Anyway, enough of the moaning................... as the 'whatever it is' is going I'm sure.
So what's been happening here this week while I've been drinking loads of water, popping paracetamol and lazing around reading........................................
On the local facebook page I read that work has started clearing the site in Stowmarket where they are going to build a new Aldi. I got quite used to Aldi during the year in Ipswich so it will be handy having one in Stow. It's quite ironic really that there actually was an Aldi in Stowmarket years and years ago when nobody really knew what they were. Everyone at that time was so used to shopping at Asda - which is right in the town centre, that the Aldi didn't survive.
It was good to see live snooker on TV this week, not because I love snooker but because there are so many old repeated programmes on at the moment it made a change to see something new and live. They've found a way to play safely - no audience and lots of testing and cleaning but it worked OK. Plus news that cricket will be on free TV for the first for over 20 years, wish Col was still around he would have been so pleased.
Sad to see the final programme in Grayson Perry's Art Club series. I really enjoyed seeing him and his wife Phillipa working at home.
Springwatch programmes have been on for a couple of weeks and they've been interesting, good to see what's happening in the countryside in other parts of the country when all we have here are arable fields. Although I got quite excited one day this week when I heard a Cuckoo - first time this year and just on the one day and nearly at the end of its visiting time too and I also spotted Swifts, plenty of House Martins around but that was my first sight of Swifts this year - still not seen Swallows.
My experiment of sowing runner beans quite late has begun. I soaked some and then put in trays in the shade on the floor of the greenhouse on 1st June to get them going (must make a note of how long they take to grow and when I plant them out) and plan to do the same again on the 1st July. I hope the first lot will start to produce beans about 4 - 6 weeks after the climbing French beans and the second sowing will carry on producing to the end of October..........that's the theory.
One of my big cucumber plants has keeled over and almost died this week - not the sacrificial cucumber, that's still hanging on, but one of the three in big pots, it's clinging onto life but not growing, not sure why.
A disappointing email from Thompson and Morgan - "sorry we can't supply your melon plant after all" - what a shame - it was going to be a fun extra to try, but they'll refund me and if I remember I'll try again next year.
Two weeks ago I promised to keep a running total of food from the garden, back then it looked like this
- 6 small lettuces (very small - as in about 8 leaves each!)
- 2 cucumbers
- a few asparagus spears
- lots of rhubarb
Now it's
- 9 small lettuces (I now have a gap because the next sowing took ages to get going)
- 3 Cucumbers - and 2 more given away to the neighbours
- a few asparagus spears
- lots of rhubarb
- 4 strawberries. The lack of rain (9 or 10 weeks without?) and not being able to water them means the plants in my main strawberry bed have all died so all I have is 6 new plants in 2 big pots on the patio which are close enough to water. They were scrumptious.
Thursday night, one night away from the June full moon - The Rose Moon - and I watched it rise from the living room, too cold and windy to venture outside
This week I'm grateful for
A warm house when the weather turned cold
Lots of hobbies
The first rain for 2 months on Friday
Have a good weekend - the weather forecast is horrible - a stay at home weekend - like all the others in the last 12 weeks!
Back Monday
Sue
I have the same issues with the strawberries and intend clearing the whole bed once I have taken some runners. I won't rely on the runner, I intend buying some new plants. Mine ate probably too old but it's only this year that they've been a disappointment. It isn't lack of watering in my case, it's just old age.
ReplyDeletePoor cucumber. I wonder why.
xx
Sent too soon.
DeleteSorry you're not feeling great. Take care and get well soon. xx
It's an annoying sore throat that I can't shake off.
DeleteI shall look out for more big pots to plant some new strawbs in next year
I'm sowing my runner beans late because the first lot showed no sign of germinating.
ReplyDeleteI hope I can get some to eat this year after I lost them last year when the tripods blew down and pulled the beans out of the ground
DeleteNot many strawberries here either, Sue. Maybe it's just a bad year? I do have lots of runners coming, so must be on the ball for those! Sorry you feel poorly, a little self care goes a long way these days. I heard a cuckoo too, and without leaving my garden, which I have never done before. Speaks volumes.
ReplyDeleteThe strawberry plants are in a spot that's too dry anyway, then with no rain - hopeless. I shall lose that bed if I can get the bolts out of the wooden edging to take it apart.
DeleteI was so looking forward to watching the melon experiment but pleased your other crops doing ok. Now I shall be singing "life is but a melancholy flower" to myself (tune of Frere Jacques) So wet and windy today - cannot believe that only yesterday I was in the garden in Manchester eating lunch in the warm sunshine with family...
ReplyDeleteYou wouldn't have sat outside here yesterday or today - wet, cold and windy.
DeleteIt's a nuisance about the melon, I was saving compost to use in a big pot that I could have used elsewhere
Hope you feel better soon Sue, and whatever it is clears up as quickly as it started.
ReplyDeleteWeather has been bonkers hasn't it, so hot at the start of the week, today Bill has sneaked the heating on, much to my disgust. Loved yesterday though, we had it all, including a rainbow!
It's really cold and windy here today and pouring now. I preferred the sun!
DeleteI saw a Monty Don program years ago in which he put plantain roots in the holes where he was planting his new strawberries. Apparently there are some mycorrhizae that live on plantain roots that are really beneficial to strawberries. I tried at my allotment but had moved for work before the next strawberry season so can't comment on the effects. Sorry to read about the cucumber - fungal infection?
ReplyDeleteNot heard that about plantain roots.
DeleteThe cucumber is just flagging and not growing - no idea why
Raining steadily here in Wales and I can almost hear the ground sucking it up. I have had Raspberry plants keeling over (young suckers) from lack of water - I had to concentrate on veg mostly but still have plenty of Raspberries putting out fruit. I only have half a dozen feral strawberry plants so aren't expecting much from them!
ReplyDeleteI bet you were worried when you first started "coming down with something" but it sounds like you are mending now. We've had no Cuckoos here for many years so never expect to hear one. I would love to hear the Swifts screaming - we always did when we visited Hay, or King Street in town, but we won't be hearing them this year of course as staying home.
About to sow my main crop peas VERY late!
Much more steady rain today, should do everything some good especially the fruit bushes and trees.
DeleteBut really windy and cold - more like November than June.
The strawberry and raspberry beds at the bottom of the garden were not really a good idea - too close to big trees
Sorry you have been under the weather Sue and pleased you are feeling better. I have suffered with hayfever since 1 was 28 and this year is terrible and nothing helps so I just say there is worse things at the moment and it will get better it's annoying I cannot crochet/Knit for my eyes are so sore.
ReplyDeleteHope you enjoyed your goodies and you find something interesting to make with it.
I thought Spring Watch has been very good.
Enjoy your garden the weather is going to get better again.
Have a nice weekend everyone.
Hazel c uk 🌈🌈🌈🌻🌻🌻
I'm wondering if the sore throat is some sort of hay fever allergy as it won't go away.
DeletePouring rain as I write and wind howling down the chimney
The weather has turned so much cooler, I can't believe I've got my heating on again, where has all the sunshine gone? Strawberries are the thing I miss most from my allotment. We used to get pounds every year. I've kept saying every year since giving the allotment up that I must find a space for some strawberry plants in the garden but I still haven't done so.
ReplyDeleteIt's really cold here today and very windy. Not nice at all
DeleteMy journal says we haven't had any rain since April 30. Everything is parched and those of us who garden have been watering non-stop for weeks. Last evening the news did a story about how bad the local strawberry fields are doing due to lack of rain.
ReplyDeleteRain here again today. There was no measurable rain here for I think 8 or 9 weeks. No wonder everything is drying up and looking dead
DeleteHope you soon feel better. I am also sad that Grayson's Art Club has finished. I loved every episode and wish there were more to come. He and Philippa are fabulous characters and so warm and encouraging. I got quite choked up watching some of the people telling their stories. Have a gentle weekend and get well soon. Carole.
ReplyDeleteThank you. There were some strange paintings as well as some good. I loved the flower pots on the last programme with words stamped into them
DeleteHave you been growing the cucumber on a mound of soil/compost, they really hate getting their stems wet, so I grow them (and courgettes, marrows etc) on a mound of compost and have a 'moat' around the bottom that I water into and an upside down 2 litre pop bottle sunk into the ground near them for getting water directly to the roots once they are bigger.
ReplyDeleteSorry if you know all this already, but it might help someone else.
I'm really missing the Aldi near my Van, the one in Llandudno is too far for me to go to at the moment and too small for me to want to be in anyway.
All my cucumbers are in pots in the greenhouse, all treated the same - 2 growing like crazy but the third just looking sad!
DeleteUsually content, sometimes a bit lonely, but always plenty of different things to do.
ReplyDeleteI've felt quite lonely this week, can easily sink into gloom if I don't pull myself together. Lots to do like you, but sometimes I can see no end to this and then I start not looking forward to the "new" normality! Then I pull myself together and get out of it.
ReplyDeleteThe way the weather has turned so cold hasn't helped at all, can't even see anyone outside now .
DeleteI know what you mean about getting out of the rut of feeling stuck in sameness
The new normal frightens me, whatever that is going to be.
DeleteFunnily enough I have for the first time felt like Rachel this week - up to now I have quite enjoyed it, but I agree with her - there does not seem to be an end in sight.
ReplyDeleteI don't like how cold it is now just put lights on at 7pm as it's gone dark and pouring with rain again
DeleteI hope you soon feel better Sue and look after yourself and your ears. Could be due to hayfever, my ears feel different. But with the rain now it is not hayfever weather. Phone the doctor if you are not sure. Maybe you need some antibiotics. Have a nice (stay at home) sunday. Love your blog.
ReplyDeleteI wonder if people get hay fever even when it rains as the rain knocks pollen out of the trees?
DeleteIts more sore throat now and horrible.
Its turned real nippy today and the rains been lashing at the windows. Our heating cut in first thing!
ReplyDeleteHopefully a restful weekend will boost your immune system and you can start the week feeling much better.
The weather is similar here in southern Australia the last couple of days, and the full moon gorgeous, even still there first thing this morning,only looking icy white in a wintery sky.I often think how the ancient peoples looked out at 'our' moon also. Take care of yourself, a little mollycoddling always helps.
ReplyDeleteGet well soon. We call this moon the strawberry moon in the USA.
ReplyDeleteI really want to grow something I can eat
ReplyDeleteHope you feel better soon. We've got wind and heat coming again after a few days of overcast and drizzle. I've been watching horse racing in the afternoon, basically the only live sports that are on.
ReplyDeleteHope you are warm and cozy.
I too am having issues with our strawberries. It seems like we had lots of winter kill this year and most of the runners from the plants last year died off.
ReplyDeleteGod bless.
Just came here from A smaller simpler life. and notice you talk of sowing late runner beans. Here in New Zealand I sowed some purple runner beans very late in the season and was rewarded with a very welcome late harvest just as we went into Lockdown.
ReplyDeleteMy Mum was complaining today about all the repeats. Makes for some boring telly when all she's been able to do is be indoors. I hate the ups and downs that Spring weather brings. I can't seem to get warm on the chillier days, but once the heat has been off I don't want to turn it on again lol
ReplyDelete