Tuesday 31 May 2016

Open garden and studios event

Have you ever done one of these? We have done Art Trails round amateur/semi professional studios before and have done lots of RHS open garden visits but this one combined our delights!

We decided on Bank holiday Monday to visit Dersingham village event. £5 each to visit up to 17 gardens and 10 were studios too, in support of the new Village Hall. The older part of the village is a delight. Lots of Carstone walls and here a old door into a garden.
This courtyard garden behind a cottage 400 years old built of Carstone (local stone) had super planting. Low maintenance raised beds and gravel/patios - so no grass mowing. Great for retirees.
This cottage garden was behind the Pottery, the wall was very old and bent but gave extra shelter to the garden and the fruit and veg was well advanced.

Monday was dull and there was wicked cold wind, by the time we got to this garden we were having a serious discussion about shelter belts! We loved the entwined willow hedge of this garden with its informal beds. We are tempted as that is achievable in a few years being fast growing.

The owner of this space apologised for the horsetail infestation, but it was not noticeable in the lush growth in this raised bed. So many varieties of Aquilegia and lupins seen in these gardens. 


It was so cold by 3pm we were concentrating on the Art studios so we could pop in out of the cold, and saw some outstanding local pottery, landscape photography, abstract glicee prints, watercolours, acrylics and pastels as well as some sewing!  I refrain from photos of other peoples art work as it their creativity and income!  All were very good.

As we are ordering a "craft cabin" soon we spent some time talking to garden owners about their beach huts (writing room); log cabins (chill out space), converted garages (studio and framing set up) and up market studio sheds and how using them all year round is handled in terms of damp etc. Very informative!

There was no rain here till late Monday night and today it could be winter. Across the road 30 flower pickers were working in the open field from 7 am in a storm with heavy gusts of rain while we hid in bed till late. 

I was glad I recorded by nice bank of lupins last week because now they are beaten down and all out of shape.
This weather will set the veg garden back quite a bit I fear.

Hope you had a nice bank holiday!


Friday 27 May 2016

New lettuce variety

We are trying out a new variety of lettuce this season. Here is one next to some much smaller Webbs Wonder's planted at the same time in our poly tunnel.

It is a cross between a cos and an iceberg. Called a Cosberg (of course).  It has a firm upright middle. It is nice and crisp and keeps firm in an tossed salad with an oil and vinegar dressing.

I do like Webb wonder for a plate salad with coleslaw etc.

Beetroot, salad onions, cucumbers, radish all sown now - will have lots of variation of salad later in the summer.

 I must photo our new tomato variety later in the week - it is having very strange flowers.

Gadget men

Do you have people in your life that just love a gadget and tools generally?   My husband and eldest son are obsessive - we often joke they just need a tools catalogue for Christmas. Not the tools - just the pictures to drool over.  Now we have a neighbour who is as bad. He brought this gadget for lifting up ride on mowers for cleaning underneath. Poor chap is laid up after an operation but Hubby went round to borrow it and try it out.


Just some simple bars and a big screw with handle. The mower was very grateful for the clean as it was very bunged up and had started to shudder and shake. 

I was not grateful for its improved efficiency as it cut loads of grass today and its my job to throw the cuttings into the compost bin, alternating the grass with other cuttings. The bin was full to the top this afternoon as the grass has grown loads in the last week.


Thursday 26 May 2016

Chelsea Show coverage

I think I will be completely gardened out by Friday - trying to keep up with all this Chelsea coverage! We are recording it and watching as and when. Thank goodness they are repeating some of the stories between the two programmes and we can skip quite a few bits of the evening programme!

Did not agree with Best in Show garden award and preferred the Cleve West Exmoor theme one.

By the time I catch up with Beechgrove, it will be time for the new series of Instant Gardener! Its famine or feast with gardening programmes.

OH NO.  Did I just see its Springwatch next week?  Not that I am keen on birds today - we are having to keep all the shed doors closed up as their is a pair of swallows looking for somewhere to nest. There are plenty of old, falling down and unused sheds on neighbouring land. I do enjoy the watching the swallow sweeping across the grass areas catching insects while we are sitting having our afternoon cuppa in the garden.



Re purposed letter rack



I must have been EXTREMELY bored at work when I brought this letter rack in the shape of a cat in a charity shop lunch time mooch some years ago. When I was tidying the under stairs I pulled it out for the bin as we hardly ever have post these days. Then I thought about putting sewing patterns in it but realized the open packets of veg seeds needed for the rest of the summer would fit.


Better than the basket I was using as the packets stay upright.  Probably won't keep it long term - but at least it has had some use.

Wednesday 25 May 2016

Under stairs invention

While searching for the jam jars to get ready for jam making I decided to go all the way and clean out the pile of boxes under the stairs that got left in there when we moved in nearly 2 years ago. Some things went to the shed, some to the recycle bin and some just needed using up (like the half packet of oven cleaner). Having lost 50% of the rubbish, only 3 long term storage boxes needed.

From the shed I dragged out some old book shelves and hosed them off. the jumble of garden feeds and sprays on them just needed a good sort and stashing tidily elsewhere.

The shelf unit slid in perfectly and are going to house my jam making kit, wine making supplies and picnic things for the summer.
I might paint them and sort out the rough walls in there later in the year, but for now problem solved at no cost.

Tuesday 24 May 2016

Its nearly summer!

Well inside the poly tunnel it is - while outside there is a nippy north wind with a bracing sea scent off The Wash.

First red strawberry - many more to follow.

Exciting!

Monday 23 May 2016

Sweet potatoes

Everything is moving into their final summer growing places now - and space is beginning to run out.  We ordered sweet potato plants some time ago and they arrived in good condition but a little tender. Potted on they have had 2 weeks in the greenhouse and are now looking good. These will go in a side bed in the poly tunnel and will be given plenty of room just to get on with it and be watered on the automatic system daily.

We have only grown this once before in a pot and it was not a success. So hopefully it will be better this year and we will have plenty in the autumn. 




We actually only ordered 6 but somehow it got duplicated and they did not want them returned.

Probably keep 3 for our eldest son who has just taken on his own allotment. We are delighted that he can follow in his parents footsteps and become a grower and show his 2 year old daughter things. Only problem being he has a bit of a phobia about worms. She may have to help daddy there.

Sunday 22 May 2016

Preparing for Jam season


Our soft fruit is coming along well at the moment and there is distinct possibility of a glut. I have invested in a small Maslin pan and got together my jam making equipment. Found some left over labels, the bottle brush for the jars and the thermometer I invested in last year.  The pan was an 8 litre one and cost £15 which seemed a fair price for the quality.

The jars seem to have been poked here and there since Christmas so tomorrow I will finish the grand tidy of the under stairs cupboard and tops of units and gather them up for a good wash (no dishwasher). Jam sugar and lemons are on the shopping list for Monday and I have some root ginger from the market stall last week. I am going to start with Rhubarb and ginger jam which should keep us going till the strawberries, raspberries and gooseberries are ready.   My all time favourite jam is blackberry and Apple Jam and I am planning on a good number of those jars for the winter.

I am using this recipe -http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/1091639/rhubarb-and-ginger-jam

 Last week there was quiet a lot of press comment on the BBC Food versus BBC Good Food sites, I actually never noticed there were two different sites.  I think the Good Food site has more adverts and takes a bit longer to load sometimes because of Cookies?

While I am under the stairs in this deep dark cupboard I am going to find the wine making kit - might be enough of a glut for that too!

Really feels like summer is coming now.


Living opposite a commercial flower growing field


You may think living opposite a commercial flower field would look like this:Image result for flower field


And we do see some fields like this in Norfolk where they are growing on bulbs. But for cut flowers what you get is a lot of green, a great deal of spraying and then early in the mornings before much colour can be seen you get -
A gaggle of cars, about 20 people and a LOO! No idea of nationality, I guess Eastern European but who ever they are, they work really hard at this. 7 am till 3 pm at least, in fog, damp or sun. Eventually a tractor and trailer comes down from the main buildings about a mile away and takes the crop away.


The wire cages are designed to protect the bunches and over 3 days we have counted about 30 cages have gone.

 So if you see red Sweet Williams in the supermarkets this next week - they probably came from here!

Saturday 21 May 2016

The NHS and sustainability?

Back in the old work days I worked as part of a County Council (sort of) and we were required to convene and act on "sustainability"  i.e.. cutting our footprint on the world's resources. I sat through regular, long, boring meetings talking about turning off lights/heating, not using the photocopier, cheaper ink, communication without paper. I won't go on but it is obvious the NHS has never been asked to do this!

Last week I got out of synch with the Health Centre to renew my prescriptions and suffered the consequences of having to make 16 phone calls (15 getting a busy signal of course, no queue system) at 8.00 am to get an appointment for 35 seconds of a doctors time to authorise something on his computer screen. You will gather I was not in a chirpy mood by the time the prescription was filled. I was also very hot as I had cycled to the surgery and the indoor heating there was on very high.  When I got home I unpacked the paper bag. This is the haul to deliver to my hand 60 pills weighing less than an 5 grams in their foil wraps.
For obscure and stupid NHS arguments I have to do this once a month. so by the end of the year I have filled my recycling bin (2.5 mins after getting home each time) with:

24 boxes
24 stick on labels printed inhouse
24 A4 sheets of closely printed duplicate instructions
12 paper bags
and the most annoying?
12 printed prescriptions -  I order on line and when you see the GP (once a year) he authorises on line. I am never asked to sign. So why print it out every time!!!!

Multiply that with the last 10 years, and at least 20 more, - I have generated my own paper NHS mountain.

I understand it all needs to be kept clean - and I suppose I should say thank goodness it is, because in the current pharmacy set up the basket with my name is on the floor, under a counter, in a dusty walkway. 

Do you suffer stuff like this?

I am going back to the garden for quiet, sane weeding - look out docks and nettles  I need to work off some aggression today!



Wednesday 18 May 2016

Busy Sewing Bee

In honour of the return of the Great British Sewing Bee on TV, I set about a new pattern.  4 pieces just over a metre of fabric, no zip or button holes. Supposed an hour long project (huh).
It has a very new method to me. You sew the facings on the front and back before joining them together. It actually worked quite well.
I have some finishing off to do; I may top stitch the neck with a large white stitch as I did not use interfacing to stiffen it. I used some authentic Indian cotton material given to me by my in-law relatives to make a very light summer T shirt effect.

Biggest delight is that this is a size 16 and it is perfect. I have lost a stone over the last year and I am now firmly a size 16 rather than having to admit to pudgy and go for a 18 size. 

At least this was not on the bias as the first challenge in GBSB was this week - that was a bit more than a basic challenge.  I am going to try it our one day!  Had to agree with all the critics that the make over recycle challenge was disappointment and I sure all those out in frugal land would have thought of doing more with all the material I think (on longer reflection) I would have de constructed the whole maternity dress and laid the material out flat and gone for something more flowing and ambitious.  Adored some of the final sew skirts - especially the tight fitting winner - those were days when you were 16 and size 10 and could have worn that!

If you have not watched it - do.



Tuesday 17 May 2016

A perfect retirement day

Left house after the school rush.

Drove through a reasonably quiet town and down some sunny empty roads.

Walked through the woods in a nature reserve till 11.30
Went out on to the sandy open land in full early sun; just as getting tired of the rather "blasted" heath land habitat found a bright spring bloom.
Avoided the large bull on the board walk on the bog.There were about a dozen cows/calves under the trees and were making a good job of taking out the flush of spring grass and leaving the reads, heather and cranberry bushes alone.
I am NOT an animal person! This is as close as I get if there are no fences!

Walked down to Wolfenden village to admire the preserved station platform (used to serve Royal trains to Sandringham).
Admired the rhodo's in flower along the roads but still feel they are an invasive species needing control.  Was trying to remember the Alan Gardener children's novel where they hid in a rhodo forest - Wierdstone of Bresmingham? Will ask son later it was he favourite book!
Pub lunch of fish dishes (local food heroes) at Brancaster Straithe. Once a month treat for us over the summer - can't afford to do it too often.

Afternoon on the practically deserted beach, a long paddle and a relaxing hour with a book.  It was hot!!!
Did my bit for the planet and picked up 4 pieces of plastic brought in by the tide and put in a bin (quite difficult to locate one!).  apart from those the water was crystal clear and the sand clean and soft, but littered with razor shells.

Quiet cross country drive home via Docking which is an very attractive village.

Home before the 5 o'clock traffic rush and in time to pick some asparagus for tea!

Perfect day in retirement!



Sunday 15 May 2016

Cauli mountain



Promise this is the final blog about the cauliflower harvest. Last week the weather warmed up and then it rained, and the last 10 caulis all came along at once and some went a bit too far!

I harvested them all, except two late baby ones and gave away 3.  As most came from outside I threw the florets into a bath of salted water to get rid of bugs/slugs before sorting them into firm florets and sightly "blown" ones.  I have frozen 8 bags (about 60% of pile here) of firm florets big enough for our usual dishes of cauli cheese having blanched them for 3 mins. We will just have to eat our way through the other load.

Meanwhile the warm weather gave us some asparagus and then it went cold again and they stopped! Had a look in the local shops on way to butchers today and their ones there did not look mush bigger than mine. The asparagus makes us feel very up market - luxury lunch this week was asparagus lightly browned with slivers of smoked bacon and served with a poached egg. Yum.


Saturday 14 May 2016

Base for craft shed

After demolishing our 1930s asbestos garage earlier this year my husband has been forming the base for a replacement "shed". I am promised a craft/hobby room in the form of a log cabin (as a way to get me out of second bedroom and stop leaving sewing pins and watercolour paints all over the place). He filled the base with hardcore from around the place and topped it with brought in ballast, then made a frame of redundant timbers supplied by the neighbours and scraps of iron posts.  After lots of checking it was level, and sums to calculate the concrete needed and finding someone to deliver a small load,  he was ready to begin!

We paid our neighbour in cauliflowers to come round and lend a hand with the tamping down process.  Neighbour loves this kind of stuff and since his wife passed away at Christmas is keen for any kind of job to do. Apparently, it all went well and only took two hours to take delivery, flatten and clean up.  "Apparently" ? - I wimped out and went to the dentist thus avoiding any involvement and potential back ache!  It was all done by the time I came back.

This is definitely our last big building project; we are both fed up with the work load and stress of getting materials and handling heavy stuff. Retirement is supposed to be relaxing is'nt it?


Tuesday 10 May 2016

Thank goodness its raining

After 3 days of 20C plus and the ground baked to a hard crust we are glad to wake to a gentle persistent dampness. Not enough to refill the two water butts over night we had emptied in the last few days but enough to soften the ground. We stood and stared for a while this morning and we could have sworn we could see the weeds and grass growing!

We are waiting for the rain to help settle the soil in our latest project.
The area between the house and the sheds was once a horse ménage (a badly built one with rubble and carpets in the foundations) and we flattened it last year and covered in a thin layer of soil and established the grass. It stabilised the sand blowing around but in summer it is like walking across dune grass - it hardens to a crust on top of the sand and then dries out in sun. So we are putting raised beds in when we can afford the wood which is hellish expensive. It will break up the area, provide some broken shade and allow us to concentrate on improving a smaller area of grass over all.

This took 17 wheelbarrows of soil we had saved from various other projects and half last years compost pile to fill this. When the soil is settled we will put in some shrubs we have nurtured from cuttings to give some structure and for this year probably a load of snap dragons we have grown from seed (cheap and cheerful).

Just as we had finished a neighbour came by and suggested a reclamation yard about 20 miles away that might have cheaper timbers. We will explore that option before ordering more wood for the other 5 proposed beds.

Off to the village in a mo, on my bike, to post youngest son's birthday card - he's how old? How did that happen??


Monday 9 May 2016

Hurrah for sewers!

Its back! Next Monday. At last something on TV for me. Great British Sewing Bee returns.   I can claim the settee back from the motor sport and the dreadful Britain's (not) Got talent stuff.

Hurrah!

On TV

Next Monday21:00

Friday 6 May 2016

Full on veg planting

Been absent from blogging for a while as we are taking advantage of the turn in the weather and planting out the first round of veg.  So much work I have worn out my gardening gloves.
I get through a pair about every three months; as you can see I like to get my hands right in the soil.

All the veg plants look small against the very dry top soil and in my pictures all you may note is bamboo canes. We were given a bundle of 200 or so of medium sizes and another 100 or so short ones and then brought 50 giant thick ones last year - plus all the odds and ends found here and brought from previous house. We are using them to build all sorts of net structures to protect and support crops. All a bit "Heath-Robinson" as my husband calls it - but yesterday he calculated a fruit cage over the blueberries would have cost £125 and our efforts cost nothing but effort (and a little embarrassment - but there are so passers-by here so who cares?)

We are aiming to keep the deer and hares off the blueberries as we suspect they had a few nice branches off last year.

You know your summer crop is on its way when you put up your bean poles! We used 17 thick poles for this run and planted about 15 bean plants. We will do another row and similar number in a couple of weeks.

Those pesky cauliflowers are still coming on fast - I think I am going to vote buttered cauli as my favourite recipe, husband likes the turmeric spicy recipe but we both can polish off a large dish of cauli cheese for lunch as long as it has a few bits of bacon in it and some left over blue cheese sprinkled on the top to give it a bit of a buzz. As a consequence evening meals have become very light to compensate.  Meanwhile in the poly tunnel the spinach has gone mad and is nearly knee high.
The strawberries are racing on in the tunnel and fruit is forming. Thank goodness the watering system is set up and the beds can be left to self water for half an hour while we do something else.
In the house it is all go swapping over to the summer things. The drawer with blouses and shorts needs to be moved up one, and the thick jumpers go down (saves bending). Downstairs next to the winter coats I have a lovely bright Indian bag given to me by my son's in-laws in which I have been stuffing winter scarves, gloves and hats. The bag has little mirrors sewn in to the embroidery - they did tell me the Indian craft name for this style of decoration but I have completely forgotten.
Today I emptied it and washed all the woolly thermal things ready to put away and filled it with sun hats, silk scarves and cotton shawls ready for days out and cool summer evening sat out in the garden. I found the sun lotions and insect repellent and brought them down too!  The area between kitchen, bathroom and back door is getting more organised now I have some new shelves above my washing machine. 

This alcove used to house an enormous oil boiler. We had an external boiler fitted last summer and the alcove is just right for the washing machine. Its great as you can throw the clothes in as your exit the bathroom. The bottom shelf is just an old Formica shelf from a disregarded kitchen unit and the top is just two odd bits of wood. Both will need replacing with some decent wood and have backs put on them to stop things tumbling down the back of the machine. I found some baskets for all the odds and ends but I have plans to find some bright coloured storage boxes. 

I've cooled off now so must go and enjoy some more afternoon sun and get the washing in. Today I am working my way through all the gardening fleece jackets which have been used all winter.

Did you see the excellent BBC4 programme about Ordnance survey maps? I am a map geek, and originally from the Southampton area (home of the OS) so I was fascinated by the stories of the people who worked there. When I was leaving school in the early 1970s it was suggested as a possible employer for me, as I was top of the class in geography, but I had other ideas. Silly me.





Wednesday 4 May 2016

Sewing mojo

I have lost my sewing mojo lately; while exploring some sewing blogs I found an interesting sewing project on a blog called Sew Darn Neat for charity.  There is a group called Fairy Godmothers who make open fronted kimons for children having heart surgery.
http://www.sewdarnneat.co.uk/2015/09/sew-kimono-wrap-top.html

Do have a look at this.

I've downloaded the pdf and will call into the local fabric shop for some 100% cotton to have a go in the next few weeks.
My only problem is that the groups are run through Facebook and I struggle with using this social media platform.  


Sunday 1 May 2016

Something new

I don't splash out on new things often preferring to make do and mend or create, but when my son handed me an Amazon gift card he did not want I immediately thought of this treat.

New cushions for the lounge.
Blend in nicely with the leather two seater (which has survived 4 house moves over 10 years and is cared for so it lasts us out) and look very modern.

 I am pleased with them and sent the picture with my thanks to the son!



Why mess with an icon?

There are lots of things in the broadsheet newspaper we had as a treat this weekend that have evoked comment over coffee time. This article is about the iconic road signs being "updated".
Can you see anything different about the one on the left (the new)?

Only thing I can see is that the children are bigger? Is that saying current children are fatter or bigger? Is that not just rude? Can we take offence?

 Oh hang on, is it that the girls arm is a bit shorter? What did this nonsense cost?

The article suggests we will be playing a new in-car travel game - spot the new signs!  Afraid I may need to go to Specsavers before I get anywhere near winning that one!

Apparently there is new legislation:  I am totally in agreement on the highlighted point - just down the road is a 30 sign, with a 50 sign less than 100 feet further along!!
There are a number of changes in legislation coming into force across Britain. April 22nd sees The Traffic Signs Regulations and General Directions 2016 replace those set in 2002.
The changes include:
  • Councils making junctions safer for cyclists by installing eye-level cycle traffic lights.
  • New road signs will be required to display imperial and metric measurements when displaying height, length and width limits.
  • If street lights are turned off during part of the hours of darkness, then signs must be retro reflective.
  • The need for a Traffic Regulation Order for unrestricted parking bays will be removed.
  • The mounting and backing of permanent signs will apply to temporary and portable message signs too.
Perhaps the biggest change under the new legislation is local authorities can now make decisions on how many speed limit signs are required on the roads. This gives council’s authority to remove road signs deemed pointless, which is estimated to save £30m in taxpayers’ cash by 2020.