Yawn Yawn Wakey Wakey 2025

Chocolate pots sound delicious, have copied the recipe to try. Thank you @Obelix-Vendée Also like the sound of slow stitching, when I’ve finished my current kit, am tempted to give it a go.

Big sister is visiting today, up for the day from Hertfordshire. Weather forecast is good so plan is to sit and gossip in the garden. OH so off to see his Mum in north London

Lovely glimpse of your garden @Debs64

 

Good morning to you all!!

Spring is in the air with everyone preparing the garden for summer plants. Good on you!!

That's a big fella @Debs64 That would throw out some heat and BBQ a feast!!

Still no rain here - windy day forecast - some spits but Montpellier is getting a downpour. I have sown beetroot, turnip and some herbs into plugs. Only a few as I am limited on space. Are your broad beans up yet? @Busy-Lizzie

A date with Lidl this morning at some stage so I'd better get moving as I'll run Fizz beforehand.

I hope you all have a pleasant day.

 

@Obelix-Vendée whilst weeding yesterday, I was thinking about what you said about the lunar calendar helping to focus your gardening priorities. I think that would be useful for me and I would like to learn more about the lunar gardening calendar. Can you recommend any books or websites which give a good introductory overview for a newbie?

 

Morning everybody, sitting down now with a coffee to relax, our guest left earlier as he has a long journey back to Essex then my gardener arrived and is busy trimming the rest of the hedges we didn't manage to get done last month. Fortunately she's taller and bigger than me so is able to wield a fearsome looking battery operated thingy.
It's a beautiful day and the horrid easterly wind has dropped so I must get changed and get out there, lots to do today!

Enjoy your day.

 

G'day everyone. Weekly shop this morning and this pm will be jobs I need to get done before Possum and I trot off to Paris tomorrow. Yoga this evening. It's cool and cloudy so I don't mind not having time to garden today.

Possum and OH enjoyed their Ostara Eve feast last night and she ate her chocolate pot. Not telling her what's in it as we have 3 left for Sunday dinner and I'll make them again when she's not looking.

@Butterfly6 I use this site to tell me what day it is - Moon planting calendar gardening with the moon en France (France métropolitaine, Belgique, Suisse, Luxembourg, Monaco) It's a good basic guide to which day is good for what and when not to garden. You'll need to change the country at the top.

If you want more of the whys and wherefores, try this site Biodynamic Gardening - An Overview - Growing A Greener World®.

 

Thank you @obelix Have a lovely time in Paris

 

We got home to a delivery of 24 mini pansy plug plants - think thimble size. They were the first things I dealt with; now in single cells. Everything in the greenhouse looks Ok (I only left them 2 days).
Need to knuckle down to some serious weeding this weekend.
Looking forward to the Apprentice tonight, where they're tasked with making a hot sauce. When I was a chutney maker, I was queen of chilli sauces. Won Great taste awards for them. Hot scotch bonnet chilli jam, anyone?
Thanks for the pic @Debs64 I might be asking for your thoughts on the Kadai, as we've identified a local supplier and the model we want.
I'm looking forward to supper, as I only had a small breakfast at the hotel and no lunch.
Enjoy Paris @Obelix-Vendée

 

Yet another disappointment with a young kid, he was about 22 years old. We agreed on $18.00 an hour. He picked up all the branches in the yard, limbs etc using wheel barrel took to the burn pile. Some raking out of areas, dragging leaves to designated area. At the end of the day I wrote him a check for $72.00. He said he'd be back Thursday at 10:30AM. Now its 2:18PM no text, no call, no show. Guess he's dead in the gutter.

 

That's rather disappointing @redstar, is there much left to do?

I also had a gardener arrive this morning but she did a good job cutting down some long lengths of hedges so we can manage them more easily. It was a beautiful day, very warm and sunny so late afternoon I got the cushions out for my hanging swing chair, unzipped the cover and enjoyed the first cup of tea out in the garden this year.

It's so dry I've had to water the plants in pots.

Enjoy your trip to Paris @Obelix-Vendée.

 

Good evening all. I had a busy gardening day at my Bestie's. She had got a neighbour to cut down all the scrub behind the back of her garden so arming ourselves with secateurs we set to chopping up the the slimmer pieces into bin sized pieces. I had to give up after an hour as my right thumb - which is very arthritic - started kicking off, making wielding a pair of secateurs a torture. We were both pleased with the results though. I hope you have all had productive days, enjoying the welcome sunshine.
Have a lovely time with Possum in Paris @Obelix-Vendée.

 

Scotch bonnet chilli jam sounds delicious @Penny_Forthem. Having being raised in a household where we had curry made by my Dad for many a Sunday lunch I love 'hot' food. He was stationed in India during the war and learned how to make curries whilst there. Quite a lot of so called 'hot' curries are quite disappointingly mild for me - unless I am eating in an Indian restaurant.

 

Saying good night to you all now. Enjoy your evenings and I'll catch up with you all tomorrow.

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Yes, plenty more to do.

 

Busy day here with lots of faffing. However all my admin is done, my bag packed and OH sorted as to what he's cooking himself while we're gone. Yoga was good too.

I make chilli jam too @Penny_Forthem but not with Scotch Bonnet. Love curries and spices but don't want my taste buds anaesthetised to the point where I can't taste everything else. been eating curries since I was a bairn as I was born in the wilds of what is now Tanganyika and the only restaurants in the town - 100 miles away - were Indian. No Indian restaurants in little Lancashire in the late 50s and no curry mile yet in Manchester when we moved there my parents carried on cooking them.

Well done to all who have managed some gardening. I hope your thumb calms down @Ladybird4 but maybe you should try loppers instead of secateurs. Less pressure on thumb.

Thanks all for your good wishes. Possum is driving the first leg tomorrow which means I get to do the Paris end. We'll be staying at Massy to avoid emissions zones and lunatic drivers. It's on a mainline station so easy access to Paris with no fuss.

Off early in the morning so I'll wish you all a good night and a great weekend.

 

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There is a beautiful pink sky again today - not quite as stunning as the other week - and I hope it doesn't presage any weather that may spoil the activities planned for Red Nose Day today. I still have my white lab coat (which I really should get rid of TBH) from work which had every year's red nose drawn on. My students used to love seeing it appear on the day. I donate but don't take part in any activities. I also have my Red Nose Specsavers specs from 2017 - I'm not a hoarder, honest and I may wear them whilst gardening - to amuse myself!