Kitchen Garden Forum

Don't understand, no rain today. Washing dried, grass cut, can't last.

Floods here in Rugby yesterday evening. Our road was awash, with some people further down the road sweeping water away from their doorsteps. Our sunken garden was a couple of inches deep at one point. I drains quickly, but it couldn't cope.

Sunday morning was strange, as I decided that I didn't care about the torrential rain and went to the lottie (I was the only person on site, can't think why), suitably waterproofed. I did intend the spend a couple of hours in the polytunnel, but the noise of the falling rain was incredible and kept making me want to go to the loo! So, I wandered around outside for a couple of hours and did a LOT of weeding, with no need for any tools. It was like pulling weeds out of soft butter, even the dandelions and docks. People driving to the Rugby Club next door clearly thought I was insane, but as they were going to watch a match, they had little room to talk

No rain since 8am today, but I'm not holding my breath. As for those worms, I think I saw a couple wearing snorkels Primrose

I go to our plot every day mainly to clean the chicken shed, I'm amazed how many plots go untouched at this time often year I very rarely see anyone ,considering their are 65 plots on our allotment I know people go at different times of the day but I'm very often there until twelve o clock and don't see anyone

Goodness it worked! I got the gear & the weather did not want to be challenged by my new attire so from rain I just have breezy & cloudy tomorrow! I hope some of you also get the benefits as I'm sure most of us are pretty fed up with the lack of progress in the garden. Plot neighbours will be disappointed though, I think they were looking forward to my fashion challenge!

Have been given a quantity of apples & pears and made up a large batch of stewed apples pears with sultanas & a touch of cinnamon. Had forgotten how nice it was with porridge, muesli and that old fashioned but apparently rarely eaten commodity these days, Semolina!
So many good foods to enjoy this time of year. I,ve also been given some extra butternut squashes to keep my lonely solitary produced specimen company, so if anybody has some interesting recipes for these, could they please post them on the cookery/recipes thread.

I must gather in my squash. It's on the list for today.

Primrose: I never liked porridge, semolina, junket or any of those milky, semi-solid dishes. But stewed apples or pears - lovely! Similarly happy with nice museli or granola.

Room Service!

Cleaned out and repaired/replaced my 25 nest boxes over the last couple of days. I was given one last year with a drop down front. Opened it up and found it well stuffed, I don't know how they got all that in and youngsters as well. Pleased it was popular.

My 'To Do' list has already lessened considerably just from a few days of reasonable weather. Mind I am still getting well muddy pulling deep weeds, requiring the obligatory change of clothes for the bus ride home, but just being able to crack on with jobs & make progress is amazing, & it is still reasonably mild to boot! (OK milder than when it was raining constantly anyway)!

Early in the year got some horse hair from the local Horse sanctory. Hardley touched.

I regularly cut my OH's hair and beard (as far as I know he has never been to a barber in his adult life!) and all the cuttings are thrown under the shrubs in the garden. Thus we often find his offcuts when cleaning out the bird boxes. The rest presumably rots down into thesis over the years.

I often scrape lumps of moss from the lawn In early spring and leave little piles of it around the garden for nesting birds but have never actually seen a bird helping itself to these freebies.

Ooh, I have, we had goldfinches this spring, picking up the moss that I had scraped out! Wonderful, and they picked the dandelion flowers too! Very posh.

Watched neighbour loaded her two youngsters into car to take them to school. By road about just over a mile, walking through the park, some two hundred odd yards.

There was recently a discussion on our village Facebook page, parents complaining that on certain days there is no room on the minibus which takes the children to our nearest secondary schools. I joined in by saying that I made my children walk two miles to school when they were teenagers although there was a bus available. Oh, how they complained - but all of them (now in their fifties and parents/grandparents themselves) have remained avid walkers in town and country. And when these complaining parents mentioned the current traffic and no shelter from the weather on the way, I was happy to tell them that I walk that same way three times a week, well into my eighties .....

At primary and junior school I walked just over a mile each way and went home at dinner time (lunch time!) so about five miles a day. Grammar school was slightly further away so I used a bike, still four times a day.