Good Friday

Good morning, everyone.  A happy Good Friday to you.

It looks very dull and gloomy outside this morning and it seem we might have some rain overnight too.  Typical, isn't it - lovely weather earlier in the week and when the holiday starts the fine weather goes on holiday too.

Yesterday turned out to be on the busy side.  The card didn't come so now I'm on a shut down as far as spending is concerned!  Fortunately, so is my bank account so any more efforts to nick my hard earned pension have come to naught and one sum has already been refunded.
I do wish my card had come though.

I started by turning out the fridge and putting everything that needed dealing with on the side.  From a punnet of wizened old plums I made three pots of delicious plum and star anise jam which will go down a treat.

Then I went out into the garden and worked my way through my list.  I planted out the blueberry in ericaceous compost, I dug up the mini Japanese anemone plantlets and popped some in a couple of post for a friend.  I weeded and de-white-belled the middle bed before putting down slug pellets to protect the delphinium, the strawberries and also the hostas.  I went through the strawberries, moved a few and generally tried to tidy them up.  There's loads of runners going from plant to plant and, as they become dry and brittle, I must remove them.  The patch looks a mess - no careful planting in lines, I'm afraid.  There's loads of flowers now so I'm looking forward to a good crop.

 The blueberry . . .

. . . some potential strawberries . . .

. . . and a hopeful snail.  Shame about the slug pellets, Mr Snail, isn't it?

Then it was round the front where first I half washed the car - just water from the hose) before putting the new plants in the little bed at the front of the house.  I moved some bulbs and dealt with a few weeds that dared to show their faces.  The bluebells are now in flower and looking very pretty, the aquilegias are starting to flower and the crocosmia is growing well.

All that took quite a while so when I came in I had lunch before tackling the kitchen work.  Now I have:
three pots of jam as already mentioned
seven portions of leek and potato soup, frozen
a bag of cut cauliflower, frozen
a bag of broccoli bits for soup, frozen
sliced, blanched and frozen parsnips for roasting
chopped rhubarb stems, frozen
I won't need to go shopping for ages, will I?

As a result, I slept well and didn't wake until half past six.  That's a lie in for me.

Today is more allotment.  Mowing, then hoeing (gotta keep the weeds down in the bits we have cleared - they don't give up easily), then more clearing.  Great exercise!

I've just looked at the anemone cuttings and, while most are still flopped over, one has perked up and is looking very happy.  Brilliant - I only need one!   Mind you, the others are looking better than they did yesterday so you never know!

Have a good day, whatever you are doing and wherever you are going.