So close, we can smell mortgage freedom!

themadvix

On rereading - a kilo of sugar to a litre of water I think KC. That makes sense. Thanks again SL, that makes sense - I'll have to give it a go. Would work well for the plums I would think (and who doesn't love stewed plums in syrup)!

Karmacat

Good stuff!  My brain is still not operating

themadvix

Your brain is fine... I had to read it again too.

Printer is out of paper and I actually need to print some things for Cambridge work, so irritating! I'd better go and get some I guess....

Suffolk_lass

Sorry guys, in my brain it made perfect sense! yes, a litre of water to a kilo of sugar is thinner than bee 1:1 syrup (which is a pound to a pint, or a kilo to 635ml).

If you do plums, it is well worth halving them and removing the stones. Victorias work brilliantly and you can get loads more in!

themadvix

Morning all,

Thanks SL - good tips about plums. Don't know what variety it is yet, and someone did say it was a greengage (others have said plum, I'm going with that!), but we'll see soon!

Popping out for paper yesterday was interesting - Sains wanted £7.50 for 500 sheets of plastic-wrapped unrecycled HP. I refused to pay that price! So used trolley.co.uk while I was in Sains and popped to B&M (my first time ever purchasing there, although I've looked for stuff there previously). £4 for Xerox recycled and in paper packaging. Yes, it's clearly recycled, but so what, it still functions as paper and nearly half the price. Given my hourly rate for Cam work is £15.50 (considerably below my hourly SE rate, but it's better than twiddling my thumbs), I wasn't willing to spend half of it on paper, even if I wasn't using it all for that!

Am picking up niece today from school - I was going to anyway as it's Mum's normal day to collect her (Sis works a long day) and she has Covid, but now Sis has a kidney infection too, so is home sick. I'll pick Niece up, keep her entertained and am taking dinner (this recipe - it's delicious!). Rhubarb from the allotment, chard from neighbour's allotment (we swapped chard and a courgette for some pink currants). Picked half a carrier bag of pink currants last night, some black currants, the aforementioned rhubarb, one perfectly formed radish that had survived my neglect of watering it, and one tiny strawberry! There are more strawbs to come, so all is not lost there. Have sown more radishes. Brassicas coming on beautifully, as are courgettes. Squash are still thinking about things - happy but small. Beans are shooting up the canes. Potatoes still not dying back yet.... wish they'd get on with it. Sweetcorn still fairly small.... but signs they are thinking about getting on with things! Peas have pods but no peas yet (and no idea how I'll harvest as they've attached themselves to their protective net!). Came home and picked a bowl of raspberries and salad leaves for dinner. 

Anyway, work to do this morning and if I get the chance I may pop to allotment with car - have cardboard to take there and want the compost that's there for potting things on in the garden. Need to leave early so I can pop for shopping en route to Sis's and drop some custard creams to Mum - her one request for comfort food!

MS things:
* Dinner was gnocchi bake with some of the chard from friend's allotment and salad. Gnocchi a rare treat from Lidl - easier than making it and I didn't have the right potatoes
* Breakfast this morning was the biggest and most perfect Olio croissant I've yet seen. Mr MV took a pain au choc with him - he had an early start as he needed to be in Oxford by 9. 
* R'ford delivery is just some essentials - onions, garlic, ginger, and tomatoes and cuke for salad bits. Cancelled milk on the order as Mr MV isn't drinking it.
* 1P surveys
* MM surveys
* Free food from garden, allotment and friend's allotment!

Gratitudes:
* Sis got seen quickly yesterday and has antibiotics
* Friendly and very generous allotment neighbour! 
* The news has finally arrived that that lying scumbag with dictator tendencies has decided to resign....  Hooray, at last!! (I have hugely enjoyed watching the drama unfold over the past couple of days though - who needs soaps?!)

Have a good day all! 

Karmacat

themadvix said:

Morning all,

Thanks SL - good tips about plums. Don't know what variety it is yet, and someone did say it was a greengage (others have said plum, I'm going with that!), but we'll see soon!
Yep, thanks SL - such a good idea, lovely to get it from someone known and trusted.

Popping out for paper yesterday was interesting - Sains wanted £7.50 for 500 sheets of plastic-wrapped unrecycled HP. I refused to pay that price! So used trolley.co.uk while I was in Sains and popped to B&M (my first time ever purchasing there, although I've looked for stuff there previously). £4 for Xerox recycled and in paper packaging. Yes, it's clearly recycled, but so what, it still functions as paper and nearly half the price. Given my hourly rate for Cam work is £15.50 (considerably below my hourly SE rate, but it's better than twiddling my thumbs), I wasn't willing to spend half of it on paper, even if I wasn't using it all for that!
Well done you!  That's a big deal, financially and environmentally.

Am picking up niece today from school - I was going to anyway as it's Mum's normal day to collect her (Sis works a long day) and she has Covid, but now Sis has a kidney infection too, so is home sick. I'll pick Niece up, keep her entertained and am taking dinner (this recipe - it's delicious!). Rhubarb from the allotment, chard from neighbour's allotment (we swapped chard and a courgette for some pink currants). Picked half a carrier bag of pink currants last night, some black currants, the aforementioned rhubarb, one perfectly formed radish that had survived my neglect of watering it, and one tiny strawberry! There are more strawbs to come, so all is not lost there.
Wow.  Wow wow wow.   So good!

Anyway, work to do this morning and if I get the chance I may pop to allotment with car - have cardboard to take there and want the compost that's there for potting things on in the garden. Need to leave early so I can pop for shopping en route to Sis's and drop some custard creams to Mum - her one request for comfort food!
Your poor mum!  Hope she's better soon.  And may your cardboard lay flat.

Gratitudes:
* Sis got seen quickly yesterday and has antibiotics
* Friendly and very generous allotment neighbour! 
* The news has finally arrived that that lying scumbag with dictator tendencies has decided to resign....  Hooray, at last!! (I have hugely enjoyed watching the drama unfold over the past couple of days though - who needs soaps?!)
**jigs happily** - I haven't watched political stuff for ages, I get too angry/despairing, but I've watched this, woo hoo.  Still have to mute the scumbag, though

Have a good day all! 

You too, it sounds like a really good one!

themadvix

Thanks Karma - I'll probably water the cardboard in! 🤣🤣
Agree about having to mute the PM - that's when you know something isn't right! 

the_cross_rabbit

hi hi if they are early potatoes you don’t have to wait till they’ve died back, dig a plant up and see what they are like. If on the small size give them another week. Our first row of earlier have been dug up already. Planted mid April so ready now.
CRx

Suffolk_lass

Next year for your allotment, I recommend mini-munch lunchbox "snacking" cucumbers - I have two in my greenhouse and I'm picking two a day. So good but like it really sheltered so one for your garden rather than the allotment, I think. I get my seeds from Kings in January and they are so good! - we shall keep quiet about the other 2 (jogger) or the five outside. After such a miserable year last year I over planted and gave loads away.

All my squashes are behind where they should be. I have started picking tiny courgettes as I think it stimulates them to get going - seems to be working.

You'll need to keep trying your plums to test for ripeness if you don't know what they are. I love gages - there are hedgerow ones locally and one cultivar in the garden!

themadvix

Thanks CR! The ones I planted are main crop, but at least half of them are leftover from the previous owner. I pulled some this morning and now have 2kg of salad potatoes, which is a nice surprise. And my shallots and onions have some light!