Today - Different Plan of Attack

Last night I was that tired, I think the greenhouse sessions finally caught up with me and I crashed and did not wake until 11:00am.  I was that shattered and I hurt. 

Since then, I have been working between three rooms today for a reason.  The bathroom has some of my kitchen items in as does the dining room.  I will therefore be working to start with between the bathroom, the kitchen and the Pantry.  As I have mentioned a lot of the Pantry is done however there are further items to go in there which I have sorted into categories which need to be squeezed in.  For the time being I have popped said items into bags and then once things are a bit clearer I will pop them where they need to be.  Space is at a premium between the kitchen and the bathroom at the best of times and therefore I need to put this outside so that I can move and then get everything sorted to where it should be.  I will be cleaning and organising through this process as well.  I am working like this as I do not want to be going over the same room several times or moving things several times so it is far better to clear as I go. I may as well take the time now and get it sorted in one fair shot.  Pantry looks tidy, but as I say things need to be finished off.  At least this time around I tackled the bottom of the Pantry.  So it is messy, but it is a needs much situation.

I checked on the greenhouse everything has survived.   I will do the same until the end of the week as a lot of time, love and effort not least of all money has gone into these plants already and I want to be able to have some rewards in the form of food for all this effort.  Cucumber survived the night too.

I have predominantly kept out of the Pantry today apart from putting odd items away.  I have been concentrating on a certain extent in the kitchen.  I have cleared all the bagaged items that really need to go into the Pantry or under the stairs outside.  I know what is in each bag so a lot easier to find.  I will at some point need to drag the baking box out as I have more items to add, but not yet.

Tonight for tea we have the haunch of Venison bought the other day. Have never cooked this before and it was suggested to me that I should cook it like Beef and so that is what I am doing.  I am doing it on a long slow cook as I do not want to mess it up.  I am not doing roasties with it.  Just simple veg a little mashed potato, carrots, peas, PSB, and Cauliflower.  That should do nicely.

I am afraid I downed tools as I was going stir crazy.  I have never been a person to be cooped up at all and I soon shake the reins as it were when I get fed up.  I went into the garden as I got fed up with washing up and tidying.  Initially I just went for a sit down, but then thinking things through I just thought I would get stuck in.  Better to do a little bit here and then and get it all done rather than trying to do it in one fair swoop.  I have now started tackling the side border to the patio stones.  That was full of thistles, Dock and all sorts of other weeds, brambles, chick weed, Dandelions etc. which were a little difficult to get out. I struggled manually trying to shift them out so a bit of leverage was required.  I therefore started using the spade to dig them out and it has been much easier.  Am going through the soil to get as much of the "twitch" as I can out.  I also thought that the fresh air would do me good and give me a different perspective.  Just to get out of an area or situation for a little bit of time often helps with re-focusing, and today it has done just that for me.

Whilst I have been working I have had the company of my Robin again. I call him my Robin, but he is not really, he is one of Nature's Children.  He has been very keen to get into the patches I have cleared and every so often I have sat down and let him have a rootle.  He has been within about a foot of me and does not seem phased by me at all.  Such a simple pleasure having him pottering around as I work and so peaceful.  Then we were joined by a Blackbird and the Robin went scooting off.  When I went back to my spade the Blackbird was more nervous and fled.  Robin came back again afterwards and later on brought a friend as well. I am the lucky one, but I know they were after the grubs.

I will reconvene for a while tomorrow on this border and once all the weeds are out and the twitch, I will then go over it with the fork.  I think I need to be doing a bit of gardening each day as it does calm me down and soothe me as being out in the fresh air does as well.  Then I will start on the other border in front of the Rhubarb.  There is a reason for me concentrating on the borders at the moment as I have Asparagus Crowns waiting to go in.  I thought that I would prepare a type of Perennial bed, bearing in mind the Rhubarb is already present and plant some Strawberries and Asparagus together behind the Rhubarb.  Think there might be a cutting or two at the weekend on this for a pudding or a cake.

I have been and closed the greenhouse down for the night. Adversely the weather here at the moment is bright sunshine and to me it feels warm outside.  Temperatures are meant to go down to 3 degrees here in Peterborough tonight.  I checked the forecast again as a result of the evening Sun.

It will probably be about 8:00pm tonight when we eat - a bit late for us but I did not put the Venison on early enough.  I will know better another time.  It is cooking quite slowly, as I did not want to shrink the meat with cooking on too high a temperature. We have some Strawberries and cream to have afterwards if we have space

I am now tired; I think a similar method of approach will be used tomorrow.  Hopefully I will get an earlier start tomorrow.  I did set the alarm for 8:00am but slept through it.  I think tomorrow predominantly the focus will be on the kitchen, clearing and cleaning and putting stuff away.

P.S. The Venison was delicious very tasty.  Will be having that again.  The best bit a repeat meal tomorrow.

Have a lovely evening everyone.

Catch you soon.

Pattypan

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