I've really enjoyed not being at work today as the sun has made a determined appearance for the first time in I don't know how long. And according to the weather report, it's here to stay for at least the next four days.
The morning was spent wood collecting. Which is hard work as we have to drag the wood down the hill, across the field and up the path by our house to rest under the horreo (traditional Asturian grain/vegetable storage shed on rat-proof triangular stilts - picture forthcoming!). However, I always feel much healthier once all the wood has been stored and less guilty for not doing any 'proper' exercise - although vegetable gardening and almost 30 hours a week of teaching has to count for something too.
After a tasty lunch (home-made falafel in pitta bread with lettuce, greek yoghurt with mint and Matt's hot chilli paste) I got the sun lounger out and vegged on the terrace. Yesterday was cloudy with a biting wind, but today it got so hot that I had to strip off my trousers and t-shirt (and hope that the neighbour didn't choose that point to pop round). It was lovely to feel a very warm sun on my back and I would've dozed off if not for the cats chasing each other around the terrace.
A quick tour of the garden afterwards revealed the potatoes are starting to show - they'd been slow in starting due to the prolonged cold weather. I'm still waiting on some curly kale I sowed about two weeks back. I have my fingers crossed as last year it was, mysteriously, a complete failure from the start, despite using F1 seed (this means that the majority of the seed is guaranteed to sprout, although you can't collect seed from the plants at the end of the season as it's sterile). However, the peas are doing magnificently, as are the garlics. The parsnips are up and the runner beans already look set to be a bumper crop this year. We put some raspberry canes in earlier in the year and it happily looks as though they've all taken. Mmm, raspberries are one of my favourites.
Also, we're hoping for our wisteria to flower for the first time this year. It has large buds on it that are slowly getting bigger and I find this very exciting. I've always wanted to grow a wisteria ever since I saw an enormous one on a school trip to southern France which had flowers dripping down over an old, stone archway. Unfortunately Elbi is very fond of chewing the stems and she's recently discovered that it's great fun to pat off the growing buds. We have to chase her away every time we see her near the plant, but she's a mischievous little devil and sneaks back to play once we're not looking.
It looks as though it's going to be a perfect evening for beer and olives on the terrace while we watch the sun set. However, we have no beer in the house - we only ever buy one or two packs at a time, otherwise it all gets drunk too quickly - and as the shops are closed today (and I'd be loathe to drive all the way down the hill just for beer) I shall have to make do with the view and a glass of juice.
The morning was spent wood collecting. Which is hard work as we have to drag the wood down the hill, across the field and up the path by our house to rest under the horreo (traditional Asturian grain/vegetable storage shed on rat-proof triangular stilts - picture forthcoming!). However, I always feel much healthier once all the wood has been stored and less guilty for not doing any 'proper' exercise - although vegetable gardening and almost 30 hours a week of teaching has to count for something too.
After a tasty lunch (home-made falafel in pitta bread with lettuce, greek yoghurt with mint and Matt's hot chilli paste) I got the sun lounger out and vegged on the terrace. Yesterday was cloudy with a biting wind, but today it got so hot that I had to strip off my trousers and t-shirt (and hope that the neighbour didn't choose that point to pop round). It was lovely to feel a very warm sun on my back and I would've dozed off if not for the cats chasing each other around the terrace.
A quick tour of the garden afterwards revealed the potatoes are starting to show - they'd been slow in starting due to the prolonged cold weather. I'm still waiting on some curly kale I sowed about two weeks back. I have my fingers crossed as last year it was, mysteriously, a complete failure from the start, despite using F1 seed (this means that the majority of the seed is guaranteed to sprout, although you can't collect seed from the plants at the end of the season as it's sterile). However, the peas are doing magnificently, as are the garlics. The parsnips are up and the runner beans already look set to be a bumper crop this year. We put some raspberry canes in earlier in the year and it happily looks as though they've all taken. Mmm, raspberries are one of my favourites.
Also, we're hoping for our wisteria to flower for the first time this year. It has large buds on it that are slowly getting bigger and I find this very exciting. I've always wanted to grow a wisteria ever since I saw an enormous one on a school trip to southern France which had flowers dripping down over an old, stone archway. Unfortunately Elbi is very fond of chewing the stems and she's recently discovered that it's great fun to pat off the growing buds. We have to chase her away every time we see her near the plant, but she's a mischievous little devil and sneaks back to play once we're not looking.
It looks as though it's going to be a perfect evening for beer and olives on the terrace while we watch the sun set. However, we have no beer in the house - we only ever buy one or two packs at a time, otherwise it all gets drunk too quickly - and as the shops are closed today (and I'd be loathe to drive all the way down the hill just for beer) I shall have to make do with the view and a glass of juice.
2 comments:
A glass of juice?! No, you shall have to find yourself some beer my dear...
Too late I'm afraid. We had wine with dinner instead.
I'll be passing a supermarket today so shall make sure to buy some for this evening/tomorrow as it's another lovely day.
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