Yawn Yawn Wakey Wakey 2025

Morning all, grey and chilly here although we did see some sunshine earlier. Just having a coffee and then will go out for our usual walk.
If the weather's still iffy then I'll be back up in the loft doing more sorting out.

 

Very wet now with vertical rain so it's not going to go away anytime soon. Lunch has been eaten, lemon syrup reducing down before I add the sugar and then I'm off to sew.

Forget to mention my delight last night during the Paso class. There is a figure in Paso, rumba too, where the woman dances round her man. It's called Tour du Monde (Round the World). In future classes we will learn the Tours d'Univers where the man dances round the woman.

Recognition at last!

 

Back in my garden today for another 4 hours, raking out, pruning etc. snowdrops up. and a few flew to surprise places. Grocery shop first. have a good day.

 

Ought to go out in the garden today but can’t be bothered. It was beautifully sunny all morning, but extremely cold. We have just had quite a heavy hailstorm to add to the fun.
Went to our local women’s group yesterday afternoon, an excellent talk, followed by afternoon tea with champagne! Absolutely delicious! Finger sandwiches, scones with jam and cream, and three sorts of home made cake. I skipped lunch in anticipation, and had seconds of nearly everything! The lady who does the food does it to help a local hospice charity, and all the profits go there. It’s really turning into the highlight of the month for me!
Healthy eating today to make up for it!

 

Good afternoon, taking it easier today, though I'm getting help with the digging, I did a lot of clearing and moving things, on the plots the last two days, plus some digging at the corners and edges where the bindweed lurks. The machine being used is essentially a two wheeled tractor, with a plough attached, so it needs a clear space with no obstacles. Watching him work it, it's quite complicated with gears and levers to drive it around, too big and heavy to pull about by hand. He's going to fit the cultivating blades next he will go over my plot after he has done his own 2 , he ploughed his own much earlier in winter.
Cold and grey here we have just had a shower TBH, we need more rain we have emptied one waterbut already, watering all the pots to bring things back to life. Anyone else got tulips out already? Can't belive some of the small candy stripe ones on the steps are in flower already .

 

I just throw them in their skins @Ladybird4 loses in the drawer. They will go completely black iand very mushy almost liquid but perfect for mixing into a cake. OH doesn’t like them overripe so we often have odd ones going into the freezer. Once I have 3 or 4 it’s enough for a loaf cake.

 

My tulips are nowhere near ready, only just a hint of a bud at ground level @Allotment Boy Lots of daffs out and the forsythia is really getting going. We’ve got quite a few primroses this year, I didn’t plant them and it really varies year to year how many pop up. Mostly the native pale yellow but the odd pink one here and there.

Freezing rain now. I did grab an hour in the garden after lunch with a little sunshine. Finished putting together my patchwork path in the new veggie plot. Made up of the remaining bricks, part bricks and bits of paving we found when we originally cleared the garden. Needs bedding in, was just getting it all fitted together so there aren’t too many gaps and I like the look of it. Bit like doing a jigsaw puzzle but really pleased with how it’s coming along. I had just enough pieces left.

 

I have one candy stripe tulip blooming in a trough of hyacinth and daffs. All a bit random.
They catch the earliest sun.
My friend, who's the serial canceller of lunches, has cancelled our 'date' tomorrow. Manfully, OH said he will step up to the plate.
Bit of a frustrating timber shopping trip. Went to A, where we normally go. Stopped stocking those, try B.
B, nah, sorry, out of stock, try A. They'll have 'em...

 

Hello all, from our daughter's, where I'm being introduced to an incomprehensible game on the Switch, by the granddaughters. I think I'm too old to get to grips with how it works... anyway, they're happily laughing at my efforts.
I'm only supervising for one night. It's fun, but more tiring than gardening, in my opinion!

 

No tulips out here yet @Penny_Forthem but there are hyacinths out, as well as the magnolia's first blossoms. I fear they might get trashed by the predicted frost tonight. Saw on the news that Cheltenham races had snow earlier!
Shame you couldn't get the timber you wanted, what will you do now?
Your veggie bed new path sounds great @Butterfly6, I also like to reuse old materials in the garden where possible.

Didn't do anything in the garden today as very chilly northerly wind didn't tempt me. Carried on with my loft clearing project and stood over OH whilst he shredded old cancelled building society passbooks from 1998 or so! Goodness knows why he kept those. Shredded lots more stuff but there's tons still to do. OH has just lugged the paper bin out for the Council collection tomorrow, it was rather heavy. The shredded stuff can go into the compost bin gradually as fortunately we have space behind to store several bin bags full.

Never thought of cooking and freezing old bananas although there's not many left over in this house. I do like a banana sandwich sometimes.

Your dance club sounded fun @Obelix-Vendée, what was OH's reaction though?

 

Thank you for all of the tips regarding my bananas. I never have onions in my kitchen @Obelix-Vendée as I have an intolerance to them. I have used bananas to ripen green tomatoes in the past but have never heard of onions having a similar effect. Bananas release ethylene gas which is the ripener. Avocados also release it.
I do not have any of the striped tulips in my garden as I do not seem to have too much success with any tulips but yours look very pretty @Allotment Boy. I like the sound of your crazy paving path @Butterfly6. Well done you! Sorry you have had to rearrange your dining companion @Penny_Forthem but I'm sure that you will have a super time. @Liriodendron, I bet the playing with your grandchildren - whilst exhausting - is still lots of fun compared to gardening. The best sound in the world, in my opinion, is the laughter of children.

 

Snap @lizzie27 it is my paper bin collection day tomorrow and also my green (gardening stuff) bin collection. I am going to sort my bananas tonight as I can make a banana loaf for next Tea/Coffee morning. @Penny_Forthem the bananas are only £1 for 5 Fair Trade and up until now thay have been perfect. I have eaten a banana a day for the last 55 years. Eeek how can that be? Surely I am not THAT ancient!

 

I've spent ages on this, tweaking and reworking.
Finally happy (ish)

 

@lizzie27 OH is going deaf so misses a lot. I'll make sure he registers it when we learn the steps. The French codified Paso Doble and our teacher is keen on both steps and technique and, being a fella, likes to keep it interesting for the men.

It has been miserable here today so I have not been gardening. i've made my cotton petticoat and carried on with some paper piecing log cabin patchwork I started 2 or 3 years ago to teach a class. Lots of tehse bits hanging about in drawers so I've decided to start working thru and completing them. I'll be here a while.

I find garden pysically tiring but quite Zen @Liriodendron. Playing with children is fun but mentally tiring too and definitely not Zen.

I like those little tulips @Allotment Boy and, if it stops raining, I'll go out and see if any or mine have come back. Might be a bit early tho.

I did a sausage, butternut squash and apple traybake for dinner. It was really good but Possum says she'd have preferred it with Granny Smiths, not Braeburn. It just so happens she's suddenly started eating an apple a day so I had no Grannies left! Humph!

 

1. I agree about gardening being calming and meditative, @Obelix-Vendée . Unlike my current activity, much as I love my grandchildren...