Sunday

Good morning, everyone.  The sun is out again and it is significantly fresher with a bit of a breeze and signs of more rain overnight.  Perfect, just what the vegetables need.

Yesterday, I set off for Sainsbury's good and early, aiming to get there soon after seven.  I haven't been to Sainsbury's since before Christmas, I think, certainly not since lockdown, so I was interested to have a good nosey round at a time when there were very few others there.
I have plenty of clothes, I don't need any more clothes so how come four garments hopped into my trolley when I wasn't looking, eh?
To be fair, they were in the sale and they will be worn.  A cotton top, a lightweight denim skirt, a checked shirt and some pink jeans, all useful.  I wonder if I will ever become totally accustomed to heading straight for the size 12s.  Somehow, after a lifetime of much larger sizes, it feels somehow a bit magical and very unreal.  As for skinny jeans - totally crazy!!

It was fun, meandering around.  I didn't get much else and when I was through checkout, I stepped outside to realise that I'd missed what had obviously been a very heavy downpour.
That put paid to any plans to mow the grass at the allotment and, in fact, it rained on and off for most of the morning although I did get a bit of washing out on the line and dried between showers.

Late morning the workmen turned up and now all the doors and windows work is finished and paid for (OUCH!).  Tomorrow it's the guttering, etc, and then that's all finished.  Now I need to start sorting out the garage and need a plan of action.  It's so confusing in there that one could sped lots of time not really getting anywhere much at all.

I think that first of all I will deal with the cardboard boxes.  Flatten them out and get them into the recycling sack.  Then I have loads and loads of glass jars which, thinking realistically, I won't ever use again.  I'll keep some for any jamming/pickling I do but I don't need that many.  I think I will offer them on Facebook and see if anyone is interested (so I'd better keep just a few of the more sturdy boxes to put them in.  I expect that some will end up in the glass recycling box though.

That would get me started anyway!

Today, I will be meeting Beth at the allotment this afternoon.  I'll make a judgement as to whether to mow the grass nearer the time but I can strim the edges anyway.  We're going to dig up one potato plant, just to see (exciting) and there may be a small picking of broad beans as well, it depends how much they have come on in the last few days.
During this coming week, weather permitting, I'm going to blitz those weeds; they love warm and damp as much as the vegetables do.

In the garden, everything's coming on.  There are three mini cucumber/gherkins to cut and the Tayberry That Refused to Die (remember?) is sending out the first decent fruit of its life.  Not loads and some of the berries are feeble and not worth the picking, but some are looking good.  Promising for next year as there's already plenty of new growth from the roots.  It's like blackberries, you train them alternate ways, each year, cutting the fruited canes right back to the soil over winter.

The ornamental grass is now 'flowering' and looking very attractive.

And some of the fuchsia plants are starting to earn their space.

There's loads of tomato flowers on rapidly growing trusses and lots of baby fruits.  Lovely!

So, what with potatoes, cucumbers and, possible, broad beans, it may not be that prolific in the wider scheme of things or compared to others, but it's all very satisfying indeed.

And now I will enjoy a day without bangs and crashes and strangers invading my privacy! 
I hope you enjoy your day too.  xx