Sunday

Good morning, everyone.  Wasn't yesterday a simply gorgeous day?  Warm, bright, calm and peaceful.   Today, it seems won't be nearly so warm, not so bright, but it should be dry.

I got to the allotment nice and early and worked hard on the two chipped areas under the trees.  I can't say they are weed free because they aren't, but you have to look very carefully now.  I noticed that some potato leaves are emerging again, despite having earthed them not that long ago.  Looks like they are very healthy!  I'll give them one more earthing when they've all popped through and that will be it.  The broad beans are still doing well.  They're not nearly as fast growing as runners but they're good and I will take the netting off soon and fix some support canes and twine so they don't get blown over as they grow.
I guess that, temperatures permitting, the babies will go in next weekend.  An exciting thought.

It was one of those days when it had all sounded pretty lazy in the planning but turned out to be more busy than expected.  After breakfast, I went out the front with various tools and the weed bucket and set to on the front patch.  To my delight, under the dying back bulb leaves were a number of plants I put in in the last two years.  The idea is to have perennials rather than bedding plants (less hassle and cheaper in the longer term) so there's a couple of fuchsias and a geranium that are definitely there plus a dahlia that might be coming up - there's something showing where it should be but I didn't investigate too closely, not wanting to cause any damage.  There's also crocosmia and some - oh, I forget the name but it will come to me - tall with trumpet like flowers that you get in posh bouquets.  No, can't remember, how frustrating.  Anyway, there's a few of them too which are coming up nicely plus the mystery summer bulbs I planted without taking proper note of what they are.  They may not flower this year but green is nice too.
The aim is to have something of interest for most of the year round and now I just need something for the early winter before the bulbs and primulas make themselves known.

After finishing that (and it really looked loads better when I had finished), I pottered in the kitchen for a while before sitting outside with some reading material.  Nice.

Then it was off to Morrisons for some fresh veg.  I don't like being right out of broccoli, carrots and parsnips!  There was a bit of a queue but not nothing too bad; nothing like after allotment when I went, saw and came straight home.  No way!

I started watching 'To Jeeves' but, sadly, found it all too same-y, there wasn't enough music and the whole thing was 'upper-class-twit' stuff with not many chuckles or variations so I gave up half way through and caught up with Great British Menu instead.  Not impressed.

The starter is definitely doing OK, full of bubbles and trying to escape from the jar (it's now in a bigger bowl, temporarily).  Tomorrow is the last day of starting the starter and then I will take a good look at the recipe for bread.

Today is more of the same really.
I have a chicken carcass bubbling away in the slow cooker so I need to deal with that.
The allotment needs watering after yesterday's warmth.
The kitchen needs a bit of a tidy up.
I will change my sheets so there will be washing, drying and ironing.
And, most exciting, the baby gardener's delight tomato plantlets need gently moving to their own little pots and the parsley needs moving up too although that's just a case of breaking open the peat pot and bunging the whole lot into a bigger container.

I thought today would be a gentle and lazy day.  It will certainly be gentle but lazy?  I don't think so.  It's going to be good!
I hope yours is too.  xx

Gladioli!!!  That's the name - I knew it would come to me.