First of all must say a BIG Thank you to everyone for comments on Saturday, lots of discussion, food for thought and ideas. Some I've already tried and didn't like (charity shop) and others aren't practical for where I live. I already belong to 2 WI's and an Over 60s group so that's enough of the "joining stuff" done! Coach trips are a no - as I really don't like traveling by coach or being on holiday with other people (except for family- I can just about cope with them!) I'm never bored at home so will keep thinking..........and blogging.
My tomatoes in the greenhouse are behaving very strangely, shooting up very tall but with hardly any flower trusses. The first flowers are just beginning to set, must start feeding them. I've left side shoots to grow on a couple of plants to see if they'll give me some extra tomatoes and will pinch off the growing tips on them before they get up to roof height.
Cut the first cucumber from the greenhouse.It wasn't fully grown but thought I might as well
use it instead of buying one, there are lots more coming and it will be the usual giving-them-away thing, they are always boom or bust!
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| Looks bigger than it was! |
While tying in the cucumber and tomato plants on Saturday I found myself covered with Ants - tickly! They had set up home, with dozens of eggs under one of the Aubergine pots which I had moved to stand on top of the water butt I have in the greenhouse. I'm afraid that ant powder was deployed as a 'herd' of ants inside a pot can be very destructive.
Hopefully I've bought the last bunch of
beetroot (£1.50 at Carboot sale for 8 smallish in the bunch) for a while
although mine are far too close together and we've not had much rain to
fatten them up so are very tiny but that means they won't take long to cook. I'm loving beetroot again this year after being off them for a while.
Last Monday I nipped off the first tiny......very tiny.......
courgettes so the plants can get more established, didn't waste them,
even though chopped up they were hardly more than a tablespoon full, but
added them to my curry.
My 6 strawberry plants in two tubs are doing surprisingly well with some every day for 12 days ranging in number from 4 to 14. I had to search the blog to find out when the plants had been put in the tubs and discovered they were runners from some I had previously at Clay Cottage - so this is their 2nd fruiting year.
I stopped by Brother-in-Laws house to see how his strawberries were doing and as usual he'd not told me there were any ready and there were loads getting too ripe. He said he was picking some for his sister and would take off some for me too. He dropped them in on his way through later, so 2lb are in the freezer for jam - even if they are a bit too ripe- and some turned into a couli and popped in the freezer to go with ice-cream.
Quickly read over the two very hot days was the first of the six bargain books of country writing that I picked up at the car-boot sale last Wednesday.
Simon Barnes was for many years a sports
correspondent for a big newspaper but now is free-lance writing books about wildlife and
traveling to Africa in his work with a conservation trust. This book is
about the acres of marshland he owns and cares for near the River
Waveney in Norfolk and also about his son Eddie who has Downs Syndrome
but who knows nearly as much about the birds and wildlife on their land
as Simon does. A lovely book as he writes really well. Recommended.
Below is a mummy(?) Red Legged Partridge and one baby just by my front door on Saturday morning. They had a nest directly opposite me in the long grassy bit of the churchyard......much noise and alarm calls earlier in the year gave their position away! The sad thing to tell you is that earlier last week she had brought 11 babies across the road to see what they could find on the shingle of my driveway. Why she found it necessary to bring them over the road is a mystery when there is a couple of acres of grassland behind the churchyard. But after less than a week just the one left. Cats or birds of prey have taken the rest I guess.
Back Tomorrow
Sue
What a beautiful bird, sad there's only 1 baby left though - I guess that's why they lay so many eggs!
ReplyDeleteThey've now strimmed the long grass in the churchyard so nowhere for them to hide anymore. Probably no babies will be left now - sadly
DeleteThat is such a precious little chick, I hope it survives. As you say, it seems odd that the family risked crossing the road.
ReplyDeleteCan I ask an off-topic question? I followed your 'between houses' story of how you rented while the bungalow purchase went through but I can't remember if you did a round up of any advice about what worked and what didn't with regarding choosing what to put in storage and what to take with you. I think that you said cross-season clothes was a consideration, are there any other tips please?
I used holiday lets for the weeks of waiting which are fully equipped so didn't need any basic stuff although I did take a couple of my big mugs. I took my own towels, pillows, duvet, sheets etc so the owner didn't have to come in and change them. I moved in March and luckily took some summer wear as there were some hot days just before the completion in early May. I packed my radio and clock that I have in the bedroom. Can't think of any other ideas at the moment.
Deletethanks, all good ideas
DeleteMaybe so, but I wondered about the things that you'd regret not having to hand such as kitchen weighing scales that may not be in a holiday rental property
DeleteGosh Anonymous do you HAVE to be so rude!!
DeleteOh yes you are right I did take my scales and breadmaker but wished I hadn't as loading the Breadmaker in and out of a box and the car damaged the lid! and I didn't really get round to making things except bread.
DeleteSue H was commenting at the same time as I was deleting the sharp comments from Anon, whose tone I recognise anyway!
DeleteOh, and an extension lead as plugs aren't always in the right place
DeleteThank you for the further suggestions :)
DeleteHow exciting to have a cucumber. Once they start, then never stop. Neighbours are always grateful so that's good.
ReplyDeleteWhat a dear little baby - it's such a dangerous world for them, isn't it? xx
I've nipped off lots of tiny cucumbers so the plants will keep growing and produce more later (that's the plan anyway!) and I've not seen anymore of the partridge so fear the worst
DeleteMy tomato plants are the same as yours, I have 1 truss lower down, the plant is tall and green at the top, very few flowers, first year I have failed with them. It must be a good year for strawberries, I don't have many plants but they have given us loads of fruit. With cucumbers, my plant always finishes much to early, so this year I have a second plant which germinated only a couple of weeks ago, the hope is to have a harvest for longer.
ReplyDeleteAlways have the same problem as you with cucumbers - and never get round to sowing any later (but see my reply above) but I'm usually fed up with eating cucumber with everything by the time they come to a halt!
DeleteSue, I wondered if the previous owners (of your home) fed them and she brought this year's brood over to find seed etc?
ReplyDeleteVery sorry to hear only one left.
They may have fed them but they didn't feed the birds in the back garden so I don't know.
DeletePartridges are a very dumb bird. They walk on roads and constantly run with their babies in front of cars down the lanes here because they prefer running to flying.
DeleteSo sad that she lost so many chicks, but I bet that was a real handful to try to rear alone. Maybe she's a first time Mum.
ReplyDeleteBit like ducks who trail their young around with them and end up losing them. I heard the adult birds over the road in the churchyard this morning - perhaps they are starting all over again!
DeleteIt's very sad about losing the chicks, nature can be so cruel.
ReplyDeleteI've just caught up with your last post, Sue, and must say I really enjoyed reading all the suggestions of what to do with your life after retirement. I feel that we are both stagnating a bit. We have no holidays or even days out to look forward to now that G can't drive far ( I don't drive his car as it's a Volvo automatic and I hate it!) Our entertainment is allotment visits with a bit of weeding thrown in :( and my back limits what I can do. Aren't we a right pair?
Love the look of your cucumber...ours isn't fruiting yet but it's a mini cucumber so, hopefully, won't be too far behind. We're getting lots of strawberries though :)
What a lovely bird! I have never seen anything like it. Glad your garden is beginning to produce for you! You will have treats all summer long!
ReplyDeleteOh dear, poor mum bird. I love watching nature but it does make me quite sad when you see the babies become fewer and fewer. Happens quite a bit where I walk.
ReplyDeleteI must admit that I would have been tempted to eat some of the fresh strawberries. Did you at least try one?
Too many baby birds come to no good end.
ReplyDeleteI have a positive glut of strawberries that run down the side of my garden from a couple of plants I bought five years ago. Tomorrow I am going to investigate making strawberries which I can make in to a roll, slice and then freeze, it is reputed to be excellent on an American biscuit, so should be equally good on an English scone. Handy if you have visitors and don't have cream, as it will still make the scones extra special.
ReplyDelete