Been away too long

Well I have just looked at the blog and realised that it has been far too long since I updated!!!

The summer has been and gone, the weather is starting to cool rapidly. The other half is still out of work (seven months now) but he has an interview today so I would ask the universe to think of him at 10am BST.

The garden has done very well, though there are a few things to be done differently next year,

We will grow more parsnips - the ones we have a doing well but there are not nearly enough for the winter.

We will use the old reccling boxes for potatoes again but plan them later as the earlier ones didn't finish any earlier than the ones we planted later.

The onions have ben very successful but will grow red ones next time.

Other decisions will be made during long winter evenings.

Eldest DD was married last Saturday - the weather held and a good time was had by all - would post picies but this isn't her blog so not really the place.

Will be back soon and promise to post more regularly in future.

On into the summer

Hi reader, (if there are any!!)

Just a note to say there are now peas and courgettes coming out of the garden and the onions will be lifting soon for drying. There are flowers on the butternut squash and the other veges are chugging along nicely.

We are still getting raspberries though not as many, we have managed to freeze a few boxes for later in the year.

OH has now started to do some decorating as we may have to put the house on the market in the spring and I don't want to have to try and do it all at once in the winter.

DD1 is getting married in 8 weeks and my weight loss programme seems to have stalled - will have to try harder.

These are our first potatoes for the year, they were eaten baked in the oven as mini jackets and served with broad beans and carrots, also from the garden.

We are finally getting some of the produce we hoped for.

The courgettes have grown loads duing the last couple of weeks and should be flowering soon. The butternut in growing like Jack's beanstalk so we will see if that is a success later in the summer.

The weather is still very warm - we have had to water regularly but there has been occasional rain.

We need to transplant the broccoli but also need to have some nets to prevent the attack of the cabbage white - so a trip to the garden centre may be required. I've tried the £shop but no joy there.

The main jobs for the weekend in the house are to look at the food stores and get a bit organised, and to clear out the utility room to make more storage room - this will be done in the cool of the evening!!!

Awol for a while

Hi, I've been AWOL for a while, but not much has happened. OH has now been out of work since the 1st February so finances are getting a bit tight. The garden is coming along very well and I will try to post some updated photos tomorrow. I have been working very had lately so some decent weather over the weekend is a wonderful thing.

Have been to the farmers market at South Cave this morning, visiting rellies and buying free range eggs and goats cheese. We also took a detour and found a really nice little farm shop and cafe so we treated ourselves to a cappuccino.

Had chicken and couscous for lunch - bought loads from Approved Foods last week so need to get used to the idea. We are trying to reduce food costs as much a possible but it is hard going.

Happy Easter

We have been having a very lazy Easter here by the cherry tree, but OH has planted up the last of the potatoes in the redundant recycling boxes. (The council has changed the recycling system so they were surplus not nicked) Each box has 3 seed potatoes in, so 45 plants in all. They are all earlies.

Other jobs in the garden include planting out the onions which had been started in plug pots to give them a head start and putting the strawberries in the hanging baskets at the front og the house. We also have some other strawberries, I think they are alpine, in a strawberry pot in the birdbath (thought that might keep them out of reach of the slugs - we'll see.)

The broad beans are coming on well in the deep bed, but the courgettes may have been caught by the frost, OH has planted a couple of spare seeds just in case we need them. Carrot and spring onion seeds are in and lots of seedlings still growing in various parts of the house.

Have been so busy for the last few days I haven't been here at all. DD2 is now safely moved back home and her keys have been handed in. I tried out the aldi lemons on the super 6 this week and now have a lovely big jar of lemon curd (the small jar I have given to DD1) It is really nice and will def make it again, very easy and didn't take long to do.

The garden is coming on now. I have been in discussion with OH as in the past we have really tried to grow as much as possible in the space available. This year we are starting more off in 'plug' pots. I'm going to try it with parsnips and probably carrots, also we have put out onion sets in a couple of tray (on advice in Gardners World mag) and they have started to sprout well. This is supposed to produce bigger onions but we shall see.

The courgettes have gone in today as well. We had 2 plants last year(freebies left over on a market stall) and ot loads of them. I'm not a big fan but they make great muffins that taste similar to carrot cake. I can also eat them chopped up in bolognese etc so extra veges there.

Will be on a training course tomorrow so will be able to have a wander through the city centre at lunch time, haven't been there for ages.

A few changes here by the cherry tree, DD2 moved back home yesterday. Well her belongings did, she actually stayed out at a friends overnight. OH moved her stuff whilst I was at work so I didn't have to do any fetching and carrying.

So no work in the garden but were are putting some of the seedlings out during the day to harden them off. We will be putting the first lot of potatoes in this week and also need to work on the tatty flower tubs in the front garden ready for the flowers. The front garden will need quite a lot of work this year as it was ignored last, needs a tidy up and some colour.

Lazy Weekend

Well have done nothing much so far this weekend.

Yesterday I went out for lunch with DD1 and had a really good time. Wandered round the shops and saw where she has booked for her wedding reception for September. It will be interesting walking from the registry office to the pub in full sail on a market day!!

The garden is now all set for growing - just need the weather to warm up. The four deep beds that OH has made are ready to go. The one furthest away in the picture has respberry canes in it and a rhubarb. I plan on catch cropping in there too, salad stuff mainly. I woun't be long before we can put the broad beans out and we also have potatoes chitting, but these will be going in old recycling boxes.

Just Chugging Along

Well the last few days have rumbled by, work has been fine and the weather has been really nice, such a change to get washing on the line.

Kelso, our lovely GS has gone off his food. This is really odd as he loves to eat usually. We think he has just gone off his normal brand of food though as he wolfed down the chicken we tried him with !!! I did at one time make all his food myself, so may have to think about possibly having a go again.

OH has had an interview for a job today, he's not very hopeful but you never know. Just have to keep trying.

This weekend we will be getting the spare room ready for DD2 to return home for a while. So will have to bake some scrummy stuff to welcome her with (and just to have in as she loves her 'snackage')

More trial and error

Yesterday I had a small baking session so I took a picture to see if I could post what I had made.

So we have the flapjack - have loads of dates rapidly going out of date - and topped with chocolate just because I felt like it. Choc cupcakes and an apple crumble tart.

OH spent hours in the garden preparing the soil for growing veg, and to plant the plum tree, but there is too much frost so it is still in the shed. There are seedlings on every available window ledge so I hope the temperature changes soon or we will have nowhere to put them all.

I have also decided to learn to crochet - I have knitted all my life but never tried crochet, so I've been studying the lessons on youtube. All I need now is to find a hook!! Must be one in the house somewhere. I have some yarn from a top I never had time to knit for my holidays last year. If I manage to get started I'll take pictures and show my progress.

Into The Unknown

Well this is the first post of my journey into the unknown. I'm hoping that as time goes on I can learn to load the pictures and stuff like the other bloggers and it will get a bit more interesting. Other than that all I can say is watch this space!!!