 Enviromesh and Mushroom Crates to discourage Brush from rummaging! 3 August 2025 (Sunday) It's Sunday afternoon, and I finally feel as though I've got a little bit of time to myself to sit down and put some words to paper or combat as I've said before, fingers to keys... though in reality much of what I write I actually dictate into my phone first, and then sit down at my keyboard at my desk and check through and amend, and hopefully make better. Some of you have said in your responses and comments to my writing that it feels as if we’re sitting in a room together and chatting away, and maybe this is why it feels that way because much of what I do right is either dictated or comes from my head in terms of how I usually talk. Anyway… The week has been another busy one, though it's also being productive in very many ways; when editing A Week at the Plot I was really surprised by just how much had gotten done at the plot, on top of all that happened elsewhere... Towards the end of the week, and particularly on Friday morning I was really feeling that my mojo for the plot was beginning to escape from me. I think it's down to the fact that our lives are actually rather busy, and also that a good chunk of my head space is elsewhere; 40 miles away in Surrey at For Earth’s Sake and the Great Green Barn. I might only visit once a week or once a fortnight, though my job is to ensure that things always go smoothly for both organisations, and there's an awful lot that falls on my shoulders which is absolutely fine because that is what I’m paid by Vanessa to do.
This week, having had a day on Monday of doing stuff at the plot, and particularly in harvesting Anya first early potatoes (albeit I was harvesting them rather late!), which I couldn't remember the name of, and Tuesday being very very much a desk day as Monday morning was for me, I was down at For Earth’s Sake and the Great Green Barn on Wednesday to do what I normally do. Any day down there is always full on, as there’s always a lot to get through, and this week, despite the rather relentless and never ending roadworks of the A3 and M25, turned out to be a pretty positive and productive day. A person who used to volunteer in the shop quite a few years ago has recently moved, with his wife, to the house next door to For Earth’s Sake and they’ve decided that they’d like to both volunteer time in the shop. It's been mutually agreed that they’ll do Wednesday, which is a particularly busy day in the shop, not necessarily because of customers but because it's the first day of the week the shop is open, and much stock arrives on Tuesday and Wednesday and that all needs to be checked and put out into the shop on Wednesday morning. Also, the organic fruit and veg, usually ordered on a Monday or Tuesday, will also arrive on Wednesday morning so that all needs to be checked, sorted and then put on display. With dispensable items, if stock’s been low and we have a delivery of 20Kg of this or 12.67Kg of that, then the big dispensers need to be checked, and topped up - and some of these bags can be quite heavy and not easily manhandled! Now the stock is basically controlled both visually and online, with me doing the online bit. We’ve only been keep stock levels electronically for the past six months… which I know sounds a bit odd, but time did not allow previously. As we get deliveries, I check online to ensure that what’s arrived is what we’ve ordered, doing so from the supplier’s online docket for the delivery, and I add to the stock level accordingly. When we started doing this many dispensers already had the produce in them, so we had to guess the weight - as time’s gone by the online stock check is getting more and more accurate as if we run out of an item completely, and then by 20 kilos of it, we know that we have 20 kilos of stock. As things get scanned through the till, the weight of dispensable items is taken off the amount of stock that we have, so basically our online stock is pretty accurate now… which is a boon! Anyway, we now have two additional volunteers on a Wednesday, and that will help an awful lot. It was also lovely to meet the two of them, one of whom I had met once before… and I have to say that both were excellent and by the end of the day the shop was in an even better condition than it was at the beginning of sales at 9:30! In the afternoon, with the shop and its customers being taken care of, Vanessa and I were able to sit down and plan things for events happening at the Great Green Barn, particularly the theatre and shows and crafting that we are presenting ourselves, and we also talked to Nik about the work that’s planned to be done during the two-week break that For Earth’s Sake has coming up. The three of us then went over to look at the parking area outside of the shop - it acts as parking for both the shop and the barn, and it can often look rather untidy. Plans and timelines have now been set to determine better use of the space and more ‘hidden’ storage options, as we have a hope that by next year we’ll have a dedicated area next to the shop that will be a really lovely area to sit down and have coffee, tea and cake and possibly some hot snacks as well. The thing with For Earth’s Sake and the Great Green Barn is that there's always new ideas coming along, and that's fine and dandy by me. I do find that a day down at Vanessa is very tiring - early morning start, longish drive down, full on long day of working, longish drive back - and the following day I'm usually feeling a little exhausted and lacklustre. However, this week it also fed into me being a little down about the work that was needed at the plot… and when I went down on Thursday afternoon to do things, the humidity was so high that I just felt exhausted and came back home, determined to go down on Friday and really get my act together. However, on Friday morning I just didn't feel like doing anything, and when I say I didn't feel like doing anything I don't mean that there was nothing to do and I didn't do anything, what I mean is I didn't feel like doing the extra things that I needed to do at the plot… but down I went, and with a good bit of seed sowing and a few harvests under my belt, by the end of two or three hours down there I felt that I’d draw my mojo back in… Yay!! Saturday saw me down at the plot again, having recorded Sunday Chat in the morning. I was determined to sow two types of carrot in a raised bed where I’d harvested the potatoes earlier in the week. The bed had been well forked over in the proceeding days, and raked level, though Brush, our resident fox who I've only actually seen once this year, always likes a fresh made bed and he’d obviously decided to give it a little bit of a grubbing up - divots in two areas and paw prints all over - maybe he had been dancing with a lady friend under the moonlit sky?  Cinquefoil - or Potentilla reptans, though my common name 'Pain in the Arse' is more apt! So, this meant that my first job Saturday afternoon was to use my rake to level things off again before I could put in the drills and sow the seeds of the Amsterdam Forcing and Autumn King carrots. I knew that I'd have to tackle the Cinquefoil, the bain of my life on the plot, though with a storm on the way, Storm Floris, I thought I'd get on with this job next week rather than this weekend… though when I got down this morning, Sunday, I started on the Cinquefoil. It really is such a pernicious weed, and I would MUCH rather have bindweed or couch grass any day. It's a relation to the strawberry, being a Potentilla, and it sends out a significant number of runners which can root at every single node. Its botanical name is Potentilla reptans, and despite having a lovely flower the common name I have for it is ‘Pain in the Arse’. On my kneeler, with fork in hand and obviously gloves on, over a two-hour period I pulled out 16 kilograms of this pernicious weed; plant, deep roots and runners. All came home with me in a black sack and was emptied into our green waste bin which will be collected tomorrow morning by the council - and good riddance to that lot… only about another tonne to go! Back home and Richard was making lunch - our first home-grown (well, allotment grown!) Cheese & Tomato on toast… OMG… it was delicious!!! It will be a little segment in Richard’s vlog so please look out for that as the lusciouness was eaten rather swiftly, with no photo by me or Richard taken - though Richard did do a little video! It’s now mid-afternoon on Sunday, and I'm looking over the books that I've read over the past few weeks and the one that I've just started yesterday. I've just finished Felicity Cloake’s One More Croissant for the Road which the fabulous Vivi gave me well over a year ago. It's a book that is broken up into chapters of the different legs of Felicity’s cycling journey through France, tasting the gastronomy as she went village by village, town by town and city by city. Because of this, it's been a book which has been on my bedside for quite a while, and when I finish one of my thriller or murder mystery books, I then pick it up and read a few chapters before diving into a new book of my usual genre… and then picking it up again once I finish that book, and on and on… Now, with Felicity Cloake over the line and back in Paris, the book is finished. I have to say I’ve rather enjoyed reading it. I'm not a great fan of all travelogues, though I do like ones that grab me. Having read further investigations by The Observer I remember that The Salt Path did so when I started reading it, though after maybe 20, or 30, or 40 pages, maybe even 50 pages I began to feel that it was a bit too victim-based for me. In my life, when times have been tough, I've often found that people have been extremely helpful and welcoming and happy to give advice and assistance where needed or asked for… with Raynor and Moth, they seemed to have a very different journey… Anyway, I do highly recommend Felicity Cloake’s One More Croissant for the Road as it's informative, fun, and talks a lot about food, AND has recipes - what’s not to like!!! My new book’s by Lucy Foley, of which I've read three of her other books. This one’s called The Midnight Feast, and so far I'm only a few chapters in… and absolutely loving it!!
Weather: It feels as though summer’s come to an end… Today there are a few sunny spells though it’s largely overcast, a few light rainshowers, and quite a breeze. Storm Floris is on its way!! Breakfast: All Bran, Yogurt and a little oat milk Lunch: Cheese & Allotment Grown Tomatoes on Toast - YUM!!! Supper: Microwave Tomato Sauce with Penne & Salad - recipe to come!!!
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 28 July 2025 (Monday) Well, it's true to say that it's been rather a long time since I've written a piece for A Guernsey Gardener in 2025… and while I’m mentioning the title, I think I'm going to change it to A Guernsey Gardener at some point, as it seems to fit better. I think it's fair to say that the death of Big Ginge rather took the wind out of my sails. It came at a time when there were a lot of anniversaries of various kinds, some of people dying and one of me being a year older. I tend not to dwell on anniversaries of people who have died. I'm simply not one of those who says on social media posts, or in fact in my head “Happy Birthday to mum who would have been X years old today” or “Happy Birthday to 'dad' or 'Perri' who would be Y years old today”. These types of posts and thoughts are of course absolutely fine for those people who feel the need for them, though it's just not something that I've ever felt I needed to do. I think I tend to now see the passing of days and weeks and years and lives as part of the process that we all go through, and whilst some periods in our lives are extremely painful and break our heart, it's really about accepting this as part of the process, and that it balances out the days where time is joyous and smiles bring about much laughter - it works for me, at least. My intention when I started this blog was to see if I could write something every day, and in that matter I think I’ve found out that I can. And of course, as is often the case with finding out that you can do something, there are also times when you realise that you might not want to do something or just can't do it, and that's fine too. Somewhat sadly, we live in a world that’s now very much about us all getting things done, and filling our time, in most cases to overcrowding; all mainly for work, and business, and the economy and global trade. However, we have to appreciate that sometimes we simply need time out and when I mean time out I don't just mean taking a break. In taking 'time out' I literally mean taking time out from doing and being the thing or things that are what you might think you need to do and be, when in fact you need to do something entirely different, whether that be reading a book, walking in the countryside, or simply sitting alone and mulling your life and how it fits in with that of your family or household, the lives of your friends, your local community, commerce, society, and the global engine. In some ways, with Big Ginge, I was forced to think about certain things that are not normally at the front of my mind. And that was fine, and today it's also fine to move on from these things knowing that they're all still there, whilst also knowing that it's time for me to take that step forward... whether that step be in writing, sowing carrot seeds, doing tomato cares, watching TV, cooking in the kitchen whilst listening to something from BBC Sounds… or just contemplating my naval which I've not given any real focus to for some years! So today I’m taking that step, whatever it might be... and I guess that first step is writing words again, as I have now just done.
Since I last wrote a piece here, life has continued in very much the same vein as it always does at this time of year. There's been an awful lot of time at the allotment, looking after tomatoes and tying them in, weeding beds of annual and perennial weeds which seem to have inundated groiwng spaces following recent rains, watering, watering and watering - though at least there were those few days of respite when the clouds gave out their all. There's also been a lot of mulling of what needs to be done, and a good bit of tidying around. Oh, and a Bung-It-In day too!! There's still much tidying to do at the plot, and I can do it bit by bit, though at the top of the plot by the poly tunnel I really need AND want to get on and strim and take back control of that area as long grasses and items I've got 'stored' there are really beginning to get to me. And of course, as much of our life is now, there's been an awful lot of vlogging going on; Sunday Chat, A Week of the Plot and all of the vlogs and recipe segments that Richard does. And we've certainly had a whole host of fabulous recipes going on including: Courgette / Zucchini and Potato Patties Courgette / Zucchini Layer Bake Quick Fruit Compote Peach & Nectarine Cookery Experiment Failure!!! Courgette/Zucchini Bran and Banana Loaf Warm Pasta Salad with toasted Orzo, sun dried tomatoes, peppers, baby artichokes. One of my recipes which I’ve really enjoyed is a Cheezy Courgette & Lentil Bake. The recipe’s below and it really did work well: hot from the oven on the day I made it, cold with salad the following day, and then reheated a few days later. I think it's something that would work well in a sandwich too, maybe with a little mayo and some lettuce and slices of tomato. Anyway, as I take that step forward I've also been thinking about that intention of mine to write every day, and that I have achieved this over the past six months. I’ve now realised that with writing there are various facets to what I do, and maybe I've been concentrating a little too much on writing my blogs and a little too little - or rather not at all in some weeks - on writing creatively. I'm going to try and get this balance back to an equilibrium that fits with me. In this I mean the blogs will continue, though likely not written daily - they may even stretch one or two or more days - and a little more on my creative writing, which I have been missing. Of course, some of this writing I might be able to share, though whatever I do I hope you’ll find it interesting. starting with this segment of A Guernsey Gardener! So basically, it's time for me to move forward, and take the next steps, and maybe we'll chatter a little bit more about that in the coming days or weeks. In the meantime, here’s that really delicious Cheezy Courgette & Lentil Bake that I really do suggest you try.  Cheezy Courgette & Lentil Bake
Ingredients 200g of dry red lentils 500ml water Mixed herbs 1 red pepper, chunky chopped 1 onion, finely chopped 4 cloves of garlic, crushed 1 large or two medium courgette, grated 4 rounded tbs yeast flakes 5 rounded tbs gram flour 1tbs bouillon powder, stock cubes or 2 tsp salt black pepper to season Instructions Preheat oven to 180c Rinse in lentils in a sieve under a running cold tap until the draining water is virtually clear - this will remove detritus and excess starch. Now add the lentils, water and mixed herbs to a saucepan, bring to a boil and simmer gently until all the liquid is absorbed and the lentils are almost cooked through. In a frying pan gently cook the pepper, onion and garlic in the oil for about five minutes. Add the grated courgette, bring back to a low frying temperature and cook for a further five minutes, stirring regularly. Combine all the prepared mixtures in a bowl, leave to cool for ten minutes then add the yeast flakes, gram flour, bouillon powder and a good few turns of ground black pepper, stir well until all is combined, this will take no less than 30 seconds, maybe even a minute or so. Add some oil to a baking dish which will allow the mixture to be no more than two inches deep; I used a 18cm round Pyrex. Add the mixture to the dish, spreading it out evenly. Bake in the preheated oven for thirty minutes. This dish can be eaten straight from the oven, cut into slices, cold (again sliced) or reheated in a microwave or oven, though if reheating, remove portions from the fridge a good few hours before. I have not frozen this though see no reason why it would not work well. Weather: Overcast, though humid and muggy… around 24°. Breakfast: All Bran, oat milk, banana Lunch: Yellow Courgette & Lentil Soup, Egg Mayonnaise, Sesame Crackers (Lidl), tomato and cucumber Supper: To come…  Corfe Castle 9 - 12 July 2025 (Wednesday to Saturday) Wednesday morning, and we were up early as we were off to spend a few days in Swanage with Vivi (of Vivi's Kitchen Garden) at her Cottage by the Sea. Again, a trip seemed to be coinciding with another heat wave over the days that we were to be away, so I was down at the plot to do some really early morning watering; I thought it sensible to get as much deeply watered as possible. After breakfast, and packing our bags and making a few snacks for the journey, we got into Fenella and after a quick pit stop at our local garage to check tyre pressures, we were on our way, soon wending our way down the M3 and onwards through Surrey, Hampshire and into Dorset. We had a necessary (for me) toilet break at Winchester services, where on the way out I couldn't resist a Greggs vegan sausage roll which we ate in the car; neither roll was as warm as we’d wanted it to be but the taste was rather lovely. Post stuffing our faces, a beautiful butterfly landed on Richard's bracelet as he was sitting in the car with the door open; it just stayed on his bracelet licking his skin, possibly taking either moisture or salts. Even with some gentle blowing encouragement the butterfly didn't want to move, so eventually Richard got out of the car and moved to an area of trees where there was lots of shade, and the butterfly decided it was time to move on… just as we then did, continuing our journey down to Swanage. After much motorway and many country roads, we were greeted at Vivi’s front door with many hugs. Happy Huggy Days!! It was time to unpack Fenella, ensuring she had nothing remaining visible to curious passersby, then we drove up the hill a little bit further and parked in free parking a few streets away. Back at Vivi's Cottage by the Sea and after a cup of tea and much chat, we had lunch which Vivi had already prepared which was a fantastic Greek salad which we had with bread and dips of my hummus which Vivi’d made and also an edamame hummus which was new to me and absolutely delicious - I got the recipe from Vivi straight away, and as it’s just a few swap outs of my own is another easy one to do. Lots of table chatting and garden talk, and then at the end of the afternoon, we popped down to walk along the seafront, had an ice cream and sat down and watched people enjoying themselves, sitting quietly as the Swanage world went on around us. As we sat, I was somewhat surprised to hear some rousing Chairman Mao style music, with a host of voices singing along to galvanising Chinese music… it took me half an hour to realise it was actually British sea shanties emanating from the pirate and Jurassic Park themed Sante-Fe Fun Park behind us, landside of the main promenade road! How our mind plays tricks with us… In the evening, we had one of Vivi’s delicious mild curries outside in Vivi's fabulous cottage garden. The growth rate of the garden since our last visit in May has been phenomenal, with tomatoes way way higher than my own at the plot and growth on plants that I’d given Vivi much stronger than I have at the plot myself. I think the soil must be really good, though also, and MOST importantly, all the genuine hard graft that Vivi’s put in turning a tired overgrown back garden space into a flourishing veg patch with lots of flowers and LOTS of wildlife. Sitting at her wonderful table, the hard graft has to be admired and applauded. When Vivi says she's going to do something she certainly gets on and does it, and with her garden, or rather her producing garden I should say, the effort is really paying off, and in so many ways. We sat out chatting and laughing until the light had gone, and even after this Vivi brought candles out, so chats and star-gazing continued. At the very end of the evening we went in and sat down in Vivi's living room for half an hour or so before getting off to bed… and of course, a few pages of my book.  After the first swim in the sea... Thursday saw me up early, and at the kitchen table having a cup of tea. I didn’t have the knack for the back door, though Richard was up soon after and then Vivi joined us and we sat out at her garden table chatting away, and Richard and myself having a breakfast of All Bran. After breakfast, it was down to the beach again, this time walking farther than we'd walked before, right across the promenade and in front of the beach huts, and then over the groynes which are there to reduce the impact of the waves on the beach huts and cliff, and then to a space on the sand where the nearest person was 200 meters away. It had been very hot on our walk, and I decided immediately to do something that I hadn't really expected to do, and that was to go for a swim in the sea… even though I wasn’t prepared for one! As Vivi was getting her dress off, bending over to undo her shoes, she looked to the side and saw that I was already down to my knickers and vest and pacing off towards the lapping water. Very soon Vivi followed in her bathing costume, and in we both went… cautiously at first, just feeling the temperature of the water on our toes and ankles and shins and knees and thighs and, well, other bits… Once I was up to my waist, and with my face turned towards Vivi in the shallower waters and Richard sitting on the beach, I let myself lean back and fall into the water… and then immediately started swimming as it felt rather chilly… After a few moments, my brain began to realise quite how delicious this whole experience was… and a few metres away there was our Vivi, fully in too and we were both swimming, each finding warm patches, or making our own… We stayed in swimming and chatting and laughing and in my case crying for about half an hour or so. The last time I'd even seriously paddled in water was 10 years ago with mum at Rocquaine in Guernsey, a few days after dad had died… memorable in so many ways, especially it being my 50th birthday. Mum was in her bathing costume and I was up to my thighs in water and we were just walking along the shoreline looking out at the fabulous view of the sea, and then looking back at the fabulous view of Guernsey. It was a moment to reflect, and a moment to treasure. Now, a decade on, and with mum now gone, I was having my first time in seawater since that moment, so not surprisingly emotions rose to the surface… just like my blubber-filled body did as I quietly laid back, floating on the surface of the silently whooshing waves. I hadn't really come prepared to swim, as I hadn't hugely expected to be swimming, but Vivi had come prepared and she and I sat on a towel she’d brought, drying off in the warm breeze and sunshine, chatting away with Richard. We sat there for half an hour or more, with the sun beating down and the salt crystals forming on our skins, and then we packed our things up and started walking our way back to Vivi’s Cottage by the Sea. For both Vivi and myself, this first swim had been special and emotional and essential in so many ways… and we had done it together… which was bloody marvelous! Happy Days indeed!! Back home (note the use of the word home - as it already feels like a home away from home), and still flushed with the joy of having swum, it was time for lunch and Vivi heated up some of her delicious Courgette & Potato Soup, added some grated cheddar, and we had leftover dips and bread with spread for lunch, again sitting at her table out in Vivi's lovely cottage garden, chatting and watching the wildlife fly by… butterflies and hummingbird moths, and bees and wasps and hoverflies, and then of course seagulls and town pigeons and country pigeons and doves and so much else, all with the occasional backdrop of a hoot and a chuff chuff from the railway line, and tinkly chiming bells of the local church striking the hour and half hour. Bliss! In the evening, we decided we’d go out and have chips so we went to Vivi’s favoured chippie, ordered a portion of chips for Vivi, cod and chips for Richard, and haddock and chips for me. With wrapped paper bags filled with goodies in our hands, we made our way along the front to a short pier, which is actually called Stone Quay as it's where local small ferries dock. A bench was free, so we sat down to eat our seaside suppers, with seagulls keeping an eye, and one dive bombing my chips though not quite getting away with one… it's only when a seagull is close up to you and literally flying over your lap and have a wing bashing your shoulder as it passes, that you suddenly realise quite how big, how strong and how heavy a seagull can be!  A labrador helping out at the seaside... Photo courtesy of Vivi of 'What Vivi did next' and 'Vivi's Kitchen Garden'. After our fish supper (a very rare thing for Richard and myself now as we only ever have when we’re at the seaside, as fish never features in any shopping basket) and chippie supper for Vivi (Vivi eats no fish), we watched all around us, enjoying the water, and the sun and the sumptuous air that only a seaside town like Swanage can do; suntanned kids jumping off piers into deep water, others on inflatable paddle boards being dragged out of the water by a tugging labrador, and water lapping calmly and endlessly against any surface it wants. A little walk along the front to Banjo Pier, and then it was back home and back to the table in Vivi's cottage garden at her Cottage by the Sea, and time for a few rounds of Yahtzee. Happy Days!!
Friday morning, and we’d already planned to drive back up the valley to visit Corfe Castle, which you cannot NOT see as you pass by on your way to and out of Swanage. Imposing… ruined… majestic. Richard had wanted to visit it on our first trip to Vivi's Swanage, though there just wasn't time, so this time we made time. So, after breakfast we walked up the remainder of Cardiac Hill that Vivi lives on, across and then up Cardio Hill, which is even steeper. Fenella was patiently waiting a short distance away on the next crossroad, and we piled into her and began our short journey to Corfe Castle. Now, Richard and I are members of the National Trust though we’d forgotten that Corfe Castle was a National Trust property… and also forgotten our membership cards! Despite this, we decided that if we couldn't get in with our membership numbers it was worth the cost just to have a walk around this magnificent castle with so much history. Parking up, and going into the Welcome Centre, I asked about parking and membership and the lovely lady immediately said it was not a problem and that our membership could be looked up at the Ticket Office, which was a 10 to 15 minute walk away. She also gave me a slip of paper with the date of our visit specified, so back to Fenella I popped to put the gifted slip on Fenella’s windscreen, to ensure that we wouldn't get charged the penalty fee for not paying for parking. Delighted, I walked back to the Welcome Centre, met up with Vivi and Rochard again… and in the short time I’d been away Vivi had been scouring the shelves of secondhand books for sale… so back off I went to Fenella to fill her boot with Vivi’s wordy gems. Crossing the road carefully, we made our way along the incredibly white chalk path, glistening with sunshine and shadows, over a brook and then wound our way up around the castle battlements to the Ticket Office. Sure enough, they were able to look up our membership and give us tokens which would give us free entry to the castle… technology can be a boon! The walk was pretty rough underfoot, and the castle always were too, though we had such a fantastic time; sometimes walking and chatting the three of us, sometimes in twos, and sometimes just individually wandering around taking pictures and video and watching the train coming in or leaving Corfe Castle station. Also, there are peregrines nesting at the top of the battered battlements which seems so apt, and two of them were happy to show themselves during the time we were there, both looking down on us and occasionally making the noises that are now so familiar over my allotment. I think we must have spent about an hour and a half wandering the castle, and then meandered back down through the huge gateway and into the cafe garden, where we ordered a cream tea, a savoury cream tea and Vivi had a quiche of some sort, I think it had red onion marmalade in it which also came with the savoury cream tea. We hoped that we'd be able to sit in the garden, in the shade, though there was a Wasp Alert on which was signalled on signs and that we were told about at the time of ordering… so once we had sat down and the jam for the cream tea was noted by the wasps, we decided to move inside and have our food and drink in the cafe rather than in the wonderful garden… even so, a wasp followed us in and stayed with us, flying and feasting on a little bit of jam that had somehow made its way onto Richard’s bag. After our little repaste we had a wander of the little village of Corfe Castle, window shopping, visiting the little museum, then crossing over and visiting the rather fabulous railway station. The station itself is a throwback to yesteryear and I think manned completely by volunteers. The train that goes through is powered by steam and goes down to Swanage and up the other way a stop or two. It always amazes me how the time and generosity of a few individuals has ensured that these historic railways and stations and railway lines remain intact, something I think we often forget, sadly. Walking back along the chalk path to Fenella, who was quietly waiting in the car park, we then drove back to Vivi’s for further chats and laughs and games and fabulous food (Vivi's delicious Fassolada) and an evening outside, at her table, in her cottage garden of her Cottage by the Sea, with candles burning and under the crisp starry sky… listening to various jazz sessions glistening over Swanage as part of its annual Jazz Festival at the start of the British summer holiday season.  Swanage Bay Saturday was another planned day in many ways, mainly as it was the day that we were going to be leaving and driving back to a rather hot and sticky London. However, we’d decided that we’d go for another swim, so after some bran flakes we all got ready, which for Vivi meant putting on her bathing costume and for me and Richard meant just dressing like we normally do… no, I’d not bought any swimming shorts yet as I hadn't seen any that I really fancied… though to be fair, I hadn't really looked either!
Off we went again, down the very short journey into Swanage town, and then left along the beach front to Ocean Bay and then just a bit beyond. It was still early in the morning, around 8:30 or 9 and there were already loads of people bundling onto the main beaches of this fabulous resort. However, and thankfully, where we went it was still pretty quiet; there were a few people between the groynes that we chose to swim from, and some of the beach huts were open or being opened by their owners. As with Thursday, I went in with my knickers and T-shirt and Vivi in her slinky bathing costume. At first, the water seemed a little bit cooler than on Thursday; maybe because it was early in the morning and the sun hadn't been beating down for several hours warming the top few inches or more. However, we were both soon fully in and again paddled and swam away each to our heart's content, literally as swimming is such a good exercise and gets the heart pumping. It’s only on occasions like this, filled with deep joy, I remember how much swimming was a part of my life growing up. From a very early age, as a baby mum would leave me in a pram or pushchair outside the front door of mum and dad's B&B, and if mum went back at 9:15 and I was gone she knew that she had the day to herself to get on with washing and cleaning and making dinner for all the guests that evening. A visitor or visitors would have taken me off to the beach or to town or to wherever they were going for the day. Most often, it was to the beach and for many years the beach was just an intrinsic part of my life… sand, sea, sandwiches, smiles - even then always a sanctuary too. Maybe one day it will be so again, though just now, for these precious moments of Vivi and I being in the water, it felt so right, and so good, and so joyous. Again, we sat on a towel on the sand and dried off a little bit, and then walked back along the seafront where by now the beaches and walkways were just bustling with folk, and buckets and spades and float boards and sandwich bags, and windbreakers and little shelters, and many smiles with the hope of a fun day out. Back at Vivi’s Cottage by the Sea, Richard made toast and the three of us sat at the table in Vivi's cottage garden, enjoying proper toast topped with a spoon or two of Purbeck honey from a pot that Vivi had bought specifically for our visit… it was totally delicious, and another slice or two was had by each of us. The rest of the morning was leisurely chatting and packing and washing-up and watering the plants in the garden and filling watering cans and doing 101 things, and then it was time for the final feast of this visit which was a cheese and tomato sandwich made by Richard. Sitting at the table, with the smell of salt in the air and seagulls above it once again took me back to being a kid, eating cheese and tomato sandwiches on the beach at L’Eree, almost six decades ago; a cheese and tomato sandwich when there’s salt in the air will always bring memories back off the perfect fodder for a beach. The only difference with our sandwich today was that it hadn't trundled its way down to a beach in the Tupperware and sat sweating under a towel in the shade for an hour or two, so our fabulous sandwich was cool and crisp and just the right temperature, rather than warm, and floppy, and tasty and welcomed as was often the case when we were kids on the beach. Happy Days!! It was soon time to wend our way back to London, and with lots of hugs and a little planning for our next visit, I walked up Cardiac Hill and Cardio Hill to collect Fenella, drove her down, pulled in outside of Vivi's Cottage by the Sea and then we packed our bags back in, had more hugs, and started our relatively uneventful journey back to London, where things would begin getting back to normal… including a visit to the plot in the evening to check on how things were doing and to give plants a water if needed, and recording Sunday Chat on Sunday morning… an event in itself! Weather: Sunny throughout, with a slight breeze, and very warm… though quite a few degrees less than the heatwave of 34° in London! Wednesday Breakfast: All Bran and oat milk Snack: Greggs Vegan Sausage Roll Lunch: Vivi’s Greek Salad (with Feta), hummus, edamame hummus, olives, and bread Supper: Chickpea, Cauliflower & Mushroom Curry with bread Thursday Breakfast: All Bran and toast Lunch: Courgette & Potato Soup, Edamame Hummus, Bread, Olives Supper: Haddock & Chips Friday Breakfast: Bran Flakes and All Bran and toast with cherry jam Lunch: Savoury Aft Cream Tea (Corfe Castle Tea Room) Supper: Vivi's Fassolada and bread Saturday Breakfast: Bran Flakes and toast with Purbeck honey Lunch: Cheese & Tomato Sandwich Supper: Broad Bean & Basil Pesto with wholewheat spaghetti and a tomato, cucumber and basil salad  A pretty poppy, despite now fading - it's priority... maturing seeds! 10 June 2025 (Tuesday)
They say it’s warming up, though it’s a chilly, grey start to the day… Up and at my desk with a cuppa by 6.30am, and work work and work, as I need to edit the segment I recorded at the plot yesterday… I had not expected to record anything, though when I saw harvests… A morning of work work is frustrated by a lorry having taken down the festoon lighting over the parking area at For Earth’s Sake, and another regular supplier has ‘a driver missing’ so the thing that usually pops up first thing on a Tuesday for me to check doesn’t appear - after a bit of scratching of my head I decided to call and see what’s what, and the what was a missing driver, so the delivery will be tomorrow. It’s not a major hardship, as we don't open until tomorrow anyway, and the customer service person can tell me what they’ve not been able to fulfill of our order, so I can get on and start following through the usual Tuesday morning routine - albeit an hour and a half later. Then a call from Vanessa, which is full of static - both images and crackle... and then we realise the broadband's not working... is it something to do with the festoon lighting coming down? No idea!!! But, the upshot is I can't connect to the till from where I am at my home office, so any changes I make to prices are not reflected live on the till... I know we've said this in Sunday Chat, though do we now rely on connectivity and broadband too much? Time will tell, and it's a priority to get this sorted, though Vanessa has other things to do today too... So I leave her to it... Inspired by Richard’s Warm Couscous Salad, I do a quick stir fry for lunch - olive oil, an onion, three thinly sliced carrots, about 100g frozen peas, a little turmeric and also a little madras powder, and leftover cooked brown rice. With a little Bragg’s liquid aminos we have a warming spiced rice lunch - filling, though more importantly… warming! However, after lunch the sky starts brightening - it looks as though that warmer, sunnier weather may be on the way! I needed a few answers from Vanessa, though she was already stressed out, understandably, by the broadband, and the get-in that started yesterday is still happening, which for her is a joy - a show, being busy and what she absolutely knows; theatre is definitely in her blood! When I do ask something mid-afternoon, she tells me via WhatsApp she’s “breathing in the lovely afternoon, cutting laurels and clearing soil for the pond and tractoring the chairs down to the Dell”... so I leave her to it and go to the plot to water and plant some things into beds... and I find this pretty poppy too, despite the fact it's gone over as having already given it's best, yet of course, maturing all those tiny seeds is now it's priority! Home, then a quick supper of wraps, protein and salad… then some TV to calm the rest of the day... priorities. Oh, and I have a new book to start when I go to bed - Louise Penny's How the Light Gets In... priorities again! Happy Days!! Weather: Grey, though it is due to start warming… sun late afternoon, as forecast. Breakfast: Bran Sticks, yogurt, and sultanas Lunch: Spiced Vegetable Rice (see above) - inspired by Richard's Warm CousCous Salad Supper: Wraps - one hummus and one cheese - with lettuce and homemade coleslaw  Richard, the master photographer at work 22 & 23 May 2025 (Thursday & Friday) Thursday morning, and I was up early, making a cuppa or two in Vivi’s kitchen, taking one out onto her patio garden which we’d gently walked through yesterday. Standing still, slightly honey sweetened tea in hand, the view is just divine; the still waters of the bay, imposing chalk headland, borrowed landscape of rose covered walls, rooves and chimneys, a steeple and crenellations - this is something I’d not tire of, ever! Back in the kitchen, Richard joined me and we had breakfast, starting with our cereal then putting on some thick toast for us when Vivi joined. Lots of chat, a little more chat, then a little more chat, then up, dressed and out, walking further up Cardiac Hill, along, then up Cardio Hill which seems even steeper. Our mission… a not so little walking tour up to the South West Coast Path, down along to Peveril Point, then carefully step by stone step down to the harbour-to-headland promenade, across the fronts of houses and backs of marine businesses, over a small beach and then behind the Yacht Club with its glimmer of exclusivity and warden-manned gates, then breathing in the sights and glorious scent of roses and mallow in an elevated border as our feet trod along at ground level once again. All the while the breeze blew gently, the sun shone brightly and the salty smell of the sea brought back happy days of buckets and spades, and seaweed and sand… and grease-proof paper wrapped sandwiches in Tupperware with no branding. Happy Days indeed! With Vivi and Richard taking a seat in the sanctuary garden, I went off passing restaurants and day trippers to the seafront facilities to do what seafront facilities allow before returning to the two of them, reading a few restaurant menus on the way back as time was less pressing. Back at Vivi’s and after a delicious lunch we were out back, in the garden, pulling ivy and planning a lightbulb change which required a quick trip down the street and across town to the hardware store, where we met the lovely Wendy and her sisters; she’s a subscriber to What Vivi did next and was just so delighted to have met Vivi whilst on her holibobs with her sisters. Lightbulb bought, we popped into the train station to watch the smoke rise as a steam train left the platform, then off to the Co-op and up to the Mill Pond, then down again back to the High Street, passing on the way a hotel that was once a nunnery, and antique and bric-a-brac shops, and pubs… there are quite a few pubs! Then it was home to change the outside bulb, which we did and found out worked once it was dark… although Vivi told us by the next evening the lower one wasn’t working though the upper one we changed on Friday morning was - maybe a loose wire. A delicious bits and pieces supper with a glass or two, much chat, then bed.
Friday, and again I was up first, though not as early as yesterday, and then Vivi, and then Richard. Cups of tea for Richard and me, and the same routine of breakfast as yesterday and then we were back out in the garden with the view pulling more ivy, gently though firmly; it’s a fabulous plant, but you really don’t want it to take hold in and through your Purbeck stone walls, of which there are many thousands in the area! After a vibrant, tangy, and salty Greek Salad a la Vivi, it was time to wend our way back up Cardiac Hill and Cardio Hill, check Fenella was fine and dandy, depress the clutch, turn the key and start our journey back to London, leaving Vivi and a little bit of ourselves in Swanage. I doubt it will be long before the three of us, Fenella included, will be back south to visit once again Vivi’s Cottage by the Sea. Thursday 22 May Weather: Swanage was a little warmer and gorgeously sunny. Around 18° Breakfast: Bran Sticks, oat milk, and Richard's bread machine wholemeal loaf as toast with Flora ProActiv and honey Lunch: Vivi’s Chickpea Curry with thick slices of Richard's bread machine wholemeal loaf Supper: Crackers, oat cakes, hummus, blue cheese, cheddar, orange Friday 23 May Weather: Swanage was a little cooler and greyer than yesterday. Around 16° Breakfast: Bran Sticks, oat milk, and Richard's bread machine wholemeal loaf as toast with Flora ProActiv and honey Lunch: Vivi’s Greek Salad Supper: Wholewheat Spaghetti with broad beans, basil pesto and grated cheese, and radish  10 April 2025 (Thursday) We planned a visit to Aston Rowant today so we got up early, getting our ablutions and breakfast all done and dusted and me preparing a snack and a flask of tea for our trip. It's part of our routine to take a snack and beverage with us so that we can sit on a bench, a fallen tree or a ledge, refuel, and ponder all around us, even when we're only going to Kew Gardens… a mere twenty minutes drive away! I guess as well as sustenance, it's a treat, harking back to picnics of bygone days. Richard hadn't slept very well, so he asked if I’d drive which I obviously had no problem with. It can be quite challenging when you've had a poor night’s sleep to then be in charge of any equipment, especially something as dangerous as a car driving along the motorway at whatever speed your head and foot dictate! After an uneventful drive, where chat and gaps were both welcome, we parked up in the Natural England car park at the end of the now very well weathered and pitted road. The car park’s used by dog walkers, walkers and doggers alike; each category of user having their own purpose and pleasures! We did our usual round: walking from the car park down to the lookout point, through the gate (that had PLOP written on it in chalk…), along the chalk embankment (hence writing implement for the PLOP), then up across the sheep walk and the back down to look out over Aylesbury plain, down into the woodland, up the wider path to go into the forest, left into the side forest that sweeps around the giant field of yellow flowered rapeseed, and right past fallen pointy tree point, and along almost to the road, turning 180° at this point to retrace our steps. We took our time, and halfway through the long walk of the side forest sat on our favourite bench to have our snack, with some quiet chat and a managed gap in trees giving an almost secretive glimpse of the hazy plain beyond. The first three quarters of the walk was incredibly wonderful, as we met not a single person. It's always lovely when walking to pass somebody and nod, or give a smile, or say “Hello” or “Morning” or “Lovely day for it”... and it's even more special to do the same walk and meet no one. True bliss, surely?  On our way back, just passing the bench where we'd had our snack not twenty minutes previous, I saw the first dog walker; up along the top path, his mongrel bounding excitedly ahead and he following on, with a whistle quietly thrusting through his teeth. He seemed oblivious to me being on the lower path, and of Richard fifty feet behind taking a photo of some wood anemones.
Richard had decided that we'd take a new way back to the car, which I was slightly wary of as the suggested path went sharply down, meandering away from where we needed to get to and if we followed it down I was sure at some point we'd have to wind the whole way right back up. I also wasn't sure it was a circular path, instead thinking it led away from where we wanted to get to in order to take ourselves back to the Fenella. However, being the staunch adventurers we are, we walked down the steep incline, and after about five minutes of trepidatious foot placing and much rustling of leaves found ourselves at the back of a few houses… With uncertainty of what was ahead and a certainty of what was behind we turned round, making our way back up the steeping incline breathing deeply and puffing gently as we both went. Back at the top, we began our way back to the car, retracing our steps rather than taking the usual shortcut along the rutted road. We passed various other folk, and when we got back to a high point where it's necessary to go through a gate we found two rather fluffy terriers standing still and watching what we were doing, with anticipation or apathy, I couldn't really tell. Their ‘owners’ looked to be nowhere, though the hilltop hid them and they were maybe just a few feet behind; an elderly couple, and she took a rest on the incongruous lone metal chair that's pegged into the ground. I guess they do this walk regularly, maybe weekly, even daily, maybe even twice daily. Who knows but them and their dogs? As we greeted and passed on our way as walkers without dogs and dog walkers so, I imagined the couple having lived their lives together for decades, dogs changing as they do as the years of love and care go by. Of course, they may have only recently found each other, though I felt there was a comfort of knowing between them that only comes with uncounted days of give and take, and a developed deep understanding of one another… and suddenly I’m reminded of my mum and dad, and the joys and jostles life threw their way. A moment of anguish that they're no longer with us, and minutes of smiles as I remember the happy time… and then looking up I see a red kite soar in the thermals and my mind is taken elsewhere. Back at the car park, with boots taken off and shoes put back on, we sat in the car just watching things go by; Richard fiddling with his camera and lenses and me watching a red kite circling close by, maybe the same one, maybe not. In one of its turns dropping off an unwanted poo cargo that thankfully, despite its trajectory, was far enough away to miss Fenella. There was a joy in this moment… a first for me, as I'd never seen a red kite pooping in midair before… in fact not surprisingly, I’d never seen a red kite’s ablutions before. Happy days indeed, though if I’d been underneath it… it could have been a very Lucky Day, as the old wives’ tale goes. The drive back, as usual, seemed to take less time than the getting there, and once home and lunch was had, it was time to get to my desk for an hour's work work. As Richard electronically developed all the photos he’d taken, sorting out what was good and what was not and what would be used where, I popped to the plot to do the necessary watering. It hasn't rained for well over two weeks now, and watering needs to be done. The forecasters say that at the back end of the weekend the temperature will dip from the highs that we're getting now and rain will come. And even though I love the temperatures, the rain will be welcome. Happy Days! Weather: Cloudy start, with sun coming out late morning. Blue skies and sun in the afternoon, and warm veering to hot, circa 22°. Bliss. Breakfast: Bran sticks, yogurt, banana, sultanas Aston Rowant Snack: Rice Cracker Sandwich with spread, yeast extract and thinly sliced cheese, and tea Lunch: Baguette with Quorn Chicken slices, coleslaw and cucumber Supper: Baked Beans (from freezer), potatoes broiled in a lidded pan with leftover braised cabbage and carrots added and heated through at the end.  2 April 2025 (Wednesday) We were thinking of going to Avebury, though instead a closer less tiring drive took place to Kew Gardens and back. The sun shone and it was warm, though there was a blustery wind all day which meant that a gilet (body warmer) was definitely needed. The cherry blossoms and magnolias were mainly in full bloom, with some looking stunning whilst others just looked thoroughly beautiful. One spectacular pale yellowy cream magnolia really took my interest; called Yellow Lantern it’s one that I would love to have - unusual and eye-catching, though as with many magnolias there was no scent. One rather blousy white magnolia did have the most magnificent scent, making it wonderfully special in its own way.
There were still many daffodils out, though drifts we’d seen a few weeks back were now well over. A few varieties really caught my eye, including one that was virtually white, maybe then palest cream species and another which was white petaled with the palest yellow trumpet. This is the thing at Kew Gardens, they have so many different species and specimens and suddenly you see one or two that really grab you.
Getting back home, after a quick lunch, I finished editing yesterday's filmed segments of A Week at the Plot, and then going on and doing a quick edit of today's footage at Kew Gardens today, though I want to get to the plot and do some work, just watering… though in the end I do much more!
Early to bed, as it’s an early start for me tomorrow as I’m off to Vanessa as I’ve meetings at the Great Green Barn with potential crafters who run workshops, and also some prices to change at For Earth’s Sake which I can only do onsite. Weather: Cool start, then warming up swiftly and sunny much of the day. though quite a chilling blustery wind all day. Breakfast: Bran sticks, yogurt, banana Kew Snack: Rice Cracker Sandwich with spread, yeast extract and thinly sliced cheese, Cream Cracker Sandwich with spread and yeast extract, and tea Lunch: Pitta, homemade coleslaw and thin slices of cheese Supper: Microwave Spinach Omelette, Baked Potato, salad of red onion, radish, cucumber and celery  20 March 2025 (Thursday)
A fabulous day, even early on feeling more like summer than spring, let alone winter! As today was forecast to be the best day of the week, and with other commitments this week and next, we’d decided to get down to Avebury and have a wander… until Richard realised today is the Spring Equinox and therefore Wiltshire, Glastonbury and Avebury would likely be awash with people, which we’re not fans of! So, instead we popped off to Kew Gardens. The sun shone, and it was warm… and of course, that meant there were rather a lot of people - and especially those who seem to want to visit a fabulously peace-filled outside space on a glorious day and chat loudly about everything apart from the place they’re visiting, or those that call someone to speak loudly on their phone, with the speaker on so that all can hear both sides of the conversation… I guess it’s best to not say what I’d do to these people if it was legal! Have I mentioned we’re not fans of places awash with people! After we'd started on a path to our Kew quiet places - where few people go, apart from those who know - the people thinned out and the joy of Kew Gardens lay before us, with its open spaces and tranquil peace (despite the often regularity of planes flying over on the landing path to Heathrow!). The light was that light that shows everything to its best, the fresh spring greens were jumping out, daisies were quietly dancing in the wide stretches of mown grass, and the sky was that bright wholesome blue that lends a backdrop to a spectacular view. It was whilst we were at the southern head of Kew’s lake that I saw the view above, and thought of mum, and smiled. Mum was always a fan of trees, and woods in particular. She’d love to spend time out in nature, with dad, walking wooded walkways at Pleinmont, watching the sea glistening in sunshine or subdued by grey cloud through the needles of the pines trees she sheltered under at Albecq, and walking down the giant avenues of oaks and firs and pines and redwoods that add such grandeur here at Kew Gardens. In her later years, it wasn't possible for her to get out and visit woods, or many trees; the mobility and accessibility just wasn’t there. So, she’d sit in her chair at the window of her room of the care home where she spent her last year and a half, and watch the trees up the driveway blowing in the wind or just grandly standing there. These trees were mentioned during every call we had. “Oh, it's really windy today and the trees are really blowing”, or “Oh, there's hardly any wind, not even a breeze and the trees are as still as soldiers on guard”, or, “It rained before, and the trees are now glistening in the sun”, or very occasionally “oh, it’s so foggy today I can’t even see the trees. I hope they’re OK”. This tiny view of three willowy firs sustained mum's love of trees through till the day she died. A view like this above, of grass and trees and the bright blue sky would just lift mum's heart, just as it did for me standing amidst the daisies on this glorious Spring Equinox. We carried on wandering… eventually sitting down near Queen Charlotte's Cottage, where she used to picnic and have Afternoon Tea. We had our own sustenance of rice crackers with yeast extract and a thin sliver of cheese, and a cup of tea, black with a little honey - the way Richard likes it. After restoring ourselves, we carried on walking, losing time and getting back to Fenella almost three hours after we'd left her - she didn’t mind, and was herself warm and snugly to get back into. In the afternoon, with the warmth continuing, I needed to get to the plot and water the broad beans that are hardening off on an outside bench. They're growing pretty well, so the compost needs to be kept moist; I really don't want them being stressed at any point during their growing period, if I can help it. There’s also a few other things to water, and I notice a little bit more germination in our Portuguese cabbage cross. Happy Days! A Chilli Concoction Supper is a chilli concoction - we’ve leftover veggie Shepherd's pie mix, sans potato. In a saucepan add a rounded tablespoon of miso paste, two rounded teaspoons of cocoa powder (or four small square blocks from a bar of dark chocolate), two rounded teaspoons of ground cumin, a flat teaspoon of ground coriander, a level tablespoon of dried coriander leaf, and half a teaspoon of chipotle paste (use more if you prefer your chilli with more heat) - give this all a good mix. Then add a tin of chilli beans (including the sauce, do not drain) and a drained tin of kidney beans. Slowly bring this to a simmer, stirring regularly - be careful as the mixture is thick and gloopy and could splatter. With a lid on, let simmer on a low heat until all is fully heated through. Serve with rice, or pitta, pasta, poppadoms, tortilla chips, bread or whatever your choice of starch is. A bit of grated cheese always hits the spot. Weather: Very sunny and warm - hitting 19° and likely to just nudge below 10° overnight. Breakfast: Bran sticks, yogurt, prunes and sliced banana Lunch: Butterbean Squish Wraps (butter beans, miso, red onion, celery, mayo, yeast flakes, soy sauce) in Lidl wraps. Supper: Chilli Concoction - remaining mix from Richard’s Vegetarian Shepherd’s Pie with added spices and beans. Had with brown rice cooked in the Instant Pot.  13 March 2025 (Thursday)
Today we’re off to see Vivi - Yay! We’ve not been together for months, so I was really looking forward to today. We were up early, and I needed to pop to the plot to check on the seedlings in the greenhouse and poly to see if they needed water, which the broad beans definitely did! They are looking very healthy, though they would have been in need of water by the end of the day if I had not gone down. Richard’s not fond of driving in the dark, preferring not to, so I drive at night. If one of us drives one way, the other will drive the other, and if we’re on a long drive we’ll swap around halfway, or more regularly if needed. So, this morning it was Richard who had the straw to drive over to Vivi, as it’s likely we’ll be there until after sunset, chatting, laughing, eating, more laughing, more chatting… So in the car we got, aiming to leave within a half-hour period rather than by a particular time. Richard driving… and what a drive it turned out to be! It seemed that the road work managers of the boroughs and areas of Ealing, Chiswick, Hammersmith & Fulham, Chelsea, Battersea and Wandsworth had all got together and decided what roadworks to implement consecutively to create the most disruption to those travelling through West London… not until we were past Battersea did the incessant roadworks let up. It was just one of those days… sometimes on a bank holiday the drive there can take an hour, though on most occasions, like today, the drive was nearer two… hey ho! We had a fab day - catching up, hugs, food, lots of tea, chatter, laughter, trips to the loo (individually, not collectively like the road works managers!). And a delicious lunch of a mildly spiced Chickpea and Cashew Curry with brown rice (cooked, not dried!) - recipe to come! Utterly delicious! We left Vivi’s cottage in the sky after the sun had set, walking down her busy High Street and to our car parked a few minutes away on a side road. And the drive home - much quicker, as it usually is at that time. We hit roadworks on the way back at only one point, thankfully. After a cuppa and a little telly, it was time to get to bed, have a quick read of my book (Martin Walker’s The Dordogne Mysteries - a gift of the first eight or ten books in the series gifted by our neighbour of last Saturday evening) and time for lights off and to sleep… Happy Days! Weather: Cold again, and a little wet. Through the day the sun shone and hid… off and on until it set. Breakfast: Bran sticks, yogurt, sultanas and sliced banana Lunch: Vivi's Chickpea & Cashew Curry with brown rice Supper: Artisan Loaf with stilton and camembert and Richard’s Oat Crackers.  19 February (Wednesday)
One of the staff at For Earth's Sake who regularly does a few days each week, always including Wednesday, is now travelling through India for 3 months or so. This means Vanessa's covering in the shop more than usual; the impact of this is that she and I need to discuss things and get a morning's work done or at least planned before the she needs to go over the road, put out the newly delivered fruit and veg and open the shop, ergo, I'm up early and at my desk, getting on with work work. I'm definitely still feeling under the weather, and even though I was hoping to get down to the plot this afternoon to continue with the soft fruit bed I accidentally started doing yesterday, even early on I'm not sure that it’s actually going to happen. A full morning at my desk, sending out loads of emails, setting about planning socials, and also much other work including pricing, stock checks, blah, blah, blah. We've also decided to up the ante on our socials for both For Earth’s Sake and the Great Green Barn. Of course, Richard’s now more free generally than he was so what we're going to do is plan mini videos for him to film... of Vanessa and the shop and the barn. We can then have these in the can (so to speak) and schedule a couple of regular socials each week for the next month or so. It seems to make sense that we do this and utilise Richard's skills and time. He’ll come down and do a full day with me and then spend two further days editing and getting things ready to go on to socials. We've decided on a day for next week, so we'll see how it goes. In the afternoon, with a very full day's work work already done in the morning, I decide to take some unread library books I have back at the same time as I take some due books back. I'm in a funny time at the moment where I'm reading regularly - a few chapters before bed and on a Sunday. However, it is a fact that many books that I’ve reserved to read have all become available at once, or at least this month. Clearly, in my view at least, it's unfair to hang on to books and just renew them and renew them; if I'm five or six or seven or even eight weeks off of reading a book why hang on to it, or take away a new one that's arrived? I'm sure other people don't feel the same way and will hang on and renew books until the date they cannot renew them further, eventually returning them unread - raised eyebrows! Of course, this is simply selfish and denies others the opportunity to read them in the time they've been hung on to! Now, as the library is in the same area as Lidl, I decide to do a full round and go to the library, then popping into Lidl to do a small but not minor shop on the way back. I don't take Fenella to Lidl. 95% of the time choosing to walk there with my backpack to do the shopping. However, by the time I was walking back with a heavy-ish rucksack and another bag in my hand I was definitely feeling exhausted, and it dawned on me yet again that I need to pace myself and think about balance... and how I'd really overdone that soft fruit bed work at the plot yesterday. The rest of the afternoon I spent catching up on things with Vivi by phone and seeing where she is on her home move. I also made further notes, planning more work work at my desk, getting a few emails off in between times, and further thinking of those FES and GGB socials. Oh, and about twenty minutes ago as I was typing this I got an email from our local library to say that another book I’d reserved had arrived and was ready for collection… Weather: It’s around 6°. The sun’s out quite a bit today, though still it feels cold. Breakfast: Bran sticks, yogurt and a banana Lunch: Leftover Red Cabbage Coleslaw, pitta, hummus and a tinned if soup mixed with some leftover soup from a day or so ago Supper: Linda McCartney Burger (I thought they were the mozzarella ones, though they weren't), Red Cabbage Coleslaw and a slice of Lidl pumpernickel loaf. |
Paul SavidentFollowing on from A Guernsey Gardener in London, I've decided to try and write a regular blog, and we'll see how it AND 2025 go! Archives
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