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The weekend’s pottering

Posted by on Monday 17 January 2011 in meta | 10 comments

Some of the things we’ve done this weekend:

  • Started crocheting a new blanket – I got some “kool kotton” yarn a few months ago and think it’ll make a lovely blanket. I’m doing a granny stripe, about 5ft long — not sure I’ll have the patience to make it 5ft square (it takes nearly half an hour to do each stripe!) but if I get it to about 3ft wide, it’ll be perfect for using on the sofa. (I’ve already doubled the stripe count since I took this picture.)
  • Took two boxes of books and misc stuff to the charity shop – they’ve been sat in the dumping ground on the landing for about three months. Would be nice to get that space decluttered and usable!
  • Chopped down a sycamore tree – we planned to cut it down about six weeks ago when it lost the last of its leaves but weather & illness stopped us. It’s now cleared the way for an apple tree.
  • Bought two blackcurrant bushes – for some reason blackcurrants have been popping up in conversations recently and I felt inspired to buy them. I’ve realised I left a few decorative shrubs in the garden last year – they can come out and be replaced with fruit bushes like these. I’m also tempted by some raspberry canes – it’s definitely going to be the year of fruit this year (or more accurately, fruit year minus one, since things will need time to get bedded in).
  • Sorted out my seed box – cor, I’ve apparently got high hopes for this year! Lots o’ seeds! I’m going to try to be realistic about my space/workload – I’ll give away some seeds now and probably some seedlings too, depending on how germination goes. Some stuff needs to be started in January – so I guess I’ll do that next weekend, weather permitting.
  • Restocked our spice cupboard after a trip to Pakeezah – been running low on a few things – should be good for a few months now and at a fraction of the cost if we’d bought them at one of the big three supermarkets.
  • I was at a drama rehearsal until 10:30pm on Friday and John cooked spare ribs for when I finally got home – they were pretty good and we’ve got some ideas on how to make them perfect. Every now and then I get severe cravings for good ribs and up til now, they’ve been one thing we can’t really cook at home – will be good to crack them!
  • Had Kheer for the first time yesterday – sweet, creamy rice pudding with cardamom and pistachios, and John thought some rose water too. Yum! Will have that again – and will see if I can work out a recipe as well.
  • Finally caught up on the sleep I’ve missed out on over the last fortnight – woo!
  • Got overly proud at finding 5 eggs in the nest box yesterday morning – either Lime is back laying again after her moult (unlikely at the moment) or both of the new batch Black Rocks are laying now. We’ve had 4 eggs a day for the last few days, so going up to 5 was a thrill. Just Buff – who will lay white eggs – to debut now.

Aside from that and some other good eating, it was a lazy one. Was good though :)

Other posts you might like:

Picking fruit trees – what to choose? Fishing for fruit: catching wild plums with a fishing net

10 Comments

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  1. Su
    17 January, 2011 at 12:32 pm

    The blanket looks lovely, gorgeous colours, sadly, I cannot crochet despite many attempts, so I’m really envious.
    We got a baby! She’s grey and white and beautiful, needless to say she’s a kitten.

    Reply
  2. KarenV
    17 January, 2011 at 1:23 pm

    Congratulations on the eggs! We had a charity shop and Freegle clearout this weekend too – great to get rid of unwanted stuff.

    Reply
  3. louisa
    17 January, 2011 at 1:54 pm

    Su: a kitten, yay!! I love grey & white ones. Hope she isn’t too much of a terror!

    I didn’t get the hang of crocheting for a long time – but my, I was glad when I finally got the hang of it. I had been doing lots of double pointed needle knitting but my little flighty brain couldn’t handle all those needles and all those live stitches. One live stitch, one hook – that’s more my standard ;)

    KarenV: yes, it is rather pleasurable, isn’t it? I wanted to do more but ended up crocheting. Tsk me!

    Reply
  4. sara
    17 January, 2011 at 8:28 pm

    Wow you were busy..lucky you with the eggs..hubby went to the allotment and started to dig over,checked on whats still growing..plenty of sprouts left good job i love them…i cleaned out the greenhouse..sorted the seeds out..got 5 pks of everything..thanks to some freebies..got a lovely surprise in the post all the free samples of wallpaper and fabric i ordered turned up..sorted my kitchen and gave bits away..also recieved some bits which is very nice too..
    Did a stock take on food,got to get more candles as power cuts iminent according to some folks..

    so all in all very busy..wish i could crochet even a little,will stick to sewing and making cushions..

    OOh i get cravings for crispy chilli beef..haven’t managed to find a decent recipe yet..
    su..aww lovely a kitty..what did you call her..
    tata for now and keep up the good life..
    sara

    Reply
  5. Su
    26 January, 2011 at 2:18 pm

    Sorry for the delay in replying.
    Kitten is called Saffy ( though there is some dispute over the spelling) and is surprisingly well behaved! Although she is quite happy to sleep with me, I am, apparently, a very scary person when I am awake and she keeps her distance.
    Trying to feed her and our old cat separately is proving just about impossible and I am having to be creative about getting the old boy’s medication down him.

    Reply
    • louisa
      27 January, 2011 at 1:14 pm

      Hi Su,

      Re your old boy. I’m sure you’ve tried all sorts of things but just to say we’ve had a lot of success with cheap pâté – squishy enough to cover the pill completely, sticky enough that the pill doesn’t fall out and stinky enough that it covers up the smell of the pill. Admittedly we’ve only had to use it short term so not had to worry about the fat/salt – but found it quite useful – the cat needing medication gets the pilled bit, the rest get smaller chunks, everyone’s happy and no one’s face gets clawed off.

      Glad Saffy is settling in well – cute name too, no matter how you’re spelling it :)

      Reply
  6. Su
    2 February, 2011 at 2:25 pm

    Louisa
    You are a genius! Thank you for the pate tip, it works like a dream. I wasn’t sure it would work, as old boy has a very variable appetite and not many teeth, but he wolfs it down. Saffy’s not sure but eats it because he is!
    THANK YOU, you may just have saved my sanity.

    Reply
  7. Martha
    1 February, 2012 at 1:42 am

    hi i wander if you have a pattern for this blanket i want to make one but don’t know how to start it

    Reply

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