Visitors

The last couple of days I had visitors and to be honest I was too tired to write on my blog.
 prior to that the young man from next door told me a few days earlier that he was busy for the next week, including going to see his Mother who was on holiday in Mablethorpe and that was on Tuesday. With that news I decided to get on with the work in the garden. I managed to take the top completely off the fruit cage, I took up the runner beans leaving just one on so that the seeds would ripen. I took the broad beans and peas out of the polytunnel. tidied up in there and in general had a good clean up.
 These last few days have been taken up, when not entertaining my friends, collecting the fallen leaves from the trees. I now have a bin bag almost full to the top and expect to pick up some more.
 The other day I went online and ordered a gooseberry bush and a Victoria plum tree. They arrived this lunchtime and after eating I planted them. I had dug the holes a couple of days earlier so the preparation had been done.

This is I am certain the last cucumber from the plant my mate gave me, it actually was 16.5" long. Funnily enough I am not too fond of cucumbers and have the occasional one in the summer months. I never buy a cucumber. The neighbours have the benefit of  the produce but I still like growing them all the same.                    

Recently the weather, although being mild has taken a turn for we have had plenty of rain lately. I suppose we must be grateful that it isn't the white stuff. Roll on Spring next year. More soon.             

Autumn clean up.

Yesterday afternoon I was out the front doing a little to my driveway when I heard my name called. It was the lady next door who looks after the young lad. She asked me to tell him that she had to go out. I told her I would also I had a plant for his little garden. It is a geum that I have split up because it has grown quite large.
  I didn't have to wait long and when I saw him I gestured for him to come to me. I gave him the message and told him to wait there whilst I gave him the plant. I asked him if he had the trowel and he told me he had not so I went to get mine, at the same time I picked the last raspberries and blackberries which he quickly devoured.
 We went round and I planted the geum, he showed me the greenhouse, I had sprayed the surrounds with glyphosate and it had done the trick.
  He then told me that there were no eggs and as soon as there were he would bring me a couple round. Mind you I don't know when that will be because he told me that on Saturday they all were going out and next Tuesday, his rest day, his Mum is going to Mablethorpe and he would go to see her. Then soon after he was going to go to Lincoln for his Sister's engagement or Wedding. I couldn't remember which.
 So this morning I decided to get some work done, some that I had been saving for him to assist me.
 I first picked the remaining runner beans  and dug up several plants, leaving about 3 so that the runner beans I had missed the seeds would ripen so that I could plant them next year.
It was cold and my hands were frozen, I checked the temperature and it was just 7c. no wonder my hands were cold.
 A little later I started to take the top off the fruit cage, The first thing was to undo the sides and unhook the edge facing the boundary. That was easy enough and after a cuppa I decided to move the netting to the other side. I had to negotiate it over the fruit trees but I managed it O.K.
  After my dinner(lunch to the posh)I thought I would remove the netting completely as it was not quite large enough so I had to add a little so that it covered the complete length. It is 18 paces long so quite a long way to cover completely. I have checked another length of netting and that is more than adequate to do the job next year.
 It surprised me just how easy it was and it only took about 20 minutes to take it and wrap it up. Now it is in a bird seed bag and ready for next year to cover up the apples. More soon.

I.m losing it

I was well pleased with what I picked out of the greenhouse the other day. The cucumber is well over 15" long and I do have another large one on the plant. The tomatoes are not what I can call as in I guess April I went to the local Supermarket and they had, on offer a vine tomato which came from Holland. It was my late Mother who told me years ago that tomatoes from Holland early in the year were better than any other tomato. This I found to be true. Anyway I ate the first one which was very tasty so I decided to save a couple of seeds. These I planted in May and although they were well behind my own tomatoes one plant in particular looked good.
 As you can see, the tomatoes are a little larger than gardener's Delight and just about as sweet. I must say the other plant hasn't produced much. I guess they were set just a little late.
 Now to me, I don't know if I mentioned it but a couple of weeks ago after having my regular blood test I went to the local Newsagents to pick up my weekly T.V. paper. I was about to leave when someone called out my name. It was an old colleague who I met playing golf. In fact I was drawn with him the first competition I entered. We always got on well together, we both being more or less the same age, incidentally he had been a member of the Golf Club for well over 40 years. We got talking about the old times and he told me that he has tried to play but he couldn't swing. I knew he was not 100% as I had seen him at the Hospital while I was queuing up to make a further appointment in the Outpatients department. I felt someone touch my hand and it was him. Although he was not there for himself, he had bought someone for an appointment he told me that his condition was not good and there was nothing they could do for him and pointed to his groin. I surmised that he had prostate cancer area.
 He did tell me that he had been given some good news from his Consultant as he was informed his condition had not progressed. I told him this was great news.
 He then gave me the latest news including some old golfers passing away. He was explaining that he used to see my old golfing partner who I played competitions with, only because my best Pal didn't want to play. Anyway he told me that he used to see him playing with his mate but since his mate had gone he hadn't seen him lately. I, like an idiot asked him where his mate had gone to? He replied he had died about 5 months ago. He then went on to say he had just birdied the 10th. He carried on saying that he had just got his ball out of the bunker and as he tried to get out staggered and collapsed. He told me the paramedics could do nothing for him. I suggested it was a heart attack but he told me it was a like a stroke.
  I did tell him that it was a nice way to go, playing the game he loved and no lingering pain at all.
 I wonder what he thought when I asked him where he had gone to?
 Now to my mate, we were talking over the phone when he told me he had been to Aldi in Boston, Lidl in Skegness is closed for enlargement. He told me ha had bought some bread flour as Morrison's in Skegness had Allinson's strong flour but it was expensive. He then said that Morrison'shad dropped their own flour. Once more like a fool I asked him what they had dropped it to? He then remarked that they had discontinued the line.
 Soon after finishing the conversation I sat down and howled with laughter just thinking what folks would make of my simple thoughts and remarks. Nothing I can do about it I suppose. More soon.

I have failures

Mind you this is not one of them. This is all that is left of the bonfire I had. I was very pleased the way it got rid of all of the rubbish.
                                      
These are, believe it or not broad beans, to say I was a little disappointed would be an understatement. All I can think of is that I set them a little too late in the year. To be positive though I did have a couple of meals off them.

      

This is the biggest failure because I thought I had set them in good time to have a taste of peas in October but no such luck. As you can see they look poor. I didn't even take any photos of my runner beans. To be honest I thought I had set them a couple of weeks later than I should have done and certainly there will be nothing as there are no flowers on the beans at all. Still I will hopefully learn from my errors. Whether I will I am not sure as now things seem to go in one ear and out of the other.                                                             

I have had trouble once again with my blog, well not exactly with the blog but the way I get into it. I thought I had won the battle by saving it on Chrome in my favourites  but it was not so. After failing to upload my photos I then went on to Chrome and typed my blog, incidentally I noticed that it has saved it so from now it should be easier. I do have to enter my e-mail and  password but once that has happened all is well. Can't wait to see my mate to see if he has an easier way to access my blog and post photos. More soon.

Success

Yesterday I spent ages trying to upload photos to my blog without any joy. I tried everything including what me mate had shown me. Anyway I was baffled. It was just like what he had encountered when we first tried to post pictures. He spent about 2 hours trying to find things on this new Windows 10. In the finish I asked him to go to google and ask how to upload photos. IT informed that you must use Google Chrome so we did and joy of joys it worked.
I must admit that I use a shortcut on my desk top and naturally thought with having Chrome now as my search engine that would suffice.
 Anyway I decided to pack it in around 8.00 pm. having spent a few hours trying to fathom out how to upload photos.
 This morning I went for my pension and after did my shopping, it was when I returned and was putting my shopping away I thought about how I had accessed my blog. After doing my chores I went online once more and through Google Chrome I gained access to my blog and as you can see I have been successful.
 The photos don't mean a lot but it shows the progress of my rubbish to be burned and how it burnt nicely. In fact I do have a last photo which I will post which shows the ashes or what is left of them. More soon.

Don't hol your breath

Well at least with the help, well with all of his expertise of my mate we have managed to post some pictures.
 The first shows a few cooking apples Bramley in fact and I am pleased with how they turned out and hopefully they will keep until the Spring next year. Of course I will keep all informed.
 The next two show just how my next door neighbour has done with the fences, incidentally he has made the panels himself. The young lad from next door is impressed as it makes us more private.
 The last photo shows some of my hazel nuts which I gathered from mt tree. They don't keep that long but as young Tim loves them, they won't last that long.
 This morning I went to collect my domestic waste bin and noticed that there had been a small spillage so a little later I went to swill and clean the bin. I heard a call and it was from the lad next door he asked if I would help him and I did help him for about 20 minutes then went back to wait for my mate.
 It was nice to see him but we had a sort of mediocre day with very little progress being made. He wasn't happy with the pictures situation but we found out what to do when I suggested we go to google and ask. There we found someone else had the same trouble we had and informed us that we must use google chrome.
 It is not straight forward as I have to use my SD card  and copy and paste. Whether I remember all I have to do, only time will tell.
 Incidentally I presume it will not be too long before he is here again as we forgot to make sure he took a marrow back, I also had the dripping ready too, still I put the marrow in the garage for him.
 Soon after he left the lad from next door came to see me, we immediately went to the polytunnel and picked a ripe strawberry, it looked really nice. I wish now I had taken a photo of it. Tim also picked quite a few alpine strawberries which he soon devoured. Off then we went to look at his runner beans which are doing far better than mine but the recent rain has given me some hope that I may get a few more meals off them. Off we went into the greenhouse where I picked a few plum tomatoes for him then to the fruit cage to look at his runner beans and then I told him to check the blackberries which he said were juicy, I found him a few raspberries which he said went down well.
 I took him to show what I had done and how large the bonfire would be. Then back inside. I asked him if he would like a few hazel nuts, sill of me really as he never says no. Anyway I cracked him about 2 dozen nuts which he peeled and put them in a bag. I gave him a few eating apples which he told me would go into his lunch box tomorrow. I also put his plum tomatoes in a bag and off he went home saying he would call tomorrow to get more runner beans If all goes well he will get enough beans with what has already been picked to have a meal for them at the week end. More soon.

Pigeon compost

Friday afternoon the door bell rang, it was the young Man from next door letting me know that he was home once more. He told me that he enjoyed his holiday and that he had his own bedroom with plenty of coffee as the room service kept him topped up.
 Saturday he came round with a couple of barrow loads of pigeon manure. I showed him where to put it whilst I get the raised beds emptied of what produce is left. Once it is clear I will sprinkle it and dig it in. Leaving it to winter so that next year hopefully it will be well rotted.
 On Sunday, I wondered if the lad would call but he didn't. I had not waited just in case he came but went out and with the weather being so dry for a couple of weeks I decided to take the netting off the fruit trees. The size is considerable I guess 40feet long and about 9 feet wide but with it being nice and dry it was not as difficult as I had expected.
 I did pick most of the eating apples off the Sunset tree and gave the Guy next door about 50 apples, although a little small they are tasty. I picked the remainder of the cooking apples where I put some in the fridge and the remainder in the garage with all the other eating apples. I have at least 200 eating apples, mind you a lot will not keep until March next year but at least they look much healthier than the ones last year, none of which kept.
 Tomorrow my Mate will be here, let us hope that he can sort out Windows10 for me. The main thing is getting my photos from my camera to my computer then from my computer to my blog.
 Tomorrow is once again forecast to be wet so he will have plenty of time to play on the computer, not that I have any jobs for him to do. More soon.