Tuesday 1st August - Anyone who knows me

 and you too, if you have been reading this blog for a while, will have noticed that I get these ENTHUSIASMS which may last for a week, a month, a year, forever... who can tell at the outset where it will lead me!

August is an especially good month for Enthusiasms; especially when I was teaching full time. August was the only month that I could be sure of a decent amount of time and space to get properly stuck in. There was that August of 'making something every day', and posting it on facebook too; was that 2014? Was this blog even running back then?

I remember 'making two teapots have a conversation with each other' in a teashop, while husband and offspring took turns in eye rolling at one another ... that was fun! They were the sort of teapots with flapping lids. Ang and I both have one, so if we ever meet up for tea we must be sure to bring our teapots with us.

This month's enthusiasms re (currently) improving drawing with pen and ink, and improving my vegetable patch.

I discovered Alphonso Dunn on youtube; I can watch his carefree sketching and listen to his mellow voice explaining what he is doing for - well - several videos on the trot (they are only 7-8 minutes long

And what a name! I have bought the workbook; it is, literally, a workbook. Rather than writing in the book I copy he exercises out, interspersed with a bit of a sketch;

Let's see how far I can get in a month.

I have finally nearly almost completely done a one year plan for my 10 vegetable tubs, and am starting sort of afresh as of this month. It is slightly complicated that I already have carrots growing in tubs 7 and 8, corresponding to sections 7 and 8 in his veg patch plan, and I have no leeks to transplant into pots 1 and 2 so I have sown cauliflower seeds into no 1 and spring onions into section 2. What will be, will be.

I also happened to have some young lettuces, so was able to follow the instructions to transplant lettuces into section/tub 5. Ha, slugs! I have surrounded the tub with copper tape! That should spoil your game!

 The big exciting thing, no, they are actually rather small, I have ordered some Egyptian Walking Onions. Who could resist? I have only ordered 3 sets, like ordinary onion sets; one for me, one for a friend and one for Ang as a 'flat present'. It seems, if I have understood it correctly, they grow as if they were spring onions, but form little sets at the top of the leaves (on a stalk, maybe?). At some point the stalk will bend over and drop the little sets onto the ground around them. So, one plant becomes 5 plants becomes 25 plants... and this is how they walk round your garden, if you let them. Or, like me, you plant them in a tub? Or you eat the little sets as baby onions or pearl onions. 

I do hope these won't cause the end of two beautiful friendships!

These sound as entrancing as my cardoons which are now nearly 4 feet high. I looked into growing cardoons in pots, but you need something 3 feet in diameter and 2 feet deep. Cooking them also looks like a real palaver, judging by the recipes. I think I won't try it, though.          

The July cross-stitch-collaboration went in the post yesterday. Ang posted hers on Sunday so they should be criss-crossing-across the counties...

I saw a blogpost this morning (can't tell you where yet or it will give it all away) with a brilliant idea for the August cross-stitch. I'm certainly going to look into it!