Sunday, 27 December 2020
At home
The weather started out badly. Faerie helped me write a couple of blog posts. Typing was a bit of a challenge.
We then caught up on the Tootlepedal blog. I like to read it about a week behind because it always gets lots of interesting comments.
I then noticed that the sun had come out. This surprised me, as the day had begun stormy.
I had only an hour before a three o’clock scheduled zoom event in which to try to get something done outside.
My chosen mission was to move soil from the first fish tote that I had filled with soil in late summer. I could not remember if I had put pieces of wood in the bottom for hugelkultur. I would shift the soil to another tote to find out, but first I had to move potted plants that were stashed in both of them.
Skooter came to supervise.
I wonder how often he blocks light from my cold frame.
In an hour, I had the potted plants moved. The target bin already had some small logs topped with shredded hebe and other plant debris.
I added some of the wool mixed with leaves that I had gotten yesterday.
The arrival of the wool had been cosmically well-timed. Yesterday, in that waking up time when I half-dream about the garden, I’d thought about the wool that I’d gotten before from Purly Shell Fiber Arts and about how I wished I had more for the compost bins and totes. And then I had gotten the message that wool was at the fiber shop waiting for me.
I had barely started moving soil from the other bin when three o clock arrived. My zoom meeting was a book club organized by Ann Amato, and I had enjoyed the chosen book, The One Straw Revolution. So in I went, even though I find it hard to do anything indoors in good weather. And very good weather it was…warm like spring and with no wind and with birds chattering in the Bogsy Wood trees.
So I have to confess that I wasn’t too sad when, after three tries, I couldn’t get into the meeting despite careful copying of the meeting ID number. “Invalid meeting ID”, I was told by zoom. Later, I learned that the meeting did happen, but I had gone back out to the garden.
Between three thirty and dark (about four forty five now), I got all the soil shifted out of one bin to the other and, indeed, I had not put any wood for hugelkuktur into the bottom.
While I was getting the last of the soil out, Allan had taken time from his book project to attach a fence piece from our ingredients pile to the east side of the original bin. This will help keep the hops and rose from shading out the bin.
The target bin was nice and full (although it will sink down) and I had been able top up some other bins, as well.
I just had time before the cold dark to pick a mess of greens (collards, chard, mustard).
These two hadn’t even bothered to go out onto the catio.
We had received our monthly Universal Yums box, a cheering pandemic indulgence. We took it out of the garage quarantine into which mail and packages go for a couple of days. This month, it contained a plethora of treats “from everywhere” instead of from just one country. (Since we joined, we have gotten Britain, Columbia, Russia, and Italy. Russia and Italy were the best, although as a Brit-Ophile, that one made me the happiest.)
Turkey and stuffing crisps from the UK were our treat along with a nice cuppa Builders.
A box of goodies from everywhere sounds like a treat! Less than 9 hrs left in this year. Hope next year is better for all of us! 🙂
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I surely do hope so.
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That Faerie is the sweetest cat. I want a “snuggle cat” like her. Happy New Year!!! 2020 GO AWAY! Thanks for all of your posts this year,
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Happy New Year! Thanks for all your wonderful comments.
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Sorry you couldn’t get into the zoom book group. I did not join since I haven’t read the book but I will be there next month. And I agree with hairytoedgardener about snuggly Faerie. She’s a little love.
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I will give it a try next month. I hope it’s not a sunny day!
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That Fairie! Those treats look delicious. About an hour and a half away from 2021. A very happy new year to you and yours.
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Happy New Year to you in your cute red house!
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A-w-w-w, thanks!
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Hi Skyler, The picture of you and Faerie is too cute! Skooter must love his alone time with you in the garden. Happy new year to you and Allan!
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Happy New Year to you and your whole family!
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More rain?! How nice. We got a bit last night. It was a bit more than expected, but still not as much there.
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Your garden is getting better organised every day. Good work.
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Thanks, Mr T. We’ve had a lot of extra time for making plans and executing them this past year.
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Just to say ‘Thank You’ for making 2020 bearable. No matter the subject, I always feel as if I’ve had a visit with friends during these lockdown months. The cats, the projects, books, water adventure trips, your work and even worry wart tourists have added so much to solitary days. And all the animals that you meet and pass out biscuits and pats to along the way. You bring the outdoors to a lot of us who are indoors by necessity. Again, thanks!
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Thank you. Sometimes I get embarrassed because the gardening side of the blog (every day in season particularly) seems like a weird ego trip. Even from someone with imposter syndrome. 😀 I don’t feel that way about other people’s daily blogs though. I think it’s because one person who really dislikes me reads it, as I know from occasional snarky comments (that no one sees but me!). I wish I knew more about my nice regular commenters who don’t have blogs of their own. Anyway, comments like yours keep me at it. I do enjoy blogging a great deal. It’s soothing and, when it came to the tourists this year, cathartic.
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Well, your blog is living proof that good writers are born not made. I’d love to read that book you’ll perhaps write one of these days.
It’s really hard not to let snark color your mood. Of course, that’s the whole idea. Those people have spent a lifetime perfecting the technique because, sadly, that is their main focus in life.
Too bad there’s not an individual block mechanism for blog comments like there is for social media, or like blocking one number from your cell phone.
As I typed this it occurred to me: I do believe singular address blocking was at one time an option, because a few years back, I recall reading a blogger’s response to a commenter, saying she was at that moment blocking her so she could not comment on her blog in future.
The chastised commenter wrote, “Well, I can still read your blog and I will continue to do so!”
The author replied, “Yes, but I don’t ever have to read you again.” : )
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That would be so nice to have an individual block! Maybe it was a blogspot rather than WordPress blog. Fortunately, this person’s comments are rare, and some were sent via email, which I was able to block. And than you for the compliment about writing.
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