MIscellany

 

Robot Mower update

My parents have crows nesting nearby and they chase the pigeons in their garden.  Turns out, however, that the crows find the robot mower somewhat disconcerting.  The mower now has an honour guard when it is mowing - pigeons either side keeping close.

Finding a hotel in London

What I had missed during my search (in a previous post) is that whilst we are going to  an open air concert on the Sunday in Hyde Park, London Pride takes place on the Saturday with the parade starting at Hyde Park.  That explains a lot re both availability and price.  Should be quite a weekend!

Winter Heating and hot water

Yes, we have only just had a heatwave and I am thinking winter.   In mitigation the reduction in temperature, post heatwave, seems to have knocked more than just me.  I had only just put my sweaters away and now I am searching a couple out again.

The chimney sweep has been and all is, apparently, well though the living room was smelling rather sooty following his visit.

The kindling bins are full (though they are prone to emptying quite quickly and any bark and offcuts from log splitting do need storing somewhere so that needs 

to be given a little thought), the coal bunker is a good 2/3rd full which is fine, the wood store behind the garage is full but the stacks at the bottom of the garden are looking somewhat depleted so at some point we will be log splitting again.  There is plenty to go at, under a tarpaulin or two in the MiL’s garden, it’s just finding the time to do it.  August bank holiday or Christmas are looking obvious contenders.  That’ll be fun!  All in all though, at the start of summer, we are pretty much ready to be going into winter.  My inner prepper is happy with that.

Playing in kitchen with the start of garden produce

Having seemingly not really been around much the last few weekends, to do anything beyond watering and the odd bit of weeding, I have dehydrated some peppermint (for winter tisanes), some dill, some basil and a lot of lemon balm.  Theoretically the latter is for winter tisanes but somehow I don’t usually get round to drinking it.  A few leaves steeped in iced water in summer, yes, tisanes not so much .  It may, therefore, turn out to be a complete waste of time and energy but it needed cutting back, there was loads of it so for the sake of one jar I went with the idea rather than just put it straight in the garden bin.  That is where the flowered and turning chives went.  I have already dried quite enough of that to keep us going.

Strawberries and fat pigeons

It is not going to be a bumper strawberry year though, so far, there are plenty for a portion a piece each day.  The wildlife appears to be getting more, particularly the two very fat pigeons I startled out of the bed earlier.  Hopefully we will get enough for the odd summer pudding, some ice cream going forward and to dehydrate some strawberry slices to go on porridge.  We have more than enough strawberry jam to see us through from my clearing the freezer from last year’s bounty so I am in no hurry to be making that.

Excess soft fruit

I suspect though that some onward preserving from the freezer will follow over the weekend as I have soft fruit coming on fast and very little freezer room for it.  That said even my inner prepper is struggling to work out where we are putting any more jars.  S keeps suggesting behind the kick boards in the utility room but that is just asking for them to be forgotten about and food is supposed to be eaten.  That is all the more so when effort, energy and other ingredients (ie cost) are involved.  This may be the year that I take to fly tipping soft fruit on the neighbours doorsteps - excess food, other people’s stomachs and all that.  It’s just that sometimes I wonder if people are avoiding me during glut seasons!

Robins, Great Tits and a good year for roses and peonies

The Robins have another clutch.  That box topiary is never getting trimmed!  The Great Tits have flown the pizza oven/smoker which makes for a quieter eating experience outside.  If only it were warm enough!

The peonies are looking wonderful in the fields but in my garden they are coming to an end.  The roses, however, are looking wonderful.  I invited a few in as above.

People who can bake

I seldom bake and when I do it is not very adventurous.  Once a year, however, one of my colleagues goes all out and bakes everyone some cupcakes.  My share of this largesse is pictured below.  She also gifts everyone a sunflower which made it back from the office and has been planted in the garden.

Clarkson’s Farm Season 5

Just started binge watching this on Amazon Prime.  Enough said really!

I live in a prime agricultural land area.  A very long way from where Jeremy is but the same issues arise for our local famers.  Plus, as a County, we seem to be under siege from new housing estates, wind and solar farms.  There is also talk of a new reservoir, not too far away.  Overall, I come down pro the reservoir.  We need more reservoirs in this country.  None have been constructed for decades.  Whilst I don’t really want to see anything taking out grade A growing land, and I do feel for those who will lose land and homes, more water is needed and a balance has to be reached.  Apart from anything else (like the primary issue of hydration) we need more water for food security which, in itself, seems to be falling behind right now (except for the gooseberry/blackcurrant/whitecurrant/blackberry deluge chez moi, obviously!).