Lots of rain.. yes, lots and lots of rain has fallen recently and a lot of it has fallen on the area of Kent known as the North Downs. The soil of this particular area isn't chalky but has a lot of clay and when water mixes with clay.. soil gets very heavy.
So the long term residents, farmers and good folk of the area around Lenham and Faversham weren't really surprised to find that a couple of their fields weren't where they supposed to be when they woke up one day this last week.
They had gone for a slide down a hill.. as you do when you're arable land with no grass or trees to tell you that 'going for a slide down a slope' isn't a good idea!
And that they would have the undignified end of being scooped up by a giant beast on the front of a tractor and dumped back from whence they came.
And that they would have the undignified end of being scooped up by a giant beast on the front of a tractor and dumped back from whence they came.
But I guess it was worth it, because more than one naughty field went for a slide over the past week, thereby blocking several of the lanes and causing the necessary diversion of lots of traffic.
I know.. we haven't posted for over four weeks.. it has been a 'strange' month to put it mildly. Where to start?
Well, let's start at the allotments, the weather has been spectacular with sunny and warm days, all those seedlings I wrote about at the end of April were transplanted and have grown on happily.
She and Dean moved fencing to the side of plot 35 and where she had the two mini greenhouse is being turned into an area with high raised beds for root vegetables and herbs.
She turned over the soil in last year's courgette and squash beds, late last Autmn she had covered them with a 12" layer of compost, leaf mold and rotted horse manure and the soil is now wonderful, for over the winter Mr and Mrs Worm, helped by Mr Jack Frost, have made the soil in these beds as light as a feather.
And every time we came home, she brought with her a large bag of leaves from every plant that was edible..
Meanwhile.. back at home. She and I lived a very quiet life, she read a vast amount of library books, we went to bed and rose early.
She didn't socialise very much but did take three friends to see the marvellous exhibition at the Royal Academy, for it is the only time that King Charles 1st glorious art collection will ever be together - with a few exceptions - everything was sold at the Commonwealth sale in 1649..
She didn't socialise very much but did take three friends to see the marvellous exhibition at the Royal Academy, for it is the only time that King Charles 1st glorious art collection will ever be together - with a few exceptions - everything was sold at the Commonwealth sale in 1649..
She ate sparingly. Nothing, except Swedish Bitters and three tinctures, that she put into her mouth had been prepared or cooked by another person. She drank a lot of water and ate those leaves every night with a sprinkling of olive oil and fresh lemon juice.
Sometimes, if she wasn't hungry, that was all she ate at night with a dollop of hummus. She always has chickpeas mixed with tahini and garlic for me, for I love hummus and eat it at every possible opportunity!
She visibly shrank, she acquired 'a deep gardener's tan'. She prepared herself as best mentally and physically as she could for her surgical proceedure.
Darling Pat was with her step-by-step.. what a blessing it is to have this woman in our lives.
Last Friday they went to hospital together, she had had a bitch of a day on Wednesday at Moorfields when they discovered her pressure had rocketed up 50%!
Luckily her lovely consultant was in the hospital and came immediately to see what had happened and changed her liquid drop medication to another drug but this time it is in a gel formulation.
Luckily her lovely consultant was in the hospital and came immediately to see what had happened and changed her liquid drop medication to another drug but this time it is in a gel formulation.
Thursday was bowel operation prep-day.. need I say more?
Early Friday morning.. she was prepped up with a stent with multiple lines, signed her forms and was wheeled off with a hug and a kiss from Pat.
Later.. "Ok.." said the charming man who had 'been in to deal' with a malignant tumour. "All that is left is an area of bright shiny new skin. Tell me what you've done, I know you 'ate' a stomach ulcer a few years ago but this was somewhat different.. fess up".
So she did.. and her list of 'NO's' was endless.
NO sugar, potatoes, mushrooms, peppers, aubergines, tomatoes, wheat, rye, barley, red meat, no food made by anyone else, no additives, no E's or MSG, no chemicals in soap or hair shampoo, homemade toothpowder, only vinegar and pure soap as cleaning agents.
The essential oil of Tea Tree rubbed on to her finger and toe nails at night after having being soaked in warm water with cider vinegar.
NO sugar, potatoes, mushrooms, peppers, aubergines, tomatoes, wheat, rye, barley, red meat, no food made by anyone else, no additives, no E's or MSG, no chemicals in soap or hair shampoo, homemade toothpowder, only vinegar and pure soap as cleaning agents.
The essential oil of Tea Tree rubbed on to her finger and toe nails at night after having being soaked in warm water with cider vinegar.
Vast amounts of her herbs and vegetable leaves plus Swedish Bitters plus tinctures of Dandelion, Elderflower and Nettle.
The leaves a mix of: Marjoram, lemon balm, fennel, sorrel, dandelion leaves, sage, dill, chives, various mints and thymes, green and golden oregano. Spinach, cabbage, chicory, mizuna, Japanese spicy mustard, various chards.
The leaves a mix of: Marjoram, lemon balm, fennel, sorrel, dandelion leaves, sage, dill, chives, various mints and thymes, green and golden oregano. Spinach, cabbage, chicory, mizuna, Japanese spicy mustard, various chards.
Sauerkraut. Fermented cabbage leaves. Home made kefir made from raw goats milk.
A great deal of heavy-duty exercise and lots of sleep, restricted contact with so-called friends.
She only told a couple of people, one being Pat, about it and, of course, her GP knew but she certainly didn't give the tumour any 'oxygen' by talking about it. She deliberately starved it of ANY sugar.
So we 'live' to fight another day.
And God, in his wisdom, has now sent us rain.. a lot of it. So there's no need to slepp those heavy watering cans about but she fears that her arch enemy, old Mr Slug and his family are out and about.
It is raining here now and there promises to be a storm at some point today, but she'll be off out there later on to scatter egg shells about her tender plants and to stake more of the peonies, who are as tall as she is.. and look her in the eye!
That's your lot. I hope we'll be back again with tales from this parrot in 'Glorious June' but at least you are now up to date.
Oh lookielookie, she's opened the linen cupboard, now there's nowhere quite so snuggily as its' top shelf which has pillowcases on it, the perfect place for a grey person to have a doze.
PipPip.. don't rely upon other people to 'keep' you fit, happy and healthy.. be pro-active about your health and happiness and if you are dealt a 'bum' deal, go to your choice of 'medical' people as soon as you can and do as much as you can yourself.
GeeGee Parrot.
May 31st, 2018.
She only told a couple of people, one being Pat, about it and, of course, her GP knew but she certainly didn't give the tumour any 'oxygen' by talking about it. She deliberately starved it of ANY sugar.
So we 'live' to fight another day.
And God, in his wisdom, has now sent us rain.. a lot of it. So there's no need to slepp those heavy watering cans about but she fears that her arch enemy, old Mr Slug and his family are out and about.
It is raining here now and there promises to be a storm at some point today, but she'll be off out there later on to scatter egg shells about her tender plants and to stake more of the peonies, who are as tall as she is.. and look her in the eye!
That's your lot. I hope we'll be back again with tales from this parrot in 'Glorious June' but at least you are now up to date.
Oh lookielookie, she's opened the linen cupboard, now there's nowhere quite so snuggily as its' top shelf which has pillowcases on it, the perfect place for a grey person to have a doze.
PipPip.. don't rely upon other people to 'keep' you fit, happy and healthy.. be pro-active about your health and happiness and if you are dealt a 'bum' deal, go to your choice of 'medical' people as soon as you can and do as much as you can yourself.
GeeGee Parrot.
May 31st, 2018.
