Best wellyboot forward. Pips frugal edible garden adventures.

boredofbeingathome

:wave:Bimbles in a bit late in the day, but waves hello. BOB X

Pippilongstocking

Ah just in time for tea. Perfect.

Seen you over the road, shiny new diary you have, most excellent news.

waves back.

So, todays been mainly research, frugal spends and a hearty home cooked lunch, baked tattie.

Got out for a bit and the wind damage in the garden (from Bertha) has meant I've gone and lopped down a HUGE fushia pales of pinks its almost white but gorgeous and the bees love it. But it had lost significant branches and was heavy and was only a matter of time before it all came down. Sad but it will regrow.

If i said it was twice as tall as I, and a bit, you'd get the picture. 3-4m and hoaching with bees. I've asked the bees to move on to another plant for a while.

I hate that kind of gardening, apologising for each limb wrenched down. Alas it was required. I had a mind to propagate it as its so bonny, but as I've 3 hectares of the beast in the garden I think it can wait. But its bonnie.

Fushia magellanica 'Alba' or var Molinae.

I'll propagate baby ones soon enough, I promised it. And it will come back fine.

Put the gate posts in to stop the hounds digging up the future veg garden and the chickens invading the house.

Gate has been sitting sulking for a while. I must research a bit about fencing. I want something 'invisible' in winter which I can grow up in summer. Have read somewhere about hooks and eyes and 'making' a soft string/hessian rope fence which gets replaced now and then. As its only to keep hounds out and plants upright in the summer. That might actually work. And I already have oodles of garden twine. Whilst insane, its free and compostable afterwards.

I'm trying (in vain) to create as much of a 'circular' economy in the garden. If its here it get used, if I don't need it and can make it, I certainly don't buy it. And when its spent, it gets composted, nowt should ideally leave the premises, even the slugs are recycled to the chooks. (Ideally)

Mind on plants are the exception to that rule.

Posts are a bit wonky, but then again so am I. I wasn't paying a man to do it afterall, so I'll deal with a bit of wonk.

All cabbages de-caterpillared for the chooks, slugs hunted and tossed into the pit for them too.

Hounds happy with a plooter around the garden.

Tidied up reams and reams of ground matting. It will get used in the veg patch for the paths etc.

Larger limbs of fushia now in the 'soon to be chopped' stick pile. Wood is wood after all and it aint leaving the premises.

Fed the chooks a pile of weeds.

Moved some rocks.

All good.

DS is going to do wedges for tea and I've some fish ready. TRG's lunch is done for tomorrow, DS will do his in a while.

Living on the edge folks.

I'm off to research outdoor kiwi's (the growing and eating kind) not the hunky kind

ETA 2 eggs, someone's clearly lifted the embargo. Clever girls.

Greying_Pilgrim

Pippilongstocking wrote: »

So had a quick nip to library and ordered a book a chum has recommended.

Had a quick look in bookshop its there but £25 so I saved my money and walked on.

Yay for public libraries :j:j:j I don't know about your library, but I could order/reserve 50 books for £25 And the vast majority of books that I order are worth the 50p reservation, but not worth the £25 to own Mind you, when you wander into the library and an *interesting* book is just beaming down at you from the shelves, well :T Heaven :D

Have a good evening with your 'boys' - and the 'girls'

Greying

boredofbeingathome

I have a penchant for downloading a lot of free kindle books-there is a reason a lot of them are free..*sigh* but they look interesting at the time.

cazmanian_minx

I'm really lucky - because I have a library van rather than an actual library and it can only hold 400 books at a time, I don't get charged anything for reservations. So every three weeks a ginormous yellow bus stops at the top of my drive with an armload of free books for me, it's bliss

BOB, I'm another one with a Kindle full of free books - as you say, some of them are distinctly better than others!

boredofbeingathome

I bought 12 years a slave to read on offer a while ago. I think it was 67p, i am saving that for the last week of summer. I am hoping it is worth every penny.

Pippilongstocking

Waves hello

Coffee on I see we've had visitors in the night. I'll check that biscuit tin.........I'm sure it was full earlier.



Greying its great a library service isn't it, I must confess pre MSE books were one of the biggest 'impluse' spends I had and I thought that's OK cos, well its a BOOK. Thesedays mainly its borrowed and I top up my ridiculus botanical library from the charity shops.

We don't get charged for reserving books here. I don't think you should either, but 50p is bargainous if you have to pay.

Caz we had a big blue van in Orkney that sat in the car park once a fortnight. Brilliant in remote regions library vans. I'm glad you enjoy yours. (How was that ROMANTIK dinner last night?)

I don't have a kindle, I do have a fruit pad, I'm old school I prefer books but I must get myself into modern times eh.

I've (well DS) has saved and recycled a heap of New Scientists for me, so thats me holiday reading. Love em, can't afford them, so borrow his.

BOB - must look at the free books thing I think my fruit pad has a kindle app.

67p is indeed a bargain. I think that will be a hard read, but enlightening, from what folks have said about the film it was pretty hard hitting.

So - last night DS made wedges for tea clever chap and we weren't THAT hungry so we just had them with some bread. Yum they were too.

Todays a bit pottery - a bit of work, a bit of sorting out, a bit of life admin and a bit of thinking about holiday packing. I have a tiny bag.

Wik-let is popping by from the isles on Sunday to kidnap the hounds for me

Off to do the banks and see what else I can interfere with.



Whispers in a tiny voice - I cancelled my interview, talked to TRG, talked to myself on the beach, I admire others who can commute so far and stay sane, I don't think I could. So best not to waste anyone's time.

I feel better about it but do need something part-time locally and am seriously investigating working options from home and gardeny things. I've a few ideas so we'll see.

We'll not starve that's the main thing. Bob can always lob me a neep if it gets bad.

Pippilongstocking

Meanwhile back at the ranch...........I've just discovered you can direct link FB photos to the image button here by right clicking and taking the direct image code. Who knew, not me that's for sure.

Haggis, not so impressed. Still snoring.

mooomin

Looks like his get up and go has wandered off :rotfl:

Pippilongstocking

Everyday is the same, an enthusiastic scamp round the homestead then flop central.

Hmmm now who does that remind you of. Hides purple fleece and laptop visible in photo from viewers.



So kiwis

http://www.victoriananursery.co.uk/Kiwis/

Great set of varieties and into there.

No recommendation but great page. Will wander to castle and see waht variety they're growing as its HEAVING with fruit and growing on a south facing wall.

I do have such a wall too.



Edibles you will be mine.

I've an eye on a mini banana too.

http://www.weekendgardener.net/fruit/grow-bananas-indoors-011001.htm

I cannae right mind the kind the guru grew in Orkney, I must ask him as it was sweet and prolific.