Brrrrr.. old mr.sun is obviously very tired after Sunday when he shone all day long. For he is not out today, the sky is grey, it is cold and slightly damp out there.
Never mind, all is well for we slept in a dry bed, there is clean water in the pipes which is safe to drink and we have food to eat.
That puts us ahead of the game, for there are millions of people who cannot say or write those things. So remember things like this and if you are aware of people whom you know are in bad shape, please try and do something to help them. A little kindness goes a long way.
Yesterday she left her wallet behind.. and only realised it when she came to pay for a roll of garden string! Drat.. for this meant there would be no grapes for me after supper.. supper, what supper?
For she had also forgotten to take a packet of sausages out of the frosty white cupboard, aka freezer and with not a penny in her pocket, there could be no visit to mr.butcher.
However, there she was on the plot and a look-see revealed plenty of vegetables.
Self seeded Swiss Chard growing happily in several places, a few outer leaves were picked from a couple of plants. Self seeded Rocket also yielded a few leaves from another place. Two Red Spring Onions joined the swag.. yum, she thought.
Then it was time to dig over an old Potato bed. The big fork and she went over to the end plot, it was in remarkable condition with very few weeds but in need of a turn-over.
On the second row.. what were these? Oooh, how lovely. Last year she wrote about a mysterious disappearance of a lot of potatoes, well, here they were!
None were too big and as she picked them up, she thought "well, they are 'First Early' but last years, not this year!
The last forage was under the netting in the little Brassica bed, this produced tasty Purple Sprouting Broccoli.
Foraging made her think of the company 'Seasonal Suffolk', she found them last year at the Parson's Greens Farmer's Market.
They were next door to Ellie's Dairy which sells unpasteurised Goat's Milk. Such great stuff, it makes the best home-made Ricotta Cheese.
Debbie, aka Goaty Mum, has started kidding or rather her Goats have started giving birth to baby goats. The website photos of goats and very young, less than twenty-four hour old, kids are very sweet.
But back to foraging and wild food..
Seasonal Suffolk always have a tasting board out, the stall will talk you through the products, which are delicious!
Go to : www.seasonalsuffolk.co.uk to see what I am talking about. They are at several locations at different Farmer's Markets, not just in London.
I believe their website in being worked on at the moment but if you do a search for them, a list of where they are selling their excellent produce should come up.
Meanwhile, back on the plot. The tools were wiped clean and put away in the shed, door shut, locks locked, sprayed with WD40 oil and off she went to walk to the bus stop.
Only to see the bus whizz past her before she got there, grrrr. It was far too cold to stand and wait for the next bus, she walked towards the Hogarth Roundabout.
And when she came home, it was to a cosy home, for the boiler, now only on for a few hours a day, had warmed the radiators, her clean clothes were warming on the towel radiator in the bathroom and I was ready with a kiss.
What could or would we need or want? A home grown supper from the plot was what we got.
Perfect.. I had a few Cashews, she read a library book, the bedside light went out at a reasonable hour and we slept well, to awaken to another cold, grey day.
But days like this are needed, for not all gardening is done at the garden. She starts most seeds off at home because the back room window is perfect for seedlings.
A rummage in two boxes produced the fresh seeds that she ordered last autumn, propagating trays and their clear plastic lids.
She needs lots of compost, Andrew, apart from being a kind man, is our Allotment Site Rep. and he has said that he will bring eight very large bags of good compost to her on Sunday.
And a local garden centre will sell her boxes of Potash, which is needed for the fruit bushes and trees and a smaller bag of potting compost.
So instead of making hay whilst the sun shines, she will be potting up on a dull day. However, it is all good stuff and I get to watch.. after my doze.
GeeGee Parrot.
March 11th, 2014.
Never mind, all is well for we slept in a dry bed, there is clean water in the pipes which is safe to drink and we have food to eat.
That puts us ahead of the game, for there are millions of people who cannot say or write those things. So remember things like this and if you are aware of people whom you know are in bad shape, please try and do something to help them. A little kindness goes a long way.
Yesterday she left her wallet behind.. and only realised it when she came to pay for a roll of garden string! Drat.. for this meant there would be no grapes for me after supper.. supper, what supper?
For she had also forgotten to take a packet of sausages out of the frosty white cupboard, aka freezer and with not a penny in her pocket, there could be no visit to mr.butcher.
However, there she was on the plot and a look-see revealed plenty of vegetables.
Self seeded Swiss Chard growing happily in several places, a few outer leaves were picked from a couple of plants. Self seeded Rocket also yielded a few leaves from another place. Two Red Spring Onions joined the swag.. yum, she thought.
Then it was time to dig over an old Potato bed. The big fork and she went over to the end plot, it was in remarkable condition with very few weeds but in need of a turn-over.
On the second row.. what were these? Oooh, how lovely. Last year she wrote about a mysterious disappearance of a lot of potatoes, well, here they were!
None were too big and as she picked them up, she thought "well, they are 'First Early' but last years, not this year!
The last forage was under the netting in the little Brassica bed, this produced tasty Purple Sprouting Broccoli.
Foraging made her think of the company 'Seasonal Suffolk', she found them last year at the Parson's Greens Farmer's Market.
They were next door to Ellie's Dairy which sells unpasteurised Goat's Milk. Such great stuff, it makes the best home-made Ricotta Cheese.
Debbie, aka Goaty Mum, has started kidding or rather her Goats have started giving birth to baby goats. The website photos of goats and very young, less than twenty-four hour old, kids are very sweet.
But back to foraging and wild food..
Seasonal Suffolk always have a tasting board out, the stall will talk you through the products, which are delicious!
Go to : www.seasonalsuffolk.co.uk to see what I am talking about. They are at several locations at different Farmer's Markets, not just in London.
I believe their website in being worked on at the moment but if you do a search for them, a list of where they are selling their excellent produce should come up.
Meanwhile, back on the plot. The tools were wiped clean and put away in the shed, door shut, locks locked, sprayed with WD40 oil and off she went to walk to the bus stop.
Only to see the bus whizz past her before she got there, grrrr. It was far too cold to stand and wait for the next bus, she walked towards the Hogarth Roundabout.
And when she came home, it was to a cosy home, for the boiler, now only on for a few hours a day, had warmed the radiators, her clean clothes were warming on the towel radiator in the bathroom and I was ready with a kiss.
What could or would we need or want? A home grown supper from the plot was what we got.
Perfect.. I had a few Cashews, she read a library book, the bedside light went out at a reasonable hour and we slept well, to awaken to another cold, grey day.
But days like this are needed, for not all gardening is done at the garden. She starts most seeds off at home because the back room window is perfect for seedlings.
A rummage in two boxes produced the fresh seeds that she ordered last autumn, propagating trays and their clear plastic lids.
She needs lots of compost, Andrew, apart from being a kind man, is our Allotment Site Rep. and he has said that he will bring eight very large bags of good compost to her on Sunday.
And a local garden centre will sell her boxes of Potash, which is needed for the fruit bushes and trees and a smaller bag of potting compost.
So instead of making hay whilst the sun shines, she will be potting up on a dull day. However, it is all good stuff and I get to watch.. after my doze.
GeeGee Parrot.
March 11th, 2014.
Indeed we tend to forget how sweet life is for us in the developed countries. I think of this all the time when I hear people complain, or the newsmakers trying to make news of what ISN'T news. & yes, we do need cold, gray days. Here in Texas we just got some much needed rain. Draught is not pretty and no fun.
ReplyDeleteThank you for taking the time to post your comment.
ReplyDeleteNO, drought is neither fun or pretty and the result is far further reaching than one first imagines.
No animal food or human food results in loss of earning to the : famers / ranchers, pickers, packers, truckers, shop keepers. Increased cost of both animal feed and human food. Children go to school hungry, loss of education.. the ramification caused by drought are dreadful.
Meanwhile, up in Illinois they still have several feet of snow but on the Californian Mountain range only a few snow flakes fell this winter.. no snow means & no rain means no water in the wells, no Almonds and no Plums to make Prunes.. these are two items which are exported all over the world..
Drought is, indeed, dire for everyone.. I wish you a wetter Spring and give my love to Texas, I spent many happy months in Fredericksburg.