Thursday 23rd June - In and out of the Garden

 Mostly IN the garden, these last few days.

It would be more sensible to do the pottering in the morning, or the evening, but I have been foolishly doing it in the afternoon. Because - I don't know why because. Things don't always have reasons, or of they do, it might take a while for the reason to become apparent.

I have at last done something with the few remaining cuttings of rosemary and lavender I took last year. I gave several away, and killed some of the others through neglect, but have put the three lavenders and two rosemarys - or was it the other way round? - into posts and now sent them to their probably deaths outside the front door. The front of the house gets full sun all morning and early afternoon, and if we forget to water them, then that's that. We are not very good at remembering... rosemary for remembrance...

I nearly killed myself - figuratively speaking, but it felt like the end was near at the time - emptying a pot of potatoes. The foliage was looking unwell, so I followed the instructions for blight, which are to harvest and save what you can, chuck out the leaves (not into your compost) and see what you get.

I did throw out several small potatoes - a couple went 'squish' and a few more had soft black squidgy spots. I was grateful for my gloves! There are three more pots - one is looking a bit blighted so I will get onto that tomorrow. 

Drawings;

These are from last week, but I don't post them until I have finished both pages.

On Wednesday I entered a shop - pause for a fanfare of some kind - and caught sight of myself in a mirror all masked and behatted and bespectacled. Oh my word - I looked exactly like some mad old serial killer. The lenses make my eyes SO big!

We have invested in a microwave rice cooker and I have been experimenting with rice pudding in it. I prefer it WITHOUT the skin, which means simmering it on the hob and stirring to stop it burning, or microwaving and clearing up the mess when it has boiled over and climbed out of the bowl. This contraption looks promising. 

We are back to sitting under the apple tree again, dark and shady and, most importantly - COOL.

Once of the cats sleeps in this chair in the dining room, and there is great distress if we fail to half close the curtain in the afternoon, as she is then in full sun and has to vacate this preferred spot.

  On Tuesday we both placed a grocery order; he is carrying on with the main shopping, and I do a smaller one for things I want or need. We are trying a system where I cook lunch. our main meal, on Friday, Saturday and Monday as this fits in with the rest of my schedule. It is slightly easier if I think about what I want separately to the main order. This week I shall be cooking chicken katsu curry (wagamama spices kit), meatballs, with extra going into the freezer, and something else which I have made a note in my plans of but can't remember at the moment.

We do have to coordinate our orders to some degree, to avoid overflowing fridge or freezer! His order arrived, as usual, at 7 am on Wednesday (I am still asleep at that hour!) and mine came later at 9.30 - a more civilised hour of the day!  

Ruby Tandoh contributed this to the Ocado magazine back in January; I made it last week, using half quantities and one stock-pot sized tub of Red Dragon Thai Curry Paste. It was definitely chilli hot, but not too much for us.

I will wilt the spinach in the microwave next time, and then I will be able to do the whole thing in the air fryer. This time, the unwilted spinach made a huge heap on top of the other ingredients and would have caused havoc - smoke, fumes and whatnot - from touching the heating elements so I transferred it to the ordinary oven. Live and learn, live and learn...

Saturday 28th July - First Harvest

...O Potatoes, come and walk with us!'

      I sweetly did beseech.

A pleasant walk, a pleasant talk, .....

...And then I rested on a seat

Conveniently low:

And all the little Potatoes stood

And waited in a row.....

.....Now if you're ready, Potatoes dear,

We can begin to feed....

I noticed, in passing, that the leafy stalky bits of my potato plants were all dying, so took a chance and emptied the first of my three potato tubs.

There were several handfuls of darling little potatoes buried in all that crumbly earth.

It seems indecent to eat them; they are so small and cute. But what else can one do with them?

So, with the poem of the Walrus and the Carpenter echoing uneasily in my mind, I tenderly washed them, and carefully deposited them into a pan of boiling water. It just doesn't seem quite right.



pictures from wikipedia

http://www.poetryfoundation.org/poem/173170

The Walrus and the Carpenter

By Lewis Carroll  1832–1898

"The sun was shining on the sea,

Shining with all his might:

He did his very best to make

The billows smooth and bright —

And this was odd, because it was

The middle of the night.

The moon was shining sulkily,

Because she thought the sun

Had got no business to be there

After the day was done —

"It's very rude of him," she said,

"To come and spoil the fun."

The sea was wet as wet could be,

The sands were dry as dry.

You could not see a cloud, because

No cloud was in the sky:

No birds were flying overhead —

There were no birds to fly.

The Walrus and the Carpenter

Were walking close at hand;

They wept like anything to see

Such quantities of sand:

If this were only cleared away,'

They said, it would be grand!'

If seven maids with seven mops

Swept it for half a year,

Do you suppose,' the Walrus said,

That they could get it clear?'

I doubt it,' said the Carpenter,

And shed a bitter tear.

O Oysters, come and walk with us!'

The Walrus did beseech.

A pleasant walk, a pleasant talk,

Along the briny beach:

We cannot do with more than four,

To give a hand to each.'

The eldest Oyster looked at him,

But never a word he said:

The eldest Oyster winked his eye,

And shook his heavy head —

Meaning to say he did not choose

To leave the oyster-bed.

But four young Oysters hurried up,

All eager for the treat:

Their coats were brushed, their faces washed,

Their shoes were clean and neat —

And this was odd, because, you know,

They hadn't any feet.

Four other Oysters followed them,

And yet another four;

And thick and fast they came at last,

And more, and more, and more —

All hopping through the frothy waves,

And scrambling to the shore.

The Walrus and the Carpenter

Walked on a mile or so,

And then they rested on a rock

Conveniently low:

And all the little Oysters stood

And waited in a row.

The time has come,' the Walrus said,

To talk of many things:

Of shoes — and ships — and sealing-wax —

Of cabbages — and kings —

And why the sea is boiling hot —

And whether pigs have wings.'

But wait a bit,' the Oysters cried,

Before we have our chat;

For some of us are out of breath,

And all of us are fat!'

No hurry!' said the Carpenter.

They thanked him much for that.

A loaf of bread,' the Walrus said,

Is what we chiefly need:

Pepper and vinegar besides

Are very good indeed —

Now if you're ready, Oysters dear,

We can begin to feed.'

But not on us!' the Oysters cried,

Turning a little blue.

After such kindness, that would be

A dismal thing to do!'

The night is fine,' the Walrus said.

Do you admire the view?

It was so kind of you to come!

And you are very nice!'

The Carpenter said nothing but

Cut us another slice:

I wish you were not quite so deaf —

I've had to ask you twice!'

It seems a shame,' the Walrus said,

To play them such a trick,

After we've brought them out so far,

And made them trot so quick!'

The Carpenter said nothing but

The butter's spread too thick!'

I weep for you,' the Walrus said:

I deeply sympathize.'

With sobs and tears he sorted out

Those of the largest size,

Holding his pocket-handkerchief

Before his streaming eyes.

O Oysters,' said the Carpenter,

You've had a pleasant run!

Shall we be trotting home again?'

But answer came there none —

And this was scarcely odd, because

They'd eaten every one."

Wednesday 6th June - Apples, potatoes, and my mother

My mother was told that if you keep an apple in with your potatoes, it stops them from putting out all those irritating hairy rootlets.

She tried it, and it works!

So, for once, I did as I was told, and put an apple in with my potatoes. It works! My potatoes live in a black fabric bag in the vacuum cleaner cupboard in the kitchen - not a hugely convenient home, but the best I can do. Last week, we bought a plastic bag of potatoes and threw them in, still sealed up in their bag, on top of the half dozen leftover spuds and The Apple. Yesterday, I went to get some potatoes, and found that the fresh ones, still in the plastic bag, are now all ready for planting out, whereas the old ones are still round and sound and, more importantly, bald. That apple had been there for about a month or so, and was wrinkled, but not rotten.

I have cooked the older potatoes, put the newer ones out on the windowsill in empty egg boxes to await planting, and retired the apple to the compost bin.

So, Useful Top Tip; keep an apple in with your potaotes,