Toads, bonfires, and tea

Oh what gardening fun we had this weekend. Partner promised to level out the new vegetable bed and put in a walkway.While doing so he found a bleary toad. Far too early to wake up from hibernation, Partner took it to a pile of leaves in another corner of the garden.
The very same day I suggested we cut down some overgrown elders that cast shade onto our new vegetable plot: this ended up becoming a two day operation. One such overgrown tree was cut down and into manageable chunks, and the next day another two trees came down (incidently, the tree behind Partner in the above picture was one of the unlucky ones--check out the photo of me below: clear view of the neighbor's shed and no tree). What to do with all this green wood? Burn it! And where is our bonfire pit? In the new vegetable bed! It took two attempts to get this fire going. It's HARD to make a fire of green wood--we didn't have any old seasoned wood. The first attempt went through ten newspapers. The second attempt took ten cardboard boxes plus the contents of our paper recycling.
Not to mention that in order to burn efficiently, the trees needed to be cut into logs and sticks, which then needed to be trimmed. If they weren't trimmed, the twigs on them (green and stubbornly fire-resistant) held the wood too far from the coals and flames to burn; this is why our first attempt failed: there was too much of a gap between pieces of wood due to the tangle of twigs.

We had tea, sandwiches, and scones while out coaxing the bonfire. Don't worry, Partner washed his hands after grappling with the toad.
Altogether we sat with the fire (adjusting and fanning the flames often) for about six hours. We did not have the raging inferno of Bonfire Night, though it wasn't for lack of trying. If there hadn't been so much wood in the first place (too much to stack, in other words), I would've given up after the first attempt. All gardening/tea party photos are here: http://s6.photobucket.com/albums/y213/cosmicharley/Garden%20of%20Galadriel/February%202010/

Messages and nightmares

Since I got some alphabet magnets for Partner for Christmas we've been leaving each other messages on the fridge. As there is only one copy of each letter, though two of each number, it can make for interesting spelling. This is a joint message: one from me, one from him, and one first by me then altered by him. If it doesn't make sense to you, don't worry about it. I don't get it either (and I wrote it).

It seems the Olympics are back again. I don't know how I missed that one; I haven't seen any preview material or build-up for it. Really strange. I have half an eye on the men's ski jump as I type this. Although I've been here in England for several Olympics now, I'm still not used to the style of commentators. From what I understand, the channel which covers it has a team of "sports commentators" who may or may not know anything about the event they comment on. For instance, one is a former Olympian: in dressage. Every so often they make a comment which is just so asinine--it's obvious Britain doesn't have a heritage of winter sports.

Partner wanted me to take a picture of his injury--I think he must be proud of it. At about 12.30AM the other night, I was in the other room reading when I heard Partner start yelling, like really making some serious noise, and then I heard some struggling. I threw down my book and listened, because my first thought was that he was being attacked, and if so, I would need a weapon (the iron was close to hand). But I quickly realized that if there was someone else in the house, I would have heard them come in, and I could only hear Partner.

By now he'd been shouting for about thirty seconds. I turned on all the lights as I rushed over to the bedroom, but before bursting in, I called out, "Honey, I'm turning on the light." He stopped making noise. I opened the door and turned on the light, to find him stood up in bed: there was a picture off the wall in his hand and another one smashed at his feet on the bed. Somehow, he gave himself a huge welt and bruise on his thigh; we surmise it was from the corner table next to the bed. How he managed to smash the picture, I don't know, but there were shards of glass everywhere in the bed; at least he didn't cut himself. He told me he was having a nightmare about being trapped in a tunnel with a train coming at him.

Myself, I was mostly amused, after the initial moment of panic. I picked up what glass I could see, ushered him out, and made him a warm milk. We both slept in the other bedroom that night.

Gardening in 2010

Finally I did some gardening! It's been several months since I last did anything in the garden other than escorting the dog back in from her bathroom break (unsupervised breaks end up with her sneaking next door). Well, truly told, I didn't actually do this in the garden--I planted four kinds of seeds: cabbage, celeriac, broad beans, and sweet peas. The first two are in plastic trays on my kitchen windowsill. The last two are in toilet paper tubes and rolled newspaper tubes.

I folded a sheet of newspaper in half the long way, then using a narrow jar as a mold, rolled the newspaper into a tube and folded the edges over on one side:I think I made about thirty of them:I filled them up with potting soil separately and packed them into a seed tray:
That's one tray of broad beans and one of sweet peas, now residing in my cold frame. I've had very little luck with planting seeds straight into the ground so I almost always plant in trays first: seeds planted in newspaper or toilet paper tubes can be put into the ground once they're big enough; no need to peel away the paper/cardboard first. Since beans and peas of all descriptions dislike their roots being disturbed, this is the ideal way of keeping them alive and happy.

Fingers crossed my sweet peas actually sprout: I harvested my own seeds last fall.

Opera, and dressing for it

For my homemade deli foods this week I made potato salad and barbecue chicken drumsticks. Unfortunately, neither lasted more than two days. This is my broccoli and cheese quiche--it lasted three days.

We saw Mozart's Cosi fan Tutte last night. The only reason for our attendance: Partner got free tickets through his work (I'm not a Mozart fan; I wouldn't pay for that rubbish*). The best I can say for it: ok singing and orchestra--although Partner insisted one of the instruments was flat through the whole thing. I didn't notice personally, though I did notice the two trumpet players kept sneaking off for a smoke.

*Partner once accused me of buying a Mozart cd. Never! (Ok, I do own one--but I ripped it from a library copy. I swear.)

Earlier in the week he asked me if I had opera clothes. I didn't, but I searched my closet and came up with a stretchy red skirt and a black tank top. A few snips and stitches gave me this new dress which, unlike the previous dress, will definitely last me the rest of the pregnancy; I'll be wearing it to the ballet next month. I suppose if I really cared about the details I would have taken it apart and lined up the stripes in the skirt, but for a half-hour job, I'm quite pleased.

All of the maternity clothing I own I either made or alterted myself. It's true I don't own a lot, and I can still wear several non-maternity items like tank tops, leggings, and cardigans. I've "borrowed" a few of Partner's button-up shirts which look cute over leggings and cinched with a belt. Only whenever I wear one he sighs: "I wanted to wear that today..."

The past several days and nights have been beautifully clear, with almost no clouds in the sky. Cold, of course, but the snow is completely gone, thank goodness. I took this picture of the moon above the trees last night; I adjusted the levels of light on my computer (using PAINT.net) to distinguish the trees from the dark sky behind. It might be possible to adjust the light meter manually on the camera--I may have to look into it.

I asked Partner if my last post was inflammatory but he said no. Granted, he had a migraine when I asked him...

As it's the last day of January, I have only today to finish my goals for the month. I did manage to crochet a full baby blanket, and am nearly finished piecing together a second. I'm so disappointed I did not have the opportunity to knit a pair of socks. But I've been really good about walking the dog (pretty much five days a week), have submitted both assignments, and sat down to the piano regularly. And I swear I will organize my kitchen cupboards tonight. Right after I finish cooking Sunday lunch, make more granola, and do the laundry. I've promised myself to take weekends off, and not do any studying or housewife-y stuff. Yeah. Like that's going to happen.

Partner asked if we could have some ready-made food in the fridge--things to snack on that are filling and tasty. I think what he wants (and what I'd prefer) are cold deli foods like quiche, pasta salad, potato salad, deviled eggs, etc. The only restriction on these items are that they must be home-made. Two reasons for this: a)it's cheaper, and b)it's a far superior quality. Therefore I'm looking for ideas of deli foods I can make that aren't too time-consuming. This week I made both a huge Greek-style pasta salad (the kind with fresh vegetables, olives, and vinaigrette), and a broccoli and cheese quiche. Much as we both have enjoyed eating these, I can't very well make the same thing time and time again. Any ideas?

Making a home

I enjoy making little things, like this gift tag, using my scrapbooking skills. I'm not actually a scrapbooker--more like a cardmaker really. Scrapbooks can be really nice, of course, and though we almost never get printed photos now, I was thinking I might make a sort of scrapbook journal for the baby. Maybe. I could simply do a plain written journal. Any new hobby I might pick up would only encroach on my other hobbies; I just may not have enough time to start scrapbooking.

I'm trying to take my responsibilities as a (probably temporary) stay-at-home wife and mother-to-be seriously. I actually think one of the best ways to show your spouse your love is to have dinner ready when he/she gets home from work. When I was still working, if Partner got home first he'd cook for me, or if I was home I'd cook for him. I always really appreciated having something hot and home-cooked waiting for me when I got home; I know he appreciates it, too. There was once a time I was only cooking two meals a week--my two days off. These days it's mostly five days a week, though I do sometimes cook on Partner's days off too.

I think having a clean and tidy house shows respect for the people you live with. When we had a lodger I felt more obligated to change the sheets regularly, vacuum, dust, wash the dishes, etc. But really, we should do these things out of love, not duty (I say we because I'm not the only one who lives in this house!). I certainly feel more calm and relaxed in a clean and tidy home than a messy one.

In fact, I would say it's the responsibility of living with another person: when one lives alone, one is free to be as messy or tidy as one pleases. When one lives with another person, both must operate to the wishes of the person with the highest standards--or there could be unpleasant repercussions like resentment and arguments. Not to go too deeply into gender politics, but I don't think many men realize this responsibility, hence the tendency of women to do more household chores than men. As I'm home full-time for the present, naturally I can and will do most of the chores. In this particular case, the person who is not home full-time can contribute to the housework by not making it harder! For example: not dropping dirty laundry on the floor but putting it in the basket, or replacing items to their proper place when finished using them: in general this means cleaning up after oneself, not leaving it for the "maid" or "elves."

I know I've complained that Partner doesn't appear to notice the need for housework, and that if I want a tidy, clean house I either have to ask him when I want something done (in which case he's doing me a favor rather than taking equal responsibility) or just do it myself. I'm trying to get across that it IS a responsibility, not just for the person who cares about it, but the person who cares about that person.

Cupcakes for birthdays

We celebrated Partner's birthday this week. My birthday last month was pretty lousy, and I don't want to go into it, but Partner's was good: well, mostly; he still had to work, and then our childbirth class was scheduled for that evening, so we spent two hours at the hospital as well. Afterwards, however, we walked up the hill to a nice Indian restaurant. In addition, I made some cupcakes (they are called fairy cakes in this country) from our favorite recipe, which I would like to share--be warned, you will need a set of scales:

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Genoise Cupcakes

-4 ounces (weight) sugar
-4 eggs
-1/2 tsp vanilla
-4 ounces (weight) self-raising flour (all-purpose flour may be substituted)
-Pinch of salt

1)Preheat the oven to 375F. Depending on the size of your cupcake tins, this will make about 12-15 cupcakes; have muffin cups ready in the tins, or if not using muffin cups, grease and coat the cupcake tins with sugar. 2)Using an electric mixer, whisk the sugar, eggs, and vanilla for 10 minutes. The mixture will be tripled in volume, nearly white, and form soft peaks. 3)Very gently, sift the flour and salt into the egg mixture in three batches, folding each batch in. It is important not to overmix at this point. 4)Divide the batter into the cupcake tins, and bake for about 10-15 minutes, or until the tops are light gold, springy, and a toothpick comes out clean. 5)Let cool in the tins for about 5 minutes, then remove to a rack to cool completely before frosting.

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And if you wish a very quick, tasty frosting here is enough to cover the above recipe:

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Butter Frosting

-3 ounces (weight) butter
-6 ounces (weight) icing/powdered sugar
-1/4 tsp vanilla
-1 or 2 Tbsp milk
-2 or 3 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder (optional--leave out if you want vanilla frosting)

1)Beat the butter and sugar until thoroughly combined. 2)Add the vanilla and enough milk to make the frosting spreadable. 3)Add the cocoa powder if desired, and blend in completely. Use immediately--do not refrigerate.

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I've had a bad case of the blahs this weekend. I think it's the hormones. I'm so tired all the time--as in I want to sleep all day--and I feel like an alien spawn is ready to burst out of my skin. I'm still working on my schoolwork and my current crochet projects so even though I'm seriously demotivated, at least I don't feel like a complete failure on top of it. If I may share a tip for helping cope with the blahs: eat lots of fruit. I don't know what it is, but about half an hour after eating an apple and an orange, I usually have a bit more drive to sit down to the piano or wash the dishes or whatever.

On being a loner

This is a scanned image of a badly printed photo from my work's New Year's Eve party. I think the original image is floating about on facebook somewhere, but as I'm not on facebook (I seriously cannot be bothered, even though I like keeping in contact with people) I don't have access to that image. Partner's on facebook. I'm sure he could find it if he wanted. But I think he spends far far too much time on it. The amount of time he spends (cough*wastes*cough) on it is what makes me not want to sign up.

So I was still able to fit into my Christmas dress, but only just. I have a feeling I wouldn't be able to squeeze into it now without readjusting the fit. I also wore my movie star coat--it's actually a man's coat, so it normally fits me very loosely. But not any more! I can also barely wrap it around me. And Partner wore a brand new bow tie I made for him. It was a costumed event, so we told people we were Richard Whiteley and Carol Vordeman (two British game show personalities--think Pat Sajack/Vanna White). We didn't actually dress up as them; we were merely in our party clothes. I had worked the breakfast shift that morning; I got up at 5.50AM, so by the time 11PM rolled around I was ready to curl up on a bar stool and sleep. But I made it to midnight, did the countdown, pretended to sing the song (does anyone actually know the words to "Auld Lang Syne"?), then at 12.02 sleepwalked out and drove home. I had originally said to Partner that I would try to stay till 1AM, but just couldn't do it.

On my last shift at work, nearly all of my coworkers stopped by to wish me well and remind me that they want to see the baby when he's born. Probably their appearance was coincidental, but I appreciated it all the same. They also got me a big bouquet of flowers. I was very touched. I enjoyed working there (for the most part) because the people were friendly and it was good to go into work and have a chat. Now I'm at home most of the time and don't see many people during the day. I have made an effort to chat with random strangers I've been thrown together with, for example, waiting for the bus, or in childbirth class, to satisfy my socializing needs. I may even pop over to the neighbors' across the street if I get too lonely.

I looked into volunteer work in our area. It looks like a lot of projects available are simply no good for me in my condition. I can't be in contact with germs, so I must stay away from sick people and the general public; I also can't do any work that might injure me, so working with animals or anything with vehicles/lifting/physical work just won't do. The other charity work I looked at which seemed safe enough (like girl scouts and meals on wheels) require a background check. I had to have one when I worked at the care home, and I already know it takes a few weeks to come back. I only have eight weeks before my due date! I think I should have planned this a while ago; it seems too late now. Maybe I'll have to join facebook after all*.

*I will never ever join facebook. Ever.

Non-gardening and survival

Last night Partner said to me in a hurt voice, "You haven't written a new post yet."

Sorry.

Not that anything momentous is happening. The whole garden blog thing has completely gone out the window since it began snowing a month ago. Of course, winter isn't usually the big gardening scene anyway. I think this time last year I was quite ill with a lung infection (I could have sworn it was pneumonia, but apparently not) so not much garden action then either. I guess there are a few seeds which can be planted indoors this time of year--I definitely planted snapdragons and nicotiana a few years back in January. No fresh flower arrangements either--but I've been buying cheap flowers from the grocery store. Like seriously cheap. These carnations had been reduced from £4.00 to £0.40. Last month I bought two bunches of flowers for £0.75 and they lasted two weeks.

We have not had such a prolonged cold spell since I've lived here (five years now) and I have a feeling some of my plants which normally survive the winter will not. I think the shrubs and bushes will be ok, but I'm worried about the herbaceous perennials (like snapdragons, lilies, etc). I was a conscientious gardener and dug up my dahlias, geraniums, and gladiolas after the first frost in December; they at least are safe in tubs in the garage.

The weather has also changed my outlook on survival, to some extent, on two key points: heating and food. We've heard on the news that some people are tripling their gas and electricity bills this winter because of the extreme cold. For the most part, this is just ridiculous. I guess if a family has a newborn baby, maybe they need the heat cranked up full-time, but honestly: do what I do and put on another sweater, wrap up in a blanket, whatever. I haven't changed my heating use and I haven't got frostbite yet. If we lost our gas or electricity supply, I'm sure we wouldn't freeze to death.

And food. We normally have enough food in the house for one week of good quality, fresh-made meals; or two to three weeks of rationed meals (for instance I got creative recently with some spagetti, olive oil, garlic, mushrooms, and a can of salmon--and Partner thought it was great). We generally go shopping once a week; I never realized how much this depends on us having a car and access to the roads. Last week the roads were virtually unpassable for the likes of us, so Partner took a canvas shopping bag to work two days in a row and bought some emergency supplies during his lunch hour to bring home on the train. When I saw the weather last night, I decided we had better go shopping while we still could and get plenty. I might do some research into dry food storage, for occasions like these. It's our joke that when we run out of food, at least we'll still have fish in the pond and grass on the lawn; but now both grass and pond are iced over!

The typical day

I can envision myself posting on this blog a bit more often seeing as I'm not obligated to go to work for several months. And then, I can see myself not having much time to devote once the baby's born. I don't want this blog to be a "once a month update on my kid" sort of thing. This blog is about me and my life in particular, and while my child is definitely part of my life (and is soon to be a very big part) I still want to have something of an identity apart from him. And also because I get really bored reading blogs that are only about someone else's children. It strikes me that people who write only about their kids must not have any sort of interests outside of their kids--and that sounds like a frustrating kind of life. It would be for me, anyway.

So today, a typical day of not-at-work, I got up a bit late--maybe 9.15. Mostly I'm up before nine, though I blame both Partner (woke me up at 11 last night) and the pregnancy (woke me up about five more times). I don't consider myself a lark or an owl. There have been times in the past when my schedule demanded that I stay up late, so I would therefore get up late. But I really don't have a problem going to bed early and getting up early--in fact I prefer it.

Once up I get dressed immediately and do something with my hair (French braid today) and dab on some moisturizer. I can't be bothered with makeup at the moment. Dressed, I saunter down the stairs and collect any dishes or (gasp) dirty laundry scattered about and put it in its rightful place. I open curtains and head straight for the back door to put on my wellies. They aren't particularly comfy shoes and I don't wear them in the house, but I find that putting them on before I eat keeps the dog from barking at me. Because she knows that shoes+coat=walk. And she also knows that she is not allowed in the dining room when people are sat at the table. Which is where I will be eating breakfast. A bit convoluted, I know, but the way she gets worked up over walking seriously irritates me.

So anyway. Here I am in my wellies sat down at the table eating my (homemade) granola and (homemade) yogurt, with a book open. I also generally go for a glass of juice but it appears we're out today. Once the breakfast is in the tummy, I quietly put on my coat and try not to get too exasperated at the dog bouncing up and down. Dog goes straight on leash, we go out. No barking today, at least. She is responding to the hush training, by the way. Sporadically.

We walk through the still-heavy snow (got another dusting last night) to the wildlife area, and decide to go the full way around instead of just the half-way which we have been doing recently. Reason for this is that the snow is so thick, walking through it much more of a work-out, so I get tired quicker. Dog goes off the leash and I pretend I don't know her if she does something impolite in front of someone else (no embarrassments today).

Once home, the dog goes back inside to have a drink and get warmed up, but I grab the patio broom from the garage and sweep off the snow from the driveway. I already shoveled the main snowfall off several days ago, but have been sweeping it off every day to keep it from getting icy. We're the only house on the street (probably the only house in the village!) that has a clear driveway. I don't think anyone else shoveled that first day when we got a good six inches, and the result is that it iced over and can't really be shoveled now: just chipped at.

So. My drive and paths to front and back doors are again clear. I go back inside for my drink and warming-up. Once inside I check emails and reply to one or two (I try to get back to people within a week), get slightly distracted reading various blogs, make the bed, call Partner at work to ask him to bring home milk and dishsoap, and generally just sit around. After a lunch of leftover casserole, I watch the news to see the weather report--more ice and snow. Then I read a chapter for my class with a throw blanket around me because it's COLD.

Which brings me up to date. Now I shall go into the kitchen to make more granola, put away clean dishes from last night, and possibly have something else to eat. Later I will work on a crocheted baby blanket and when the heating comes on I will practice piano for a bit (fingers too numb now). Partner is making dinner tonight, despite the fact that he is getting home from work a bit late. But we're having his favorite and specialty: fish and chips.

That's it then: my typical day.

Not much, just snow

So it's not a big deal to my high-elevation dwelling readers, and yet it's completely dominated my life for the past two weeks or so. The snow, of course. And it's not just me. It's the whole country. Today we've had maybe five inches. So far. Because it's still snowing and has been since 6.30AM. When I left for work this morning, it hadn't snowed. Well, there was still about half an inch on the ground from the last snowfall. Just as I took the turnoff into work it started and still has not stopped at 2PM. I drove back from work three hours early because at the time there was three or four inches surrounding my car and I was worried about getting out of the parking lot. Thankfully the main road was treated, the secondary road was not bad, and the road through our village was passable. It was only about two blocks on side streets that had me white-knuckled. This is my car in the driveway, after I've been home two hours. I don't think I'm going out driving again any time soon. So I may not be working tomorrow either. I may even have to cancel my dentist appointment in two days; I just watched the weather report: more heavy snow for the rest of the week.

I am due to begin my maternity leave at the beginning of next week. In some ways, I wish I was working for longer. If I were working longer, I would be getting paid longer. And I still have ten weeks to go before the due date, so I don't know how I'm going to pass the time till then. But on the positive side, I won't have to drive in snowy, icy conditions any more, or worry about getting knocked over or slipping. My next course starts at the end of this month so I will have more time to devote to my studies--time I will no doubt need as it's a moderately advanced mathematics course.

In other news, I've been writing down goals for the year. Not resolutions: goals. I was thinking about my many crafting hobbies, and how I don't have the time to indulge them all simultaneously. So I thought, maybe I should concentrate on a single crafting hobby a month. Then I thought, I don't have twelve separate hobbies. But...I could split them into six. And set project crafts for each hobby. So far I've got about four months' worth of projects. And of course I've got goals which are not craft-related. I'm even open to suggestions for my goals. Setting and keeping goals gives me a warm happy feeling. Like I'm improving myself and making the world a better place.

Our Christmas was lovely this year. We spent the whole day together, just the two of us (well, the dog too), made our meals together, and played games and with presents together. Very happy and peaceful. We filmed some footage of the day and I put it together into a movie for youtube: http://www.youtube.com/user/how1she1sparkles#p/a/u/0/LRAgfDW2JoU. Please have a look; it's about eight and a half minutes long, but stick with it to the end (the end is the best bit). This is a picture from the first snowfall as Partner just stepped in the door. I think he looks very dashing (not to mention freezing) in his hat and wool coat.

The snow has now been washed away (thank goodness) except for a few tenacious bits in the road which were particularly thick with ice. It lasted at least a week. Partner and I actually cleared away the ice from the end of our street: we live at the end of a cul-de-sac, and the circular bit of road in front of our house had ice two or three inches thick on it. Partner was bringing the dog home from walking, and he said even she was slipping on it. So he went out with his high-tech ice-clearing tool (the flat hoe) and I joined him about ten minutes later with my high-tech ice-clearing tool (the patio broom) and together we got it all up and into three piles. I think the neighbors watched guiltily from their windows. One neighbor walked past saying something pessimistic about there being no point doing it, as it'd only get icy again. I felt like saying, what, you want us to stop? But I think that was his way of saying, yes I'm a big putz because I'll walk past you clearing the road in front of my house and I won't offer to help or even thank you. Not that I expect the neighbors to be grateful.

I think the end of our street would make a great setting for a sitcom. All the neighbors are very different from each other and are almost like caricatures rather than normal people. For instance:

• The couple next to us are probably about my parents' age, and they have very loud arguments, and do home and garden improvements regularly (often at the same time). Neither Partner nor I really understand their accents, which is frustrating when trying to eavesdrop on their disagreements.
  
• On the other side of us is a single youngish man with his elderly lap dog; he works as a security guard and keeps odd hours. Our dog likes to sneak into his yard to have a poo but I don't think he knows.
  
• Two doors down from us are a family who never seem to answer their door. Once a police car camped outside their house all day, and though the car was in the drive, they kept the curtains drawn and would not open the door. Neither of them have a job though I've seen the husband doing odd jobs for the security guard neighbor.
  
• Next to them are an old couple who have all sorts of unsavory relatives constantly visiting, get a new/used car every year, and sell the old car to someone else on the street. I haven't seen the wife for about a year. Maybe she died.
  
• Then next to them (bear in mind this is going in a circle from us, so we are now almost opposite our house) is a twenty-something couple. He works all the time, and she knows (and tells!) about everyone's secrets on the rest of the street. She's very excited about me having a baby.
  
• And directly opposite us are another middle-aged couple whom I would probably not recognize if I saw them anywhere else but walking out of their front door. Still, he is a such a gloomy bugger that he would complain even about ice being cleared from the street in front of his house.
  

I do know most of our neighbors' names though I suspect none of them know mine. I think together we could make great, if unintentional, comedy.

Still more snow

Since I last posted, we got another snowfall, and the temperature hasn't climbed much above freezing. So we still have a few inches on the ground, making it beautiful and cold here. While out walking today I saw the snow was forming lovely crystals on long grasses in shady areas. I think it's from slight melt-and-freeze we've had for the past few days. The big community football pitch (soccer field) near us didn't have many footprints in it, so as I trekked across, I decided to stop in a pristine patch and make a furtive snow angel when no one was watching.

I am not at all confident about driving now, however. The roads are still very slippery; I made a complaint to the local council but I have yet to actually hear back from them: there has been no action about it. So I have only been driving to work and back, and walking everywhere else. I tried out my new birthday wellington boots today and stayed completely dry and was quite happy to walk through the snow. They gave me a small blister on my heel, so I guess that means I need to wear them more often to break them in.

My Christmas preparations are now mostly finished. The decorations have been up since the 2nd. I've got all my shopping done. The fridge is full of goodies and the presents are mostly wrapped. We set a budget for spending on each other, and I only slightly exceeded mine. I want to save most of our money for the baby anyway. I told Partner to count the presents already under the tree, because that's how many he's getting from me.

A party in the snow

This week I've been working on a dress for a party we'd been invited to. I had a pattern for a top which I altered into an empire-waisted minidress (it wasn't a complicated alteration, but it did take me about three days to complete). I didn't want a maternity dress that made me look like a tent, I wanted something more fitted that emphasized the fact that actually I am fairly slender, I just happen to have a soccer ball in my tummy. It has a sweetheart neckline, slightly puffed sleeves, and a fitted waist (well, empire waist and back). This picture doesn't really show the dress well, but at least the soccer ball shows.

I bought some new black leggings to go under it the day before the party, and I looked at new shoes, but didn't buy any. Turns out, it was a good thing, because the only pair of party shoes I own (and they are fabulous) and had decided to wear were too slippery, so I ended up wearing sensible shoes anyway: it began snowing early in the afternoon yesterday and by the time we left, there was nearly an inch of snow on the ground. I took about three steps on the driveway in my fabulous shoes and decided to go back in the house and change them.

The party was at a friend's house in town, and the roads were already quite snowy, but we made it there albeit slowly. I got complimented on my bump many times, which made me happy I took the time to make a fitted dress, although as the evening went on, I was the only one who was sober and when people started staggering, I started to slightly worry for my safety. I don't really drink anyway--maybe a small glass of wine with a meal once every several months, or something fruity on a night out (usually once a year), though I know people lose their shyness after a drink or two, and that can make an evening more fun. Still, the staggering is a bit too far, and when people get to that stage, they are still having fun, but it's not a social thing any more. They are too drunk to notice other people and are just enjoying their own buzz. And it's not really fun for any sober people, or even people who are still at the one/two drink stage.

So we left at about 12.30; Partner had had a few (he wasn't quite staggering), which was the plan anyway, because as I can't drink I get to be designated driver. At this point there was about two inches of snow on the side streets, and the main roads weren't much better. We drove the whole way home at no faster than 30mph. I was frustrated--and a bit scared--because normally when there's even a hint that it might frost (let alone snow) the local council sends out the trucks to salt the roads. Obviously someone failed here, because none of the roads we drove home on (most of them main roads) had been treated.

This morning I woke up at 10.30, and my first thought was, "wow I've really slept in," and my next thought was, "it's so sunny," and my third thought: "I'm so not taking the dog out--it'll be slushy and muddy and horrible." But then I looked out the window and saw:

And I decided going out would be fun after all. True, it was still pretty slippery, especially on the sidewalks, but out in the fields we took the paths we normally don't take in winter because they're too muddy. We didn't get a speck of mud on ourselves, and the less-traveled paths were beautiful: all last summer's flowerheads and every twig of every tree all had a little cap of snow still. We saw lots of bunny tracks (four prints close together, a big space, then four more prints), and a sign fallen over and partially obscured by snow that said: DA THI. I thought about it for a while and decided it was meant to say DARN THICK. Meaning the snow. Or possibly the sign.

This morning I went out early to buy some fruit and vegetables at the market (much cheaper than the store) and then went to a new grocery store for the rest of the weekly shop. Last night it froze so that when I got slightly lost and had to turn the car around (I'd never been to this store), I could feel the tires slipping slightly on the icy street. I managed to stay on the road though; it probably helped that the front two tires are brand new: I got them last week. So I had an exciting and slightly scary moment, but all was well.

As I drove back from town I saw the lawns and fields were still frosty white; here in our village most of it has melted. We live in a little warm weather vortex; seven miles away it gets frost, but at our house it's balmy. A local man told me it was because we lived within the shelter of three big power stations: they're pumping out hot air constantly and it diverts the cold air away. Whatever it is, often there'll be storms over Partner's work (20 miles away) and completely blue skies at home.

When I got home I went out walking with the dog. Pictured is one of several small ponds at the wildlife area where we walk. She's getting much better at her "hush" training, though she didn't want to hush when she saw another doggie on its leash. When she's off the leash, or both dogs are, she's as friendly as can be. But when she's on it and sees another dog, it sounds like she wants to tear that dog into tiny pieces. At least the other dog owner laughed about it. Personally, I was mortified.

My curtains only took me three days to finish. I worked about an hour or so each day; it took me longer to measure and plan them than it did to sew them. I had to take very precise measurements to ensure they were exactly the same. Nonetheless, I'm pleased with them, especially since I didn't have to rip out any seams (I do with most projects).

Though the weather, and especially the wind, has turned quite cold we still haven't had a frost in our garden. Therefore, I can't possibly justify the clearing away of plants just yet. However, I'm now looking forward to the first frost, just so I can tidy everything up. Partner's broken up all the concrete in the vegetable bed, and has dug out more than half the grass. I can't wait to plant things in it next spring: potatoes for one. This year, we decided that the chard was a success (it's still producing, actually) and we will plant it again next year. The runner beans are an old favorite, along with carrots and beets. I think we will definitely do cabbage again, and while the broccoli was hit and miss, I think if I had caught the caterpillars sooner it would have been a winner. There were two others we planted that I probably wouldn't go for unless the seeds were free: lettuce and squash. The lettuce was all right, but the squash never had a chance--too rainy. The only one which was a disappointment was the tomatoes. But then again I knew they would be and if it were up to me, we wouldn't have even bothered.

We took our dog and Partner's parents' dog out walking together last week; it was obvious who gets taken out more often. Our dog was streaking around like a greyhound and their poor doggie was waddling and puffing behind. He's such a funny little dog and loves it when Beauty bosses him around, but he doesn't have any manners--he doesn't even sit unless he's offered a treat he likes. Still, at our house, he quickly learned he wasn't allowed to beg at the table and to (very reluctantly) sit at street corners before crossing. In this picture our dog is in the background, theirs, Dudley, is in the puddle, and my baby bump pokes out a little through my baggy jacket.

The past few weeks we've been teaching our dog the command "hush" for barking. She responds well when it's someone at the door, but when we take her walking, she doesn't want to hush. I understand this particular training can take a month or even more. It's rather embarrassing to be walking along and for her to see a bicyclist or another dog on a leash and for her to yap and howl and try to bolt off after it. She also has another embarrassing trick to run all the way across the football field just to bark at some random walker and then run all the way back. In that case, however, I pretend she doesn't belong to me.

I bought some material at Ikea today to make drapes for my big sliding door. I've never exactly made curtains, but I figure it's just some really long seams and hems. I'm not having anything fancy. Now that it's winter, we notice the sliding door lets a lot of cold in. We did have some other drapes up for a while, but the curtain pole was quite flimsy, and then the drapes themselves weren't made to those measurements so they didn't quite cover it all. At the moment I have a very simple gingham valance up. These drapes will fit in behind it.

I'm slowly working my way through tidying the front garden. It's not big at all: maybe 15'x10', and a good portion of it is grass (and moss--the lawn doesn't get much sun), but it has borders on all four sides and all of them are choked with grass and brambles. During the summer it wasn't that noticeable because of the wildflowers, but now it just looks very unkempt. I've done two of the narrow-sided borders, though I haven't made much of an effort to dig up all the grass roots; there are a lot of established bulbs I don't want to disturb. In the spring, I get multitudes of daffodils, then tulips in those narrow beds. This picture of the narrow bed next to the drive was taken three years ago in April.

While we still haven't had a frost at our house, growth has for the most part stopped in the garden. My vegetables are still alive (well, not the tomatoes), as are most of my flowers, though the only ones still flowering are the carnations and dahlias. I think I have one pink rose which has had the same bloom on it for about two weeks: it's too chilly for it to change. I've pulled up all the obvious weeds from the bare patches: now I just have to wait for a frost to kill everything off so I can tidy the garden.

I'm starting to get big enough around the middle to stop me bending much. I'm working on making maternity clothing: both altering existing clothing and making new. I have made two items to date, with a third in the works: I'm altering a nonmaternity shirt pattern (or trying to). I've got some old worn-out shirts of Partner's to make mock-ups with. I've done some research online; if it works out I'll no doubt make several.

And lastly, poor old Jack was consigned to the compost bin when his tenure was up. Still, he found it in himself to give one last leer.

Bonfire night

Last night we celebrated a tradition here called Bonfire Night. The neighbors mostly set off loud fireworks (in bad taste, I think) but our bonfire was better than anything on our street. Though it's been mostly a miserable rainy week, we still braved the weather and burnt our moldy old shed. Partner tore it down last weekend in preparation, and I sorted the wood into kindling, small pieces, and big bits. We decided to burn it in the greenhouse foundation which Partner is currently breaking up.

Though it was difficult to get going--I think we used up five newspapers (that's whole papers, not sheets) in order to get the kindling dry enough to burn--once it started, it simply ate up the wood, wet or not. And the wood was indeed wet. We were out there about three hours or so before we finally put on the floor and the roof; both were very big and dripping, but at this point, going within four feet of it singed our eyebrows. Nothing was stopping it.

When we finally were down to coals, they filled the entire pit: three feet wide, six feet long, and about ten inches deep. And still incredibly hot. This morning they are covered in ashes, but still very warm. We burned every single plank, completely blackened the metal tub of compost next to it, and scorched my poor broccoli. It was really great.

Halloween in England

On Friday (the 30th), we made a German chocolate cake from the Joy of Cooking recipe; it takes a lot of bowls/measuring implements/mixing utensils, but dang! it's tasty. For the two of us, I've found that the cake recipes in that book are just too big, both for our baking tins and our appetites, so I generally make 3/4 of a recipe. I had a tub of frosting in my cupboard from our last visit to the US--they don't sell it here. Cake mixes too are not common here, but who doesn't prefer a home-made cake anyhow? It's the lightest, fluffiest, chocolatiest cake ever. Two days later we still have half a cake left.

It's difficult to get big pumpkins here (the weather doesn't really support pumpkin growth), so when Partner decided to bring home one for carving, it was the "medium" size--about the size of a volleyball. We carved our jack-o'lantern while waiting for our cake to bake. I think it's been about ten years since I last carved one. We gave him fangs, a unibrow, and a leer.

It's not such a big holiday here, though I believe Halloween originated in the Celtic tradition. But all the modern celebrations are new to this country I think. Still, kids do dress up, and go trick or treating. I had to work Halloween (not really a big deal now that I'm an adult, to tell the truth) but Partner swears we had more than five kids show up this year. We live in a cul-de-sac, and not a lot of kids live on our very short street, so we haven't had many trick or treaters since I've lived here. That could also be due to the way Partner puts on a scary mask and leaps out at the children when they knock on the door. He says he scared one kid so badly she wouldn't take candy from him even with the mask off.

Market in rain

This weekend we decided to do our shopping at the local market rather than the grocery store. It was a bit wet, but that didn't stop us or the usual market-goers. There is all sorts at the market, not just food, but a lot of it is stuff I wouldn't bother with like cheap clothing, shoes, and accessories.

From our list we were able to buy everything except milk, butter, and dog food. But we did manage to get some lovely potatoes, beef shin, and pork belly, and I got some bargain books. Oh, and I got my hair trimmed, though that wasn't exactly in the market. It looks a lot neater now; she took about three inches off and it's still mid-back length.

While waiting for my turn, I had a long chat with a young mother of a five month old baby. I don't really know anybody locally who is pregnant or has a new baby, so I asked her all sorts of questions. Which leads me into the strange world of not-so-shyness.

When I was a child, I was really outgoing, but when we moved to a new area at age nine, I suddenly became very shy. From then on, I have always considered myself a very introverted person, not at all comfortable meeting new people, or speaking to strangers. But over the past few years, this has gradually changed. I don't mind speaking to strangers, if I want to. I don't really go out of my way to chat to people just for the sake of chatting, but if I want to know about something or someone, I feel perfectly comfortable asking.

I think it's part of considering myself an adult and an equal of people around me. I'm older than a lot more people than I used to be, and talking to a younger person is just like talking to a child, really! There are some younger people I work with who are pretty shy and I can remember being tongue-tied if an older person tried to make conversation with me. Well, I'm the older person now.

Of all my broccoli plants (somewhere around 40 survived), only one has florets. I just don't know if the others will produce. Partner told me we shouldn't bother next year. I'm still hopeful for the rest but...we're really getting into autumn here. He's been working on that concrete patch out back, and has maybe broken up a fifth of it. It's back-breaking work, and he can only do about fifteen minutes at a time, and only at weekends: it's now dark when he gets home from work at 6.30. I will be happy so long as it's done before next spring.

Today I attended my first lecture of the academic year. As the course I'm taking is self-study, I only have lectures about once a month. Last year I really enjoyed them; they are in Leeds, a big city about 30 miles from us. Leeds is great to visit: lots of shopping, and a really fun market--I love going to the fabric stalls, and browsing the fish and butchery stalls. If we lived a bit nearer, I would totally do my weekly grocery shop there. Since Partner works in Leeds, he occasionally picks up some good deals on meats, but it's impractical for him to bring a full shop home with him on the train. Unfortunately.

I gave the doggy a bath earlier this week, set down her collar, and lost it. I haven't been able to take her walking since. Partner accused me of carelessness. Turns out, it was lurking in her bed, where she stashed it after stealing it.

Ah, weeds. Once again, I have many. In established beds, the weeds are not discernable. But in partly bare beds, such as the asparagus plot, below (those long, feathery stalks), weeds have taken over. As my goal is one bucket a day, I thought I'd show a contrast between the actual amount of ground weeded compared to the volume of the bucket. That's about a two foot square plot of earth.

Notice the bucket is quite full, even overflowing.

It's going to be an uphill battle.

Speaking of battles, Partner has been waging one out back on an old greenhouse foundation. Whoever laid it was a silly bugger: it's about a foot below ground level (don't ask), and right smack in the middle of the lawn. Not up against the edge, where it can cast a shadow against the garage, or against the neighbor's garden. This is the same clever person who put the garden shed in the sunniest spot; there is a lot of non-utilized shade at the back. Shade which is not good for growing anything, even grass. So anyhow, Partner has been breaking up concrete. When it's all up, most of that section of the lawn will be turned into a vegetable bed. I want to plant potatoes there next year, among other things. Also, said shed will be a bonfire this fall. It leaks. Badly.

Sweet peas in autumn

So my first trimester, in which I was entirely miserable (I had to take four weeks off work because I kept fainting), I kinda let the garden go. As in, I didn't step foot in it for about three months. Above, my poor neglected sweet peas went to seed because I stopped deadheading them.
But now I'm feeling great (and guilty...), so I decided to do the only possible thing to save them: harvest the seeds!
Altogether I think I got about a hundred of them. I can't wait to see how they grow next year. I've never collected seed before.

There has been a real change in the temperature from last week to this, and it suddenly feels like fall. Not only that, it smells like fall. I had forgotten how much I love that smell. I spent some time weeding today and also took the dog out walking and it was absolutely lovely. The nip in the air called for a cardigan, but the sun shone and the air was very still.

Announcement

The reason for my recent blogging inactivity (actually inactivity in general) is I'm four months pregnant. Partner and I are expecting our first child in March of 2010. I've been feeling generally tired, hungry, dizzy, nauseous, and just plain yucky for the first three months. Now I have lost most symptoms except the hunger and am ready to bounce back into blog mode.

So I'm only bulging a little bit around the middle, and only people who are in the know can tell, I think. This is me at 15 weeks, taken in front of my poor broccoli. It still looks like it sustained a thousand caterpillars for three months. Which it did. Now most of them are gone and it's putting out new leaves. I only hope it can still produce florets. My cabbage also took heavy damage, but not as critical as the broccoli.

And my runner beans have torn down their supports. Partner thought that would be the last of them, but they've rallied and are lounging on the patio producing fresh flowers and tiny beanlets. Only with me being pregnant and having food aversions (actually it's aversion to food in general), I simply cannot look at them. I just can't. And I was so excited about them this spring. I love runner beans. At least I can eat the cabbage and carrots (but not the tomatoes). I've become so picky about what I eat. Normally I eat anything, and am very keen on vegetables in general. Partner tries to sneak in vegetables when he cooks. He chops them really really small and hopes I don't notice.

So about those mice...Partner thinks they're gone for the time being, thanks to the traps. But he also says he caught a mouse-sized slug in one of them. I did not witness the carnage. However, these traps are spring-loaded, so... When I step on a slug, I only apply enough pressure to kill it quickly and cleanly; I don't think the trap was so accomodating.

I thought it would be nice this year to try and handmake most of our Christmas gifts for each other, rather than spend a lot of money. Partner says he'll try, and I asked him now so that we'll both have time to work on things. I think it might be a little more difficult to keep the gifts secret. After all, I can't tell about them here: I think Partner's my only reader. There's not much I really want for Christmas. Well, I kind of want some flower arranging materials. And I like useful presents. Though I can't think of anything I really need either.

We had a flying visit to the inlaws' house last weekend. Partner had a school reunion thing, which I declined to attend (it was just an informal, meet for drinks event) so I stayed at the house, and since we arrived a bit late, everyone went to bed about two hours after we got there. I stayed up a little later working on a jigsaw, then I went to bed too. I didn't sleep that well, though, because their dog kept running out the dogflap--bang!--and barking at strange noises in the night. Since my window was right above the back door, every time he banged, I woke.

So I've had a bit of a hiatus from gardening and flower arranging. Today when surveying the damage, I noticed my red gladiolas had been blown over, so into a vase they went, with some goldenrod and some yellowy shrubby leaves. I absolutely love gladiolas and wish I had a whole field of them. Unfortunately I only had about a dozen this year. I don't think the camera really gives the scarlet color justice.

I have learned in my garden this year that pots and planters next to the house receive less water than those in the middle of the patio. My hanging baskets remain bone dry after a rainfall. I have also learned that caterpillars would much rather eat broccoli than nasturtiums, which I specifically cultivate to feed them. My broccoli is in tatters and the nasturtiums are not even touched. It's true that nasturtiums are edible to humans as well, but they're not as crunchy and tasty as broccoli.

I sometimes read books that are considered Literature, in an attempt to both broaden my mind and experience and also for the pleasure of reading. Some of these Great Novels are well-written and interesting. Some, it pains me to say, are not so interesting. Mostly I will stick with a book to the end, even if it is rather dull, unless it is quite depressing and making me depressed too. I recently finished Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry, an interesting but depressing book. Because I usually really identify with the characters in a book, I like a happy ending; it makes me feel good about myself. This book did not end on a happy note, but I suppose it could have been worse. I am now reading Brideshead Revisited, and I can see it getting sadder and sadder, but it's so interesting that I'm sticking with it.

We took a picnic out last weekend and we packed:

• baguettes
• French-style potato salad
• cold whole lobster with:
• marie-rose sauce and freshly made tomato and basil mayonnaise
• imported cheese
• marinated tomatoes, olives, and cornichons
• summer fruit salad

Partner packed it for us, but he got distracted by the thermos (its seal malfunctioned) so he neglected to bring something to open the lobster with. However, we managed to get into it using our butter knives, forks, and some patience, and it was lovely. I haven't had lobster in years. I'm very sorry to say that although we did bring the camera, we didn't actually take any pictures. Most of the day was spent lounging on the picnic blanket, though we did a bit of walking too.

The fruits of my labor in the garden this past week include some very nice carrots: just a little too big to be considered baby, I think.
A few tomatoes finally. As they were given to us free, we didn't have any clue what kind they'd be, but it turns out they're romas. I had one grilled last night with my dinner and it was delicious.

And finally, my beautiful broccoli is all in this condition. Let's play count the caterpillars. Those little black streaks are indeed larvae; the photo can be enlarged by clicking.
It was the strangest thing, but a few weeks ago Partner discovered a hornet eating a butterfly. It actually was munching it up, all the way from the abdomen to the head, and once it got to the wings it just bit them off and dropped them. And we have seen both a lot of these hornets and butterflies (the cabbage white ones, whose caterpillars are demolishing my broccoli), so I'm wondering. If the hornets like to eat butterflies, why aren't they gobbling up the caterpillars? I mean, caterpillars have got to be a lot more meat per weight, and no crunchy legs or antenna or pesky wings to get in the way.

And then this afternoon I witnessed two different hornets on the same rosebush simultaneously chomping on conspicuously holey rosebuds. I was unclear as to why, when I saw one acting distinctly entomophagous (it's a new word I learned today; it means insect-eating), that any should be eating my flowers.

Of mice and rejected kisses

My laptop has gone to the shop to get a USB port fixed. I may be out of a computer for up to ten days, though I sincerely hope not. I'm using our upstairs desktop, and the keyboard and mouse are so big! My laptop is a tiny thing, a netbook really, with no internal disk drive and about a 10"x6" screen. I'm used to typing on its little keyboard and have a much smaller mouse which is the size of an actual mouse.

Speaking of actual mice...yeah we've got them. Again. Two days in a row I've found a mouse in the trap. I don't know what they see in our place: there's all sorts of nummy mousie munchies outside, especially in summer. We think they must get fed next door (our houses are joined).



This is a self portrait on my lawn under the clothes line. My dog got interested, though she's normally camera-shy. That's me making a yucky face because she wants to kiss me.

I (and to some extent Partner) spent the weekend pretending to camp in the back yard. We didn't pitch a tent, as we don't actually own one at the moment, so the house had to suffice as our tent. I spent nearly the whole weekend--other than sleeping and bathroom breaks--out in the backyard, and did not watch any tv or play on the computer. We had a campfire on Saturday night and went for a hike on Sunday morning. On our hike we picked a few blackberries. I told Partner I was going to camp until it rained; I hoped it would last into the week, but unfortunately it rained overnight and is still a bit drizzly. So my camping trip is over and I'm a bit disappointed. Still, I had fun while it lasted. I even got a little sunburned.

Partner did not spend as much time outside as I did, as he claimed it was too hot. I set up camp chairs and a blanket on the grass in the shade for both sitting and lounging, so I think he was actually making excuses to come inside and play on the computer/watch tv. However, I cannot substantiate this suspicion of mine; he may actually have been busily doing housework or reading fine literature. He certainly cooked an excellent lasagna for dinner on the campfire (I used camping euphemisms for our tent's commodities: campfire=oven, sleeping bag=bed, hole out back=bathroom, etc), and he even washed all the clothing in the river and hung it to dry on a convenient tree. Mostly I lounged.