Cooking for one (Mark Three)

[Deleted User]

yay, I have been cycling and been to the allotment, sown seeds and also put up my wind protection net for beans and cucs and brought rhubarb home. Just having my second breakfast and real coffee, will then change and get two lots of washing on and that is IT for the day. I always feel energised after a good start so should stay awake while I read and relax

I am waiting to do the washing, until solar energy kicks in and it will. Pineapple I remember when we had two rates for electricity, everything was on timers, they ruled our lives

I now have two differently attired single beds side by side, one with warmer coverings and one cool but I was getting chilly last night so went in the warmer bed and slept all through.

I hope you all have a nice relaxing day and get at least a bit of sun

caronc

It's still quite misty here but the sun is trying to break through.
My bed has been fully stripped, mattress turned and remade with the summer duvet. Fleece blanket is to hand in case I'm chilly. Definitely need a sit down for a bit now.:)

pineapple

Ha ha money. :rotfl:
I might just follow that advice but adding the peeping through fingers method normally reserved for horror films
Well I've walked the dog, pre cooked tonight's meal, done the shopping, mowed the lawn and put a coat of wood preserver on the fancy new garden gate and it is just gone midday.
Time for a (very small) glass of wine as I need to strim the verge outside the house. Then if I am feeling up to it, I might (a very small might) do some painting on the exterior wall.
Or I might just eat ice cream.

moneyistooshorttomention

I'll blame my father Pineapple for the "look straight at unvarnished truth" way of thinking I go in for - but blame my mother for the "soften it with wine" throw-in.

Oh well....morning was devoted to weeding. Lunch was more sourdough bread spread with cashew cheese, some salad, a pear. Note to self - I must ask farm shop to sell single person size packs of things like salad for future reference. I wimped out - just taking a family-size pack that was all that was available. Deep breath and ask the next time I walk in - they do have direct control over what they sell and they can only say "no" after all. Some of the stuff there is available for taking whatever quantities one wants - cue for me taking just 2 pears and one small beetroot and just enough sprouting broccoli for one helping worth for instance - but onwards and upwards and must ask about the rest.

Right - time for after-lunch drink and then finish the weeding. I've come to a policy decision on that to leave "pretty weeds" (eg Herb Robert) in place in all the "nooks and crannies" of that 'orrible concrete paths and 'orrible cheap concrete paving stones on part of my garden until such time as I have the money to rip it all up and do "nice" stuff instead at some point. The 'orrible concrete has so much cracking in it, followed by houses that aren't brick (ie like vast majority of them round here - including mine) need repainting at intervals and Duff Painter no. 3 has got paint splashes at intervals on 'orrible concrete near house and pretty weeds might help to grow over his "workmanship" until such time as either I can rip everything up and put "My Garden" in place or I move onto painter no. 5:eek: - and hope he's normal standard at last (as the first 4 werent:() and might be able to do summat about that.

Dinner tonight - have got some cauliflower to use up. It ain't soup weather - but having imagination failure and I think might make cream of cauliflower soup then. One portion for now and t'other in the freezer for "soup weather" later in the year.

Farway

Beautiful day here, up fairly early, normal pot of tea, porridge, banana etc for breakfast

I then had a cake urge, so I made a carrot cake

All that before tackling garden jobs before the heat got going
I've tidied the conservatory, just a bit, not gone daft, of course a bag of compost split as I lifted it, bummer:(

After cleared that mess up, planted up my wall baskets, squidged a couple of lily beetles, fed a vine weevil to a robin, and added chicken poo pellets to my tom tubs

Lunch was PB baguette, with cheese & salady filling

Dinner is going to be a yet another cauli cheese, cauli prepped

Later I'll eat some cake and plant out sunflowers in the front, last year's borage has self sown and is on it's way up, I'll mix the sunflowers in with them, please the bees and I hope the eyes

Good day for veg today, banana, carrots in cake, salady bits, and cauli, and maybe an orange later

PS Money, I've got herb robert popping up as well, I've decide to add some hearts-ease to the mix this year, if you can't beat them join them, i've also got red sorrel in the mix

caronc

Good evening everyone,
I hope everyone is getting the chance to enjoy the good weather.
It turned into a lovely day here, not ambling about in a t-shirt weather but pleasantly warm. :DInterspersed with lots of sitting down with my book (and next door's cat:)), I managed to get quite a bit done outdoors. Peas and beans have all been planted (must start the second batch tomorrow) and nine pots of bedding plants filled and planted up. No interesting weeds in my garden just the bog standard nuisance ones!
Off out for lunch (well a sandwich & cuppa) with old pals tomorrow so doubt I'll get much done in the garden afterwards. After that the forecast isn't great for the rest of the week, so I'll just see how it goes but hopefully will get some more planting and potting on done.
Lunch was a tasty smoked duck pate on crackers, salad and a cupasoup, hit the spot in the sunshine:). I'm now enjoying a small glass of red before I go and chop veg for dinner and tidy up the kitchen. Apart from changing my bed this morning no indoor chores have been done so I need to at least load the dishwasher this evening.

Brambling

Just got home after a busy day doing nothing my sister and I went out for a late breakfast and talked ourselves out of walking, it was too warm and neither of us wanted to fight traffic to go down to the coast. I did pick up a small metal and glass table and a couple of chairs for the patio, I going to use my old wooden table to repot etc if I can rethink the patio layout

My nephew cooked a lovely steak and chips for dinner tonight, with a m&s lemon tart for pud and I've persuaded him to mow my lawn and clear my patio for me this week (he's trying to save to go overseas) His mother's a little miffed as he won't do it for her

Tomorrow, heat willing I'm going to tackle the front garden, although it looks pretty the blue bells,wood anemones and wild garlic are taken over

moneyistooshorttomention

Brambling

Long (not great!) story - but I've been left with a previous patio table, as well as the new table/chairs set I had to buy. To me - it's logical to either put that table either slap bang in the middle of patio area or on one of the 4 corners.

So - it is an attractive table and I've decided to keep it - with the intention of getting some small nice pots to put plants in (at least some being of the trailing variety) to put on top of it for decorative purposes.

It will help with layering in that bit of my garden that is going to remain patio (if with much nicer surface than it currently has -once I can afford it). It will give a bit of height - as well as just having plants down at ground level in pots.

Brambling

Thanks Money I haven't thought of using it that way, I have some vouchers for the garden centre so I could get some nice pots / plants

[Deleted User]

I love layers in gardens, rather than flat. I already have tiers but I put lilac and crabapple trees in very large pots, for structure and to keep them controlled, they are about 9` tall. Pots on tables work well but not if there is any slippiness between them, you need an area of friction and it could be something like a bit of router mat under each pot, that plus weight or several pots in an aluminium tray with router mat underneath and holes in the bottom of the tray

I started off using stuff up, so had sweet leaves, ripe tomato and cottage cheese with chives and it was unexpectedly nice. I wasn`t looking forward to it for breakfast but surprised myself and will have the same tomorrow

Lunch will be foil baked salmon and various steamed veggies with sprinkled fresh garden herbs and dill sauce. The rest of the day can take care of itself, I have puffed rye crackers and a couple of cheese slices left but am getting mouth hunger for the lovely spelt bread I made the other day, it is making wonderful toast. One piece toasted and left to get cold and crispycan be spread with butter and hm jam, better than cake and I am glad I cut the slices thick

It has to be a rest day today, apart from some gentle hat-covered hoeing on a raised bed or two. Nice n easy with GnT later while I read and recline with back fully supported. I may well put 2 courgettes out, just got to build the mounds and moats but the bed is ready and covered and I will put 3 moonlight beans out with fingers crossed