I did all sorts of stuff over the weekend, but I didn't post because I felt that I hadn't done much - and one of the reasons was because I didn't take pics! Today I have taken some pics, but they're not brilliant. But I'm determined to post. I'll try and share all the stuff that's happened.
On Saturday we went to feed the crows and they were very enthusiastic. There's something incredibly soothing about that car park. I know that doesn't make sense, but it's an incredibly relaxing place. We had a really calm time chilling out together.
On Sunday, I know that I did stuff but I can't remember much for the life of me. We had Mejadra for dinner - green lentils and rice with onions and spices. When I say spices, I mean spices. The Tesco recipe calls for one teaspoon of ground cumin, two teaspoons of ground coriander, half a teaspoon of turmeric, one teaspoon of allspice and one teaspoon of cinnamon for 200g of rice and 125g of green lentils - and it wasn't overspiced at all! I get the impression, from looking around the internet, that it's one of those old recipes that go back centuries and that every family has their own take on the dish. What is even better, the website costed this at 38p per serving! I didn't check, but it seems plausible. I'm considering making a large pot of it and storing it in the fridge to eat all week. We had fancy peas with it as well. A word to the wise - if you use this recipe, you end up with far more butter than you need.
Then I took bear to meet up with his friends at the pub where he usually goes to for the pub quiz. The pub is changing hands and no-one is sure what is going to happen. Sunday was the last night of the current landlords so bear went with his pals to mark the occasion. As I dropped him off at 6pm and expected to pick him up at 10pm or later, I came home, but I left early and got quite a bit of scarf knitted.
Today I'm in pain. Both hips are complaining. However while I've not achieved what I thing I should have, I have managed a few things. A surprising amount is connected with those chillies.
I'm twitchy about planting out the chillies, even in pots. First of all, there is the rat problem, but the spice in chillies was evolved to deter mammals so as long as I only put mature plants out, I'm fairly confident that they would survive the rats/pigeons/sparrows/mice etc However we don't have a back garden, the front garden is tiny and we live in a deprived area. The chance of chillies getting stolen is regrettably high.
I had a think about this. First, my garden is a disaster area. Second, it will take a lot of effort to get things planted out. Third, I could just plant out some of the chillies. Fourth, I need to get my act together regarding the garden. I took some pics of the garden, but they weren't brilliant. This is the starting point.
There is so much to do. There is ivy, plus brambles, plus buttercups. Not to mention enough dandelions to feed an army of rabbits. Today I started to prune Gladys, the fuschia. It always needs to be cut back to allow new growth, and today I was proactive.
See - not a clear picture, but I hope that you can see that inroads were made. I also cut back the branch of the white rose that was overhanging onto the path.
Both my hips were really painful, but it's incredibly good for me to keep at least trying to move. I'm posting these pictures as a way to encourage myself. I've not got good pictures of the 'tree through the year' idea. However, I can at least show a pic once a month of what is happening in the garden.
Writing stuff - first of all, Connections eMagazine came out and you can find it here. It has fiction (including a short by yours truly), articles, reviews and even a recipe. I've also posted a new instalment from the White Hart here.
Hugs and good health to all.
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