(no subject)

[pensnest]

Well. Have just had a very enjoyable bring-and-share lunch with my Best Small Mixed Chorus peeps, \o/, during which we introduced one of next year's songs (in a very rough rendition, by six people who had never actually sung it together before!), and discussed the kind of things we want to do in future. And had a hysterical moment in the middle inspired by the idea of sparkly bow ties. They're a very nice bunch of people.

And, And, work has at last begun on the back garden! The chaps have dug out some ancient and not very nice flagstones that made a half-buried path, but have spent much of their time marking out the new patio, a task made much more awkward than expected by the variation in levels within the garden. It's subtly lumpy, but lumpy it is.

Meanwhile my plants keep a-growing, except for one poor Gardener's Delight tomato which was brutally decapitated and another which was bent over. I do not know what did this. I have tried to apply a splint to the bent-over tomato by splitting open a plastic straw to encase the stalk. The splint works, but I doubt the plant will survive. Still. I have close to Grandpa levels of tomato plantage, so one or two failures are not a problem.

I have repotted the sweetcorns, which needed the root space. One of the pumpkins is coming into flower, which is awkward, really, as I have no prospect of planting it out anywhere for at least another week. Sigh. Still, if I can keep it alive perhaps the local insects will visit the flowers. I'm putting them outside every day.

The bees have been split into two hives, but are apparently happy with their new housing arrangements.

And it's so sunny! Why did I spend the remainder of the afternoon inside? I should have done more picking up flints duty. But I didn't.

Tomorrow, we are going back to the gym, for the first time in well over two years.

Comments

[stonepicnicking_okapi]

Ooo! Good luck at the gym. My membership to the YMCA was cancelled at the beginning of the pandemic and I never renewed it.

[pensnest]

Our gym suspended the payments during the various lockdowns and restrictions, so what was about four months back in March '20 is just coming up for renewal next month! For which, kudos to them, I think.

[frausorge]

Alas, poor tomatoes! But I hope their compatriots flourish, and the pumpkin vine too. And hurray for happy bees! Given all that's been in the news the last few years about bee declines, that's very good to hear.

[pensnest]

The bees have definitely been out and about today. We have bluebells everywhere, and alliums (do bees visit those, I wonder?) and aquilegias and such, and I dare say other gardens about the place have flowers for them. The honey is usually very interesting.

[turlough]

It sounds like it was a delightful lunch and singing session!

Excellent news about your garden, but sad to hear about the poor tomato plants. I hope the reminder will all grow and flourish properly!

I hope you had a nice time at the gym and didn't feel too sore the day after :-)

[pensnest]

The wounded tomato which I have splinted seems to be trying to grow from below the splint! It's all droopy and sad above, but there are little side shoots sprouting.

By the way, your magnificent Christmassy socks made a big hit with the diabetes nurse today—I went to have my blood pressure checked, and had to take my shoes off to be weighed. She was very impressed with my socks.

[turps]

Sparkly bow ties sound like an excellent idea.

And all your gardening plans sound great. You'll be buried under tomatoes it seems.

[pensnest]

Late FIL used to eat gigantic bowls of tomato salad every day and complain that he had diarrhoea, but we shall be more restrained than that. It would be lovely to have an Overabundance problem! But we shall see, I may yet manage to kill half of them off. I'm very interested to see what a Black Cherry tomato looks like.

[rikes]

Yay for progress in the garden! And how very cool that you have your own bees!

[pensnest]

Strictly speaking the bees are not ours, they just live here, and Dave the Bees comes round to check on them and take the honey once in a while. The traditional 'rent' is honey, so we get a jar every so often, and it is very good honey, subtle and interesting.