So close, we can smell mortgage freedom!

themadvix

Lol at broadband/broad beans! I've got some savoy, white and red cabbages in, as well as spinach and romanesco (all bought as plug plants/seedlings). I guess I should do some more garlic - it only seems like yesterday I harvested it! I'll keep the chard going as long as possible too. I just resubscribed to permaculture magazine and am hoping with that and my forest garden book to get some inspiration for some perennial veg (then I've just got to source it?? Maybe there's a FB group?) - it would make life easier! Oh, and there's oca in the ground, which won't be ready until November.

The one thing that isn't so positive at the moment is the allotment - I just haven't been down there enough! I'd like to get there today, but will have to see how I get on (despite what I thought was a good night's sleep, I seem to be exhausted!). I'd like to have a go at sweetpeas too - but I'm not great with delicate seedlings (squash, beans, corn and courgette are nice and sturdy!). I do broad beans, but haven't yet managed to get them in in November. And Mr MV tolerates them rather than enjoys them - I've wondered about doing them again next year as a result.

Maybe I'll try overwintering a chilli - I've got a couple of good ones on the go. I'll need to find a cat-free windowsill though.

Karmacat

You're doing a lot!  And lots of it really good fun, and productive, as well as work.  Very impressed  

EssexHebridean

We had our teeny black furry visitor again last night. Windowsills thankfully seem to be safe from her, the back of the sofa however is clearly now her own personal domain!  

I need to start a list of garden stuff I want to plant...actually, that's not quite true - what I need to do is find the one I had a get that updated. Broad beans are a good shout though - I in particular love those and we'd make good use of the ground by getting those sown in the autumn.

One of the things I found in the garage the other day was our old allotment diary from when we had the plots in Walthamstow - I bet that will be the source of some good reminders of the stuff we used to grow! 

themadvix

Thanks KC!

Plots, plural, EH? Impressive! I have dreams of expanding (mainly to get rid of my negligent neighbours and their awful weedy plot that sends seeds my way), but I know in reality, I don't have time. And Mr MV has wild ideas, but no real interest in allotmenteering.

Have discovered a problem with summer cycling.... when one gets a wasp trapped in one's bra that one has scooped up when going quite fast and wearing a low cut top! 3 stings! Ouch!! 

newgirly

Ouch, Hope you are ok! 

rtandon27

Oh Vix! That is very ouchy

themadvix

Thanks ladies! It wasn’t as bad as it could be - I don’t really understand, it was definitely a wasp and it definitely stung me, but maybe I don’t react too badly to them? 

themadvix

Morning all,

Today is the first day I haven't got a meeting or other time-tied event on this week. I've still got 3 cat visits, but they are less fussy than humans! Consequently, I'm feeling a bit more on top of things. I do need to see first set of cats soon, but will have breakfast first I think. Am hoping to get last bit of big project finished for main client today and get caught up on the Cambridge actions that came from meeting yesterday. I also need to do various loads of washing - but I actually feel this might be achievable today!

Olio was average last night - Mr MV and I had a pastry each for dessert and I kept some flowers, but that's it. Still have various bits listed as it's quiet with people away at the moment.

Mr MV doesn't want me/him using my car until he's had a look at it at the weekend - it's leaking a lot of gearbox oil. This is since he changed the gearbox and it seems to be getting worse, so it might not be good news. Equally, it might be that he's overcompensating for what it is leaking, filling it too much and this is what is leaking... so it could be fine.

No plans to spend today. Dinner will be a second portion of stuffed marrow - following on from the first portion last night. We'll then be entirely caught up with courgettes/marrows (although I suspect there's a couple of courgettes to pick if I ever get down to the allotment).

MS things:
* HW and clicks done
* PA survey - the first survey I've done this month, but there's £15 sitting in there cleared
* 1P surveys - Cheery has inspired me to try to get to pay out by the end of the month - at £19.58 currently
* Most of last night's dinner was homegrown *and* used up the last of a bottle of passata that I was expecting to have gone off, but hadn't!

Gratitudes:
* Passata was OK - I really hate throwing it away when it's purely due to my disorganisation, so that made me feel so much better
* Cycle rides - I love being out on my bike - it's so much more connecting with people than being in a metal box
* Just myself and the cats to please with my time today - so much easier!

Have a good day all!

TallGirl

Hi TheMadVix I have just caught up on the diary as I somehow missed it when you started a new one so 165 pages to read. Congrats on being mortgage free and on the allotment sounds like a fab decision. I love reading about the antics of the felines you spend your live being a slave to and the food. I will definitely follow you and keep reading and wish you all the best going forward.  

EssexHebridean

Ouchy to the wasp stings - and glad you didn't have too bad a reaction. I've not been stung for years thank goodness, but a a child wasp stings used to make me violently sick. I've no idea why, it's clearly not an allergy in the usual sense, but just something that my body really didn't like. I'm in no hurry to establish whether this is something I've just grown out of! 

and yes - we started out with one and then took on the one next door when it because available in part because it had an absolutely superb shed that was almost more of a cross between a shed and a summerhouse - we improved that massively by adding windows rescued from a skip (of course - in true allotmenteer tradition!) and various other "mod cons" and many a happy hour was spent there in all weathers! Keeping up with 2 was a definite struggle though - we firmly embraced crop rotation and so at least half of one or the other was generally under carpet and fallow at any given time  (the accepted way at the time of weed suppression!) - that helped!