The overnight change from it being hot enough for me to scamper round the garden in just a pair of shorts to this morning’s grey and damp weather has hit me hard. Despite having taken enough painkillers to make me a bit stupid, and sat for a couple of hours in the heated back-brace, I’m still in a lot of pain and my right leg no worky. So, crawl upstairs, lie flat, and watch recordings of “The Victorian Kitchen Garden” on the bedroom video-projector. Hopefully, thing will improve a bit this afternoon. I *hate* these reminders of just how fragile my normally fairly mild disablement is!
My current mealtime reading is Colin Spencer’s “British Food – an extraordinary thousand years of history”, and I’ve been rather taken by some of the descriptions of mediaeval stuff. Last week, the Guardian published a recipe (https://www.theguardian.com/…/almond-lemon-spiced…) which was influenced by the food of that time, and I clearly had to try it. OK, I used the suggested golden syrup which I had in the cupboard, rather than honey, and omitted the pine nuts (horrid things!), and made half the recipe. Yes, that will easily do 4 portions, and at around 650 calories each it’s clearly not going to be a regular addition to my repertoire, but interesting and well worth doing.
It’s pond sorting out time again! A mass of stray grass roots, over-abundance of Canafian pondweed, and fleshy tangles of water-lily roots have been removed. That upset the resident frog, but he’s now decided that where the edge of the pile of detritus enters the water is a prime hunting place, as the small creatures will follow the dampness away from the drying pile towards the water. I’ve also replaced the nozzle on the water flow: I’m not sure that the bright brass really suits the Green Man plaque, but no doubt it will go green within a few months.
The first rose of the summer, from the Etoile d’Holland in the back garden. A bit ragged round the edges, due to some cold nights recently, and only a half-open bud, but the scent is still powerful. Every year, I delight anew in this rose – it’s far too vigorous for my rose arch really, but the scent is incomparable.
The baby robins seem to have successfully fledged, and the nest is currently empty. I don’t know if the parent birds will return to try for another brood, but I’m making full use of the opportunity to finally get into the shed! Plastic cloches to cover a courgette I’ve planted out, fleece to cover the luffa at night (one of this year’s experiments), the plastic cover for the tomato cage (which needs a bit of repair). Tomatoes have been planted out, two days later than normal as I usually aim to do it on my birthday. Forecast is for about 1C tonight and tomorrow night, with daytime highs of 18C or so, so covering is pretty vital. Tomorrow, I will shuffle things round in the shed to get the lawnmover and strimmer out!
I’ve had a fall alarm from Buddi for nearly three years. I felt I needed one as I live on my own and have osteoporosis – the risk of a fall breaking a serious bone is not to be ignored. My feelings on this got stronger this New Year, when my sister (who is five years younger) had a fall and broke bones, from which she is still suffering the fallout.
Sadly, Buddi informed me earlier this week that they are discontinuing the service. Bugger! I need an alarm that is GPS based and uses a mobile network (so it works out of the house), and on a wristband. I find bulky pendants impossible, both because of sensory issues with them (due to Asperger’s) and because having a lumpy thing with a big red button tends to make people think that one’s faculties are in decline along with physical ones.
All the (rather few) possible replacements are bulkier than Buddi, as they incorporate watches, “fitness” stuff, and suchlike. However, I’ve settled on one from Stride, which I will be getting to grips with over the next few days. Roughly £60 to buy, with about £20 a month subscription (including fall detection). The call centre actually seems better than Buddi, in that it will try to determine the best course of action – and has a note of my key lockbox number, in case I’m at home but incapable, so ambulance or whoever can get in.
The flowers on the Black Pear of Worcester are just about over, but the first few flowers are opening on the Worcester Pearmain apple, which keeps the bees happy.
Having looked at the weather forecast yesterday, I put tigernuts in to soak overnight. Horchata de chufas is a favourite summertime drink, and a couple of glasses on the patio went down well at teatime. I don’t think that lemon-and-cardamon cake is a traditional accompaniment, but it’s what I had to hand …
The sound of the riso is heard in the air, heralding the spring local election season! Although we don’t have elections in Worcester this year, many of our neighbouring Green Party groups do, and we do our best to help out where we can. This is part of a batch of “blue letters” for the eight candidates for a Borough Council over in Gloucestershire.
It’s a little hard to see any difference between the lawn and the “wildflower patch” behind the pond! Not laziness, and not “no mow May”. I’m effectively barred from the shed so can’t get the lawnmower out – a robin is nesting on the shelves there, and when I went in a few days ago to get the stepladder she gave me such a filthy look that I’ve avoided going in ever since!
Still, it’s pleasant to sit on the patio and watch the parents rushing in and out through the shed window. I assume the eggs have hatched, as visits are much more frequent and hurried than they were a few days ago.
