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The surgeon and consultants are rather reticent about it.... which is fair enough, and I am back in the hospital again on the 10th September. I am trialling some new contact lenses (just for the right eye as there is no point having anything for the left eye) and have chosen new (fairly funky) glasses too, for reading and/or computer work. The opticians have been very helpful and, of course, are full of stories to be optimistic...?*!
So, we’ll see (literally - ha! ha!) Or not.
Below: this is how being a school office manager can feel.... !! 
There's a young man who regularly spends time up there, and just the other day, he shared a little of his story through the garden. He explained how he has learnt that in order to flourish, each seed needs not only to be planted at the right time and nourished, but also to be in the right place. “When I was planted on the streets, I declined rapidly, but now that I have a place to stay, that’s when I began to grow. It saddens me that when people get planted in concrete, we simply aren’t meant to be there.” His gentle wisdom pierced my heart open a little wider again. How often do we judge people rather than the conditions in which they find themselves?" I love that - "that in order to flourish, each seed needs not only to be planted at the right time and nourished, but also to be in the right place".... and it very much reflects my Liability gardening too.
'Futuresound, the independent promoters behind the concerts and the castle's management team said they are committed to further establishing the venue as one of the country's best outdoor settings for live music; the castle and Futuresound had agreed a five-year deal to continue putting on live music at the historic site, creating and establishing the series of 5000 capacity events since 2023'.
Dwarf Marigolds make good edging plants that may deter rabbits and some varieties are known for their ability to starve out root-knot nematodes when planted the year before and macerated and then ploughed into the soil where the chemicals that affect the nematodes are then released. This sounds like a lot of work to me and therefore probably not going to happen in my veg patch!
Not only do they look good but Nasturtiums sprawl out over the ground, so they suppress weeds and shade the soil when grown near tall plants like sweet corn, tomatoes or sunflowers. Zinnia are tall, single-flowered varieties which attract butterflies and look great grown with dill, fennel and cosmos. Hyssop, Catnip, lemon balm, lavender, mint, salvia, savoury, thyme… are all part of the Lamiaceae family and have a flower structure that can be accessed by a wide range of insects, including small bees. Insects need only a short tongue to reach the nectar and pollen hidden inside the two-lipped blossoms. Hero plant! Feverfew repels insects of all nature, so it is a good plant to grow near entryways – well, anywhere really! Here's an easy introduction and from people who know what they're talking about! www.gardenersworld.com/plants/10-companion-plants-to-grow/
Make tea tonics (for your plants); Comfrey tea is right in potassium, so this is the ideal time to give your plants a mid-season drink. See the link below to make both comfrey and nettle tea.
Gardeners World: Comfrey feed It’s time to sow biennials to flower in May/June next year and these ones are easy and cheap to raise from seed (according to RHS):
The RHS also says July is the time to try the Hampton Hack – as opposed to the Chelsea Chop at the end of May! This is the process of cutting back early-flowering perennials after they have flowered to promote fresh growth and often a second flush of flowers. I didn't know this was a ‘thing’ – but I have been doing it for a while now – especially with the lupins. It generally seems to work – if they haven’t been swamped by those damn daisies! (as per previous blog). Companion planting for roses: Phlox, Geranium, and Delphiniums are perennials which complement roses beautifully and require minimal maintenance (always attractive then), incorporating Allium plants (garlic and chives, for example) will assist in combating fungal diseases naturally. Additionally, planting lavender beneath roses effectively controls aphids, offering a natural and fragrant solution to pest management. Last but not least, planting Asters, Helenium, Rudbeckia, and Sedum near roses will compensate for loss of colour in the garden as roses fade at the end of the summer.
"I am recovered now and proudly claim that last Thursday the step-count on my phone read 128 steps for the entire day. I binged on a book “The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart” and 2 or 3 seasons of some show that I can’t quite recall - it was an exercise in exquisite and splendid nothingness. Quite naturally I displayed the appropriate pained face whenever someone entered the room. My body was giving me a gift, which some may say I wasted being super lazy, but rest is a form of resistance to a world that is ‘always on’. Of course, I was grateful for the access to a warm bed and bathroom knowing many who fall by the Wayside are forced to sleep rough when they're unwell. The caring tend to overuse ‘perspective‘ as a way to diminish the signals their bodies send, rather, I think it is all about being attentive and not dismissive, of the signals that bodies send. Like love, they are everywhere and everywhere in need of us. The lesson of convalescence was simple: rather than being alert, be attentive".
The new composter is manufactured by HOTBIN and the product “is made from a resource-efficient fully recyclable material called ARPRO, known more commonly as expanded polypropylene (EPP). HOTBIN consists of just 4% raw material and 96% air”. In effect it insulates the heat, locking it in like a thermos; the walls lock in naturally produced heat generated by the bacterial process; no turning, accelerators or external power source required. Therefore, with temperatures of reaching between 40-60°C naturally. These temperatures are achieved as bacteria breakdown waste and produce heat as a by-product of decomposition.
Waste such as cooked food, small bones and weeds is quickly and efficiently reduced to an end product of wonderful peat-free compost in as little as 30-90 days. Not bad when our traditional composting would usually have a one-year cycle. Ultimately this means that less waste is sent to landfill and: “Did You Know? Composting at home for just one year can save global warming gases equivalent to all the CO2 your kettle produces annually, or your washing machine produces in three months?” In 2019 the updated HOTBIN 200 Litres was launched alongside the new HOTBIN Mini 100 Litres and was awarded the RHS Chelsea Garden Product of the Year 2019. Check out: HOT COMPOSTING
However, a month or so ago (during a miserable half-term break, at the end of May) we did tick the box to visit a local house and garden which is on the Cotswold tourist trail and, of course, when it’s on your doorstep you never make the effort! Bourton-on-the-Hill is only 14 miles from our cottage and is a tiny village a stone's thrown from Snowshill and Moreton-in-the-Marsh and close to Stow-on-the-Wold and Broadway. In the immediate vicinity there are also the Batsford Arboretum and Sezincote (a bit of a curve-ball for the Cotswolds as the 200-year-old Mogul Indian palace and estate is inspired by the Taj Mahal). However, Bourton House Gardens was more accessible and a ‘gentler’ activity suiting my demeanour at the time.
From their website, here is a brief history of Bourton House: “Since Saxon times, the stone-built village of Bourton-on-the-Hill has hugged the Cotswold escarpment. Bourton House and its Brewhouse, Stables and Coach House were built on monastic lands and have created a courtyard since the late 16th century. The Grade I listed Tithe Barn preserves the dedication stone of 1570 with the initials RP for the then owner, Richard Palmer. The house itself was rebuilt as a foursquare Jacobean house by the eminent lawyer, Sir Nicholas Overbury in 1598. At the beginning of the 18th century, the then unfashionable house was once again rebuilt on the earlier footprint by Alexander Popham, the grandson of a Cromwellian general. The house was taken down to its lower ground floor but the whimsical towers retained, the slits replaced by generous Georgian sash windows. The architect remains unknown. This setting has remained unchanged for over three hundred years”. SEE:
As a quick catch-up; on 10th June 2024 (a Monday) I had an emergency optic surgical operation called a trabeculectomy. This was performed at Cheltenham General Hospital. Subsequently I have been signed off work for two weeks, in the first instance, and have to attend weekly check-up appointments for the next month or so.
I cannot write/type a great deal because… well, I can’t actually see a great deal through my left eye. As you can imagine this is rather distressing. So – please ‘bear with’.  The first full week of May ( 6th to 11th May) is "International Compost Awareness Week (ICAW) is the largest and most comprehensive education initiative of the compost industry. It is celebrated nationwide and in other countries each year during the first full week of May. The goal of ICAW is to work together to raise public awareness on why we all should be composting our organics and using compost to create healthier soil. The program includes poster and video contests in the fall and activities and events held during the week in May. Throughout the week of ICAW, events are held all over the country and the world with community, school, government and business planning different activities to encourage and celebrate composting – all types of composting – from backyard to large–scale composting"
Also see: International Compost Awareness Week 2024 | Less Waste
At home, whilst it’s not manic, there is always something to be done. However, I love pottering about and we have been having (another) small purge of all the “stuff” that has accumulated in the shed and greenhouse, as well as the ‘spare room’. We are guilty of keeping things that we think we might repurpose (that’s a very ‘in’ word, isn’t it?) and then a few months later it ends up in the recycling anyway. A friend is currently establishing a new charity shop in Gloucester and therefore my car is stuffed full of goods that will, hopefully, be of use to someone else as well as garnering funds for a worthwhile cause. It also means we might have room to swing-the-cat in the cottage too?!
However, what CtC deigns to leave the small contingency of blackbirds, finches, robins sparrows, wrens and, of course, Johnny and Mary (the pigeons) fight over. Never a dull moment.
So, as well as talking to the cat, I can also be found conversing with the seedlings and small plants developing in the greenhouse and congratulating the progress of the perennials and herbaceous plants in the beds. It was only five or six weeks ago that everything looked so bare, brown and dank but now it’s fairly brimming with vitality. What a difference…. thank goodness! Oh – by the way - apricity means the warmth of the sun in winter or on a chilly day!
So, I receive a number of subscribed emails or notifications and sometimes they can be a tad irritating as I think it can create additional low-level stress, encouraging more ‘busyness’ and information over-load. However, if you are keen to garner more ideas and inspiration then check out the following: Grow Your Own | Allotment Online Home - Thrive Spring Raffle 2024 | RSPB Spring Raffle 2024 Soil Association / Growing at home (soilassociation.org) April in the Garden | Gardening To Do List | Sarah Raven Organic Seeds - Vital Seeds - We help you grow food - Buy online now / Growing Resources - Vital Seeds Quality flower, fruit, herb & vegetable seeds – Seeds To Suit Grow Your Own - April advice and gardening tips / RHS Gardening Home - National Garden Scheme (ngs.org.uk) / Top tips & tutorials Archives - National Garden Scheme (ngs.org.uk) Garden Organic - Discover organic growing (via the Co-Op website) And here is the key advice for April:
Vegetables to grow in April:
Flowers and more to follow - but I must gather myself together for another day at the rockface!
I have not driven for a couple of weeks and of course as soon as I want to venture forth the road by our cottage has been closed off whilst cable of some sort has been laid. Naturally the utilities companies and council and highways agency do not seem to have the wherewithal to communicate with residents about this kind of thing. Subsequently it has been very frustrating for everyone - not knowing which roads are closed off, which diversions to follow.... or even if there are any! Complete joke. ANYWAY, we managed to get out of Winchcombe and with our middle-aged heads on went to our local garden centre - Gotherington Nurseries. I have done some planning and a little bit of research (with the emphasis on little), and have also been mindful of the [terrible] weather and the usual warnings about not being too hasty to plant anything tender outside, and to be careful of seed-sowing optimism. So, today I put some of those ideas into action and we spent a bit of time and more-than-expected money on quick-fixes for some spring-and-summer colour. I also bought more seeds as I do prefer to grow vegetables and herbs from seed. I think things seem to taste better if you can declare loudly "I grew that!". Such a show-off!
 Raised bed - thought through and actually labelled
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