You would think that my lifestyle would be really healthy, what with being outdoors most of the time, physically active, eating lots of organic vegetables, having minimal contact with other humans – and what I do have is mostly outdoors at the farmers’ market, well other than my weekly hour and half in the pub. Oh, the penny has just dropped! Maybe it’s the pub? And perhaps because I don’t see many people generally I am more susceptible to picking up germs? It’s a theory. Anyway, whatever the ins and outs of it are, for the second time since the end of November I have been struggling with a horrid chesty cough for the past week and have felt less than optimal. It’s been a proper rattler. Early in the week I was finding it difficult to sleep, but thankfully I’m over the worst of it now, though still a little short of breath. I have not made myself very popular at home either, because both Jennifer and Emily now have it!
I’ve got a new best friend pheasant. Lots of them hang about around where I feed the birds, and 2 or 3 are canny enough to wait by the potting shed door, ever hopeful for a handful of scattered bird seed – which is inevitably forthcoming, mug that I am. Well one fine looking cock bird has become increasingly bold and is now venturing just over the threshold to beg for special rations. Most days he is loitering with intent, like some stage door Jonny, and it is now my quest to get him to feed from my hand, like the hen bird of a couple of years ago. This was him the other day, soaking wet, grateful for a moment of respite from yet another soggy one.
This week’s weather is looking much more promising, with more dry than we have had for ages and much warmer than the average for this time in February – we are being teased with the possibility of 16° on Wednesday. Balmy or what? We have had cooler than that on some of our recent summer holidays! The most important thing for me is that the land can dry out to the point where I can actually get on it. I was looking through some photographs of previous years at this time, and I was preparing beds and even planting or sowing seeds by now. However, patience is required, really there is no mad rush, I’m sure that everything will catch up and be fine.
In the polytunnel the spring cabbages are coming along very nicely, and the chard has had a recent growth spurt but is still some way off being ready to start harvesting. I need to get in there and deal with the chickweed before it gets too much more vigorous and robs the plants of nutrients, and also before it sets seed. In the greenhouse I have some rocket with which I am going to make some pesto this week.
I have had to resort to strong arm tactics in the propagating greenhouse. The mice have been scrapping up some of my valuable seedlings and nibbling the tops out of others, including baby tomato plants. There is plenty of time for me to re-sow, but it’s a nuisance and the organic seed that I have to buy is very expensive, so the gloves are off and the catch and release policy has been replace by a more drastic one. I don’t like doing it, but needs must.
This week in the shop there are Brussels sprouts, but I can’t see them going on much longer. There is also curly green kale and broccoli, plus leeks, onions and the rest of the usual suspects. The red potatoes this week are Java, good for mashing, roasting and baking. There will be sweet potatoes. Some of you missed out on them last week after I failed to order any, so I only had what was left over from the previous week – apologies for that. There are some small Delicata squash available at a reasonable price. Apples are Cox Royale, and the Moro blood oranges from Sicily are likely to be larger than the Sanguinelli of the past 2 weeks, so the price has increased slightly.
I rushed home from the market yesterday in time to watch the rugby. I wish that I hadn’t bothered! Expectations were so high going into the 6 Nations, reinforced by a really good performance against the hapless Welsh in the first game, but since then the wheels have fallen off. With 10 minutes to go I had seen enough so I took Nellie for a walk to calm down. I think that the dog sensed my frustration, so she chased a squirrel on my behalf. She didn’t have a chance of getting near it, but it made us both feel better.
Right, that will do for now. Enjoy the warmer weather this week, and admire the snowdrops, they really are at their best right now. See you soon.
Phil