Is this summer?

The coreopsis are gleaming gold in the sunshine

This time last year it was wet and miserable.  This year, dare I say, we seem to be having a proper summer - hooray!!  More than two consecutive days of sunshine and warmth constitutes a summer by my books and we're now heading into the second week of this lovely weather.

The grey-leaved stachys have tiny, quite insignificant mauve flowers, but we have noticed that the bees love them!

Lurking in the shadow by the fence are the two surviving sunflowers - we're hoping  they  manage to flower  later on

In between spending time in the garden, pottering, we've done our best to get some work done.  We had to do a shopping trip first thing yesterday morning and we were properly organised yet again - we used the store cupboard list to check against what we should have/needed to buy, we made a list, we took the calculator for a running total.  We are definitely becoming savvy shoppers.  We stuck to our list, but also snapped up a couple of bargains, including four very nice aubergines for just £1.50.  That's a good buy for here.  Today we have sliced and blanched them, and they are in the freezer for stews and ratatouille in the winter.  We also bought 3 whole chickens, and N boned them out.  That produced, we reckon, about 11 or 12 meals for the two of us at a fraction of the price had we bought the meat ready-prepared.  I then boiled the carcasses up and picked the remaining meat off the bones - enough for 2, possibly 3 chicken and leek pies, and sufficient stock to makes four lots of soup. 

I read the gas and electricity meters again yesterday - both are easily accessible and I can see what the usage is each week.  It will be interesting to see what patterns emerge through the seasons.  I keep meaning to check the water meter; it's in the pavement on the main road somewhere but I'm not sure which one is ours.  I may have to do some surreptitious inspecting one evening.

The bucket has become a permanent feature in the kitchen - any washing-up water goes in, as does water used for washing/cooking veg etc.  We put the plug in the bath when we have a shower to collect the water and then fill the bucket up with that, too.  We may not be in a position to recycle all our grey water, but we are doing something to help our plants through this hot, dry spell.  

Since taking the decision to stay put in the flat, we've been thinking of ways we can make the most of the limited space here.  One of the issues for us is the size of the kitchen, and it's layout, and after a bit of deliberation, N hit on the idea of taking the kitchen door off to see if that would open the room up a little.  No time like the present, and within a few minutes the door was off and hidden behind the sofa.  It's amazing what a difference it's made, not having a door between the lounge and the kitchen - we now have a 'open-plan living space'.  Very grand ;)  This has got prospects.

The evening sun catching the trees over our fence

After dinner this evening, we took a bottle of wine and a couple of books and sat in the garden for a hour or so.  It was still very pleasantly warm, and it was nice just quietly reading and chatting.  

Books, wine, chairs and evening sun - simply perfect!

Hot and summery weekend

Wow, has it been hot this weekend!  I certainly don't want to complain about it - bright blue skies, temperatures way up in the 80s.  We've been in the garden most of the time, but today we had to have several breaks from the heat.  That's one of the great things about the flat in the summer - it may be scorching outside but inside it is lovely and cool.  

N is a bit concerned about the level of water in the water butts.  We don't have a water supply in the garden.  We have 5 water butts but only one is actually fed by rainwater off the potting shed roof so we have to pump water from one to another, or physically fill one from another using a bucket.  We are hoping to rig up some  water butts on the side of the house and take advantage of rainwater from the main roof/guttering, but we don't have that facility at the moment.  We now have a bucket in the kitchen for any waste water - it's a bit of a faff lugging a full bucket down the stairs and outside to the garden, but N has put so much effort into the veggies, we need to help them as much as possible.  

We grabbed another bargain from our local greengrocer yesterday.  A bowl of very sweet peppers for just £1 - we got about 4lb in weight for £4 which we thought was a good deal.  We have tried growing our own peppers in previous years and had mixed success.  This year we had difficulty getting plants from the nursery so we decided against growing them at all which made this find especially welcome.

N made some wonderful chicken kebabs with the peppers, and some red onions.  Served with piles of home-grown salad leaves and rocket, they were delicious.

We're having a bit of a clear-out and move-around in the spare bedroom / workroom.  I have to admit that most of the stuff in there is my sewing gear so it's down to me to try to sort it out.  I mentioned before that I started washing all my fat quarters (once and for all, supposedly) and taking advantage of the weather, I washed a big bag of scraps.

The garden had a 'wash-day' look about it, but the fabric dried very quickly and it's now all ironed and neatly stored away.  A job I'd been putting off but it's done now.

We still have some more work to do on the spare bedroom but we're quite excited at how it's coming along.  Pictures to follow later this week.

I'm hoping to be back on track with my to-do list this week having lost my way a little during last week.  It is certainly helpful in keeping me focused on what needs to get done and I have learned to keep it manageable and realistic.

And Andy Murray won Wimbledon!!  A very good weekend :)

The first pea harvest!

Our little pea plants have come good - this morning we harvested our first crop.

This was back in April - little seedlings being nurtured along in the greenhouse.

Once in the garden, they did their thing, climbing up the trellis.

N and I carefully picked these 34 pods -

split open the pods to reveal the peas inside.  108gm in total (yes, we have recorded the weight, and will continue to do so).   These have been frozen but we will be eating some fresh later on.

The whole process - from sowing of the seeds to shelling - has brought us a huge amount of satisfaction.  We may only have a small area in which to grow vegetables, but the pleasure and sense of achievement is worth a great deal. Organic veggies we have grown ourselves.  That's got to be good.

Getting some order back

We made and painted two more trellis sections today and the garden looks quite smart with the new additions.  Hopefully we can keep the ivy and brambles under control in future.

I spent some time this morning sorting out document files and folders on the computer, moving things around and printing some information for my household journal.  It's getting there gradually - not quite so many scrappy bits of paper stuffed into plastic pockets now.  I'm getting some order out of the chaos.

Over morning coffee and cake we mulled over decorating ideas now we are staying put.  There's too much to do in the garden now to start work inside; that will keep until the days get colder later in the year.  But it's fun discussing colours.

N cropped our second cucumber this afternoon; it's a different variety to the first but as the labels got mislaid at planting, I don't know what variety it is.  We must be more careful next year.

I nearly missed the sunset this evening.  I was busy ironing when I noticed a rosy glow on the walls, and when I went to look I was surprised just how far across the sky the setting sun was.  In fact, I had to take this photos balancing on the bath, leaning out of the window!  At the beginning of the year the sun was barely reaching our garden, and now it's half-way down the road.

The forecast is for a lovely few days over the weekend.  We have fingers crossed for fine weather tomorrow as sports day for the little-uns has been cancelled twice and we're running out of days before the end of term!

'Retirees' lunch, and a decision on selling

Yesterday we met up with some ex-colleagues for lunch at their house.  Over the past two and a half years we have all, one by one, left work, and we are all adjusting to life after work.  We had a lovely time with them, and did a lot of catching up, comparing notes,  and admiring their garden (on my next visit I may ask for a cutting from their honeysuckle - it had the most wonderful scent) and very snazzy kitchen - there were some clever storage ideas which we may look into ourselves.  Hopefully we will be reciprocating their hospitality in a couple of weeks' time.

On the way home, we called into the estate agent and asked for the flat to be taken off the market.  This morning, before 9 o'clock, the 'for sale' sign had gone.  For some strange reason it has left us both feeling a little 'down' but we have no idea why.  We both agreed it was the sensible thing to do at this particular time, but I think perhaps we were both looking forward to the challenge of a new property.  However, we have made the decision together that now is just not the right time.  At the weekend I drew up a list of pros and cons for staying here, and the reasons to stay far outweighed the reasons against.  Why I seem to be focusing on the reasons against today, I don't know.  Human nature, perhaps. Anyway, things seem to be getting back into perspective this evening, and by tomorrow I shall be making all sorts of plans for ways we can optimise what we have here.  We did a little bit of measuring up in the spare bedroom earlier, and then got side-tracked with something else.

N felt the need to build today, so a quick trip to the timber-yard provided him with some battening to make some trellis.  We have uneven fencing on one side of the garden, and having cut back the hedging over the weekend, it seemed like a good time to tidy things up a little.  Half an hour measuring, sawing, painting and wielding hammer and nails, and the job was done.

It has certainly smartened that corner of the garden a little.  N has two more trellises to make, probably tomorrow.

The garden is starting to bloom.  The top bed has purple-leaved heucheras, red salvias and golden marigolds, and the clumps of coreopsis have just started producing yellow flowers.  They flower profusely all through the summer, and last year were quite glorious.

The bottom photo shows the grey-leaved stachys (bunnies' ears) which are just starting to produce tiny mauve flowers, with the violet flower spikes of veronica behind.  At the back of this little bed are two lavenders, which are also just starting to flower.  We had rain last night and it seemed to have brought all the plants on really well.

I made a quiche for dinner last night, and we finished it off for lunch today.  I have to say that I have finally 'cracked' pastry-making.  It always used to be tough, or a bit soggy, or too short, but a bit of determination has paid off.  I now know exactly how much cold water to add, to handle it as little as possible, and I leave it to rest for a good hour in the fridge before rolling out.  I blind-bake it for a little longer than I used to, and it seems that all these little tweaks have made the difference.  I am happy to say I can successfully make shortcrust pastry!  One small step in the right direction.  

   

Catching up with old friends, and keeping the finances on track

Well, we've had a busy and productive weekend.  Good weather Saturday had everyone out in the gardens.  Along the back fence and one of the side fences to our little garden are areas of neighbouring gardens that have been 'left' untended.  Both those gardens are very big (in excess of 100' in length), and the bottom 20-30' are  now more wild than cultivated.  The problem for us is that there are now very tall overgrown 'hedges' and trees, supporting rampant growth of ivy, bindweed and bramble which is tumbling over into our patch.  N had a chat with one of our neighbours on Saturday, and he was quite happy for us to give that hedge a good trim, which we have done.  At this time of year, of course, everything is in full growth, especially the plants we don't want so much of!

We had a great time Saturday visiting our friends who have returned from the US.  Even though we haven't seen them for nearly 5 years, it was just like picking up where we left off.  Lots of chatting, reminiscing, drinking and an excellent barbeque.  Perhaps a bit too much drinking on my part ;)  Slightly fragile Sunday morning!  But gosh, it is good to see them all again.

It was beautiful yesterday, and we spent the afternoon in the garden, reading and dozing.  It was very pleasant.

Today I have tried to start the new month (and the second half of the year) as I mean to go on.  To-do lists are really keeping me focused on what needs to get done, and a few things that I want to have a go at.  I find it's better to have a manageable list rather than setting myself too much and then being disappointed if I don't cross much off.  N and I  sat down with a coffee after breakfast to do the meals for this week - that's something which does seem to be helping, and it eases the pressure on N if there's a few ideas planned ahead.  Sometimes we do something different but generally we stick more or less to the plan for the week.  It also means that a couple of times I do the cooking/meal preparation to give N a break and me a chance to get my hand back in the kitchen.

The last few loaves I've baked have all had air pockets on the crust, but the one today looks like a little volcano!

To day I made bread, and tried a recipe for a banana and walnut cake which has baked up very well - really light instead of the very stodgy one I cooked a couple of weeks' ago.  I'll have to try this new recipe again to make sure this time wasn't a fluke, and then I shall add it to my recipe cards.

We went along to the grandchildren's sports day this afternoon, and joined other mums, dads and grandparents cheering the youngsters in a variety of running, relay and 'other' races - glad to see the 'egg-and-spoon' race is still going strong!

I've been trying to spend a little time each day getting paperwork up straight, notes written up and scraps of information put somewhere sensible so that I know exactly where to go if I need to find something specific.  I'm getting there gradually.  Being organised makes such sense, and I get annoyed with myself if I allow things to slip.  We are seeing the benefits of proper organisation - meal plans I have already mentioned; to-do lists hopefully ensure things don't get missed or forgotten; paperwork filed correctly can be located immediately it's needed.  

Having cash for the month in the housekeeping purse has been another really valuable tool for us.  Recording our expenditure has become second-nature for us, and it has been very useful exercise to see where the money goes on a monthly basis.  We have been under our allotted budget every month so far simply by being sensible with our spending.

We often wonder why it is that some people max themselves out with money, spending almost every penny that they earn.  What does it take to change that particular mindset?  I have never liked being in debt.  I baulked against credit cards that were offered to me, never used an overdraft and when I have needed to take out a loan I made sure it was repaid as a priority - as a single-parent at the time I was very conscious that it was all down to me if things went wrong so I did everything I could to ensure that didn't happen.  I was extremely fortunate that I bought and sold property at just the right time (bought when the prices were low and then sold several years later at the height of the market, and then bought a cheaper house than the one I'd just sold) so I was able to be mortgage-free, and that was a wonderful feeling.   A few years later and N and I nearly took on another mortgage to buy a bigger house, but realised just in time that that would have shackled us with debt and the obligation to repay it for many years to come.  It made more sense to us to stay where we were, in a small property that was bought and paid for, and that is a decision we have not regretted.  It has allowed us both to leave work earlier than many people are able to do.  We have both always lived within our means, have been careful with our spending and saving and continue to do so.  It is because we have been prudent with our money that we are in the position we are in.  We do not have a luxury lifestyle by any means, we shop wisely and appreciate the value of money.  We have worked hard for our pennies and now expect them to work hard for us!

Oh, and I found a pound coin on the ground today!  

We grow flowers too

Although we have 3 raised beds and several other areas dedicated to vegetables, we also have shrubs, perennials and bedding plants to add a splash of colour to the garden.  I took some photos today, and the garden is looking good.

I'm hopeful that in a couple of weeks' time, there will be a lot more colour in the garden!

The non-veggie plants tend to be my responsibility.  I have grown some of the perennials from seed (veronica, echinacea, aquilegia and coreopsis), some have grown from cuttings I have successfully taken (the lavenders and the stachys).  Last year I managed to split, divide and replant the heuchera and coreopsis, although several coreopsis clumps rotted during the winter - it was very wet here. N sowed some antirrhinum seeds and every one germinated!  They are now planted out around the garden along with other bedding plants - geranium, verbena, marigold and salvia.  We also have a few alpines growing in a rockery area, but not all survived the wet winter.

I went round the garden today with pen and paper, trying to find the original plant labels, so that I could keep a record of what we had planted.  I try to learn the Latin name - species and variety - as well as the popular name.  Some of the labels had become embedded in the plant, some had worn off, and some were missing altogether, so I shall have to rely on my plant books.  I also want to try some more propagation.  Taking cutting and getting them to root successfully is so rewarding, and a great way to renew the beds.  

BTW, N planted 4 sunflower seeds along the side fence last week.  We noticed all 4 had germinated yesterday; by today the slugs had been feasting :(

It rained last night and on and off through today, so unfortunately the grandkids' sports day was cancelled until next week, but I think the plants probably benefitted from the watering.

This morning, we drew up a 'pros and cons' list for the flat.  One side is considerably longer than the other.