A Day Off

Husband took yesterday, Friday, off. He timed it well, it must have been the hottest day of the year so far, with temperatures reaching a balmy 27°. Scorchio for the UK! We were due to take the kids to Alton Towers (Autumn Towers according to the 5yo) but the Tesco vouchers didn't reach us in time, so we stayed home instead. Actually I was pleasantly relieved: The hottest day of the year + millions of families queuing for sickening rides + traffic + rubbish burger/pizza and chips vs roiling fields + breeze + rides in Dizzy Disco + golf + the blow up swimming pool.....really!? No competition...

Husband's a workaholic so he set to, cutting down the wilderness. We pulled three conifers over; him with the chain saw, me pulling the tree with Dizzy. Not strictly H&S but needs must.

Hawthorn is evil. I've decided. My arms and legs are bleeding from the huge thorns. The spikes penetrating the thickest jeans and sturdiest gloves. I'm enjoying the pain-free exercise of blogging.....

[.....Oh God! He's come to find me again....to get back to work...it's Saturday, day 2 of pain.... Will blog more later]

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I'm back. Exhausted. Having borrowed a friend's trailer we have been able to deposit our cuttings on the bonfire. The bonfire that is now easily 20ft tall. Worrying really as this is our star attraction for Bonfire Night 2010.....How big will it be in November? Call the fire brigade now please.

We're out to dinner this evening at friend's house, she's a food writer, Antoinette Savill. Really looking forward to it. Will report back on the deliciousness in a future blog.

Off to check on the chilled Prosecco...night, night.

Gardening with chickens......(is quite annoying!)

In the 'master-plan,' the gardens were to be au natural: A little bit wild, they would comprise specimen plants, pretty weeds as well as fruit and vegetables. In this idyllic setting, insects and creatures would thrive, chickens would scritch and scratch, helpfully eating all the slugs and snails.

Clearly some of us 'round here are pulling our weight, (hubby and I actually.) The chickens, however, haven't read the pamphlet on; biodiversity and mutually beneficial partnerships! I put the seedlings in, they dig'em up!

It's driving me potty. They're going the right way about getting smacked botties and being reintroduced to incarceration....I'm drawing up plans for a chicken run, as-we-speak/read/type!

I love the chooks roaming the garden, but think I may have to introduce a curfew of 'roaming in the gloaming' during early spring each year, just until the veg and flower seedlings are firmly established.

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On a completely different subject, I've finished reading Salley Vickers' Miss Garnet's Angel. (j.i.t. really, because it's book club on Wednesday!) It's a lovely lilting read, with several stories interwoven through one another. I really enjoyed the writing and it's pace reminded me of The Shipping News, which is one of my all time favourites. However, it did end a little abruptly for me. But still, overall I give it an 8/10 mainly because Miss Garnet is such a wonderful character.

Gardening (in pictures)

Once upon a time, a family of four moved into Sleeping Beauty's Palace. In order to live there, they had to fight fierce bambles and evil stinging nettles. Every.Single.Day.

The Gate to the main garden proved difficult to find.....



The tiny walled garden was slowly reclaimed from the wild grass tribes.....




And the family lived happily (with the help of a Radox bath or two) ever after....with lots of fruit and veg hopefully....