This week everyone at our house (minus dog) has a cold. For some of us (Partner), it's just a snotty inconvenience. For others (Franklin), it's an excuse to stop sleeping. For the rest (me), it's a chance to lose tempers and threaten to kick the dog. As of this post, the dog has not yet been kicked, though I've also come seriously close to picking up and chucking objects that get in my way (Partner's hats fallen on the floor, a basket of clean unfolded laundry, Franklin's stroller...the dog...).

Our patio has been taken over by our nasturtiums. It rather seems like my flowers have been taken over by them as well. I planted lots of flowers in what is now the nasturtium bed. As they self-seed prolifically, I need to pull them up as seedlings or they come creeping over the patio to take over the house. I'm convinced they pulled over the wheelbarrow in their pursuit of total dominion.

I've fallen short of achieving my goals for this month. In accordance with my apple butter making goal, I did score some more free apples: they're still on my counter. I haven't made any cards, and I didn't sort through my wardrobe: only my sock drawer. I blame the last minute push to get my math done. I still have an exam to revise for, but all assignments are submitted. And I start a new class this week, so my workload simply shifts to another subject.

My maternity leave officially ends next week, and I'm going back for two days before that, to get back into the swing of things. I do kind of miss work, if only to see people who don't have snot running down their chins.

Picking, slinging, apples

Despite my best effort to quell the caterpillar uprising, there were still casualties. My patio is littered with little green bodies, yet new damage appears daily on my cabbage seedlings. Not to mention my broccoli; luckily that's well-established enough to withstand it.

My garden duties at the moment consist of picking runner beans by the handful, picking spent sweet peas, and picking caterpillars off various vegetables.

While I've loved Franklin's baby carrier, he's just getting too heavy for me in it. Its designed so that most of the baby's weight is carried on the shoulders like a backpack. Well, Franklin hasn't been weighed in ages but I would venture to say he's around 15 pounds, and that means my back is killing me! I've been experimenting with a wrap sling I made*, and though I need practice tying it, it's a lot easier on my back. Wearing it, most of his weight is on my hip and waist and only a little on my shoulder.

*Literally I just tore a big piece off an old sheet; if you could examine it close up, you'd see dangling strings--maybe I should hem it or something

He rode in his new wrap on our walk today and actually fell asleep in it. He's cuddled asleep on my lap right now because I can't work out how to get it off without waking him.

At the last moment I decided to make apple jelly instead of apple butter. It's a beautiful deep clear red and we had some with our roast pork. If I can score more apples I will make butter.

Jelly fail and butter win, with a dearth of blogtime

I picked loads and loads of wild rosehips, got covered in scratches and thorns, kept picking up earwigs (yucky!), nearly lost the dog, and all I got to show for it was one measly glass of rosehip juice. I felt this was not worth making into jelly, so I've given up on that particular dream. The sugarless juice was kind of tomatoey tasting, by the way. I didn't really feel like drinking it, though I'm sure it would have been wonderful jelly. Had there only been more of it.

But.

The three of us plus doggy drove to London to see the inlaws this weekend, and I brought a jar of lovingly made strawberry jam and a lovingly grown cabbage in order to inveigle some of their apples. Only my plans were set awry by my sister-in-law who I'm told stripped the tree a week ago. Sigh.

But.

On the drive home, we stopped at a rest area to feed the baby and let the dog pee. While walking in the doggy area we saw some beautiful rosy ripe apples, with no one to catch us scrumping* some. I couldn't say for certain how many we picked, but I would venture several pounds. My apple butter is again full speed ahead!

*scrumping: purloining apples

I'm having a tough time keeping on top of regular posting at the moment because Franklin is mobile. Last week I put him down to play in his baby gym, sat down on the bed next to it to read, and five minutes later heard a thumping. I leaned over to see Franklin two feet away from his gym, chewing on the door. My free time is now limited to naptime and bedtime, and sadly, housework, bathing, eating, and sleeping are higher on my priority list than blogging. Sorry.