Before and After

I've tackled that mess at the end of the garden

It took me almost all of yesterday morning to cut out the weed suppressant that was buried under 2+ inches of weeds beneath the pergola thing. I could then see what was supposed to be growing up the posts.

  There are roses at two of the posts, but they aren't climbers, an almost dead honeysuckle and a nasty looking vine of some sort. Also 2 Hebes ,which are not my favourite shrubs although Mrs F must have liked them as there are others around the plot.
 So nothing that has to be kept and then we found that several of the posts are rotten at the bottom, so that clinches it.................The Thing at the bottom of the garden will be taken down.
It needs some soil to level it with the grass surrounding and then we can mow regularly which will get rid of the weeds and the wood will be cut up to keep the wood burner going for several evenings. There are two big ash trees in the hedge-line boundary just behind the pergola, between us and the field so this area isn't much good for growing.

It was a good day job-wise as  I also planted the blackcurrant then we got the  screw eyes in the greenhouse and the wires threaded through ready to tie up  the cucumbers ............when they grow.. Col visited his Dad and mowed with the ride on mower.

 Also had a letter yesterday from the tax office telling us what Col will be allowed from  ESA and  his County Council pension before they start taking tax off, so  we are getting nearer to learning what we have to live on while Colin is still having treatment.

Many thanks for all the yogurt comments yesterday. It's strange to think what a large part of the fridges in supermarkets are taken up by all the different types of yogurt in 2017 when  it was virtually unknown 50 years ago.We've been persuaded it is something we need when actually we could easily live without it if we had to!

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Sue

Feeling Cultured

"Yogurt, yoghurt, or yoghourt is a food produced by bacterial fermentation of milk. The bacteria used to make yogurt are known as yogurt cultures"
So says Wikiwotsit

I used to make it myself years ago but when we kept goats I found goat's milk didn't make good yogurt, or at least it didn't the way I made it!  Nowadays it isn't a regular thing on my shopping list, but this time of year is the in-between time for fresh fruit so I do buy some for deserts.

A friend  who is into healthy eating swears by Skyr, it was on offer a week or two ago so I tried Strawberry and also the Honey one . Oh YUCK it's like eating some sort of face-cream! There seems to be a competition as to who can make the sourest yogurt.  At the beginning of Col's treatment when he had to be careful of infections he was advised to eat the Alpro Soya Yoghurt but it isn't very exciting. I prefer something with a bit of fruit and flavour and not too sharp.


Black Cherry would be my yogurt flavour of choice although I think the last one I bought produced by Onken was tasteless. I go for whatever's on offer but avoiding those expensive ones with "corners".

This week I came home with ..............Leftovers?? Or to be precise  LEFT-YEOVERS. It describes itself on the side as using left-over apples  from organic fruit farmer Adam Wakeley. The ones that are not perfect and unsuitable for supermarkets.

It also says that for each pot sold  10p is donated to FareShare....... The charity that helps to supply food to vulnarable people. Apparently this is the fourth of these special yogurts each produced just for a short while, with help from Tescos... I hadn't come across them before.

BTW it was very tasty
And I've not been paid to mention Tescos or Yeo Valley yogurt but if they want to send me vouchers to buy them I wouldn't say no!

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Sue

Calling in here, there and everywhere.

With Colin at hospital two days a week we seem to run out of days to do other things, which means errands build up and we end up doing a dozen on one trip out.

So Tuesday afternoon started in Stowmarket to pay a bill, visit the ATM and nip into The Works for a Christmas (ooops sorry mentioned it again) present. The book I wrote about the other day was on offer there and I've emailed a friend telling her not to buy it or read it.They only had one copy so I didn't get it for me......honest!
 Then via the Tip - or recycling site if you are posh- but the gates were shut and the queue was about 20 cars long, so the old mattress........ which was our sons but somehow ended up in our shed, stayed in the car for another day. Next stop at a hardware place to buy some screwy-in things I need in the greenhouse to hold  wires for training the cucumbers, then to my sister's to pick up a gas cylinder that was at their house when they moved in which we can use it for our cooker. Penultimate stop to collect an old bench that was outside a house selling for £10 and deliver a birthday card.

   It needs some(actually lots of) TLC, but Col reckons he'll get it sorted and the last stop was to pick up tablets from the health centre.
Home just in time before the lovely day turned grey and cold.

Wednesday started grey and cold again, then got worse with nasty drizzle. Col had his regular trip to hospital for blood tests so I dropped him off and did a shop at Tesco and Poundland. Nipped into Hobbycraft as I've got a cunning plan for Christmas (ooops yet again!)  presents for my 5 Penny Pincher penfriends . I also needed a pen that writes on fabric and then vanishes so I can write and then stitch on the mystery gifts! No bargains at Tesco except they were clearing out fruit bushes so I picked up a blackcurrant bush for £1.71.
I've not mentioned the  chemo tablets and treatment for a few weeks but he is now up to maximum dose. They are working well, in fact rather too well and he has to have a break from them until we see the doctor next week. We don't know how long it will be before the donor stem cell treatment. The worst side effect of the tablets is to make him very tired and short of energy. He's still on steroids which help slightly.
Home from hospital before lunch.
Colin is at hospital again today for blood transfusion while I'm staying at home and baking......and ironing 😒


Still enjoying the sunsets we can see from the cottage, this was one from a few days ago.

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Sue