Grocery Store Wars

I saw this over on Mark Eccleston Blog and thought it was, so hilarious I had to share it with you. It lasts about 5 minutes so make your self comfortable and enjoy!

Harvest!

I do love the skies in the evenings at this time of year always such lovely colours



In our house we know when its starting to get cold, Tango tells us, he comes in in the morning and moans and groans then my soft husband a few years back made a bed for him on the work surface behind the kettle but above the freezers where its lovely and warm, he likes it even more if I've used the electric kettle. As the bed hasn't been set up for him yet he made himslef comfortable behind the kettle but sat on the trivit!!!!!





he is such a lovely chap!

Last day in the garden for me until after the op. So the gunnera is now cut back and covered with bark chippings, cannas dug up, some bananas wrapped others not.
Topped up on the bark chippings and look what I dug up, well actually tipped out as these had been grown in pots.



Jerusalem Artichokes, and there is alot there. Do you remember I bought some in a veg shop and they where passed there dates, they cost 50p well this is the result I've never eaten them before so will let you know.
The other bit of harvesting where Chinese Artichokes and a butternut squash, well actually my only butternut squash!



Not nearly as many as I thought I would have, I suspect where they grew was not warm enough for them. As for the butternut, well this is my second year at growing them and last year I got just one as well, we adore Butternuts but I'm not sure our season is long enough for them, I will have to think about whether to try again.

Temps Around the Garden!

I nearly had heart failure when I threw back the curtains this morning. The shed and the flat roof was covered in frost and I hadn't switched the heaters on in the Greenhouse!!!!!!!!!



Then I remembered, I'd purchased these nifty little fan heaters that have a frost thermostate on them, and you just leave them on and they switch themselves on and off according to the temps! No more rushing around in the dead of night becuase the 10.30pm weather forecast says FROST!!!!!

I don't know if anyone else has thermometers around the garden, I do. I'm always fascinated how temps vary so much in different parts of the garden. This as you can see is my oldest and really needs to be replaced



the maximum is 'maxed' out but the minimum still works and as you can see went down to about 3C last night, this is on the patio in shade about 5ft off the ground.
The next one is down by the pond, also in shade on the side of the post with the light on it, about 5ft off the ground too



so here the garden is wider and to a certain extent more exposed so you would expect the temp to be lower, which it is. Only made it up to 11C yesterday, the wind was bitter though.

Then inside the big greenhouse with the fan doing its job we have





5C. Perfect, good little heater!

Then the small greenhouse






another good little heater.

The most exciting thing this morning when I was checking the greenhouses was this



my variagated Brug has flowered.

Then out and about in the garden the gunnera is about ready to be covered


my banana plantation on the patio


my baby banana at the bottom of the garden


After discussion on the Hardy Tropicals forum I have been informed that I don't need to straw wrap my bananas, which hubby will be relieved about, it saves him lugging bales of straw through the house, with me wittering on about the mess he's making!! lol!!! So this year we will be wrapping in fleece!! Fingers crossed. I have also decided that the gunnera instead of being cover with straw etc I am going to use the spent bark from the chicken run. At least I won't be chasing bits od starw around the garden all winter, just hope I have a garden left in the spring!

Whats Been Going On?

In all honesty I have the faintest idea! As you know I've had both K and T home from Uni and college on reading week and half term! We have been ever so busy,and I've had such a blast, but looking back, I can't really remember what was done.
So cranking up the brain cells ..............................
remember I was suffering with really bad condensation in the greenhouse well a friend on a forum suggested I had fitted the bubble wrap with the wrong attachments, so it sat close to the glass, I bought the longer attachments from good old Ebay (came the next day) and K helped me get all the bubblewrap out, dry it and rehung it with new clips.................................. it worked, yeeha no more condensation!!!

We did all the girls Christmas shopping and the family presents are all wrapped and ready to go.

K bought 6 yes SIX pairs of jeans ???????????????????????????? Don't ask???

We found T a new driving instructor as she really wasn't happy with the one she had, she loves the new one. She also got an invite to her mentor's (from Abbeyfield School) leaving do, now if it wasn't for this lady T would not have achieved what she achieved at school and probably would not be where she is today, so bless her she went round all the tutors whose lessons she would be missing and asked if she could go, they where all very happy for her to go and she got the bus???!!!!??? Yes that's right 'THE BUS' all the way to the school from the college! In fact B (mentor) and T have become such good friends that they meet up in the holidays. B is currently doing a PhD or is it Masters(?) in Children's Literature and has been offered a lecturing post at a Uni! Do you see where this is going........ mmmmmmmmmmmm English, Reading, Uni Degree, Masters, PhD then Lecturing yep I can too!

The girls are both back at college and Uni now so some assemblence of order will return which I hope includes regular blogging :o) with pictures!!

Now the floodlights, well the planning committee passed them, but on a temporary basis, 6 months, which we are happy with as it gives us all a chance to see just how bad they are in winter! Ironically the owner said they needed the lights as horses get spooked when they run into shadow! So please explain to me why, since then they have only had 2 or 4 lights lit each evening instead of all 6 and no one in the arena???? I'll tell you why, because they are using them to light the yard!!! I am logging this and most evenings will take a trip past to see whats in the arena and so far nothing. No one listens, they actually stated in one of their first supporting letters to the council that they used them to light the yard for 'unloading and loading of horses'! we said they did not have the correct lights for lighting the yard all along. When they where asked the question about yard lighting they said they had 'ancillary lighting'??????? To be continued.....

So what else, well I have my date for the operation and its Friday. I am trying to get all the big heavy work done and then next week and the following weeks whilst recovering I can get on and finish all my crafty Christmas presents!

I make no apology for the countdown to Christmas, as you will remember I did something similar last year. I LOVE CHRISTMAS! It also helps cheer me up. But I promise I won't decorate my blog till the 1st December. Well maybe a little here and there!!!!!!