Another part of the old Clematis - it traverses almost all the front wall.However, the purpose of the snap is to show the Witch Hazel which for the first time ever has some cobnuts set.
I suppose that, being of the 'hazel' family, it is entitled to nuts - its just that I have never encountered it before.
Our morning started with my more -or-less routine blood test taken by Sheila with not a trace of bruising. She was amused at my last weeks bruising at the hands of the 'expert'. Then we visited the Disability Aids place for a replacement collapsible walking stick and, after that, to Ikea for free coffee. Whilst there we bought a three-drawer chest of drawers for my bedroom - the present system of pull out boxes being unsatisfactory. Naturally the item is a flat-pack so I shall have the pleasure of erecting it tomorrow. Our Ikea 'family card' led to a reduction in price from £44 to £34. One simply has to ask for a card and we were pleased we took ours with us. I think Y keeps it in her handbag anyway.
Y collected new Ikea catalogues for family and friends - a new edition, only released 1st July 09. As I think I must have mentioned before I love mooching round Ikea. I consider their 'design' to be excellent and up-to-date and there is nothing stuffy to be encountered anywhere.
After Ikea we came home and Karen was still here. The house looked neat and tidy and smelt fresh. She likes doing our house she says, because she can 'see a difference' when finished. I'm not sure if that is a compliment or not ?
For lunch I cooked Sausage, Mashed Potato (with Swede) Carrots, Courgettes and our Cauliflower (just cut) from Derek. He had soaked it in salty water, for Y's benefit, so she didn't encounter any unsuspected protein ! For pudding we had Y's fruit salad, prepared yesterday. Delicious !The, after a kip, I planted an outstanding Dahlia - it just wasn't fit yesterday. Today I managed to dodge the showers. I fed everything I could think of and then started my pictures.
Picture 2 shows the recently germinated Coriander. I know Bob does the same, but I don't waste money on seed-catalogue seed - I just use a few pinches of cooking coriander seed. It always seems to work as well and at least you know you are growing a recognised culinary variety. If, in an enlargement, you can read the plant labels you will be able to see that the planting date was 29th June 09. Just over a week ago !
Buying a replacement collapsible walking-stick had the frequently occurring miracle of causing the lost one to turn up.On coming home some days ago I had collapsed the stick and put it, carefully, on top of a bedside cabinet which lives in the garage, and over which I store my 'wheels'. Messing about with the 'wheels' namely tying the front and rear legs together with a piece of string to stop them flopping about had resulted in the stick being pushed over the back of the bedside cabinet, where it rested, out of sight, until today.
Ah well ! Two sticks is better than none !
Alex is creating a new front fence for Derek and Betty which involves serious looking hardwood gate-posts and although he is nowhere near finished, you can tell its going to be a super job. Poor chap, trying to worked inbetween the torrents. I think in the end he gave up and decided to work while saturated. Incidentally - he brought us another half-dozen eggs - leading to our tea of scrambled eggs on toast. Truly scrumptious - that yellow - and the richness of the flavour. Are we not lucky bunnies ?
My responses to your much valued comments
Bob ...... Love the Kestrel Haiku. But, honestly, I can recognise a Kestrel, and a Sparrowhawk, mostly. It could have been some sort of Harrier I suppose. Nowhere near big enough for a Buzzard. I must return to Narrow Lane, armed with binoculars, and Nikon with long telephoto on board. If you remember I had a Sparrowhawk in the garden and blogged a picture thereof.
See blog-post 10th August 2008 - I had thought it to be a Buzzard but knowledgeable grand-children soon put me right.
I know what you mean about prefering a Bullfinch to the Black-currants but, personally, I find them a little chewy.
See e-mails re mobile phone v voice recorder and other matters.
Yvonne .... The smoked haddock was good but I'm game to try some of these 'in the bag' things. Eventually the smell clears from the kitchen but it is abit tedious.
Thanks for the added info re the chest of drawers. I had forgotten all about the 'heavy' bit. You and I could have managed I suppose. with great difficulty, plus the danger of falling over.
Jill .... Having a Matalan is valuable because the range of products is much wider than Primark. I once bought a really high quality copper-bottomed large saucepan there and it has become one of my favourite tools.
Please see above re fish in 'bags'. I am already convinced and we'll give them a whirl a.s.a.p. And I am sure you are right about the price. I think our piece of haddock, which we shared, was £2.78 without any tasty sauce etc.
Looking forward to the 'knitter' on the plinth on July 13th. Here is a link to Gormley's site for the exercise. Y thinks the idea 'silly' but I disagree and consider it an important piece of living-history archive. What better 'record' of life over a hundred days in 2009. How valuable for future historians. Think of checking it over in 100 years time for a record of how we dressed, what Trafalgar Square looked like, what we did etc.,? And I am so pleased some of your 'knitting' people had the foresight to go for it.
So pleased to hear your Duck arrived, in good condition, and rarin' for an outin'. And I don't want to find that you have allowed him to share your bath.
....................................
Quotation time .......
"We confess our little faults to persuade people that we have no large ones."
For the 'ç' I am indebted to Alt Gr .....................
- And the man himself -
I think he passes the 'spend an hour in the pub' test
"Sleep tight - Catch you tomorrow - but could be early or late because we are National Trusting at Thaymar Icecream near Retford in the evening"
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I think he passes the 'spend an hour in the pub' test
"Sleep tight - Catch you tomorrow - but could be early or late because we are National Trusting at Thaymar Icecream near Retford in the evening"
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Intense rain last night.
ReplyDeletePedantic query in pursuit of accuracy:
Is it Witch hazel?
Witch hazel (Hamamelis) produces capsule-like fruit enshrining two shiny hard black seeds.
The Common Hazel (Corylus avellana) bears hazelnuts (the cobnut is a cultivated variety).
I’ve never been to Ikea.
Some love it, some hate it.
Coriander is one of the easiest things to grow (excepting fenugreek).
’Two-sticks’ Marsden, hey?
My impetuous and impertinent proposal was based upon Kestrels being far more common than Sparrowhawks (which 10/08/08 certainly is).
I find that Bullfinches definitely require peeling.
Your suggestion that my (primitive) mobile phone might serve as voice recorder may be unproductive as I don’t even have the skills to use it as a phone! (texting only).
Quotation:
What little faults?
But cedilla will be useful.
Jill:
Both Matalan and Primark horrify me.
One step in the door and I have to flee.
Birds Eye Fish sounds well worth a go (at the ‘offer’ price!).
Sandra objects to fish smells (esp kipper) but they don’t bother me slightest.
I agree with Graham’s view on the plinth.
Enjoyed yesterday’s Morris Dancer.
Well done, Graham, assembling the IKEA chest-of-drawers - certainly instructions and accessories seem much better than they used to be. What used to amaze me in the old days was, if you took anything back, you were never asked WHY? They knew it would be missing screws!
ReplyDeleteSorry - I think all this nonsense about people on plinths in Trafalgar Square is just that - NONSENSE! You can't see them anyway as they are so high. And what sort of people want to be stared at for an hour at a time ....... at least knitters can ignore everyone! (Put that in for you, Jill, as I don't want to fall out with you after all these years!).
I never thought of witch hazel as bearing nuts? D.in-law has one, of that corkscrew twisted variety, never seen any nuts on that.
ReplyDeleteWe do have and visit a TK-Maxx - I have bought top-of-the-range saucepans etc. from there very cheaply. R buys 'designer' trainers there - there's usually just one of everything, if it isn't your size, tough. But a lot of time and energy is needed to go through the vast array of clothes. I've also bought expensive leather hand-bags - like Mulberry - at a bargain basement price, and luggage.
I had never thought of G. Duck as a bath duck, but now you have given me the idea.....
I think the Plinth thing is just a bit of fun, this summer, just for 100 days. Wouldn't want it permanent. People seem to be enjoying it, it was vastly over-subscribed. Y, whose statue would you want to see up there permanently then? And don't say a footballer....