Yawn Yawn Wakey Wakey 2024

Morning all.

@Ladybird4 & @AuntyRach you both say the kindest things!

Your industriousness impresses me greatly @Tui34

Glad you had a wonderful day on the Broads, and thank-you for posting the beautiful photos on the visits thread too @Busy-Lizzie .

I hope that the reading of the heart monitor results brings good news for you Mother @JennyJB

Here rain is forecast sometime between afternoon and evening. It has been rain-free dry since Tuesday I think, so I've been busy with the watering can very day.

Some good news is that I saw a bee this morning (the first one I've seen so far this year). It was the size of a bumble bee, but had an orange back instead of the usual black and yellow bumble bee colouring. I should know what sort of bee it is, but I'm afraid I don't. I also saw what I believe to be a hover fly.

Other good news is that the first poppy has appeared. I must emphasise that this is on one of the poppy plants which self-seeded itself, rather than one from the seeds which I sowed (nature is a vastly better garden than I am).

Have a wonderful day today folks!

 

@Badly_Maintained your bumble bee could be a tree bumble bee.

Credit to Wendy Carter.
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Afternoon folks, warm but sultry here and has started to cloud over. Thunderstorms have now been delayed to 5 ish so that gives me time hopefully to do something constructive in the garden as I've got some more pots and plants to sort out.
Glad you've got some rain @PatE
Pity about the auction @red star but at least the goodies you bought sound yummy!
Lovely trip on the Broads @Busy-Lizzzie, enjoy your day at Sandringham.
I've also got selfseeded poppies coming up @Badly-Mantained, some even in my pots!

Quick question everyone, how should I dispose of old runner bean seeds (2021) please? Compost bin, council food waste bin or out for the birds?

Enjoy the rest of the weekend and good weather.

 

Have you tried one of them to see if they are still viable @lizzie27? If they are not - and sometimes seeds can really surprise you - I would just put them in the compost bin.

 

@Ladybird4 , ran across a pesto using Kale few years back, really yummy.
Get food processor out, put about a cup of Pecans in and garlic -how much garlic is up to you, I love garlic so I put about 7 cloves in, add some good olive oil then pulverize. then start putting in kale, little at a time till it get to that pesto stage. And salt.
I fold it over hot pasta and put parm cheese on top. yummy.

 

Sunday, about 10:41AM. Rained all last night, 52 degrees here.
Scrambled some eggs and tossed in two scopes of cottage cheese, cooked up, yummy, put in a flat bread, and rolled it up. High protein all around.

My Zephirine climbing rose just outside my back door has over 20 buds on it, some just on the way of opening. Really fragrant they are. but it also gets that brown spots which I head off with Neem spray fast as I can. Looks like some success with the leaves, are good so far.

Will get on some waterproof shoes and do a few tasks outside today. I think the rain will stop anyway for a bit.

@lizzie27 , we have made killings at other Estate sales, truly did not need anything, just if there could be hidden something, never know who misses what, and what the crowd has no clue about.

Take care all.

 

@redstar, thank you for that recipe - it does sound delicious but I would have to use something other than kale because I really dislike that. I had a Zephirine Drouhin rose a long time ago but it was plagued by blackspot and eventually succumbed. I loved its thornlessness but could not cope with the blackspot.

 

be honest, when its made, you do not know its Kale. you just get the good vitamins from it.
There is also a soup I make that has kale in it. African Peanut soup, has sweet potatoes, onion, kale, garlic, peanut butter, ginger, tomato sauce, chicken broth, then you use an immerser . Husband eats it up like crazy.

I also make Kale Fritters, husband loves them. Kale, potatoes, eggs, rice flour, make like a pancake.

Yes, my zephirine gets those black spots, I head it off as early as possible with that neem oil, so far, only a few. yep, the thornless is a plus.

 

@redstar I like the sound of your recipes and OH an I love kale butrarely find it on sale here.

This year, if I can keep the slugs and snails off the seedlings, I'm growing cavolo nero again but also trying garlic kale. Apparently it's eaten raw in salads when the plant gets to about 12"/30cm high. I've enough plants to use half just for your pesto!

 

@Obelix-Vendée , I am bless here to be surrounded by lots of Amish, and of course their markets. Many times they grow too much Kale, so they will hang a sign out Kale One Dollar, and there is a big bunch for a dollar to get. So have to be creative. Sometime simply pureed kale soup is all I can do for the last of it, and freeze it. Or chop it up, freeze it, to toss in something later. Usually I get two bunches. LOL.

Its just the two of us, so growing my own veggie garden is not really practical, when I can get fresh anything for a few dollars. And lots have day old veggie table, which does not look old at all.

Also got some Swiss Chard the other day, love swiss chard, so good for you. Saute in garlic/butter, toss with pasta. now I am hungry.

 

Good evening. I've pottered in the garden today, again- weeding, splitting my polyanthus into three new plants, planting trailing fuchsias into wall planters, placing two climbers by this new arbour thingy (a rose and a honeysuckle) and tying them in- but most important of all, sitting in the garden, reading and following the sun around. It's been a delightful few days of warmth and sunlight.
I don't know if we'll get the forecast rain or storm tonight or tomorrow; it usually passes us by.
But whatever happens, may you all have a pleasant evening.

 

@redstar, I have to be careful with things I eat as there are a few things that do not agree with me at all. Most of the brassica family and onions are prime examples. I found a tip on the BBC Good Food site which suggested using peppers and celery in place of onions and they definitely work for me. I can also safely use the stems of chives.
@pattie, I've just brought in my washing and the very lightest of rain has started. It has gone very dark and threatening so I've locked down the greenhouse and closed my house windows. I do feel there is a storm brewing.

 

No sign of a storm here - yet! I just read online that there are downpours and thunder in the Bristol Channel though, which isn't that far from us. What's the betting it will wait until the early hours?

 

The storm has arrived here! I am signing out for today. Hope that it has disappeared by tomorrow morning! Catch you all then.

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@redstar I grow fruit and veggies for the flavour, to have crops I can't buy here or which are expensive and so I know what has and hasn't gone into or onto them and the soil and because they taste so much better picked fresh. If I have surpluses, I give them to friends and neighbours.

I'm trying Swiss chard Pink Flamingo this year and have far more seedlings than we will need so will give some plantlets to friends who garden.