September arrives

 It's a busy month, end of school holidays, so daughter came on bank holiday Monday with her 3, we had a simple BBQ which we ate inside as it was blustry, it was cooler after heavy rain in the night, the fake grass was dry, so the little ones could play. George has a new balance bike, he was unsure for the shortest time, he loves it.

I stitched George's swimming badge in his robe and did a small repair on Will's favourite T shirt. The badge needs to be very secure,  George will pick at any loose bits.

It was hubby's birthday this week, he's 77, we had a quiet day, the children came for birthday cake, this year a lemon drizzle one, again the children asked him to make one instead of purchasing one, he was happy to do, I did offer to bake one for him, a selection of cards including the 'joke' one.

After a chance meeting, she returns to her past, to make sense of the death of her boyfriend in a fire at a research centre, what she remembers is not the same as others, now she is trying to save her family.  Book 65 read this year

A sequel to the above book, it's a couple years later, she is asked to go to USA, a deadly virus is loose in LA, she can help, her family are in different locations and in danger. The plot was a bit farce, interesting enough. Book 66 read this year.

Daughter was here with children Monday and Tuesday, we both love the laughter they bring, both days they played outside, all three used the new balance bike, Molly and George are the same height, daughter is again often asked if they are twins. Monday was quiet later, sat reading, Tuesday they were home by lunchtime, with other commitments. Later a neighbour popped in for coffee and a chat and 8 lovely fresh eggs from her chickens, I sat reading for the rest of the time, my tummy issues are back, I have spoken to the doctor, I think I have more test coming, I'm feeling uncomfortable whilst taking tablets every day, it's good to know my doctor is keen to find out why.  

Wednesday was a day at home, Will went back to school, Molly and George go back on Thursday, we don't have my car, daughter is using it, her car is back in the garage for a couple of days. Later we packed our holiday bags for a short break together, staying in UK.

Today we have a 3 hour drive to hubbys sister, we are spending the night with her and driving to our home gor the following 5 days.

August round up

This month has been different for my crafting stash, I have given Molly a pile of A4 card, I have purchased nothing, hopefully Molly will want more. I have avoided any garden centres again this month, I read most garden centres were having a terrible year, visiting numbers were way down. I did get two blue lavenders from our market and a few small bulbs and bean and pea seeds from B&M.

12 Books read this month.

We required nothing big for the house or garden this month, most of our time was spend with the children, so we spent more on meals out, my holiday was saved for, hubby had a quiet time at home. I did get two pairs of sandals in the Clarks sale, I do love their style of shoes and find the fit perfect for my feet and a new watch, I do like to wear a watch, I can't wear the modern technology items, in the past every 'fitbit' I have worn has always stopped working, but will work when hubby wears them. 

We had our first meal of runner beans, we are eating tomatoes and cucumber, I dug up another bag of potatoes, and we pick raspberries most days, the raspberries and runner beans taste so good. No food waste, my garden composters are both doing a good job, our council bins are rarely full these days, our little food bin which is emptied every week has hardly anything in it, just bits I don't put into our composter. 

As for my weight, I am who I am.

Peanuts

I used a Westlands compost for my peanuts to grow in, it's obvious there were other seeds in the compost, these plants are very invasive, so I thought I would harvest one bag.

I was not expecting to find anything, I had done nothing other than water the bags, which sat in the greenhouse through the hot summer.

Not quite a sucess,

 the nuts are small and just a few.

I hulled one, it did not have the dark skin.

Friday was a sunny dry blustery day, no rain, we woke up on Saturday to steady rain, it had rained overnight, I don't think it stopped all day, just what the ground and garden needed. We had more rain on Saturday than from mid June to this week, with plenty of wet days to come.

I knew it was too early to harvest as the peanut plant was still green, the nut inside did not have its brown skin, I have left them to dry out in the garage, as per the instructions I found on the net. The second bag I will leave for a couple more weeks, I have cutback all the unwanted growth of the invasive plant, not wanting the heads to go to seed. The spent compost is going in our waste bin, not on my garden, I don't want to spend next summer pulling out invasive plants.

I also put my cranberry plant in the greenhouse at the begging of summer, and for the first year I have loads of new growth, in the past couple of years it was just surviving, I am going to add to the compost and try harder next year.

I have always loved growing from seeds and pips, loving the challenge, I still have a pomegranate plant in a pot, I've never had flowers or fruit, I love the plant. I will sow peanuts again next year, I can't eat them, but I would like hubby to try them.

Are you experimenting with new seeds and plants?

Quiet days

We are all so very pleased George got his first level swimming badge recently, when he started lessons he hated the pool, most of his time was spent clinging to his instructor, she had previously taught disabled children to swim so knew what to expect. He now loves the water, I will sew his badge on his robe.

 These two small books are the second and third in the Magpie series, with just over a 100 pages each, they are a quick read, I normally shy away from short stories, they complete the tale. Books 63 and 64 read this year.

I popped to B&M for a few bits, saw their seeds were 3 for price of two, these at £3.49 per packet, cost me £6.98, with good dates and ready for next season, I've used this brand before.

I am getting small harvest a couple times a week, the berries hubby and I enjoy, eating them just after picking, its far from a great year, I grow things for enjoyment, I do feel for farmers who grow for a living, this drought summer is unforgettable. 

The watch on the left I have owned for about 20 years, I've worn it almost every day, its started to run slow and the glass is scratched. I took it to a well known jeweller in town for a service and new glass, the quote was high. The watch on the right is new and £50 cheaper (sale price) than having my existing watch brought back to a wearable condition. When did our world get this crazy.

 

It's been a quiet week, not seen much of daughter and little ones, they are all tired, so they have been at home for days, we stayed away so they could relax together. I did sit with Molly and George whilst daughter took Will to see a film, they both played quietly, still loads of laughter.

We woke up on Thursday to rain, not very much just enough to wet the ground, no puddles, not enough to show in my rain measure, which is a shame as our soil is still very dry, the weather front moved north of our location.

Like almost everyone I was sad to hear the passing of Dolly Parton, I have never been a fan of country music, Dolly crossed over into her own style, the world will be a sadder place without people like her, who instead of living the high life on show to the world, she remembered her roots and took action to help so many people.