Saturday 16 May 2020

Strange Times :- End of Week 9


It took me an age to finish this book. Not because it was long or uninteresting but because it just didn't grab me and make me want to rush through like my previous read.

This is what it says on Amazon...........................
Known for her bestselling historical fiction, in Nothing to Report Carola Oman delightfully evokes E.M. Delafield’s Provincial Lady in her portrayal of an English village cheerfully, hilariously, and sometimes bumpily progressing from obliviousness to the war’s approach to pulling together for king and country.

But in my opinion it's not a patch on Provincial Lady, it just sort of plods along until the end, which perhaps I should have known from the title!

I've got the follow-up "Somewhere in England" to read sometime, perhaps that will be better.


The frosts on Monday night, Wednesday night and Thursday night didn't do the potatoes much good. I'd earthed them up as much as possible, just have to hope they recover and it doesn't let blight in. And I'm also worried about a couple of the tomato plants which have some brown blotches on the leaves, surely it's too early for blight?
The tomatoes on the Ildi plants which are a yellow mini plum are beginning to set

and luckily I have some Tomato feed left from last year. I think that's something they will have at the hardware shop in Debenham..........don't want to have to go to a Nursery - for one thing it will be so busy as we don't have many around and they are nearly 15 miles away.
I've made some more 'fences' from sacking stapled to wooden stakes so I could plant out the rest of the French Climbing beans. The fences give a bit of protection from windy weather until they get well rooted. Also yesterday the peas that I'd sown in a bit of guttering got planted out and covered with a plastic tunnel and I also put the 16 Brassica plants in the garden, surrounded them with the wire-netting panels that BiL made for me last year and covered the top with a net.
 Next job is to sow more beetroot seed in the many gaps and get the courgette, squash and pumpkin plants out and I must soon sow Runner Bean seeds. There's weeding  in the soft fruit beds to do too and grass to cut of course, those jobs should keep me busy for a while!

I'm not planning to do much driving anywhere this weekend even though we are now allowed to drive to walk, that's something we didn't do much wherever we've lived, so no "flocking to a beauty spot" for me. My spending on diesel through last year averaged around £70 a month.......That's a big chunk and I was  only regularly driving to swimming pool, visiting family, car boot sales and shopping. Then add in all the other trips to things now cancelled and some weeks I was driving somewhere every day. That's something that I'm hoping to slow down on.

With no boot sales to visit I've not been able to find any bits and bobs for grandchildren and what I did get last year have now been posted off to them to keep them occupied at home. Perusing ebay I found a big bundle of secondhand Orchard Games toys - lots of boxes for different ages -  and managed to get them at a decent price. I think it would have taken several trips to bootsales and charity shops to find all these

 So now I've stocked up again and have some things for Eldest Grandson's 4th birthday later this month.

This week I'm grateful for
  • Secondhand toys for grandchildren
  • Time to cross stitch
  • My greenhouse

Have a good weekend - Stay Alert!
Back Monday
Sue

30 comments:

  1. I agree, I think it is too early for blight and it hasn't been damp enough. Also, I've had no warning from Blightwatch.
    I've earthed up the potatoes too - we can't do any more than that. They must take their chances now.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I think the potatoes will put out some new shoots and leaves - I hope they do anyway.

      Delete
  2. Those games look amazing, the ladybird one is particularly good, we use it in my school. Thank you for the book suggestions that you do. I ordered " Wintering " and received it yesterday and it seems to be book I'll love. I have also ordered other books you've mentioned and never been disappointed. The last one was " The Second Sleep " by Robert Harris.............the one about a future England " after " a pandemic. I was also looking to get toys and bits for my grandchildfen ( even planning ahead for Christmas !) Looking online many places have really good 40% and more sales with no postage so I have everything for my 4 granddaughters.

    Thank you for your lovely blog, Deborah x

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you for reading!
      The list of books I did the other day was really what Amazon were suggesting for me so I've not seen them so would love to know more about the Wintering book.
      The Second Sleep story has kept coming back into mind all through the last weeks!

      Delete
  3. Sorry about the frost during the week, I wonder it it was frost that caught my geraniums this week they are new young plants, i noticed the ones that were nearest to the house were okay but the others were damaged I took the leaves of so hope they will be okay.
    Nice you got some things for the children.
    I am looking for some cardmaking things today, my D, works at a care home and a new lady has been admitted and has nothing and has mentioned she would like to do some card making
    Have a nice weekend Sue and everyone else.
    Hazel c uk 🌈🌈🌈.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I should have covered the potatoes better but hopefully they will put out more shoots. Three frosts in one week of May must be unusual.

      Delete
  4. Don't forget all the driving you did for the 100 churches in Suffolk posts, going further afield.

    ReplyDelete
  5. From a farming perspective, the tomatoes probably need some nitrogen. As for driving, although we can go further now to walk, there is a proviso that we only do so if it is really necessary and we cannot do the same closer to home. It is the common sense factor once more, the one that so eludes some people and those who just wish to make out the government have got it wrong. As for second books, I suspect the next one will not excite you either.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Some people drive miles to go for a walk - I've never understood that - except for being on holiday somewhere. Been to Eye this morning loads more traffic than anytime in the last weeks.

      Delete
  6. Wow, you have some tomatoes on your plants already! Fortunately I don't think it has got too cold where I am - we have pretty much our own micro-climate here. I need to do more weeding round the soft fruits as well...sometimes it is just deciding where to start! As soon as I have done one patch and started another, the first is long again.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I should be gardening now instead of indoors on the lap top!

      Delete
  7. Frosts in May - with us every year and always the gardener's worry Sue.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The only thing they caught was the potatoes. Hope the fruit trees are OK

      Delete
  8. I must say Sue, I'm missing the car boots. I can't get round all of it like I used to do but just a few stalls will do me.
    Briony
    x

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I doubt there will be any boot-sales this year. I shall have to peruse ebay more!

      Delete
  9. Gosh I do hope we have some car boot sales this year ... I have a lot of things to try to sell before we move.

    I am really missing my driving I usually do at least a 1000 a month and I'm down to 16 ... ironically I'm saving on petrol costs just as it's gone to under a pound a litre at Tesco.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'll be surprised if boot sales are able to run this year. Estate Agents can work again in England but I guess not in Wales yet.
      1000 miles a month is what Col used to do driving just in Suffolk inspecting bridges - makes me tired to think about it!

      Delete
  10. Some of the counties in our state of Oregon have opened up. Ours has not. Yet. Hardware store where I work now requires employees to wear masks. I'm glad I have 3 fabric ones to wear. I wash them myself. I need to find some spring pjs for my youngest granddaughter. May just shop on line and have it sent to here. Malls aren't open yet. Kohls is my fav but don't always shop there. I get to work 2 days a week which is good. Have done that for 2 weeks after being not working for 8 weeks. I still have 3/4 tank of gas in my car. Last time I got gas was about a month ago. I enjoy going thru the country as it looks nice! Glad you found items for your grandchildren. Goodwill, a thrift store and another one in town, aren't open either. Enjoy your weekend!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Most things are still closed here, it will be a while before the charity shops are open I think

      Delete
  11. You found a nice collection of games for the grandchildren. I know you must be missing the car boot sales. I wish we had those here, but we do have garage sales. Our car gas prices are very low but we have no place to drive to other than the grocery store. Things are just beginning to open up so that will be changing soon I hope. Have a good weekend Sue!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes definitely missing the boot-sales and the village garage sales too. I'm not sure how long it will be before they are allowed again

      Delete
  12. Your plants are way ahead of ours - we only have a holey plastic greenhouse (and now the polytunnel) and neither keep the temps up at night so we have had to restart several lots of seeds, tomatoes included. We were delighted to be given 11 very well grown ones last week!
    I
    Many thanks for your seeds, which arrived safely yesterday. It was so exciting to see them in my post bin (old enamel bread bin).

    That's a good collection of games for the grandchildren. I hope it makes up for the shortfall because of not getting out to boot sales (we really miss them here).

    Now that fuel prices are on the ground, we are going absolutely nowhere to use any fuel! Typical . . .

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Glad the seeds arrived, hope they are useful some might be too late for this year I think.
      The games were good for different ages so I can share some round now and keep some for later

      Delete
  13. Orchard games are such fun, you'll have lots of great times playing those.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. There were all sorts to share round so I was pleased

      Delete
  14. Our tomato plants are still tiny, and not out yet, but I have planted out our 2 courgettes today as they were close to being pot bound.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The joy of a greenhouse!
      I must get the courgettes out too

      Delete
  15. Have you ever read Monica Dickens? One pair of hands (my personal favourite), One pair of feet and My turn to make the tea? They make me laugh out loud. Highly recommended if you've enjoy Diary of a provincial lady. Best wishes, Rose x

    ReplyDelete
  16. Glad you were able to find some games on ebay at a good price. I have browsed a few times but to no avail. Your tomatoes are much further ahead than mine. Still a little frost here too.

    ReplyDelete