I have almost finished hubby’s Cobblestone Jumper.
It is a little big! In fact it fits all three of my boys even the very sturdy 16 yr old.

Although its big, hubby is very pleased with it.

Lots of questions for the Tuesday night knitters, how to block? Will it grow? Will it shrink? All of the proper woolen jumpers I’ve owned in my life have slowly become smaller over time after a wash. But that might be me and my handwashing skills.

Go out in the midday sun!

It really is a case of wanting to do the jobs that need doing when the mood takes you, or when you can fit them in with the english weather.

On Monday I suffered a touch of sunburn. I was up the plot by 11 a.m. and finished working (okay there was a bit of loafing drinking bitter shandies involved) by 6. p.m. I try to remember the warnings of my fellow man of which there have been many, dire, dire warnings about covering my bonce with a hat and suncream and I was faithful to that, there is not even a slightly pink glow from the top of my head. There is however a rather radiant patch on my left collar bone which even though its now Wednesday is still emitting enough of a glow to light up a room! Did I forget to apply my sunblock cream carefully stored at the shed of a factor that would mean even the blondest of folks could spend the day sunbathing in the med to the rest of me? Yep, I did.

Fortunately for me, I was wearing a nicely covering tshirt, (I’ve found that the strappy type are not really suitable when bending down and gardening at the allotment, far too many appreciative looks, they might be old, but they are male!!) so the damage is located to a small area.

I’m still not quite used to this global warming, or whatever it is. June for me, well in my memory of it based in England and especially in the Middle of England, is hazy and cloudy and to be honest not very often that warm. On top of that is my propensity to forget that I am blue eyed, freckled, (I do try to hide those and there really aren’t that many) pale skinned to the point that I invariably have to buy foundation in the palest of colours and that my hair colouring is/was chestnut, so therefore quite alot of red in it and that I will burn when the Sun has her first outing. I did the same last April, when the weather went slightly haywire.

Still, it was a good day, apart from the sunburn and I have to say a blister on my right hand, from doing far too much dibbing with a dibber.. I harvested half of the Japanese onions, hubby helped me dig two areas of the plot and then I planted 7 trays of 3 varieties of Leeks.

Hubby was dashing in and out of the plot, as he was the Taxi service for both boys appointments that day. We are on tenterhooks to see whether son no.1 has secured himself an apprenticeship, everything is crossed, I mean everything. Tense times in the Mandycharlie household.

Son no.2 is nearly at the end of his road of wearing orthotics, he may always walk a little like Charlie Chaplin, but he is no longer in any pain and according to the specialist is within the realms of normality. Just one more tweak for a few months and he will most probably not have to wear them, so that is very good news. Although on a lighter note, he commented that this boys feet are very Wide. I’m hoping the 16 yr old will stop growing and stop growing soon, size 11, extremely wide feet do not come cheap, especially when shoes only last teenage boys a matter of weeks. (although we did have a lucky break this year with a certain supermarket that sells extremely cheap clothing.. )

On Tuesday, the sun shone and Mandy hid, still feeling a tad sore. But, there was work to be done, so when the sun eased off early evening off to the plot she did trot, to hoe, hoe, hoe. I really needed to get the weeds out before the promised bout of rain. I hoed nearly the whole plot, hubby watered the spuds in containers, which takes ages as they require such a lot of water and also gave the toms their daily watering along with giving a sprinkle to all the other veg.

I can’t talk about my knitting, it is all secret.. Sssshh..

But this evening, in the time it took for hubby to drive to B & Q, buy what he required, then he side stepped to the office and then drove me home, I knitted another part of it.. Its looking good. 🙂

We had some of the first of the season lovely fresh produce from the plot today. I thought they would make a lovely Fathers Day Feast.

First there was a little pounding to be done. Several cloves of garlic, a lemons worth of peel, salt and lots and lots of lovely fresh oregano was pounding together in my pestle and mortar.

Then olive oil and the juice of the lemon was added along with a good half a teaspoon of sugar, just to take the edge of the lemon juice.

Which was then used to stuff into deep to the bone slashes made in a whole chicken, and also to baste new potatoes and onion which were to roast alongside the chicken.

There was then time to make a salad. We were given some Oak Leaf lettuce which went very well with our round lettuces. I then added some sun blush tomatoes, fresh cherry tomatoes, fresh salad onions, some olives and made a dressing with the herby oil left over from the sublush tomatoes then added a little more olive oil and a lemon’s worth of juice.

Ten minutes later….

Shortly afterwards, our lovely chicken was ready, which I served with a few of our peas. The onions were divine they melted in the mouth.

And then we had our strawberries macerated in Cointreau and a little golden caster sugar served with thick Greek yoghurt. I am still undecided as to whether we really needed the Greek yoghurt but the boys assure me that we did.

It was lovely!

Its been a lovely weekend, yesterday was spent with hubby at the Peace Festival. We used the bus service as it has very kindly been rerouted right outside our door for the next few months. You might say its our very own personal taxi service! This also allows Hubby to have a glass or two of red wine.

Today was spent very gently, I think you get the idea and then a wander to the plot was in order to dig up my Dads fathers day pressie from me. He had a good selection of the following along with a dozen of our eggs. He was very pleased.

First there were Peas.. our seasons first, I’ve beaten quite a few of the more experienced plot holders, I put quite alot of effort into my peas..

These are Kelvdon Wonder, they taste quite sweet, although I think from memory the Hurst Greenshaft are much sweeter. I shall just have to wait until those are ready to taste test them.

Then there were strawberries, a motly crew of varieties which I’ve long since forgotten.

Radishes were removed from the parsnip rows as the parnsips have germinated well. Some of these will be too big, but some will be fine.

Then some Japanese onions were picked. Its a little early but we have lots of them and they are taking up valuable ground that I am desperate to get my leeks into. They won’t store in the same way that a maincrop onion will, so we need to use them whilst their fresh.

Then some salad onions were picked. Actually these are maincrop onions that will store. But they were planted much too close together, because of lack of room. So I am thinning them now and they make a very tasty salad onion.

Some lovely round lettuces. I’m making a concerted effort to sow lettuce regularly to try and aim to keep us in a regular supply.

And last but not least, some lovely fresh oregano.

So tonights menu is a salad, followed by a roast chicken where the meat has been sliced to the bone and stuffed with lemon, garlic and oregano which has been pounded together. There will be new potatoes and onions roasted alongside until they are nice and sweet and sticky and served with some very fresh peas.

And… strawberries, which may or may not have been marinated in Cointreau and served with Greek yoghurt. I’m not sure yet, I need to bounce some ideas of Hubby.

And on that note, I’m off to go and wash lettuce..

What could be finer.

I feel so lucky to have such lovely friends. On Tuesday night at knitting, Mary bought me this..

A lovely little book with more than 70 prominent women giving their critique (am copying from the book… can you tell!) of love, success, family, friendships, relations between the sexes and more… To sum it up, its a nice little book that makes you think and makes you chuckle, the perfect combination. Thank you very much Mary.

and then Noelle came and gave me these..

Which are gorgeous and fit me perfectly. I know they are Pomatomus socks as I’ve looked at that pattern myself and thought it far too difficult for me.. So I am really grateful to have such exquisite socks on my feet. In my delight, I completely forgot to ask Noelle which yarn she used. I’ve remedied this by sending her a quick email, so I should have that answer shortly.. Thank you Noelle for my lovely socks.

Now, if I can just convince somebody, (anybody will do,) to knit me a pair of Bayerische…..well a girl can dream can’t she.

So these lovely little presents cheered me up no end, I am very lucky.

And thank you all for the comments, they made me feel better and it was really nice to have other womens support. Sometimes, you just need that in this harsh world.

Talking about harsh worlds, The Peace Festival is on in at the Pump Room Gardens in Leamington Spa on both Saturday and Sunday. They have a pretty good website if you wish to take a look. I went to the first Peace Festival thirty years ago. I was 12. And I knew I would be in trouble, but you know… I still went. First I went on a CND (campaign for nuclear disarmament) march from the top of The Parade to the bottom. We stopped traffic! (I really got into trouble for that, I can still hear my mother screeching to my father when I told her I’d been on a March.. and then we joined the Peace Festival, which to be honest was a very, very small affair, its good to see how its grown. And then me and my friend (also female, also 12) hitch hiked back home… (we never told her that bit!)

I don’t go every year, I try to, but sometimes life gets in the way. Its good, Go.

I have just about recovered my humour enough to be able to blog about Sundays events.

Saturday night (the eve of my birthday) was a lovely night. The boys and I were playing poker until the early hours, which was fun, especially when hubby in all seriousness bet the best part of what would have been the shirt off his back (if it was Real money) on a trio of pairs…! Oh, how we screamed with laughter, I actually couldn’t breath for a while, as I tried to explain whilst trying to take gulps of air, whilst laughing hysterically that I had just thrown a better hand away because of his reckless gambling. We must remember to go through the rules carefully with hubby everytime we play.

So everyone went to bed happy, I had no insight at all as to what would occur the next day.

I woke early, (mainly because son no.2 hasn’t mastered the art of padding around and closing the front door quietly at 5.30 a.m. on the way to his paper round) happy and eager, ready to get on with the days celebrations.

Hubby presented me with a lovely card, which was a very good start. Then, there was nothing, quickly followed by more of nothing. There were excuses… although hubby remained rather quiet, son no.1 apologised and told me he had left his card at work.. Son no.2 was still at work..

O..kay.. this is going well then..

So, as I had already chosen to wander around the local car boot sale, thats where we trotted to.. It was going okay, although I had started to notice that I was paying for Everything… After about the fifth time I had paid, I said to hubby, “would you mind paying for something?”…. “Well, no, I’m penniless” “Wot?” “I haven’t been the bank”.

“Right so lets get this straight, I have received no presents, no cake, nothing And… you’ve come out with me on my birthday without any money… “

“Yep, thats it”.. A stall holder who I was bantering with at the time, looked incredulous and looked over to his wife, who had also heard our little conversation and looked as shocked as he did and he was so concerned over me, wished me happy birthday and told hubby what a miserable article he was.. (in a jovial way of course) Really, I should have seen the signs well before this, as hubby had scratched around trying to find the 50p entrance fee. Lets face it the moths are fully formed in his wallet.

breathe deeply mandy…

We got home and son no.2 is just trundling his newspaper carrier up the road with a carrier bag attached to the handle waving merrily in the wind with what looked very much like a birthday card inside it. I asked him if it was my birthday card and he just giggled hysterically… We left him to it and drove over to Birmingham. I thought it would be nice to look around there instead of the cotswold villages.

Shortly afterwards we were in Selfridges food hall and I just fancied one of those delicious ice creams, waited in the que, ordered our one scoop (have you Seen the prices!) of each of our favoured flavours and watched as hubby gently stood back, just as we got to the till… I looked over at him and was thinking something along the lines of ‘.. birthday,, me,, <— oh yeah, he's got no money..' as I paid, yet again..

I’m still breathing deeply..

But by this point, its becoming a chant in my head.. ‘no cake, no pressies, my birthday’ in a bit of loop.

We walked over to Rackhams as its the only place I know of in Birmingham that sells wool. On the way, I sort of snapped at hubby and said.. “Are you going to get some money today?” “Oh yeah, soon as I see a bank”, he sounds so positive and cheery, he really has no idea whats going through my head. You’d think after twenty years he would have read some of the signs, wouldn’t you?

Within seconds we pass a bank, I nudge hubby, “bank” “Oh but look at the que, I’m not waiting in that” I think my jaw dropped just a little bit more and I started to feel very sad and emotional.

I’m still breathing deeply but I’m hitting an emotional brick wall.

Then we pass another bank and he gets money. So at this point ladies and gentleman he does have ready cash in his wallet. Hope springs eternal, well for at least ten minutes…

We get to the wool department and there is a little bit of sale going on and I find 16 balls of a cashcotton in a colour I will wear for a pound a ball. Which cheered me up no end, until that is,, I went to pay and hubby at the till did the backward almost trip over your self maneuver he has perfected so well over the years. Did he get his wallet out of his pocket with a flourish, saying with a happy trill in his voice, don’t worry love, I’ll pay for this, did he hell as like.

Now, I know Rackhams, I’ve only been there a couple of times but I know it well enough to know it has a very good Bar in it. By this point, I Need (not want, Need) fortification and they do a very good G & T. He Pays! (I can hear the band in my head playing ‘Congratulations’, the Cliff Richard version) and whilst I am sitting, allowing the combination of the air conditioning and icy coolness of my drink and of course its alcoholic content to take its desired effect. Hubby gets his wallet out… Am I to get my birthday treat in cash, one can only hope, as a woman of the world, money is a present too which I will quite happily accept. Naww, don’t be daft Mandy, he hands me over some cash to help cover my earlier expenses.

I am still breathing, Just! and require another G & T,

We pad back to Selfridges, passing a jewellers, but my hearts not in it. I’m sinking and sinking fast.

I try one last tack, shall we go and see what the Canal Basin is like, seeing the signposts and dimly remembering that there has been regeneration in that area and it would be nice to see what its like. Hubby can’t find it and he starts to head home.

I get home go to bed and basically weep and am deeply sad. Friends ring to wish me happy birthday and I basically blub at them on the phone. My sons then present me with a birthday card, no present, just a card. It took me several hours before I had recovered enough emotional strength to open it.

I open my card from Mum and Dad and find a banknote in it, my first and one and only present. Later, much later hubby buys us a chinese takeaway, which I’m grateful for, if only because then I don’t have to find and cook something to eat.

The eldest of my brothers sent me a card, which when I opened it in my turmoil made me laugh so much, I rang him there and then to thank him. I shall repeat it for your pleasure..

“Sharon had no chocolate, no alcohol
and she was completely hormonal.
Still, if she could find a man to nag,
then maybe the day could be salvaged.”

And then I went to bed.

On Monday, I took son no.2 to Leamington for the day and basically gave hubbys credit card a proper and thorough hammering. So I feel better now.

Oh and hubby bought me a bunch of flowers from Sainsburys on the way home from work. (the middle of the range, almost expensive version!)

About the gifts I made and bought for Mum’s birthday. Before I had chance to write up her birthday, events conspired against us.. So, to celebrate my mothers 71st…

Blackberry Waffle Socks.. (I made these whilst I was away in Boscombe,, see.. I can keep a secret too)

and then some machine washable to use for gardening, Fetchings..

and then I wouldn’t normally post gifts that I hadn’t made, but these were made by someone with a wonderful gift. They are made from resin, hand painted and to me look quite exquisite, my Mum and Dad loved them.

Mushrooms, both sides, (I found the detail of the gills absolutely amazing!)

We’ve woken at three thirty a.m. and have been padding around drinking tea since then, listening to the rain. Hubby has a busy day, he has to plod around the Cotswolds to pick up the death certificate, then register the death and then choose the necessary at the funeral directors. The funeral is on Thursday, we are keeping this very low key, mainly because to be honest there are very few friends of his Fathers still alive and secondly and for us at least most importantly, we have a son who is right in the midst of his GCSE’s.. So rather than allow our son to worry and get himself stressed, I will not be attending, that way at least we won’t have to alert him to what is actually going on until after the event. 16 year olds can quite happily live in their own world, being rather oblivious to yours, which at this moment is rather a blessing.

Hubby is emotionally drained, in a slightly worrying way. He and I thank you all for your kind messages.

You know how you occasionally come across surnames that suit an individuals chosen occupation perfectly, well, our chosen funeral director is a Mr Sole, I think thats rather nice.

Thats it really, I’ll blog about happy things soon, I promise.

Late yesterday evening hubby’s Dad left this world for pastures new. It was very expected, he was 89 and had his fifth stroke last Sunday. Hubby was able to be with his Dad as he very gently slipped away.

Even with all the rain we have managed to get almost up to date at the lottie, ignore the lack of hoeing. There is only so much you can do.

Over the weekend, we managed to put all of the Runner Beans (3 varieties) and Climbing Beans (2 or was it 3?) varieties in. We had already put the frames up, so that once we felt we were past the risk of frost they could happily jump, they were so ready to jump, into their prepared bed.

Yesterday, hubby spent many hours working in the greenhouse putting our lovely tomatoes in. 3 pots each of 7 varieties. Thats all we could do up the plot yesterday as it was raining all day. If you notice we use small buckets that we have cut the bottom off, this helps with the watering and gives the tomatoes just a little bit more soil to spread their roots in. It certainly seemed to help last year as we had magnificent tomatoes, our plum tomatoes were admired by all who saw them.

We have had our ears and eyes tuned to all weather forecasts as well as tuning into the met office on the net at regular intervals. So this morning, hubby was up the plot by 7.30 a.m. with me in fastish pursuit at 8.30 a.m. (Unfortunately ten minutes after I arrived at the plot, hubby had a phone call from his Fathers nursing home and he had to dash off) I carried on and I planted Courgettes, Butternut Squashes and Cucumbers.

Cucumbers, which will be climbed up the bamboo sticks.

Then I planted Dill

and mint and chives. (although the chives had a very poor germination rate, so I’m not overly hopeful on what might happen with these)

I also planted on some spare courgettes, (no piccie) for Anna and whoever else would like one on Tuesday night.

Then, I planted my experimental secret weapon against the white fly into big pots. A bucket will be placed in the greenhouse and then the rest will be deployed at the first sign of whitefly on my cabbages/brussels etc.
My Marigolds.

And then a quick update on some of the veg at the plot.
Our onions, japanese, normal, shallots. ( I think the garlic perished.)

The start of carrots, parsnips, beetroot and radishes. Radishes are used to mark out where the parsnips are as the parsnips have a very slow germination rate. So, If anyone wants any radishes, (French Breakfast) they are lovely, just give me a shout as I have lots!

Cabbages, cauliflowers, purple sprouting, kales, brussels. (that could do with a bit of a hoe)

And last but by no means least, Peas.

Then we had a few spots of rain and I thought I had better make tracks, but I’ve been home nearly an hour and its still dry. There really is nothing more I can do, I can’t really hoe as the land is too soggy and all I will achieve is to compact the soil by walking on it around the plants.