| 1 |
Just what did I do today? I went to the gym and cooked a meal, but
seem to have "lost" the rest of the day.
|
| 2 |
Essex 100 recce today, so with the first part of the route defined, I can
get on with the roadbook. Fancying something different to make, I
started a knitted bag.
|
| 3 |
Ron has finished the path in the net tunnel, so I went in to weed
today. Sadly, it was just too wet to get the roots out, so I just had
to weed my raised beds, then revert to general garden tidying and leaf
collecting. Meanwhile, it's onwards with the tulips, now standing at
40.
|
| 4 |
I pleased with my progress on the Essex 100 roadbook.
|
| 5 |
I've completed my bag, except for the lining.
|
| 6 |
We've been out doing more Essex 100 recce for regularity 3. My tulip
count now up to 66 and I've completed 11 pages of the Essex 100 roadbook.
I can't do any more now until Crow advises further.
|
| 7 |
Car servicing day, so I got retail therapy at the Freeport Designer Village
while I waited. I also popped into Wyevale and bought my seed potatoes
and onion sets, another two rhubarb crowns and three garlic bulbs.
I've also finished my bag. It's now lined with internal pockets and is
ready for use!
|
| 8 |
I've laid my potatoes out for chitting in the spare room and well ahead of
myself, I've made two Mothers Day cards.
|
| 9 |
We've been to the newly refurbished and reopened (last November) London Transport Museum.
Our reason was to see Rebecca performing on a video display, which was very
amusing. We met the two girls there with their boyfriends and went for
a good Indian meal afterwards.
|
| 10 |
I've planted another 2 rhubarb crowns in pots placed on the outer paving rim
of the fruit cage. Ever wary of rabbits, I've surrounded them with one
of my homemade chicken wire protectors. Then outdoor housework in the form
of starting to clean my very dirty potting shed. I haven't been in
there much recently as the door swelled up in the rainy spell and I couldn't
get in! My first job was to dispose of a dead mouse which greeted me
as I walked in.
Indoors, I made a SIXTY card for an old (as in "previous", of
course) work colleague.
Harvest: cabbage, 5 dried red chillies.
|
| 11 |
3 litres of Carrot & Jerusalem Artichoke soup on the brew, with two
litres frozen. Very Tasty! Final JA's blanched & frozen.
As we've been having dry sunny days Crow tried
digging in the net tunnel for me but it was still far too wet. Valentine's
card made for some lucky guy.......
Harvest: oriental salad leaves, mustard salad leaves, celeriac.
|
| 12 |
Finished cleaning the potting shed. and finished knitting another bag - just needs lining.
|
| 13 |
Made a start on the Longfield Triangle
boards, so their weather-worthiness can be tested. Baked Banana, Honey & Apricot
Teabread and made another birthday card.
Georgeous day at 15C+ but probably the end of a week's worth of Spring
days. |
| 14 |
Why is the weather forecast
always right when they say it's going to get colder? Dull, overcast
and much colder today. We went out to recce possible venues for this
year's Cloverleaf Rally, as the route has to be submitted next month.
Do we need a Portaloo for the Essex 100? Depends on cost, I guess.
Put my clean potting shed into use. First I cleared out two planters
in there then sowed
four pots - two of salad, one of beetroot and one of radish. |
| 15 |
Out came the sewing machine to line another two bags. Ron
visited to unblock our drain & lay more paving slabs around the net
tunnel perimeter. One more day and he should be finished, I think. |
| 16 |
HRCR Annual Dinner Dance this evening so we travelled up to Harbury where Crow picked up his award at the "do".
A lovely crystal stemmed bowl for 1st
navigator 2007 Class 2. Extremely cold night ahead, it was already
minus 1C when we set out at 18:15. |
| 17 |
Homeward bound at 09:45 and minus 3C! Good journey back though,
despite the M1 roadworks. It's cold, but still & sunny, so a bit
of outdoor wandering was in order to a) check out hiding points for
Longfield Triangle clues, b) make repairs to my fruit cage netting, c)
harvest spinach and d) tend the chickens. |
| 18 |
I started to crochet an unusual waistcoat yesterday, from a US
pattern. I'm coming unstuck this evening as the instructions don't
seem to make sense and I'm not exactly a novice - only been doing this for
40 years........ |
| 19 |
Well, I'm ok with the pattern now but I'm making it in a chunky wool and I
don't think it's going to drape nicely. Might be about to start over
in double knitting :-( |
| 20 |
Sadly, we found a dead magpie in our garden. What beautiful gloss
black and pure white feathers they have. No sign of injury, just
seemed to have dropped out of the sky.
Spent this evening a the theatre - The Late Edwina Black at the Colchester
Mercury - preceded by a meal with friends. A reasonably enjoyable
show - a sort of Agatha Christie type mystery. |
| 21 |
Been inspecting the fruit trees and removing the old insect protectors.
The Longfield triangle boards are all painted. Crow gave the lawns
their first mowing of the year but he's in the doghouse after breaking a
pane of glass in the greenhouse - he didn't rake the gravel off the back
lawn and a flying stone did the deed. He's mortified!
My apples stored in the stable really need using up as it's not been cold
enough to store them very well, so lots of Apple & Strawberry dessert,
some to eat now, some frozen. |
| 22 |
 Heard
a woodpecker today and he came to feed later at the bird table.
Just a juvenile great spotted woodpecker, small enough to hang onto the
fat ball holder.
Have a look at my woodpecker
page.
|
| 23 |
We measured the Essex 100 regularity 1 this morning and visited Marks
Hall, our planned mid-morning halt, to check out that the Farmer's Market
did not disable it as a choice.
More apple dessert making, this time Apple, date, cranberry & mulled wine dessert. |
| 24 |
Crow went out to do a Cloverleaf recce today, while I stayed at home and
(amongst other things) updated the Essex 100 roadbook. Rallies could
take over our lives!
Harvest: leeks |
| 25 |
Ron has nearly finished laying the paving slabs around the outer perimeter
of the tunnel. Figured out where I went wrong on the waistcoat,
partially pulled it out and resumed. |
| 26 |
Made a cat birthday card for Christine Crowther the 1st. |
| 27 |
That's all for this month as we now have very sad family business to
attend to. |