the shed.
My wife actually ordered some daffodils and crocuses during the week!
We went to a garden centre yesterday, and there seemed to be bulbs and seeds in abundance. For some reason best known to herself, S. started looking at summer-houses - I really can't imagine why, as she likes Full On Sun and complains because the whirligig interferes with it, so why she'd want something that blocked it out completely is beyond me. I don't know if she'll actually do anything about it - it strikes me as rather a lot of money for something you don't really know what to do with.
Some of the really expensive ones (c. £15,000) looked lovely though - they had them displayed with dining tables and chairs in them, and they'd certainly make a nice external dining room for people like me who don't really enjoy eating outdoors.
I love the idea of a summer house, I like being outside but hate full on sun. One for dining in would be tempting, though it’s unlikely happen as we have a good enough table on the patio for impromptu meals and will soon have a decked area at the end of the garden for barbecues. I certainly wouldn’t spend a fortune on one.
I might pop to the garden centre this week as I want to plan what to with the semi shaded bed, which seems to be the alkanet private romping ground.
I remember seeing a middle-aged couple in a Garden Centre (some years ago) looking at one or two of these largish 'outdoor rooms'.
The gentleman's face, as he took in the prices of these things, was a sight to behold, changing as it did from ordinary, through red (Horror), green (feeling Very Ill), and finally palest white (about to Swoon)...
38° again today. It's getting rather tiresome. We do have AC downstairs, but we have to stay shut up inside all the time. Captain Pyjamas is currently pathering about in his paddling pool, which is pretty much the only way we can let him play outside.
We got back quite late last night, and I did laundry, owing among other things to a car sick Captain P (there's a reason why one of the child's other nicknames is "Vomito"). I hung it up outside at 8 pm and by 9:30 most of it was dry . We did have a few spots of rain this morning, which was nice, but it's going to be like this at least a few days more.
Dear me. It's really quite cold here, in comparison - a measly 27C, but forecast to reach 30C again by Tuesday.
Happily, my Pilates session next week will not take place, as the Torturer and her family are on holiday in S Wales, where, no doubt, they will enjoy some warm liquid sunshine...
This morning I arose at 7.15, looking forward to drinking a cup of coffee in the garden in the morning sunshine. It was cool, grey, windy and Generally Dreary.
The weather continued in similar vein until after church but then, at lunchtime, the sun came out. It is now pleasantly warm but nothing like yesterday. We went - almost unintentionally! - to the garden centre, these places are fitted with powerful magnets for Sucking One In (and then Sucking Money Out).
Why is is that, when wearing a brand-new white tee-shirt, one drips coffee AND red wine down one's frontage?
My clothing has a fatal attraction for anything containing any kind of tomato sauce (bolognaise etc etc) and/or tumeric. I can usually get coffee (or tea) out, turmeric on the other hand....
The stains they use on ads are never the ones that are difficult, such as tomato or turmeric* (which I have not come across as a stain). Beetroot looks bad, blackberry looks bad, but they come out with cold water. Or water of any temperature.
*I tried turmeric as a drink once. That came out very quickly.
Re: turmeric, one of my son’s spilt a curry on a white t shirt a few weeks ago and that left a persistent stain. I’ve also used fresh turmeric before and that leaves your hands looking like you have a very bad smoking habit.
Expected 33 degrees here today.
I walked to the garden centre with my trolley this morning, a 3 mile round trip and the first time I’ve done it since lock down. 100% mask compliance. Bought a couple of lavenders to put in the new flowerbed and some pelargoniums for some pots on the patio, as well as a new bird feeder. I wanted to get some plants for a hanging basket outside the new shed but there are limitations with a shopping trolley! Other half will need to drive and get some wood at some point so he will take me then.
Isn't turmeric supposed to be Terribly Good for you? At one time it was all you read about, it's something else now, cant think what, but hopefully it doesn't stain so badly!
S. has decided that no matter how Good For You it is, turmeric should be banned in case it stains her new wooden counter-tops.
The flat I looked at yesterday was small but rather lovely; sadly, they've already had quite a bit of interest, and set a closing date for Friday. As the asking price was pretty much at the top end of my budget, I don't think there's any point in putting in an offer, as it'll probably go for much more.
There are one or two others that I might look at though - one that needs a bit of TLC, but might be worth the effort.
LVER, many years ago we stayed in a gite near Livarot. We visited a chateau with a ”Jardin d’eau surprise” (garden with surprise water) which mean’t that as you walked around, you set off sensors which activated fountains, some of which played over the path, so you had to dodge them. It was boiling hot, and (a very Young ) Lord P quickly found the sensors which set the fountains off over the paths. By the end of the afternoon, we had a child who squelched as he walked, but who was very happy!
That sounds fun . I think I want to install those in our garden now.
"Only" 36 here today. We went to the hypermarket on the bus this morning to get a few things we needed, and now I'm battened up inside with the air conditioner on. I need to mend a puncture in the paddling pool a bit later on. Captain Pyjamas gets decidedly fractious when he can't go outside.
I'm about to get some Wash Ing on the line and will be on the watch for thunderstorms. I worked very hard with the Wash Ing yesterday, being just back from a week away in Scotland and determined to use the weather to get everything dry.
While away I gained several pounds in weight, two midge bites on my foot that itch like crazy, and learned The Proper Way To Drink A Single Malt.
You've had showers @boogie? It's so heavy and humid here, just the other side of Greater M, I can hardly breathe. A good thunderstorm would be most welcome!
It's a pleasant 17° in Embra - I had a nice little amble before making ratatouille for supper. Not sure yet whether it'll be with pasta or as an accompaniment to salmon and potatoes.
High humidity is something I don't miss one bit from Canada - but I used to enjoy the spectacular thunderstorms that sometimes heralded its demise!
@Priscilla years ago we took our son to The Forbidden Corner in Yorkshire that had similar water features. Husband, friend and I were all squeaking as we got soaked, son went off, found the sensor and explained it all to us. That's when I knew I'd raised a scientist.
It's too hot here in South West London, I feel decidedly floppy and have done very, very little all day.
Comments
Tea was Cajun chicken with onion, courgette and cheese risotto and tasted rather good. Pudding was banana and clotted cream.
We've got some rather nice plans for the next few days: we're going to a herb farm with my brother and s-i-l on Friday, and to view a flat on Sunday. I'm a bit iffy about setting up on my own without having a job, but if I did buy somewhere, it would eat enough of my savings that I'd be eligible for some benefits, and be registered as looking for work.
By eight this morning I'd been down the Royal Mail depot to pick up a parcel, a local small supermarket to pick up some mushrooms for tea, sorted out some of the admin for our up-coming flight to Italy and put a wash on. The rest of the day is going to be much lazier
Lunch is chicken Kiev’s and mushroom salad. If husband is on a work social this evening the boys and I will be having a takeaway.
Cold BEER for lunch...and an Am Sanwidge.
We went to the Secret Herb Garden this afternoon, and it was absolutely lovely - acres of beautiful, fragrant beds of herbs and flowers made for a really relaxing, restorative jaunt. Their café was open, and we had a lovely lunch of ham hock terrine and salad - I'd highly recommend it.
This morning we are dismantling the old shed ready for putting up the new one tomorrow. Bacon and egg butties for lunch, I think, in true builders style.
This evening we are trying out our new pizza stone on the barbecue.
But since the garden is so largely responsible for maintaining what passes for my sanity these days, I'm keen to extend occupancy as much as possible.
The most suitable site for it was my only flowerbed (everything else is raised beds for veggies, or what passes for Mr RoS's 'lawn'), so I have spent the cooler parts of the last week digging up all the plants, which I put in 4years ago, shortly after we moved in.
Now in pots, in a shady corner, are a clematis texensis, a surprisingly large number of oriental hellebores (they have self-seeded prolifically), a couple of heuchera, many cyclamen corms (Mr RoS disobeyed my instructions and dug up the neighbouring area where they were all planted, instead of just raking off the debris), one or two other plants brought from my old garden and a few self-seeded incomers.
I also moved a 4yr old clematis montana by about 15".
All my digits are now firmly crossed until I see if they survive until the spring.
My son has sent me a plan of various layouts for the necessary paved area he will be laying. It doesn't leave much room for re-planting - but many of the plants I dug up have memories of our old home attached, and some of much loved friends now deceased.
I think I might need to extend the planting area by stealing a bit of Mr RoS's lawn
It's a glorious day in Embra - blue sky with just a few little fluffy clouds and 17-19° - perfect Piglet weather, so amblage will take place forthwith.
Supper this evening will be chicken cassoulet from Root to Market, with lovage potatoes and something green (can't remember what).
I tottered off to Our Place this morning to do some weeding/dead-heading in the little garden near the main door (our regular Gardener Chap - one Mr Dig-It) looks after the grass and shrubs, but leaves the bits with flowers in to us).
It really was a bit too hot and muggy (albeit only 27C) to stay very long, but the rosemary, lavender, roses, and geronimosgeraniums are not doing too badly. They will be much refreshed, no doubt, by the promised thunderstorms next week!
Time for lunch - a CHEESE Sanwidge, with Celery, and some cold BEER, I think.
Shed was easily removed this morning as it was quite rotten, even the bits attached to the concrete outhouse. However, the new one is going to need some ground work as the concrete patio only extends part way under the shed and the current hodge podge of slabs and gravel covering the rest of the floor area does not meet my husband’s engineering standards. He has the tape measure and note book out and is surveying random paving slabs in our and next door’s garden and has started talking about cutting up masonry.
Money be like muck, of no use save 'tis spread.
Very true, but fret not. Lack of a lawnmower is the perfect excuse to encourage your very own Nature Reserve! Purchase a bag of wild meadow flower seed, and a Scythe, instead...
I am already reading Spring Porn (aka bulb catalogues).
I could have had a new shed instead of the arbour for my birthday, but the work of demolishing it and installing the new one would be far too big a task because of foxes tunnelling underneath it from the neighbour's garden behind us.
When we moved in we were very puzzled by the large heap of dirty looking sand, in which nothing was growing, covering half of one border, and the same substance piled up between the shed and the garden walls behind and next to it.
I'd seen a fox about, and had my suspicions, but it was only when a new scrape appeared coming from underneath the shed last year that I was sure that was where all the sandy stuff had come from.
The previous owner was a frail elderly lady, and I assume the shed had been regularly exhumed by a handy-person, who spread the diggings over the flowerbed.
One day the shed floor will give way, and I will disappear into a foxhole.
How does Captain PJs deal with the heat?
The pizza stone for the barbecue worked really well, very crispy wood smoked pizzas.
Still sunny and heatwavish here, 25°C at 11am, 31°C+ later. I read with envy the drizzle'n'mist reports on this thread, and the wonderful tales of far less hottishness and more pleasantness. Inspirational in transpirational times! - Well done, whoever it may concern!
I managed to do some tidying and cleaning out of a number of spaces in the Wesleyan apartment in the last few days, which fills me with exhausted happiness.
Have a lovely Sunday, everyone!
We went to a garden centre yesterday, and there seemed to be bulbs and seeds in abundance. For some reason best known to herself, S. started looking at summer-houses - I really can't imagine why, as she likes Full On Sun and complains because the whirligig interferes with it, so why she'd want something that blocked it out completely is beyond me. I don't know if she'll actually do anything about it - it strikes me as rather a lot of money for something you don't really know what to do with.
Some of the really expensive ones (c. £15,000) looked lovely though - they had them displayed with dining tables and chairs in them, and they'd certainly make a nice external dining room for people like me who don't really enjoy eating outdoors.
I might pop to the garden centre this week as I want to plan what to with the semi shaded bed, which seems to be the alkanet private romping ground.
The gentleman's face, as he took in the prices of these things, was a sight to behold, changing as it did from ordinary, through red (Horror), green (feeling Very Ill), and finally palest white (about to Swoon)...
We got back quite late last night, and I did laundry, owing among other things to a car sick Captain P (there's a reason why one of the child's other nicknames is "Vomito"). I hung it up outside at 8 pm and by 9:30 most of it was dry
Happily, my Pilates session next week will not take place, as the Torturer and her family are on holiday in S Wales, where, no doubt, they will enjoy some warm liquid sunshine...
The weather continued in similar vein until after church but then, at lunchtime, the sun came out. It is now pleasantly warm but nothing like yesterday. We went - almost unintentionally! - to the garden centre, these places are fitted with powerful magnets for Sucking One In (and then Sucking Money Out).
I blame Monty Don (UK TV gardening guru).
My clothing has a fatal attraction for anything containing any kind of tomato sauce (bolognaise etc etc) and/or tumeric. I can usually get coffee (or tea) out, turmeric on the other hand....
*I tried turmeric as a drink once. That came out very quickly.
Expected 33 degrees here today.
I walked to the garden centre with my trolley this morning, a 3 mile round trip and the first time I’ve done it since lock down. 100% mask compliance. Bought a couple of lavenders to put in the new flowerbed and some pelargoniums for some pots on the patio, as well as a new bird feeder. I wanted to get some plants for a hanging basket outside the new shed but there are limitations with a shopping trolley! Other half will need to drive and get some wood at some point so he will take me then.
The flat I looked at yesterday was small but rather lovely; sadly, they've already had quite a bit of interest, and set a closing date for Friday. As the asking price was pretty much at the top end of my budget, I don't think there's any point in putting in an offer, as it'll probably go for much more.
There are one or two others that I might look at though - one that needs a bit of TLC, but might be worth the effort.
"Only" 36 here today. We went to the hypermarket on the bus this morning to get a few things we needed, and now I'm battened up inside with the air conditioner on. I need to mend a puncture in the paddling pool a bit later on. Captain Pyjamas gets decidedly fractious when he can't go outside.
I was about to do a bit of Wash Ing. Maybe I'll let God do the Rinse Ing...
Since I'm not planning on taking a look at the insides of my insides, I don't care!
While away I gained several pounds in weight, two midge bites on my foot that itch like crazy, and learned The Proper Way To Drink A Single Malt.
🙄🤷♀️
The Wash Ing is out, so maybe it'll be dry before the Rains come...
High humidity is something I don't miss one bit from Canada - but I used to enjoy the spectacular thunderstorms that sometimes heralded its demise!
It's too hot here in South West London, I feel decidedly floppy and have done very, very little all day.