OneGuyFromBarlick

Voting, shopping and shed, in that order!

Gardening in the rain, pruning and planting rose bushes. Cleared the veggie patch and all ready to rotivate in the goat manure....when it stops raining.

You're in France at the moment aren't you. Any sign of colder weather?
Friday is butcher's day and my weekly read of the paper. Only one article left on the stockpile so I shall have to give some thought to a writing spell.....

Pouring with rain today at about 14 degrees. It's due to drop to 8 tomorrow for a few days, and stop raining. At least most jobs are finished that we came to do. Out buying French goodies for Christmas hampers for presents to day, whilst it is raining. The veggie plot looks good now all the goat manure is rotavated in.

I planted my summer veggie crop this morning, a bit later than I would normally but we only just got back from South Aus. The broccoli had just started to flower before we left and were the size of dinner plates when we got back, so I spent this afternoon blanching and freezing. I got through half. I'll deal with the rest on Monday.

My cabbages are starting to go to seed but I have no idea how to preserve/store them. Any ideas? There's far too many to eat before they spoil.

Using goat manure reminds me of the man who used to farm in Gargrave just up the road from New Brighton where Roberts' Circus used to winter every year. He took the animal dung away and put it on his fields. He told me that Tiger muck was very strong and had to be mixed in with ordinary FYM before it was put on the meadows because otherwise it burned the grass off. Powerful stuff! Is the goat muck good?
Today I shall be keeping warm and playing out in the shed. I don't need to do any shopping or cooking! The ashes are out, the stove fired and the coal brought in. We are in good order!
Liz, just seen your post. Pickled cabbage springs to mind but the classic of course is Sauerkraut. I've never made it but it's good stuff. More fermentation than pickling I think. Come to think, I have an idea I have seen cattle cabbages stored in clamps like swedes or potatoes. Kept dry and protected from frost I suspect they will survive for a long time.

I have diced cabbage and frozen it very successfully. I didn't even Blanche it first. It is ok cooked by itself and great added to stir fries.

Apparently it is very good and doesn't smell at all. It has a lot of straw in it.Goodness knows what seeds will be in it , depending on what they ate. It rotavated beautifully giving a lovely texture to the soil.

Today I am cooking a roast beef dinner for our English friend who is returning home in two weeks, and her French neighbours who wish to remain in contact with.

Butternut squash soup
Roast beef Yorkshire pud, mash potatoes, roast butternut ( we had a glut this year ,) runner beans grown this summer
Apple and blackberry crumble and custard English not French style. Their's is sickly sweet . Yuk !

Thanks Sue. I'll do that.

How we're all those plants you planted before you left for holiday, Liz? Do you have a "cottage garden" now?

Keeping warm and playing in the shed..... Sounds boring I know but every day is different and I love making metal do what I want it to do....

Marilyn wrote:How we're all those plants you planted before you left for holiday, Liz? Do you have a "cottage garden" now?

They all survived, surprisingly. We only lost one to the resident rabbit.The weather was pretty ordinary thought from what we can gather. There was 30ml of rain in the gauge.

The mistake we made was not clumping them enough so we have little dashes of colour throughout the garden, not really a cottage garden though. Very pretty so I hope they self seed for next year.

2 degrees in France today, from 14 to 2 in just over 24 hours!

Hard frost here as well Sue. I shall be keeping warm and playing out in the shed. The stove is firing well but the CH is kicking in at low level as well.... Never mind, the house is warm and I made a big pan of winter warmer stew yesterday!

Keeping warm, enjoying the shed, cooking veggies and going to the Foot Clinic at the Surgery this afternoon. (A nice lady will stick pins in my feet to see if I can feel it....)
I knocked an article out yesterday morning, might do the same today.....

Back home. Every car checked and passports held until the check done when we landed at Portsmouth. Very reassuring.

That's good Sue. Nice to know that Immigration are perhaps getting their act together....
Enjoying my self in the shed bas usual.... it keeps me off the street corners!

Dentist early today. I broke a big filling whilst in France and I only went to the dentist the previous Monday. Then art followed by a bit of a lunch for Christmas. Too many people can't make our last session next week. Then an afternoon sewing my jacket.

Hard luck Sue. You have no idea how often I bless my pot gobblers, the best thing that ever happened to me!
Exciting times in the shed......

Apparently the cusp of the tooth broke and not the filling. All now painlessly repaired. The dentist us keeping an eye on. It in case it has to be crowned later.

If all goes well I shall be making lots and lots of swarf......

Performing miracles of metal sculpture in the shed and watching the last F1 race of the season.....

Starting Christmas dinner, no not the Terry Wogan brussel sprouts gag, I cook a lot in advance, freeze it for easy preparation on the day. Today's task therefore is red cabbage, cooked with red onion, apple, seasoned with cinnamon, the sliced cabbage etc. cooked in orange juice, red wine and red wine vinegar with a little brown sugar added. Late on the cake this year.

I shall be writing my Christmas cards then I can get the overseas ones posted, I have cut down in recent years. We actually got our first one yesterday from Loughborough!!

All presents bought, mainly in France. Christmas cards printed from one of my paintings. First card arrived last week, but really a change of address card from our French/English friend, Audrey who returns to England thus Friday. She will be staying with an old school friend until her new home is completed on.