A later start than anticipated meant that a change of plan was required, I set about car cleaning, so please meet Mr Clean & Mr Cleaner! 4.5 hours in total spent cleaning 2 cars, they hadn't been done properly since before Christmas, so it was looong overdue. Both looking shiny now, so hopefully they will be easier to keep looking better now I've invested a bit of tlc & time on them.
Sadly the late start (although I was awake & ready to go at 08:00, but put head back on pillow until phone rang at 11:00!?) meant that I haven't done anything of any note in the garden, so the list is now 25 items long with nothing crossed off it today. This probably means a few little chorettes will have to be undertaken in the evenings this week to catch up, luckily the daylight is getting longer by the day as we move into summer.
The first cut of forced rhubarb was had tonight, I roasted the stalks with brown sugar & a vanilla pod. The resulting fantastic perfumed syrupy dessert was amazing......
I've had an idea for more raised beds as I think I may have a desire to grow more than my existing beds will allow, so a couple of 2.4 x 1.2 metre oaks beds are being planned with a view to making them dedicated strawberry beds, thus freeing up 1/3rd of each of the existing raised beds for more beans and maybe some asparagus. This also probably means that I will go ahead with the gravel pathways idea between the raised beds.
..... and the To Do list grows ever longer.
I have finally ordered my log cabin summerhouse, after much deliberating, consideration & searching I went back to the first one I saw! It fits the bill perfectly.
A couple of ridge tile repairs have been long overdue at Rice Towers, so when my next door neighbour had their gutters emptied & cleaned I enquired to the roofer whether he could undertake a couple of small jobs for me. He could he said & so I gainfully employed his services, whilst chatting to him it transpires he does chimney repairs & re-pointing & that he did his apprenticeship as a bricklayer - I've been looking for a decent brickie for ages to re-do the top course of bricks on a low wall with black engineering bricks, but couldn't find one that would commit to such a small job or do it for what I think is a reasonable amount. As it turned out Michael was free for a couple of days later in the week & could do it quickly & for a very competitive price. He has now done work for me & both my neighbours over the last couple of days, I would recommend him to anyone.
So the first words to come out of my mouth weren't "What the f... is that!?" on seeing it this time.
A later start than anticipated meant that a change of plan was required, I set about car cleaning, so please meet Mr Clean & Mr Cleaner! 4.5 hours in total spent cleaning 2 cars, they hadn't been done properly since before Christmas, so it was looong overdue. Both looking shiny now, so hopefully they will be easier to keep looking better now I've invested a bit of tlc & time on them.
The first cut of forced rhubarb was had tonight, I roasted the stalks with brown sugar & a vanilla pod. The resulting fantastic perfumed syrupy dessert was amazing......
Raised bed #1 is now fully planted with berries, soft fruit & rhubarb, the cages have been installed to keep the birds off of the (expected) fruit. The black fibre membrane is a test to see what a gravel path might look like, I'm thinking that the grass will become compacted & worn as I tend the raised bed, so a gravel path might be an answer.... I am not 100% convinced, to do it properly will take a weekend or two, but I think it will be the solution I am looking for.
Raised be #2 has been fitted with cloches, the first 1/3rd has been dedicated to Strawberries as I had so many plants, the 2nd 1/3rd will be for potato's and the last 1/3rd will be for runner beans. That should be plenty to keep me going for the summer of 2012.