Sandie's Patch

Tired but...

2008-11-10T11:16:00.002Z

I ache all over, no I've not been to the Gym or rather I have but, to the gardening gym!

On Saturday it was cool and a little bit breezy and it didn't rain here until around 6pm. I had decided that if it was dry, I would empty my compost bin that I stared about 14months ago, big job! It is besides a path at the back of my house, well of course everyone wanted to know what I was doing, so the job took longer than I expected. But... oh boy what a beautiful pile of compost I got out of it. I would have taken a pic but had to go eat and then start on cutting back some saplings and shrubs at the side of my sisters' home as the leaves and dripping water were making her path treacherous to walk on.

Number 1 bin is now back in action with, the number 2 bin full to the brim and hopefully in the spring/early summer will give me some more bootiful compost to feed the borders and tubs!

To anyone out there not convinced yet of the benefits of composting, doubt no more! Get a bin or two or three or more! Or a wormery?

The next big thing is to finally grab a bit of land at the little allotments section we have on the estate and go for it! WHO NEEDS AN EXPENSIVE GYM???

Feeling better

2008-10-24T22:35:00.002+01:00

Feeling better! Have a chest infection but back at work. The Antibiotics are doing their best and their worst! Without too much information... I have a dicky tummy! 'nough said! LOL!

Hope you all have a lovely weekend.

Allotment Ladys' 'Sunshine' roasted mixed veg have had me slobbring over the pics...It's no good, I'll have to move to Norfolk and take my begging bowl LOL!

Feeling groggy

2008-10-17T22:06:00.002+01:00

Hi All,
Not feeling too good, got a chesty cold and feeling quite groggy.
So not feeling like doing anything, especially the housework LOL!

Hopefully have something INTERESTING to show or tell or both in the near future.

I have been having a spot of bother again getting connected online, hopefully my friend Graham will sort it out for me...soon.

Bye for now.

Apologies...

2008-09-04T12:24:00.002+01:00

Apologies for the terrible spelling and poor photography on the previous postings.

I am hungry and can feel my blood sugar sinking into my boots!

BTW, I made some mixed Damson and Plums jelly a few weeks ago and having given most of it away or bartered for produce. Will be making various apple recipes soon too, freezinf and drying apples in various ways.

Tomatoes And salad leaves!

2008-09-04T12:10:00.005+01:00

The first blurred image is a Beefsteak tomatoes, thes are good roasted or used for cooking.

The next image is af Gardeners's Delight, which were not a delight this year! Usually, wherever I've grown them they have been prolific, not this time.

Next to the gd, is Shirley, now these have been prolific and not too bad a taste.

Finally, my mixed sald leaves, these have not been cropped yet, they were only sown about 2 weeks ago and are a 'cut and come again' crop.The slugs have not yet got to them!

Bobby... embarrassed at his lack of coat? no, he hates the flash on the camera!

I am going to make him a coat, after lunch!

Current mimi allotment

2008-09-04T11:55:00.004+01:00

The back of the arbour with the runner beans, not hat any off of this planting as yet but there are tiny beans on them.

Sorry these are so blurred but, it was raining!

Beleive it or not, these are the tendergreen dwarf french beans, very tast and nearly finished. and the runner beans on the pyramis with a string line between the two to let let rampage and join up! These are tasty too and stringless so far as I've been harvesting them small, about 6" long or a little longer. Pics of the tomatoes to come.

mini allotment befores...

2008-09-04T11:14:00.005+01:00

This pic is the back of the seated arbour, showing 'white Emergo' runner beans, honest!

This pic shows the 'thingy' that my siater had made and no longer needed, she gave it to me.

When I first put it up, huge winds blew it over before I could plant it up.

in the pots under each 'pyramid' are white 'Emergo' runner beans. On the topshelf are left, beetroot and radish, these were pitiful and were pulled out and a 'gold rush' yellow courgette plonked in and is giving me 2 - 3 courgettes every 3-4 days. They are really tasty.

Still on the top shelf, to the right are curly kale and purple sprouting broccoli, both of these have been devasted by both sizes of the cabbage whit butterflies' caterpillars.So a daily squish-squash is done and they are very slowly picking up. My sister threw hers out but, I perservere!

To the left side in pots, are at the back, dwarf french beans, 'tendergreen',Globe artichoke, then some 'red rooster potatoes, which didn't do so well, due to the wrong compost and poor drainage. However, had enough off them to make four boilings and one lot to trade for some onions!

In a little while I'll take some current photos although they won't show the stuff that has already been harvested. Watch this space!

My 'mini allotment'

2008-09-04T10:50:00.003+01:00

I was going to show you pictures of my 'allotment', it's really stuff growing in pots around the bungalow! Trouble is I've lost the pics somewhere in the ether.... back later with some pics, hopefully before it chucks it down with rain.
Oh, also a pic of Bobby after his home done trim....I didn't realise the weather was going to turn so cold did I? I'll have to make him a snuggly coat!

Bobbie.. the cutie

2008-08-30T23:37:00.002+01:00

'aint he cute? (If a little 'old dog smelling'!)

At last! Back on the 'net...

2008-08-02T20:24:00.002+01:00

I've been having trouble getting on t'internet, something to do with updates and goodness knows what! I do not profess to being totally literate in anything LOL!

A Windy Bank Holiday Monday!

2008-05-26T13:21:00.002+01:00

Phew! is it windy or what? Not doing anything specific today, apart from walking the dog.
Whilst writng this I'm listening to a rock band called 'BURN', it's a long time since I last listened to a whole album, this one is an every track viable album as far as I'm concerned! www.burn.uk.com is their website, it has of course got to be played at as near full volume as your head can take LOL!

Well, the rest of the day is clearing out/cleaning up time, recycling anything not needed of course.

I have been missing my fish since I moved here21 months ago. So I got one of those 'terrace' ponds ( I think they mean Patio ponds), it is basically a round 60cm x 30cm deep plastic bowl with a flat bottom. In it I've planted a violet blue Iris, four paver bricks,and a miniature yellow waterlily. There's also some floating water soldier plants. Six fish in all, three Goldfish and three Shabunkins, all are only 2-3 inches long. The pond surround is wooden in an octagonal shape with a flat ledge which the cats like to sit on and sunbathe or take a drink from the pond. Guarding the fish is Herbert the plastic Heron!
I promise to take some photos of the pond, Herbert and bits of my borrowed garden just as soon as the wind calms down.

The allotment is not to be, I just couldn't face the hard slog to get it viable, so growing some spuds in a pot, beans,peas, and other veg in pots too around the garden. Maybe next Autumn I'll have another bash at the allotmenteering....

Bobby pics

2008-05-03T23:48:00.003+01:00

He has cataracts in both eyes, a heart murmur, Some deafness, a healthy apetite and a wonderful disposition. He settled in in no time at all, was totally 'clean' after one 'accident' by me not recognising the signs to 'Go'! He rarely leaves my side, walks beautifully on the lead and the welcome I get when I come home is great! A neighbour (who has rescued 3 Yorkies), takes him out in the middle of the day with her dogs. He gets on well with my sisters' greyhound and greyhound cross too, though he cannot keep up with them when they go for a 'blast' around the park!

Bobby

2008-05-02T00:27:00.002+01:00

Hmmm, I've been doing my rescue bit and aquired a ...DOG! He's called Bobby.
He's a Shitzu, 13 yrs old, yes, 13! He's a smart little cookie, I reckon his IQ is way up above mine LOL!
More to follow and pics soon, only I must get some shut eye.

Composting

2008-04-21T10:14:00.002+01:00

I have been a bit over run with kitchen waste, my sister saves hers for me. I cannot bear to think of it going to the landfill sites when it makes such a lovely soil conditioner and mulch. So, a few weeks ago, I asked my nephew if he uses all of the compost bins he has on his allotment and he said he didn't , so he gave me one of them.
This morning I drilled some 3/4" holes in the bottom and placed it not too far from my very full, existing one, then started adding the kitchen waste, some pet hair from groomings, some fresh duck poo that Mr&Mrs Mallard keep leaving on the paths, grass and patio, some torn up egg cartons and some pelleted chicken manure, oh and some hedgehog poo!
Now all I need is the worms to find it! I've watered around the compost bin with saved rainwater from my waterbutt, to encouraged them up into the bin.
The other bin is going to have a rest and in a few months' time I will tip it out, seive it and use around the garden. Then let the other one 'rest' and start all over again.
I really prefer what I call the 'New Zealand' type of bins, double or treble but, I'm sure the neighbours would think it unsightly! When I finally get a patch at the unofficial allotments on the estate, I will build one there.
Because I didn't start on the patch offered to me, someone else took it over but, Nev says it's full of mares' tail weed and they haven't dug it all out, so who'll be sorry there then? I've been offered a patch at the side of Nevs' plot, so will be up there soon to make a start on clearing it. Watch this space! LOL!

Yep! We got snow!

2008-04-06T19:35:00.002+01:00

Outside the back door and looking over part of the neighbours' garden, can you see her Penny Farthing bike planter?

It was all gone by midday!
More snow expected tonight....

Casper

2008-04-05T22:54:00.004+01:00

At last, the long-awaited pics of Casper, my sis's new dog. He's a bit of a handful but, so loving.

Here he is playing with his squeaky monkey toy.

On two of the pics(which I loaded and are the same one, DERRR!), he looks like he is laughing!

He likes to greet you by standing up and putting his forelegs on your shoulders, he tends not to lick your face but, loves to be hugged and cuddled. Now there is no room for humans when both dogs are on the sofa LOL!

Bradgate Park

2008-03-20T13:24:00.003Z

This treeto the left is remarkable don't you think?
It looks like a man-like creature, holding a tree in it's left hand, when in fact, it is the only obviously living bit of the tree.

If you click on the next pic, you will see the deer jumping over the ditch/wall to the right. Then, more deer. A pic of the end gable of the visitor centre, closed! (Could have drank a mug of hot tea too!)

This rather ingenious 'hole in the wall' is just in front of a bench, strategically placed so that you can rest your elbows on the ledge just below the bottom of the hole with your binoculars poised to see the wildlife on the otherside of the wall/reservoir.
It got quite cold, so we headed back to the car park and home, via the Farm Shop.

Walkies!

2008-03-20T12:55:00.002Z

Yesterday I went for walkies in Bradgate park. Originally I was going with my Sister, her two dogs and friend Graham but, sis couldn't make it, so it was jus Graham and I. I would like to show you some photos I took, but blogger is being a b****er and won't let me upload them at present, so I'll try later.

I'm jammin'

2008-03-18T23:49:00.003Z

Finally cooked the mixed plums and damsons today, then strained them through a jelly bag. I have not measured the resulting volume of liquid yet, I intend to do that tomorrow morning before I boil it to make jelly. (Couldn't be doing with all those stones and skins).

I expect there will be around 4 pints of liquid and when it's ready to pot up, there will be around 3-31/2 pounds of jelly....watch this space for pics of the finished product!

The fireplace picture

2008-03-17T16:46:00.003Z

Sorry about the image on the left, just couldn't get it upright!

Dabbling....

2008-03-17T16:02:00.003Z

Been dabbling in bread making.... Using Aldis' Ciabbatta bread mix and as usual could not resist adding ingredients, in this case, sliced green olives, herbs and garlic.

The result was a tasty but slightly heavy bread than the usually lighter ciabbatta.

Nevetheless the loaf was excellent when toasted and spread with a generous amount of Lurpak butter!

Whilst waiting for the ciabatta rolls to finish cooking and drinking a cup of tea, I looked out of the window to see a squirrel helping himself to the birds' food.

Will go and take a pic of my fireplace in the living room, as promised some weeks ago. see you later!

Well, the Earth moved for me!

2008-02-27T10:10:00.002Z

I went to bed rather late last night and just as I was about to get into bed, the whole house shook for about 30 seconds.
No, I hadn't been drinking, it was an earthquake, measuring 5.2 on the Richter scale!
I think I might try hard to go to bed earlier tonight though!

2008-02-18T19:03:00.000Z

Funny? I thought so....

Where's the year going?

2008-01-25T22:50:00.000Z

I just can't beleive how fast the year is going! Does anyone else feel the same or is it just my age? LOL!

For those of you who know I got a lovely arbour seat from Freecycle last Autumn, it has come in handy as a 'prop' holding up my privacy fence until I got it fixed on Wednesday, the fence that is, the arbour had it's roof screwed on to stop it blowing off in the high winds we get up here, and the chap that did it , helped me move it back into position, complete with its' slate tiles under each of its' 4 legs. Now all I've got to do is finish off the painting of it!
Also on that day, the chap fixed my firesurround to the wall in the lounge, now it feels like home! I promise to take a pic of it and post it on here, fairly soon.

Well that's all for now, off to get some shut eye as on all day at work tomorrow and I need to be up at 05:50hrs.

Nite, nite all.

New Start

2008-01-03T11:17:00.000Z

A very Happy New Year to all!
I sincerely wish you all the happiness in the world.