Next steps; grip-relaxing bimbling, and avoiding the temptations

foxgloves

'Freebird'.....Mr F says that I can't remember the lyrics on a day-to-day basis, but give me a couple of glasses of wine & I'm liable to launch into the 9-minute version! 

Suffolk_lass

Makingabobor2 said:

Just found your GYO thread and have subscribed. Hoping I might pick up a few tips. 

I can't claim any credit for that thread, @Makingabobor2  I just started it this year to save the trouble for person who put it up for several years prior to that, as they were busy with other stuff and I didn't want to pester. Lots more expert than me, but it bimbles along

Suffolk_lass

A bit of greenhouse clearing, with all the cucumber plants now cut down to stumps, the pots outside and the foliage in a bag for composting. It always surprises me when the in-greenhouse cucumbers suddenly go. Not helped by the hot, dry weather this year. The tomatoes are still going but seem to have decided to bend over, despite all the strings tying them to the roof. Far too much foliage too really. Never mind, being indoors, they can stay like that a bit longer. Peak beans seems to have passed too. Everything is so early, both fruiting and finishing this year!

In money news, no pensions yet, but all the 1st of the month transactions have gone through and both accounts (bills and running costs) are looking very poorly. Never mind, Mr Sl's is due tomorrow, and mine by the end of the week.

I spent a large part of yesterday studying. And the dog spent most of the day looking for Mr Sl, who arrived home about two hours later than he expected. DS&P beat him here and the dog finally settled, with his whole pack in attendance. We had a small steak each, with P announcing she is trying the cheaper weight loss drug. I am glad for her. She is about the same weight as me and about six inches shorter. Having previously lost 5 stone, she wants to lose four more. Young enough for the skin to ping back into shape I hope, and I think many of her health issues will go away if she succeeds. She hasn't had her Mum to ask about things for ten years, so to get to this is quite a thing. So the small steaks on a medium sized plate went down well and we had four clean plates! DS doesn't have to worry about his weight as he walks over 23,000 steps a day, as a postman. Happy days. I think Mr Sl and I will continue with the low-ish carb, smaller plate strategy as this helps both of us.

A bit of bee news; today I need to remove the used treatments for mites (all organic, no pyrethroids here!) and start some serious autumn feeding. We only have two weeks until we go away on holiday and I am thinking of asking someone else to feed while we are away. I know my most local bees have clover now, but I haven't seen any Phacelia, the other welcome autumn (green manure) crop. So we want no starvation here, hence the feeding.

Makingabobor2

This bee keeping is a full time job. Don't know how you find the time. 

Suffolk_lass

The season is ending (for the physical part) Makingabobor2 said:

This bee keeping is a full time job. Don't know how you find the time. 

- Now it is time to undertake winter maintenance, attend conferences and meetings and to study towards being a master beekeeper!

Makingabobor2

Suffolk_lass said:

The season is ending (for the physical part) Makingabobor2 said:

This bee keeping is a full time job. Don't know how you find the time. 

- Now it is time to undertake winter maintenance, attend conferences and meetings and to study towards being a master beekeeper!

Ooh good luck with the studies. 

Watty1

A Master Beekeeper sounds impressive and clearly a cut above the "hobby beekeeper"

Suffolk_lass

Watty1 said:

A Master Beekeeper sounds impressive and clearly a cut above the "hobby beekeeper"

Maybe, or it might just be a vanity project on my part!

Yesterday I visited all my hives and put feeders on all but two. They have either been given a box to clean out or have started to store honey in a box I gave them to eat (it was semi-crystalised as we did not extract in the Spring, due to Mr Sl being ill). The latter has a clearer board on, to get the bees out so I can swap it for a feeder. The other one, should take the honey down into the brood nest, and enable me to give them two more (wet supers, we call them) to eat or move down, over the next week or so. 

That was mostly it yesterday, with some admin and washing. Mr Sl kept bringing it in, and I kept asking him to hang it out again. There is one load on the line, overnight (my beekeeping clothes), the rest was hung on my GNU rails in the boiler cupboard and dried overnight (including his motorcycle jeans that are double thickness and have teflon or something built in - I only know they 1/3rd fill the laundry basket on their own!).

This morning, Mr Sl's pension is in the running costs account (phew). and now he is up, I need to log in to his CCs and update my trusty spreadsheet so I know how much is going, and when. Naturally, as I was trying to get ahead, they wanted a text code!

Suffolk_lass

Another busy weekend with me at a conference on Saturday and Mr Sl at the big local motorcycle show yesterday. I have been exploring higher fibre diets for our dog, who is really suffering again with his rear end, and persistent licking of it. He had been doing it all night and turning circles, while shifting around on and in the bed like a whirling dervish. I did add some squash to his diet yesterday, in some chicken soup that was probably too salty, on reflection. We will be trying to see the nurse again this week, before we go away on Thursday. I might book next Monday too as we go to Scotland the day after and I don't want him to be in trouble then.

I have been emulating @foxgloves with a bit of kitchen witchery and made 7 jars of tomato and chilli passata, along with three jars of roasted courgette (sprinkled with S&P, cumin and paprika, along with a sprinkle of oil - roasted, then cooled for a few minutes before blitzing, jarring, and gently reheating to ensure the lids seal). My friend gave me an oven filling sized courgette and this was it. I can add it to pasta, curry or just soup. Anyway, it is preserved now so I seem to have a lot more space in my small kitchen. I was running out of jars and wondering where I had put them but have located a box of twelve 500ml screw-top kilners, which are excellent for storing the equivalent of a regular can of whatever in.

I have three butternuts that are not curing as expected. One has splits where it had almost set size and started to turn yellow, when last week's rain made it grow and split its' part-cured skin - so it needs processing. The other two have a spreading brown stain on their skin. I read up and it might be a fungal bloom - so I'm going to peel, chop and roast or freeze them today, before they spoil. I also have a pile of courgettes to process and a loaf and four rolls proving, ready for fresh bread for lunch, with soup.

This evening will be sea bass fillets, simply pan fried with beans, courgettes and potatoes, all veg from the garden. I want to get more of the veg garden tidied today and more tomato foliage removed, so the fruits ripen out there if possible. And I need to study in-between. I have a study call tomorrow. A busy three days ahead and then three nights of relaxation, in a field with two friends (two singles, both with VW Campers). No showers at this place, but lovely clean toilets and very reasonable. We have a shower in our van, and let my female friend use it last time. Right, coffee drunk, it's time for a second. I need it this morning. Awake for much of last night and up since 4.40am. I might fit in a nap too...

Suffolk_lass

I nearly forgot (thanks @Spendywendywoo)
The free cephalopod energy let me do a load of washing, some ironing, and have the oven, food processor, oven again and tumble dryer on - two hours made it eminently more effective. And I remembered to turn the solar and battery off and then on again too!