Organising and planning

 Just getting things in line..and on line today!

Two lots of washing, banking in the branch in town and on computer.

Shopping for fresh food..not a lot, just basics...I have plenty of tinned, dried and frozen provisions!

I made a physio appointment for tomorrow..it will be interesting to see how that goes..she is apparently senior....but has she experience of sports people?

In other words people who have an idea of what their body should be doing and not just "that will do". ?!   We will see by lunchtime tomorrow.

I am waiting for my postal vote in the local election to arrive....sometime in the next week...

Then there are plans to make...the garden needs re-organising...not a huge job, but working it out on paper first seems sensible...and daunting!!

Then travel plans....to Kent in November....where in December? And when to go to New Zealand?!!

Squash!

 Halfway through the first big one, of two. 

The stalk had begun to rot, so better use it than lose it. The other is ok so far.

I have one small pumpkin, still looking good. Of the three small butternut squash, one half rotted, so I used the other half in a batch of soup.

Now is the time to plan where they get to grow next year!

Start early

 Gradually I am getting back to rising earlier.  It will be more difficult as the days shorten, and turning the clock back at the end of the month will turn everything upside down..but I am getting there!

Two washes done by the time Pirate came downstairs this morning..but he does have a reason, the two jags together are making his body work hard.  I looked at the forecast before starting...and luckily it was correct and the rain had stopped by the time the clothes were ready to go on the line.

An early start has other advantages, having jobs done before anyone visits means they get done!  We had a friend visit in the afternoon as well, which was good. However that mean that our short leg loosener ride was started just in time and we got home just as the roads were getting busy with commuters. Not a good time to be on the road however you travel.

Now I am planning what jobs can be done tomorrow morning...

Autumn Equinox, time.

 The days feel different now, as the day length reduces.

It is a dissatisfied uneasy feeling as I wake before dawn. Changing the clocks will put everything upside down again! At least for a while..until the last Sunday in October...we will only be 12 hours behind New Zealand, which will make Pirate's phone calls to friends easier! No need to guess if he is too early or late!

The cultivated blackberries are giving us about half a kilo a day, we are eating and freezing plenty..plus the wild ones we forage too.  I need to pick some more elderberries as blackberry and elderberry jelly preserve is planned. Also apples for juice,

and keeping too if we can find the right ones.

Pirate has had a reassuring call from the head doctor in our local practice...but we still need that call from the specialist nurse next week.  He is still Mr Grumpy...but it will pass!!

We are watching the fuel situation carefully. It should calm down in 48 hours..after all you can't hoard fuel like loo rolls! It's worrying though, with some neccessary journeys coming up. 

We can't quite make South Wales without a fuel stop..or rather we possibly could, but that would leave us arriving with the tank lower in fuel than is comfortable, especially in an older vehicle.

Therefore one journey might have to be foregone.

Harvesting and planning

 Brassica cage under construction...not to keep them in, but to keep the cabbage butterflies out!!

I am wondering how to fit more broad beans in next year.....

planning and planting

 All ready for April...hopefully...a growing garden and bricks to build a flue support

Today...as we collected the gift of bricks....sunset

 and moonrise at home after we stacked them...the moon was a more peachy rose colour...

return..and catching up.

We've seen half of my offspring and grandkids, and a third of Pirate's...sadly no grandkids...

We get accused of wanting everybody to fit in with our plans, but those saying that, ignore the fact that we are trying to fit in with all of theirs...Co-ordinating all that lot, especially when they don't give you all the information needed for planning (and complain afterwards) isn't easy!!

Full marks to those who helped .

We collected a heavy duty bike stand from near Grange over Sands..a twenty mile detour..for The OilyOne to use in his role as main mechanic for Pedalpower Cardiff. If you put an e-bike or Nextbike
on an ordinary bike stand the weight just makes it slide down,so this will make their work easier.

Presents of my jam and chutney were given and useful items passed on in various directions.
 In return I've brought back a stainless steel breadbin, small jamjars ( I run out of those as they are good for "end of batch" pots and presents) and some upholstery fabric and curtain lining fabric !

It was sad to not see everyone, but illness, inconvenience and non-communication can't be helped.
We'll just have to see them next year.  Why is it usually us that travels?  Mostly  it is because they are thankfully in work or education, so we are thankful for that.

We gave my brother's blockwork drive its annual weed and clean in return for looking after us and sharing the visiting driving whilst down with him.  Our car still racked up over 1500 miles...
But having a relaxed base where we could muck in and not have to be on "best behaviour" was marvellous!!

He is lucky to live in an area well endowed with artists of all kinds, and I had an afternoon out with him...visiting Yandles woodyard in Martock,with its wood and toolstore,craft materials shop, gallery and cafe. Then John Leach's pottery in Muchelney and Paul Jessop and Marion Lewis at Barrington Pottery..a pity that Barrington Court was itself closed, it being a Winter mid-week visit. We can earmark that for another visit! 
Brother gave Paul an order for plates...they'll fit in nicely with what he already has in the kitchen.

After a long drive home, 14 hours including a couple of traffic jams and some decent stops, we are home.

A day out straight away was vetoed..after a week away there is much washing and catching up to do.
We are running out of days to organise trip details too,although mostis falling into place nicely.

planning

Planning our next visit to NZ..its getting nearer and nearer and my head is in a panic about how we'll afford it.
Pirate reckons that this will be his last visit, being 80 next year.   I say "never say never"...but I can see his point ,it is one heck of a journey. 
Our usual 'digs' wont be available, friends are downsizing...others are not well...lets say we'll be living exceedingly frugally!!

The full preserve jars are stacking up..shelves are being built...not easy on a flimsily built house with limited space. I'd like to get back to more bottling ("canning") next year instead of freezing.
I've bottled and processed one batch of fresh apple juice to see if that works. I'll have to stick with freezing in plastic bottles for now until I'm sure, but I want to get away from plastic and from worrying about power cuts and wasted food.

The next vege beds in the garden are planned and staked out, but Pirate says no work on those until the kiln is ready!   I've designed them so that I can put a mesh polytunnel over them..I know, that's plastic..but with the kids next door I'm not risking glass!!

We've been given some unused surplus engineering bricks and a few breeze blocks.  These are from a garden we cut grass and tidy. The owners will be moving in a year, have already sold, and are tidying the property slowly before handover.    We'll be sad to see them go,they are good friends...and also we work on their garden in exchange for specs...they are opticians!

The bricks and blocks will support the new  kiln flue. I have HTI ( High Temperature Insulation) bricks to build the flue that will go horizontally from the rear of the kiln to outside the shed wall. Then it will be metal flue from there up,which I also have.
After building that it will be down to mending the bricks that were damaged when the kiln fell on its side during the last move, and working out how to prop up the subsiding arch.

All good plans...all feasible..

 I haven't got my head around any of my printing work for months.  Head space is limited!! It is giving me that itchy feeling of should be -

garden inspiration, Pollard Park, Blenheim

Apologies for the layout today, sometimes the tablet computer has a mind of its own....but we did have a good hour wandering around the park. The Potager was especially inspiring, having seen how it has developed in the pastfour years. It has got me thinking how the garden at home will change in May...