I didn’t intend the break to last a fortnight. I even wrote while I was away, to post later when I had internet, but it just hasn’t happened.
The visit did me good. John and I had a lovely evening – I cooked him dinner, he provided hospitality and wine. I arrived at the caravan at lunchtime on Saturday and didn’t leave it until Monday morning. I just holed up and was quiet. I watched a few films – The Big Sleep and Les Vacances de M Hulot were the most appreciated, followed by Key Largo (Bogie and Bacall can’t be beat) and I read and did a bit of work on the catalogue. The weekend was rather awful, but once I was past the time that Tim died on the 5th, I felt less desperate. However I pretend that an anniversary has no power, the fact comes to confront me.
Since then, I’ve completed the catalogue and it’s been printed. Tomorrow, I’ll print address labels and my colleague David will do the envelope stuffing.
At our small lunch club meal today, the person who usually runs it was at the dentist. So I had to take over – not that there’s much to do normally, but we had a silence and then a toast, which is so not my comfort zone. But of course it was okay.
I have bought a new ride-on mower for Wince and he’s very happy. I’ve promised him a new hedge cutter as soon as he chooses it. A good gardener is to be cherished. Not that he’s actually a gardener, but he’s excellent with machines and I’m not.
We moved the chickens’ run today and they’re thrilled. Not that there’s any grass, it never grew back in the summer. Wince will rake the old area and spread compost, then I’ll scatter grass seed so that it’ll grow, ready for the spring. Once the chickens have to be kept indoors, I’ll seed the remaining area. Unfortunately, we let the compost area get away from us and it’s got some bindweed and couch grass in it, so the compost will have to be spread where that doesn’t matter and a new heap started in a clear place. My fault, I took my eye right off the ball.
I’ve asked my cleaner’s mother-in-law to do my ironing, which is mostly bedlinen. That’s properly cheered me up. £35 very well spent. It’s easily saved by not turning the Aga on yet, after all!
Welcome back !
You have been missed. Oooh ironed linens(especially if someone else does the ironing) sounds luxurious!
Nice to have you back. How I envy you having Wince.
Thank you all, I mustn’t neglect my dear blog or my remaining blog friends – there aren’t that many of us still going, either reading or writing any more!
Ironing back today, clean bedclothes tomorrow, it’ll be delicious!
Glad you got through the first anniversary and spent some time relaxing (and no doubt reflecting).
How rough can ground be that you cut with a ride-on mower? Any pointers would be appreciated.
And you’re correct, it’s not ‘if’ it’s ‘when’ for the annual containment of hens, isn’t it? I’ve given up feeding wild birds – and I miss them.
Yes, avian flu is here to stay, seasonally. We’ve had time to make appropriate indoor arrangements. It’s sad not to let them out on a fine day, though.
I’ll talk to Wince about it – I had a fairly brief go on the mower and it certainly was comfortable on fairly uneven ground, but how rough is how rough? It’s a zero turn mower, which I think helps. We previously had a sit-on mower that was really uncomfortable on rough ground, but I don’t have the information to evaluate. If you come south and could detour here, you’d be welcome to look and try.
Thanks Z. As someone with experience of both, I value your opinion. Which did you buy this time?
It’s the Hustler Dash, 34″ – Wince’s choice. He came down to a shortlist of two and this was the one I could get locally, easiest. https://hustlermowers.co.uk/hustler/dash-xd/
Thanks Z, that’s very useful. Last time I used a ride-on was about 40 years ago and things have clearly moved on a great deal since then! Hadn’t heard of that brand either, so it’s a good place to start.
Wince says that the mower is quite all right on rough grassland – obviously, it’s not *that* bumpy, because if it were, the ground would be alternately scalped and left grassy. As long as there aren’t stones, which obviously it doesn’t like.
The other mower he liked was the Ariens Edge 34″ – again, zero turn and good thick metal
If you lay cardboard over your couch grass and bindweed (you don’t need to dig it first) then spread the compost on top, the weeds will die or at least get very much weaker. Biggest bits of cardboard you can find, the bad roots look for the edges.
I have tried that and it works to an extent, but it’s in the wilder bits of the garden and keeps coming back. I also have put down old carpet.