The first thing I want to say about this week is "I want my £600 that you gave away!". Twice I've heard Grant Shapps the Transport Minister say that during the pandemic they helped out the rail network with millions of £s, equating to £600 per household. (This is one of those fairly meaningless things that politicians come out with). I don't use railways so can I have my portion here instead please! The transport minister has been interviewed a lot this week due to the Rail Strikes. Causing so many problems for many people trying to get to work, school exams etc etc. The railway unions want more money (who doesn't) and no modernisation of working practices (back to steam?). Hope it's not the start of a "Season of Discontent" - I remember the last time!
Whoops, straying into politics - better get out ....quick.
A few small pretty things in an old jar for this week's Flowers on the Table. The Alchemilla Mollis, Pinks and Astrantia are all things planted since I moved in and the Lavender was here when I came.If only they looked as good in the jar as the Flower Festival Arrangements in yesterdays post! But I'm a shove-it-in-the-vase flower arranger with no patience for fiddling!
More sitting in the sun and reading has been done, although I'm a bit torn, as the BBC had some Wimbledon Qualifying on the red button which is interesting to watch for the up and coming players.Plus Eastbourne Men's matches were on Amazon Prime. (Women's was on BBC2 but I can never get into Women's tennis because they seem to come and go and I never know who they are plus they shriek and squeal too much.) The new kids on the block for GB men are Jack Draper and Ryan Penniston who have both done well and Cam Norrie has been seeded 9 for Wimbledon next week which is all looking hopeful.
"Challenged to prove her claim that an 18th-century diet was better than today's, for a full year Fiona J Houston recreated the lifestyle of her 1790s rural Scottish ancestors in a basic one-roomed cottage, cooking from her garden and the wild, often entertaining family and friends, and surviving on her own resources. She learned lost crafts and skills, making nettle string, quill pens and ink as well as cheese and ale, lighting her fire from flints, and dressing in hand-sewn period clothing, with nothing but an old range stove and candles for warmth and light."
This week I've been grateful for
- Sunshine
- Tennis on TV
- Strawberries
Hope you all have a good weekend......Finger's crossed for fine weather as we have a family get together this weekend. We are all over to my Sisters for her special Wedding Anniversary. Eldest Daughter etc was due to come up from Surrey and stay overnight here but Son in Law was away working in France and came back with Covid.........so they won't be coming - sadly. Blasted Covid is still around.
Eldest daughter was saying nearly everyone she works with has caught Covid elsewhere (and fortunately not bringing it in to work, as they can work from home for part of the week) so it's only a matter of time before SHE gets it. She tested twice before coming to stay with us this weekend.
ReplyDeletePretty flowers from your garden. I have a dark red Astrantia just outside the kitchen window.
I love fresh fruit too. My 6 little plants have only produced a handful of fruit but they are putting out runners, so I shall have more plants next year. I can't live without fruit, especially apples.
I will confess to only having read a couple of Agatha Christie novels. Plenty to look forward to if I ever have a book famine! I have The Cottage Garden Diaries but since we moved can't put my hand on anything I'm looking for!
Everything that moved with you must be there somewhere!
DeleteI've been happily amazed by my strawberries this year. I've not even netted the tubs and the birds and slugs haven't found them either
Have a lovely family weekend. And enjoy your fruit! Do you grow your strawberries from seed or get them as small plants?
ReplyDeleteStart off with plants from somewhere reliable and then peg down runners into pots of compost to make more plants. 3 years is usually the maximum for the life of the plants
DeleteI like the look of the Cottage Garden Diaries book, must look out for that one.
ReplyDeleteI couldn't do ration challenges either, Sue, because although I like simple food, I do like colour eg fruit, tomatoes, salad stuff. I just pray that we don't have to ration food in the UK at any point and I also pray that we are not going to see strike after strike in various industries because they want more money. We all need more! I can almost hear belt tightening all over the UK as families struggle to make ends meet. Now teachers are planning to strike in the Autumn. Haven't children suffered enough over the last two years? Ok....I'll step down now too ;)
By the way, your flowers look lovely. I'm a throw-them-in-a-vase flower arranger too!
Have a great weekend x
The Cottage Garden Diaries is one of those books that I've had for years and it was good to re-read again.
DeleteHope there aren't lots of strikes - after all the covid stuff it would be good to have some quiet years.
Our SIL came back from Canada with Covid, so no grand children here this weekend. Yes I agree June is flying by.
ReplyDeleteCovid is still popping up - it was going to be good to have a family gathering - oh well.
DeleteLove garden flowers arranged simply like that.
ReplyDeleteI struggle to eat enough fresh fruit but we have SO much rhubarb and I like that , trouble is it's best topped with crumble or sponge of course!
Alison in Wales
When the strawberries finish I will be buying some peaches or nectarines - another fruit I love although they now sell them so under- ripe.
DeleteI agree about rhubarb - also needs so much sugar, but I will enjoy it next year
We had purchased rhubarb from farmers’ market, I cooked it with a small amount of local honey, one could taste the honey but it didn’t overpower the rhubarb. Our home grown rhubarb was a disaster, think we will start afresh next year.
DeleteSays I am anonymous, it is PixieMum calling in after a long time of not posting.
DeleteI have just had some Tesco green grapes after my salad lunch - they were inredibly sweet. Loved your table flowers - I have all three in my garden. The Astrantia took a couple of years to get going - then I read somewhere that it was a slow starter and sure enough there is a mass of it this year. Good old Alchemilla Mollis never lets me down and pinks too although one or two of mine this year have suffered from lack of water - I can no longer get up the steps to them so they have to wait for tdhe gardener.
ReplyDeleteI've lost the Penstemons that I planted last year - too close to the Magnolia trees - so much water needed and now my new water butts are empty again
DeleteShove-it-in-a-vase flower arrangements look natural and beautiful in a way that carefully arranged ones seem not to.
ReplyDeleteI ought to try harder, but am usually in a hurry!
DeleteYour flower arrangements always look wonderful.
ReplyDeleteSorry to hear about COVID- as you say it is still around. I continue to wear a mask when shopping but am often the only one.
It was good to be able to find a few flowers from my new planting. Roses next week I think
DeleteThe fruit looks delicious! There is a farm stand near to one of the places I walk. I'm hoping to stop by next time I'm near and pick up some locally grown fruit.
ReplyDeleteThe flowers look lovely. I might try to pick up some of those at the farm stand too - the prices are usually pretty reasonable.
Hope you have a lovely weekend. Glad that you've had some sunshine!
I looked at a new Farmers Market but the locally grown flower bunches were about 10 times more than I would pay. i'm glad I have a few here
DeleteI shove flowers in a container too - I reckon they look nice and natural that way. It can't possibly be sour grapes because I can't arrange flowers to save my life. Of course not! xx
ReplyDeleteThe WI has got a flower arranging course but I'm too mean to buy flowers to arrange!
DeleteWe are having rail strikes here as well. Not good in a country as large as Canada. Trucking is just not feasible for most things.
ReplyDeletePretty flowers.
God bless.
I like apples, and they are so easy to keep. Lunch every day, for me.
ReplyDeleteI have one everyday too and whatever other fruit is in season - love it
DeleteYour strawberries look so good. I bought some strawberries and they were beautiful looking but tasteless. My pear trees are bursting with tiny fruit. In a few more months I'll be harvesting. You have a nice collection of flowers from your garden. I'm sorry to hear your family gathering had to be cancelled. Darn covid!
ReplyDeleteStill having a family get together but eldest daughter and her family will be missing - sadly
DeleteYour flowers look sweet in their little pot. No fiddling required.
ReplyDeleteYour flowers are lovely Sue. We moved our strawberries this year and they are clearly not happy in their new location as they have been very poor. We normally have loads of big fat juicy ones, but only had a few little weedy ones so far. May have to rethink for next year. Take care.
ReplyDeleteThe year is certainly going by quickly. That book sounds intriguing - I might have to look for it. I hope your family gathering goes well, even if everyone cannot be there :)
ReplyDeleteThe Garden Cottage Diaries is one of my favourite books. I love the challenge that she set herself and it helps that I can imagine her doing it as my sister-in-law lives not far from where it is set and I can picture the walk to the shops.
ReplyDeleteDoing Carolyn's current WW2 rationing challenge would see you with some apples and lots of strawberries, along with rhubarb and all the other berries etc that are in season now. Grapes wouldn't be available for a couple of months but then they could be added too. As a countryside dweller you would have access to lots of fruit and vegetables, especially as you are growing stuff for yourself.