First an update on Mike. He's more or less back to being himself, apart from feeling rather tired, but that could be the medication. We are to expect a call from the QE from Monday, if and when there is a bed available. He's enjoying his frequent visitors, as he's unable to drive at the moment (and I don't). Yesterday he had a trip into Sutton with our youngest son, and our ex-neighbours, who now live in Spain, called on us.
Mike spends a lot of time sitting in the conservatory, with a view of our rather over-planted but quite pretty garden. This mad weather has certainly made everything grow well, particulary a clump of campanula lactiflora, which is reaching ever skywards. I had considered giving it the 'Chelsea Chop' a few weeks ago, but I usually find that if I cut back the spent stems anyway, I still get another flush of flowers. The lovely 'Francis E Lester' rose is in full bloom, and smells wonderful. I cut a few stems to go with my sweetpeas from the plot, and their combined perfume is delicious.
The greenhouse is now home to only the tomatoes, peppers, chillies, cucumbers and aubergines, and all the remaining vegetable plants have been planted out on the plot. I left a few unwanted ones on the grass verge at the front of the house, with a 'Help yourself' note, and it wasn't long before they had all disappeared, so I hope they've found good homes. I also do this with unwanted clumps of perennials, when I'm thinning them out, and within an hour or so they've disappeared too.
Yesterday I spent some time, in the pouring rain, tackling some particularly weedy areas of my plot, and removing the few rather sad onions, to replace them with some good, strong, cabbage plants. Then, as I was already soaking wet and covered in mud, I set up a rather ugly looking lean-to addition to my brassica cage, before retreating home. The pigeons were already sitting around, waiting for me to go. They will not have my cabbages! I clapped my hands and shouted at them as I made my way up the path. Waste of time! They just sat there. I'm afraid the plot is way down my list of priorities at the moment, hence the weeds. I won't be winning any prizes this year. Whenever I've been down there I've spent what time I could, harvesting the produce. The broad beans are now in the freezer (I've a few later sown plants yet to produce beans), as are all the red and black currants. Harvesting the currants was a long job, followed by an equally long session preparing them for the freezer. I'm now trying to use up as many frozen veg and fruit items remaining from last year, to make space. It will be courgette soup from the freezer today, having spotted all this year's baby courgettes already well on their way to being a glut. If I continue to 'test' the Alderman climbing peas, I'm afraid there won't be enough to freeze. Although the pods look good and plump, the peas are still very tiny, but very sweet. Yesterday I brought home a few 'Lady Crystl' potatoes - not quite as large as the 'Vales Emerald' that we've been enjoying. We'll try them out with tonight's meal, along with another 'Duchy' cabbage.
Looks like it might be a decent day for some further weeding, and meeting up with my fellow plotters. Haven't seen John for ages - he's not been too well either. Maybe I need some up-to-date photos for my blog too.
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