It's been another glorious day here in Kemp Castle. Tony went and got some more free compost this morning while I had a crafting session with my friend Jayne. It's coming up to her 70th birthday party and we've been making table decorations. The other day I made some table markers for her family and friends tables.
It's been absolutely gorgeous today and I'm sporting a very sunkissed look. Tony has picked up a huge load of green waste compost for me and I have been busy filling big pots and planting out bedding plants. I will have to fleece it all if the cold weather returns. I've planted out my sweet potato slips in big black pots and put a plastic cover over them to give them a bit of extra protection. They're currently sitting in the hottest part of my garden and hopefully I'll get a crop of homegrown sweet potatoes. It's my first year growing them so any harvest will be good.
I'm trying Mosquito dunks in the hope that I can get rid of fungus gnats in the porch. I'm squishing and hoovering them up in their hundreds every day. They were recommended to me by a comment on my YouTube channel and I've given everything a good water with the solution this morning. It'll take a few days before we notice an improvement.
Tony and I have been to the pictures this evening. We watched two completely different films. One was the utterly brilliant film about Michael Jackson and the other was The Hail Mary project. I'm not sure quite what I made of the second film but we've had a lovely evening out.
Our wisteria is looking absolutely lovely at the moment. The racemes hang over the kitchen window and fill the house with fragrance. I'm off out for a walk with friends this morning.
This morning I sowed a whole load of climbing beans and different varieties of courgettes. They'll be ready to plant outside in a few weeks time as they grow really fast. At this very minute I'm sitting in the conservatory soaking up the last of the day's sunshine. It's so warm and cosy and I can feel the warmth seeping into my bones. We're off to a ceilidh tonight but it finishes at 10pm so not a really late one. Our old bones really want to be heading off to bed around 10pm. We're such creatures of habit.
The weather has been absolutely gorgeous today. Especially out of the wind which was decidedly cool. My plants are at the hokey cokey stage. In out, in out and move them all about but hopefully it won't be too long before they can move outdoors permanently. I've played whist this afternoon and Tony usually brings a book to read as he doesn't like playing cards. He always makes the tea for everyone so he's quite popular with the ladies in the group. We've been to the folk dancing group tonight and danced our little legs off. Tomorrow night we're going to a ceilidh at a local church and a pizza supper is included in the £5 ticket cost. We have such a good night there and everyone is absolutely lovely. It's a cracking night out and we'll be home by 9.30 as it finishes at 9pm. That's late enough for us these days.
If you like year round edible colour in your garden then I can highly recommend Rainbow chard. The colours are intense and practically glow in the dark.
Add it to salads or cook it in stews and stir fries.
I made a little beer trap the other day. I've used some polystyrene and corner protectors that came with our new craft desks. The inside container is a milk carton and I've pinned it into the garden using barbecue skewers. Ten slugs popped in for a drink last night and didn't leave.
I've been given a small fruit press and it's the perfect size for making small amounts of fruit juices. Last year I gave away more than three quarters of the grapes that I'd grown. This year I'll turn them into juice and freeze it. I'll do the same with the apples and pears and might have a dabble at making wine. The press is about the size of a bucket so isn't going to need vast quantities of fruit to make it worthwhile
I love this time of year when everything looks sparkling and green. The new leaves always have a wonderful freshness don't they. It helps that the sky is a beautiful clear blue and not that horrible drab grey. Each time that I step outside into my back garden the scent from the wallflowers stops me in my tracks.
