Yawn Yawn Wakey Wakey 2025

I have had a great day today and actually had some quality time in the garden, GH and garage. Pricked out my tomato seedlings, sowed my mini dahlia seeds, watered all my cacti to get them waking up after their long dry spell. Planted out my drumstick primulas. Watered all the over wintering plants in the GH and filled the bird feeders. Had several wrestling sessions with a honeysuckle that has delusions of grandeur. well cut back but more to do. Nicely tired now. @Allotment Boy needs must so don't beat yourself up about using mechanical means to dig over your plots. Have the rowdy workies finished their job @Penny_Forthem? When my Bestie was having her wet room extension done someone from over her road came across to complain about the radio they had on constantly.

 

I forgot to say that the first of my Camellia flowers are open - just in time for the next frost!

 

Enjoy your chicken butties @AuntyRach. I am signing out for this evening. Keep warm and enjoy whatever you have planned. Hello to @Badly_Maintained and @Goldenlily26 if you have chance to peek in. You are missed. See everyone tomorrow.

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Hello all. Don't think I came here this morning.

This morning we went to the big plant nursery. They had just put out all their perennials, loads in big pots for 4€80 each. I bought 12, also 20 viola plants.

Then I sowed 50 broad bean seeds in pots. They get eaten when I sow them directly in the earth. After that I finished weeding and mulching another bed.

 

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A very good morning one and all. It is lovely and light in the morning now so I can see that it looks like a lovely day outside. I'm not too stiff after yesterday's gardening efforts but I will still take it easy.
Question: how long to I have to wait for 'ripen at home' bananas to actually do that? I have had a bunch from my last Ocado delivery and they are still as hard and green as when they were delivered. Just to give you an idea I received them on 27th February.

 

Good morning all.

Cloudy, rain forecast for later.

Have you opened one, @Ladybird4 ? Maybe they are ripe inside. That does seem a long time for nothing to happen.

Coffee with friends late morning then to the SM for some food.

It's the annual meeting of the Gardening club tomorrow so I need to buy something for the Bring and Share lunch.

If it rains I'll do some more cupboard painting later.

 

Good morning to you all.

Since moving here, I haven't been able to connect my printer or ethernet to the new router. I tried to uninstall the printer and reinstall it etc. etc. Frustration. Frustration. Frustration!!! Finally, I called in professional help who quite simply, pressed a button on the router which hadn't been turned on by the tekkies who installed the new stuff!! Anyway, there was indeed a problem as when I went to print - it of course sat there idle. My guru came back yesterday early morning and fiddled around. So there was a problem - it's resolved.

Everyone is busy sowing seeds hopefully!! My broad beans have surfaced @Busy-Lizzie but in a rather shaded side of the house, so I hope they will come to fruition. It will be a good spot for lettuces in the hot summer. I will try beetroot, carrots and turnips there later in the spring.

Weatherwise; it is dismal. Windy some rain and some peeps of sun then grey again. March weather!! Temperatures are mild. Around 15°C but the wind is chilly.

Yes - a shout out to @Goldenlily26 and @Badly_Maintained if you are reading our posts.

Bananas usually ripen within a few days @Ladybird4 - maybe a week but yours maybe missed the "gas" station!! They may be better cooked. There are plenty of recipes on t'net.

 

@Busy-Lizzie, I have attempted to peel one but all that happened was that the thin outer green skin peeled away leaving the immoveable tough inner skin still in place. This has now gone an interesting shade of black of course. @Tui34 I had never even thought of cooking them to be honest. Getting the peel off at the moment is the main problem.

 

@Tui34 technology is brilliant - until it goes wrong. Then it is a right PITA. Needs thrashing with a tree branch! Glad you are all sorted now.

 

We had some like that a while ago, gave up on them after about two weeks. I ended up throwing them into the freezer and then they went into the next banana loaf I made. It tasted fine.

Damp and very cold here at the moment. Think we are forecast a gap with some sunny intervals a bit later. Our regular Sutton Park walk this morning, probably with a fortifying bacon buttie halfway round. Am hoping to get into the garden again this afternoon, weather allowing, if not I’ve various indoor jobs to do. I’ve bought myself a debobbler gadget so might have a play with that and (hopefully) restore some of my favourite jumpers.

We got the quote through for our door yesterday. Smelling salts and a dark room were necessary!
We are now scanning checkatrade etc for some alternative quotes. We did get another rough estimate from a local joiner, it wasn’t disimilar to the first Suffice to say we could have a very, very nice holiday for less.

Our printer periodically goes on strike. OH has some magic spell (techie code), found after hours trawling online forums, which clears the problem. Still don’t understand why it happens

I haven’t sown any seeds yet, still too cold, but getting itchy to start. It is however the start of peach tickling season. Our peach, in the GH, is starting to blossom so I leave the doors open each day to entice in any pollinators and also help things along with an old paintbrush. The blossom is so pretty and cheering. It’s also when you can do an early prune so we now have a few small branches of blossom in a vase on the kitchen windowsill. They last longer in there as, except when cooking, there’s no heating so it’s nice (for the flowers, not me) and cool.

Sounds like a good shopping haul @Busy-Lizzie and enjoy your gardening club. I wish we had a local gardening club. I did join the Cottage Garden Society for a while before Covid but haven’t been since. I had intended to rejoin but as I can’t now drive I wouldn’t be able to get there. Although the membership was drawn from quite a wide area, there didn’t seem to be anyone local to me to cadge a lift with. I must see if there is a local U3A gardening club I can get too by bus.

 

@Butterfly6 I will take that tip from you. Can I just ask, did you freeze them with their skins on or did you peel them? If the latter, did you just use a knife as I cannot make any inroads by fingers? My local gardening club clashes with my quiz nights on a Monday but we have the U3A AGM on 24th so I will make investigations there.

 

Try boiling them in their skins @Ladybird4 They do sound very green to me. The Samoans eat them green as they belong to the starch family. Then peel them, cut up and serve with a coconut cream sauce.

 

Quick visit, as I'm off to the hair chair in a mo.
I like the sound of peach tickling @Butterfly6 (less so the cost of the door!)
I'd be complaining about those bananas, @Ladybird4
Off to a timber place and GC this afternoon. Could be a dear one!

 

Make an incision down the side with a sharp knife. Boil for around 15 minutes. Peel and then do whatever you wish. Freeze in chunks or use in a curry.

 

Try putting your bananas with your onions @Ladybird4. That's how I get avocadoes to ripen.

It is cold here and very grey and has been wet with more ran to come. Definitely no point sowing outside and not much point inside either as the night temps are back to just above freezing but with added wind chill. Expecting a week of that. I'm going to wait till it's warmer and hope things take off rapidly.

Sewing for me then. Yesterday I finished a patchwork cushion cover I started 3 years ago as a project to show beginners how to use strip piecing and then I unpicked part of the side seams of a new cotton frock so I could install pockets.

2 dance classes last night - Paso and Bachata so lots of toes and hips. I think I need new dance shoes.

Have a good day all, whether that be restful, sociable, gardening or other.