No T Words mentioned at all - a fresh start

scottishminnie

Good evening all. I hope you all had a nice relaxing weekend. I'm not much of a cycling fan (apart from my spin classes:)) but it's great to see Bradley Wiggins and his team win the Tour de France. Lets hope it bodes well for the Olympics.....

My two raised veggie beds are now in existence and a raised fruit bush bed. All 12 feet by 4 feet. I hope to get hubby to put some of the earth mound which he removed when we dug out the new garden plot into them at the end of the week. I have some fruit bushes which I'm itching to plant although I now need to get netting for the fruit bed. I may as well start properly or my starling population will make short work of the fruit bushes. Actually I have a sparrowhawk in the garden so the starlings are not here as often as they were. I think it is a young sparrowhawk but it's quite a magnificent sight - unless you are a little bird I guess:(

I popped into Mr A for some bananas this afternoon as there were none when I did the weekly shop and got three punnets of apricots which were reduced to 50p per pack. So I now have apricot jam underway in the breadmaker and an apricot crumble in the oven for tomorrow nights dinner (will probably feed us on Tuesday too). I also got 2 avocados for 35p each - they will form part of my lunch for 2 days. I haven't benefitted from any whoopsies for weeks so they were most welcome. Mr A had own brand butter at £1 - I also bought 3 of those.

My lettuce in the cold frame is doing very well - this will be week 2 where I haven't bought lettuce for the sandwiches. I only pick what I need when I make the sandwiches. It's just as well we live in the country with no "neighbours" as such - where else could I get away with wandering outside wearing only my wellies (as they live just inside the back door) to pick lettuce at 5am each morning:D

Another busy week ahead and hubby seems to have spent most of his afternoon under a tractor - I now have the oil and diesel stained jeans and jersey to tackle. Time I volunteered to be a road tester for stain removal products I think!

westcoastscot

Just popped over from the other T thread to wish FTM all the best with your family's home-schooling adventure. I home-schooled my three and we loved every minute of it - and don't believe those who say your children will be isolated or socially excluded - you'll find you have them with you wherever you go - they get used to talking to people of all ages and in all walks of life and grow up very well adjusted.
I've never regretted it, and my three are confident, successful young men and women
WCS

[Deleted User]

Hello SM - congrats on the raised beds being built, next year you'll be ahead of the game (and ahead of the slugs!) when it comes to veg, well done. Am very envious of the Sparrowhawk they are spectacular little birds, love the yellow eyed stare they give you, fearless little blighters. We occasionally get them here and once as I was going to the summerhouse I heard that splack noise that can only be a raptor hitting another bird and looked up the garden to see one taking a full sized and very fat pigeon. The pigeon was so heavy it could only move it in 18" hops and I found the feathers and carcass behind the compost heat later that day!

Have a good week and I hope the sun is shining up there as much as it is down here Cheers Lyn xxx.

scottishminnie

Just popping in quickly to say the Sparrowhawk appears to have had a very successful day - the mound of feathers by my hedge was quite something. I suspect he/she has had quite a feed today. If only I could be sure it was the blasted fat pigeons which steal from my feeder rather than the little garden birds then I would feel a bit easier. Nature can be so cruel sometimes...

Kaz2904

Well, Ftm, I admire you. My time in improving the kids education was useless. They had tantrums (well DD did) and DH was no support whatsoever. His view was that they are on holiday so why should they do anything. Made me really bliddy cross actually. Totally undermined me in front of the kids. He keeps going on and on at DS about his bedroom which I have told him I'll help with. I really feel like saying to him "they're on holiday, they shouldn't have to do anything" but I know that would be really childish
How exactly DH thinks that either of them will pass exams or get good jobs is beyond me, if they can't write.
I was trying to explain to DD. she was shouting so much that I ended up just saying to her "you're judged by your handwriting wherever you go. You might be the best person in the world for a job but you won't even get interviewed because your handwriting is too bad."
DH thinks that's harsh but I remember him coming home from work after the new job had been advertised and all the applications were in. He made a comment about one woman didn't even get an interview because her handwriting was not adult enough.

Banging head against brick wall here!

DD is fully discharged from the hospital now mrslw, thank you. Hope I'm not finished with medics, they are kind of crucial to my work

mardatha

Kaz, what's first school and middle school? Dont you have primary and then high school?

[Deleted User]

Hi SM - We had a bluetit year with a sparrowhawk - little piles of feathers everywhere cruel, but even sparrowhawks have to eat!!!!

KAZ - So glad DD is now fixed, the finished with the Medics only applies to her - not finishing them off for you - Sorry wasn't trying to do you out of a job - giggles manically and runs off into the sunset!!!!!!

It's been a long day already - please excuse any more than normal eccentricity!!

Have a good one all Cheers Lyn xxx.

scottishminnie

Kaz - I too have a thing about handwriting. One of my teachers used to say "untidy handwriting is a sign of an untidy mind". It might be old fashioned but it has stuck with me (along with being a grammar and spelling nazi - according to my colleagues at work!).

I've noticed something very strange in the garden. We have 3 semi tame hares - a big one, a medium sized one and a tiddler. The big one has been around for a while, we named him/her Harry then Horace (medium sized) made an appearance and finally I caught the tiddler (named Hughie) dangling from my patio step to nibble pansies from a pot. I didn't have the heart to be angry as he is so small. Anyway, a few weeks back hubby sprayed the new bit of garden where my drying green will go with industrial weedkiller and he will (at some point soon I hope) turn the soil over and grade the area. The weedkiller is amazing stuff and it has well and truly made short work of the old grass which is now brown and dry. Last week I looked out and saw Harry munching away furiously on dead grass and I though "oh dear, he'll be toast by teatime", however not only has he survived but he has been eating as much as he can get of this dead stuff, as have his little chums. I can't believe that they seem to be thriving on dead, chemical ridden grass - how weird is that??

I had a very busy weekend. I thought it was high time I caught up with some visits to elderly friends and neighbours so, armed with some home made apricot jam, I did the rounds. Was treated to a very nice glass of home made plum vodka on the last visit. Well, it had to be the last visit as my legs didn't feel connected to my body when I stood up to leave. Just as well I had walked to visit them! I must ask for the recipe....

I was reading the thread on caramelised carrot chutney earlier and it has me tempted. I think once my carrots are ready I may attempt a batch. It's time I tried chutney making I think:)

Kaz2904

Mardatha, it's a peculiar system. In our area (and some others around) there are first, middle and secondary schools. The firsts and middles are being amalgamated to become full primary schools but previously 4 first schools took children from reception (age 4) up to the end of year 3 (age 8) and they then moved on to the middle school (the old secondary school which became too small) for years 4,5 &6 before they then move on to secondary school.
It's a mixed blessing. I've had DD and DS in the same school for 2 years, then 2 years apart and now they have 1 year together before she's off to secondary. I'm up and down the hill between the schools (and before that the preschool) like a flipping yoyo!

scottishminnie

Help - to the gardening experts! My lettuce in the cold frame have greenfly. When I picked some this morning I saw a few so I just made sure I washed the leaves thoroughly and used them. Is this ok or do I need to treat them? Should I just throw a basin of soapy fairy liquid water over them? I'm worried I miss some_pale_