Yawn Yawn Wakey Wakey 2025

Good Morning all.

Not a natural early riser either. With my new shift patterns I am up at 05:30 three mornings per week usually. I wonder what I would naturally do bedtime and wake up times wise if I didn’t have to be up for a set time?? Trying to make the most of a few sunny days (ie. gardening and line drying) while it lasts. I’m with @Debs64 about begrudgingly working on a potential gardening day!

Have a fab day everyone. Catch you all later.

 

Yesterday worked in the garden, had a young man come by to help us. Lots to get done. He'll be back on Thursday. Still getting the leaves up etc.

Today meeting up with a friend at The Whip Tavern, its a neat place, about 15 minutes drive from me, down a windy country road flanked by open horse country of 10 Thousand lovely acres, its Chester County open ranches its known for preserved with generations of families passing it down. And protected heritage laws, to keep open spaces. Just beautiful. Anyway here is the link to the restaurant, the menu is interesting. Eaten here many times.
The Whip Tavern

Have a good day all.

 

We went to the garden centre of the year 2024 this morning. Most impressive. We fell for a Kadai fire pit and cooking pot, but actually bought a purple sage plant and solar lights for the caravan deck. Last of the big spenders, us!

Then we went to a slate works (nothing tempted us there) and its cafe for a cuppa.

Hub has now gone on the steam train round the lake and I'm chilling at the hotel. I thought it a little cool for a train ride and we did it 3 times last year!

 

Possum wants a fire pit @Penny_Forthem but several years ago no I bught an old enamelled wood burner in a flea market in Angoulême with the idea of making that a garden heater. Last year, after being quoted 8000+€ to replace our living room log burner with a smaller one - included mods to bring the flue and chimney up to regs - we bunged the log burner out onto the terrace and moved the furniture about instead. It will make a very effective fire pit one day.

It's spring equinox/Ostara tomorrow and Possum wants a feast to celebrate that and the end of her carbs and sugar fast. Thursday is my thin day and we also eat a simple pasta, late, after yoga class so I suggested a feast today, on the eve and bought duck breasts and new potatoes to have with our own PSB or some bought broccoli. On Monday she texted the feast foods - fresh eggs, asparagus, dairy in the main. I replied saying it's too early for asparagus and we eat eggs nearly every day in one form or another and that I'd bought duck.

That'll do fine apparently but I've been naughty and made some chocolate pots using melted dark chocolate, avocado, coconut milk and maple syrup all blitzed smooth. Don't tell Possum! She thinks she doesn't like avocado.

 

I do like the sound of those chocolate pots, @Obelix-Vendée! I’ve just eaten the second half of an avocado with lunch, otherwise I’d be straight into the kitchen to try it out! I wonder if it would work with regular milk rather than coconut milk? I always have dark chocolate in, and plenty of maple syrup ( I bought extra in support of Canada!) I do love chocolate mousse, but the recipe I have used in the pat includes raw whipped egg whites, and I don’t really like to eat those any more.

Son bought a fire pit for his newly built patio, with visions of relaxing beside it. However it is not that far from their neighbour, and after some gentle but pointed coughing from behind the fence, decided that it wasn’t such a good idea after all.

There are two baby rabbits hopping around on the lawn! So sweet. However, their arrival probably heralds the arrival of the baby foxes, so I don’t know how long they’ll last. Haven’t seen any foxes recently, but they tend to come only after dark now. In years past, we used to have parents bringing their cubs to play on the lawn in the light evenings. We have occasionally seen baby badgers on the garden camera. It’s a lovely time of the year!

 

@Ergates Possum doesn't like chocolate mousse @Ergates but does love chocolate so I hope these will pass.

1 avocado, 1 cup (240ml) melted dark chocolate, 1/2 cup 100% cocoa, 1/2 cup coconut milk (single cream might do), 1 sachet vanilla sugar or 1/2 tsp vanilla extract, 3 tbs maple syrup, 1/2 tsp salt. Blitz the lot in a blender and pour into pots then chill.

We're not allowed garden bonfires to burn waste but can have BBQs and fire pits are fine - less smoke and smell I suppose - but yes, your do have to be careful of neighbours and wind directions and not burning damp wood.

 

Yum, thank you for the recipe, @Obelix-Vendée , will have to give that a try!

 

Good afternoon all. Hasn't it been a perfect day? I made my trip to neighbouring town and returned the M&S clothing that I wasn't happy with. Three items were fine but two were poorly made from a thin, scratchy material. I love people watching when I'm travelling on the bus. Lots of small people travelling to school. I'm thinking that they must have been late. I caught the bus at 08:40 and it takes about 30 minutes to get to the bus station. I was back home by 10:00 and after an early elevenses I was out in the garden most of the rest of today. My ground in parts is still super-saturated but I was able to get some new plants in, a Cynara scolymus, a white iris sibirica and a Ligularia dentata. Who doesn't like a big daisy like flower? I potted up some house plants into larger pots too. Seven of the ten mini dahlias I sowed are through and I have one lot of tomatoes to prick out. @Ergates, no need to worry about your seed sowing and your new propagator. I'm sure you will love it. @lizzie27, could you cook your chicken in cider in a slow cooker? I am loving your guile @Obelix-Vendée in 'disguising' the avocado in a wonderful dessert.
I have to 'fess up to being an early riser - always have been. When I was working I never needed an alarm clock and it has just stayed with me. I hate it in the Winter when it is dark in the mornings but late Spring and Summer are great. Nicest part of the day.

 

Evening folks.

I’ve been outside all afternoon. Tidying jobs and a bit of weeding. I feel ‘gardening-tired’ anyway.

I also made a massive cottage pie, so that will do two days of dinners (I’ll have mine for lunch in work tomorrow as won’t be home until 8pm) and one portion for Dad.

It’s feet-up time now. Enjoy the evening everyone. Spring Equinox tomorrow

 

Hello all on the way home after a busy day. We have a kadai, hubby is a chef and a sucker for anything food related. We only use it a couple of times a year but it’s less ugly than the barbecue we now have in the garage.
Another Lark here I am always up early and achieve nothing after lunch if left to my own devices that’s why I prefer to work afternoon shifts as I can’t motivate myself at home.

 

Signing out now. Enjoy your evenings everyone. Catch you all tomorrow.

​

 

He/she is lovely @Debs64.

Chocolate pots worked @Ergates. I took them out of the fridge before dinner so they weren't stiffand solid. Very chocolatey and smooth. 3 left for Sunday dinner.

 

Good evening all, we are visiting friends in Norfolk.
Ha ha @lizzie27 I think it's the angle of the photo. It's only a standard 10 pole plot (250sqM in modern money).
Still I'm very happy with the result, ready to start planting as soon as the weather warms up. I have broad beans, and peas in root trainers plus early spuds chitting ready to go in.

 

​

A happy Spring Equinox/Ostara to one and all. Love your picture @Debs64 . You must miss Gatsby very much. Going to see my Bestie today - serious gossiping to catch up on . Lovely to get up in the light this morning and to see a sparrowhawk perched in the huge tree two doors down. No wonder the dawn chorus is not quite as exuberant as it was yesterday.