A Hat in Time: 37 Hats to Knit and Crochet still has no Lulu book option (as in real book - not ebook) due to a mad week at work, but you can get the ebook and preorder the limited edition print run - please go to http://ahatintime.blogspot.com. To recap - it's a personal project, fundraiser for Save the Children so please let everyone know about it and buy lots of copies for yourself, your knitting friends etc.
There's really exciting stuff happening at work, all about creating a webcommunity for our new Inspiring Change programme, and I'm giddy with excitement. Inspiring Change is all about working with groups of young people and parents (and partner organisations) who are affected by poverty to identify a possibility/opportunity for positive changes to their own lives and that of their communities - and facilitate making that change. We've started work with one group and lots more are planned. It's all very busy though, and what with this being a UK wide programme, I spend a lot of time on telecoms with colleagues across the UK. And soon I may even meet them in person, in Belfast and London - haven't been to either city in ages so really looking forward to the trips too. Not that I'll do much apart from sit in a different office, mind you.
As I was hit by the housing market and can't get rid of my bachelorette flat, it's being renovated at the moment. Supposedly it was to be done by today, but to be honest, I've yet to met a decorator/joiner/plumber who finishes work in time, so never expected it to be all done. It's a bit tricky - I'm not sure if to rent the flat out again (September is ideal for finding tenants) or really push the sale. If it's on the market for a while, I'll be absolutely skinned. If I rent it out, it's hassle and who knows what the next tenants will be like (but at least I'll be able to pay my two mortgages...).
I've had almost no time for anything but work and looking after toddlers/babies and associated housework. My weight loss/exercise attempts are put on hold. I'm too stressed to cut out cake and chocolate, and simply have no time to even think about exercise. There will be time for that again, but it's not now.
Did I tell you that I came home to a brown bin the other day? This is true telepathy because I had planned to contact Glasgow city council about brown bins for garden waste. The link on the website wasn't working so I never got around to it. Then out of the blue, there it is, my very own brown bin. I'm pleased and then I'm not so pleased. Thing is, we now have 3 big bins in our tiny weeny terraced house garden, taking up rather a lot of space. They never get filled and really, we could share one between at least two neighbours, if not three.
Finally, here's a summary of my gardening success with raised beds and generally using every available space in my tiny garden for veggies: My herbs and lettuce did really well, they were a success truly. As to tomatoes - let's do better. I only got two handfuls of cherry tomatoes out of nine plants, the tomatoes are green mostly (although I've been given a fab tip to get them red: wrap them in newspaper and store them in a warm place, like a drawer, the oven after use and they will turn red. They do, I've tried it!). Next year I've got to get a sunnier spot, support them, make sure to take out the side shoots early and consistently. I didn't do any of this, so the yield was rather pathetic (tasty though!). My trial of whether expensive or cheap grow bags work better resulted in the cheap ones yielding more tomatoes, but the big ones creating bigger plants, not sure what the meaning of that would be.
Next year, I'll double my efforts with 2 raised beds, once I've stolen a bit more of Alloa compost... Oh, I also got a few courgettes which were more of a marrow and this item which looks interesting. If you know what it is, please tell me. Better even, what can I do with it? Is it edible? If you know, pray tell me!
7 comments:
Hia
Thanks about the Tomato tip - we have 17 small greeny yellow ones on the bush that Bel bought home from school before summer hols and she is getting quite desperate to eat them now.
Also is your mystery vegetable a squash of some kind - I think it may even be a yellow squash?
Bare Naked Mummy
In Mexico we get two types of courgettes - the normal ones and round ones that are the same as your yellow thing but green and otherwise courgette-like. They are slightly smaller than a tennis ball. What's yours like inside?
Well, the plant was sold to me as a courgette, and the plant looks like one - I can't tell the difference. The fruit is round and the size of a handball, well maybe a bit smaller - so considerably bigger than a tennis ball. I haven't cut it open yet because I don't know what to do with it. Cubling decided it was a Kuerbis (pumpkin), but obviously it's a) smaller, b) yellow. But pumpkin soup is the only idea I have so far for this strange vegetable. I trailed squash and marrow types and so far haven't found it.
It is a courgette for definite.
You'll have to open it and see. If it has a soft thin skin, it is basically a yellow version of the courgettes I had for my lunch. Pumpkins have thick skins.
It could be this one:
http://www.thompson-morgan.com/seeds1/product/908/2.html
Here is a mention of what to do with yellow ones:
Yellow ones definately make the best soup as well - with a teaspoonful of thai red curry mix and a big handful of chopped mint to 3 big courgettes and 2 modest onions.
definitely courgette ... ;o)
Post a Comment