Damn and blast!

Well my leeks have been ruined again this year, the damn leek moth must of got in before I covered them. I had planted them in the raised bed this year and not in the vegetable plot and the moth still got at them. I am so disappointed as they were growing so well. 

I pulled them all up and salvaged what I could and made a batch of the much wanted potato and leek soup.

Damaged leek

leeks not spring onions!

I feel that I have wasted a whole year on the garden considering what has actually been harvested. To say it has been a disappointing year would be an understatement. Lets just hope we have better success next year. I am still plotting and planning for next years crops, I have been looking back and the only things that have grown really well the past couple of years have been the beans. They will most certainly be on the growing list!

I have a bit of a dilemma, If you remember earlier on I said that I was unsure what was the melons, pumpkins and squashes. Well what I thought were squashes are either pumpkins or water melons, they start off a light green and then have gone quite dark and they appear more of an oval rather than either like a pumpkin or a butternut squash.

Now what if I pick one and open it up in case it is a melon but is in fact a pumpkin then I have lost my pumpkin. But on the other hand if it is a melon and I leave it in the hope that it is a pumpkin then it will rot before turning and I will lose it. This is what happens when you don't label things properly! I will take a photo of it tomorrow and post it and perhaps one of you may be sure of whether it is a melon, pumpkin or indeed a squash.

Quick update on my quitting smoking, it has been four days so far without a cigarette and today has been the best so far. I must admit I have really struggled the last three days and have been taking myself off to bed rather early to keep out of the way of everyone. I have been quite busy today which really helps.

Jay cooked breakfast then we took the dogs for a swim in the sea then we went and done a big food shop and once we got back I spent a few hours sorting out the menu for the month whilst Jay cooked dinner. I have also done three loads of washing, cleaned out the girls, watered the garden and washed up after dinner.

We are doing a boot sale tomorrow and the weather is looking rather good, hopefully we will get rid of lots of stuff to make some room in the garage that seems to always be full!

Well that is it from me for today. I hope you all have a great weekend, until next time x

Quitting

Well yesterday was the first day of my no smoking, it has been a difficult couple of days, I have a face like a bulldog that has been stung by a wasp! And everyone is steering clear (well they ought to!) I am very fidgety and can't seem to settle at anything and to top if off I have a banging headache. I know it's not going to be easy but I am determined to do it this time.

Not much doing in the garden, picked some more runner beans, the freezer is filling up with these now. The squash are getting bigger everyday, I can't wait to have these. Still no signs of a pumpkin yet though.

As for the girls we have had no eggs for the past two days, they have been at the rhubarb again, they manage to get through the netting or jump up and get to the rhubarb. It does not seem to matter what I do as they will get at it however they can. I can't move it yet or cut it so it's a sticky situation. As soon as I let them out they all hurtle towards to the blooming rhubarb!

I have just had to purchase some eggs so I can do some baking, I need to keep busy.

Well that is it from me for today, until next time x

All hands on deck

Mum and dad came round today and we spent a productive day in the garden. The sun was shining and it was a beautiful day. Gardening shoes were on and gloves were at the ready.

Mum weeded the fruit border and some of the patio whilst me and dad sorted out the vegetable plot. All the manky cabbages have now gone and the area has been dug over and he even managed to remove the tree stump giving me more growing space. I removed the French dwarf beans and weeded the top end of the vegetable plot. All the outdoor tomatoes have been picked and the plants are now in the compost bin. The garden looks a lot tidier and is ready for it's winter dressing.

As a thank you, we had home made soup for lunch and they went home with some courgettes and some runner beans for their help. Mum went home looking rather tired and in much need for a soak in the bath!

The greenhouse needs sorting next so I will hopefully make a start on that tomorrow.

Well that is it for another day, until next time x

Hello - I'm Back!

What an eventful week we have had. Our truck managed to get us there and back safely, just... We were about a mile from home when it decided to cough and splutter and stop. We managed to get it started again, and it has since had some oil and water and is fine again. Fingers crossed it will keep puttering along for another year.

It was very wet and windy up in Gairloch, Scotland, and we were fairly stranded where we were staying with no internet or signals for the phones. The boys were not too happy not being able to constantly text and be on facebook! As soon as we were in the car going somewhere, they were constantly checking for phone signals and whooping with excitement once they got a signal. It's awful to think that they can't live with out these things.

Anyway plenty of fishing was done as well as lots of crocheting. I managed to make five scarves, two hats, two sets of baby hat ,booties and mittens. I even went fishing! We went out on a boat and I even caught a couple as well as catching my fingers on the rusty hook! Sammy the seal followed the boat back and we fed him some mackerel that we had caught. It was fantastic seeing him up so close.

The scenery was fantastic on the way down and depending on how the weather looked made it all look so different. We had a four hour round trip on the Sunday to get the food shop for the week. I am so glad I don't live in a secluded place.

We met plenty of animals on our journeys out and about, sheep were just wandering around on the roads, and we went up to the end of the country, or so it seemed and looked at the lighthouse. On our way back we came round a bend and a huge and I mean huge cow was coming towards us. We stopped and the cow stepped to the side to let us pass, it was quite comical really. I'm convinced it was a cow but Jay reckons it was a bull, but we didn't stop again to check!

We had an eventful trip to Inverness town centre, Ben and Adam were waiting in Subway when Ben got stung by a wasp. Five minutes later the colour had drained from his face, his eyes rolled and he was about to collapse. Jay quickly sat him down, it had decided to rain quite hard. It all happened so quickly, he has been stung by a bee before but never a wasp, so panic was setting in was he allergic. Thankfully he did not pass right out, we gave him a sugary drink and he was back on his feet ten minutes later.

So that was our trip to Gairloch in Scotland.

The twins survived coping on their own whilst we were away. The girlfriends had also stayed over and I came back to a lovely clean house! The hens and dogs were all fine and so was the garden. I had quite a harvest to collect.

I picked the tomatoes and they are now sitting on the windowsill in the bedroom as this gets the most sun. Hopefully they will go a ruby red. Where the tomato plants are situated gets some sun and I did not want to lose them so I thought it was best to pick them and get them in as much sun as possible. I can always make chutney otherwise.

I had another surprise when I went for my walk about in the garden when I got home, I have about five squashes but as yet no pumpkins. The Italian courgette plant is still going strong and producing lovely courgettes. I will plant these again next year.

This is the largest squash on the plant and if you look closely you will see behind the skeletons that are left of my cabbages.

I am already making plans for what I will be growing next year and where everything will be going. I have yet to order my garlic and tomorrow mum and dad are coming over and we are having a day of gardening as the weeds have taken hold and the cabbage stumps need removing and as they are full of caterpillars I won't touch them, dad has got that job!

Here are three great recipes for using up your courgettes/zucchinis and you can print of the recipes.
courgette chutney     
mediterranean vegetable medley     
creamy potato courgettezucchini soup

Well that is it from me for now, I'll leave you with some more photos from Scotland. Until next time x