A Granny's Diary - 104 Days and Counting

Hello again.  I do hope everyone's well and staying safe..and keeping warm.  There have been a few cold mornings and nights recently but, oddly enough, humid days too.

I've noticed over the last few years, warm May days have resulted in cooler days in July and so it is happening again, now.  Just when we need good regular sunshine to encourage great harvests for home eating, the weather fails us and our earlier tan almost turns to rust.

A few notable dates fror this week - 1st July was the anniversary of the birthday of Princess Diana.  Also, on this day, the 23rd anniversary of Britsh Govt. Handback of Hong Kong to Chinese rule in 1997.   For Australia, at midnight on 1st July, Lockdown for the State of Victoria, for 36 suburbs, due to a rise of Covid-19 cases.

The  world's gone mad and only time will tell how everything-for-everyone will pan  out.

I've been gardening practically every day, madly digging a flower bed to create space for more veg. seedlings, of kale, turnips, chard, dwarf borlotti beans, parsley, dill and Fr. marigolds.  Its all very pleasing when done but jolly constant work making it happen.

Today, I've begun creating garlic water and chilli pepper sprays for pesky garden bugs, to avoid using chemical sprays, and hoping to put these into use, once I have the soft soap component.  This is the Castile soft soap entity of a veg. based product, free of any animal fats and synthetic ingredients.  Soft soap is wonderful and may be used for many household and personal usage, for pets and for garden sprays, and it is the original soap made in the Mediterranean area when it was made with olive oil.  Now it can be made with hemp, coconut, almond, walnut or castor oil. It has a very high PH rating of 8.9.

Talk of Hong Kong reminds me of a two-day stop-over there on my way home from Australia.  It was a most marvellous visit and very excting.

Its the Austrian GP this weekend with a feast of TV commitment, so Himself will not be with me today

at our allotment, which means I can get on and do all the things I need to do !!  High winds, windier conditions, showers and sunshine are all possible today so I shall not be bored but kept on my toes, trying to do all that's needed.  And of course, you simply never manage to achieve all you think to do !  I mean, its just too much and time runs away with you, but its great fun trying!

Another anniversary for us to note and celebrate today, is the 72nd birthday anniversary of the NHS, our wonderful health service which began in 1948, a year after my birth.  How difficult life must have been for so very many people before its conception and roll-out, simply cannot be imagined now.  We baby boomer generation must surely be very thankful and tonight we shall all be outside our homes, joining our neighbours in the anniversary thank you clap for our marvellous National Health Service.  

And of course, I must  also mention 4th July Independence Day anniversary for our American cousins and while celebrations must surely be subdued in this crazy Covid-19 year of 2020, I hope families manage to get some sense of togetherness for their special season.

I'm looking forward to a family Zoom call and then to singing happy birthday to a fourth grandchild .

Be safe stay well,

Margaret  xxx

A Granny's Diary - Week 13 - at the Allotment

Yesterday I planted a second batch of white climbing beans.  We now have three different bean types - runner, French and my white climbing bean and these are good for winter drying, for use as a white haricot bean.  So its great for addinng to stews and casseroles and many types of other European dishes.

Now just last week our home printer stopped working for some reason.  It may have been a problem with the ink, with the cassettes simply not being accepted but, whatever the problem, the result is that now I cannot print off all the docs I need for future use...this is very  irritating.  We may need to buy a new printer .....so annoying......which is something we really do not want to do just now.  No spare fiunds for new toys now !!!

So my beans need to be dried at some point this summer and I needed to update my "how to" guide and now I can't print off the details,s o they've been saved to my Desktop.  This is a problem because this place becomes very choked with all the saved items !!

A Granny's Diary - 13th Week of Lockdown - Saturday 27 June 2020

Our week began with a minor domestic catastrophe...our 'fridge-freezer went into melt-down.  Water pouring out of the escape exit at the base of the freezer and obviously, there was a blockage somewhere.   This had happened in a small way before but now, it was a positive torrent, which we dealt with by complete removal of food items and drawers, doing our best to clear out the outlet exit and the channel going down from the back wall draining section.  So that was that.  All done and freezer cleaned and turned on again for food items to be returned.  Come Saturday morning, the flood was upon us again and further investigations took place, just as we were looking forward to visiting our allotment.  Bother !  This time, the Grandpa deconstructs the base area of the freezer and discovers a further blockage and an enormous amount of ice around internal workings...thus our leakage was still ongoing.  This time we cleared away the blocking and the ice and finally, our freezer was repaired, returned to order and His work done.

It's been a very hot week and gardening has been a trifle exhausting.  More precisely, the digging out of plants in my secret garden has, definitely, been hampered by the great heat of Wednesday and Thursday.  It's a chore which up to now I've simply avoided or allowed Him to do, but do you know, I've discovered an odd thing.  Digging, like changing things around, is positively liberating, allowing one to create a new, even enhanced vision for any space, be it your sitting-room, kitchen, or garden room/garden.  An area you make your own becomes so special, so linked to your every-day self and good opinion of yourself, you feel empassioned and energised to making that space attractive in every way possible.  Its condition confirms your status and personality, reflects the ideals you hold and cherish and keeps you going forward, positively.

I believe the best hopes for humanity to go forward with, during this present difficult time, and for the new normality to be created one day, will come from today.  Our present difficulties are opening up avenues of  activity and real pauses in time, for reflection.  Nature is clearly benefitting from our being in lockdown.  The atmosphere is cleaner as we've been locked into our homes and gardens and kept from polluting our countryside.  Our green, open spaces are full of nature, less choked by noxious substances, more welcoming of all nature.

We were unaware of Covid-19 before it began, suddenly, last December 2019.  We were shocked into disbelief that such a pandemic could begin, just like that.  However, it did.  We have since recovered some sense of ourselves.  We have accepted new rules for living and now are moving forward into a less stringent normality, a new reality yet still cautioned into watchfulness, daily mindfulness and awareness of the ongoing restraints which beset us still.

Talking to my Grandmotherly friends, the one constant is the thought that what we learn today, from our surroundings and self-awareness of today, will influence how we live tomorrow.  How we dig our way out of today and  transplant ourselves into the new normality of tomorrow, can link us to what  many of us are doing right now...gardening and growing. Our gardens and green spaces are positively helping humanity to survive and grow.

Let's hope that the great benefit of these gardening days will carry us forward to a healthier new normality, sometime soon.

In the meantime, our family has grown with the birth of a new darling baby boy.  I have carried on with my sourdough experiment,  completed my elderflower champagne and enjoyed a friend's bounty of a gift  of allotment gooseberries - I made gooseberry crumble; while another allotment neighbour has given me a clutch of verbena bonariensis seedlings.  I am most fortunate.

As I write, grey skies and cool air dominates. We will go to the allotment again and see what the rain has done for our beseiged plants and vegetables.  Will it rain again today or  will I undertake more digging this evening, we'll see ! Actually, I must at some point this weekend, for my squash plants, kale, turnips and chard need a rejuvenated soil to to go into and we shall need a new supply of homegrown vegetables to get us thru'!  At  any rate, spending time in my garden is teaching me a thing or two about  the whole growing process and that can only be a positive outcome for me and my sometime future.

Margaret xxx

ps I've begun a  pip trial for growing a lemon tree .. I wonder if my pips will germinate ? Gardeners' World with Monty Don last night included a viewers film showing how pips are able to develop and,as I'm already experimenting with avocado pits, have grown leek ends and am still now growing broad beans in jam jars for my grandchildren, three of which are already in pots of compost, doing well I just thought I should have a go !!

A Granny's Diary - 12th Week of Lockdown

Here we are, still in Lockdown yet with some easings happening right now.  Good or scary ??  Well, I guess that all depends on your perspective on our ongoing situation this week.

Well, we're still self-isolating, just going to our allotment for exercise and gardening, which is absolutely super.  And like a great many other Grannies, I've been keeping myself busy, making the best of this dreadful time.  Keeping up-to-date with the PM's daily CV news relay, keeping the house tidy, being in touch with family and friends, exercising and having a regular timetable of activities - just to keep me sane.   Not climbing the walls or murdering the Grandpa, sharing my lockdown days and, actually, quite enjoying the time, just being myself and doing all the little things which make life interesting.  Fully realising that I am in a most fortunate place right now; self-isolating with a houseful of craft/hobby activities, an online presence, my WI activities and interests and my allotment for exercise and home-grown food.  Also, having a regular Sainsbury's shopping event to look forward to, which is fabulous; the biggest chore of the week deciding what we need and, for Him, deciphering my sguiggly writing !

Making ready for the delivery is quite another chore.  Gloves on, fill sink with warm water and Fairy Liquid, fresh  dishcloth to hand.  Cover dining room table with mats, tea towels for cleaned items, and printed list + pen.  He brings shopping in; I unpack and wipe-down each item then put on table for checking; throw away emptied shopping bag.  Each bag of shopping items wiped down, checked-off, into kitchen for storage with frozen items first, followed by dairy, veggies, dry goods, bathroom then household items.  All emptied shoppers thrown away, dish cloth to laundry basket, gloves washed and sink emptied.

From this week's shop, my regular jar of marmalade was missing - horror attack - no breakfast marmalade -  that just cannot be.  My solution.  Make a batch myself. We have a few lemons, some oranges and I manage to buy a few limes and lemons from our local PH pop-up shop.  And, we made a visit to a local food shop for extra sugar, wearing gloves and mask of course. So yesterday, I made a small batch of three-fruit marmalade and a huge pot of lettuce soup, with my home-grown mixed leaves salad item, from the allotment, on which we dined last night.  This morning for breakfast, my own marmalade on homemade Sourdough San Fran bread - just how glorious is that ??

From Baby-Boomer to Lockdown self-isolating '70's generation - me a most fortunate member of this particular age-group, and very thankful to be so.  Not financially over-provisioned yet well-supplied with a life-time's collection of bits and pieces to help me thru'. these difficult days, and  hopefully, well-beyond to the "new normality" whenever that begins !!

Stop-press - News this morning - 9.42 am  Today, Thursday 18th June - Dame Vera Lynn the "Forces Sweetheart" has just died, aged 103 - which news must surely sadden our entire Nation.  My sincerest condolences to Dame Vera's family xxx

News also today - 18 June 2020 -  80th Anniversary of President Charles DeGaulle's famous BBC Broadcast to rally his fellow-countrymen, urging them to resist the Nazi invasion, which had happened four days earlier.  80th Anniversary of French Resistance of WW2 today.

Margaret xxx

A Granny's Diary....Here we go again !

Sunday 3 May 2020

7th week of lockdown and we here at home are just fine. Coping.  Looking forward to having this virus very definitely put to the rout and done with.  Even if it means we have to wear face masks for ages, maintain some sort of social distancing, work separately and accept a new normality.

It's really awful for everyone right now.  And for families who have lost dear ones, the tragedy of untimely deaths.  Failures of health care thinking, testing difficulties, problems of self-isolation, shielding and exit strategy.  Plus the horrifying prospect of world economic depression, joblessness, business failure, loss of business integrity, loss of peoples' incomes and economic viability and future prospects..

We hold everyone close to our heart and wish them well, and good luck and God speed for which ever deity they follow and subscribe to.  And to those who follow their own hearts and beliefs, or their own sense of self-confidence - we wish you well too and hope all your dreams come true and your future brightness and positivity.

In the meantime, what are you doing to cope?   What hobbies, new and old are you indulging in?  What new skills are you learning?  Are you baking, or singing - I am, both, sourdough baking and singing with Gareth Malone's new online chorus.  Gardening, of course, as exercise and food production.

Watching television of course.  I have found "The Split" about a top matrimonial lawyer, her husband and her family members, also top City lawyers.  Brilliant and hilarious.

Then "Last Tango in Halifax" ...OMG...it's brilliantly funny, and wonderfully clever and goodness me I should like to write something in a similar vein.  Make people shriek with laughter, cry hot tears of sadness and joy and be terribly cross or shocked by the capers of those peopling this tale of today.

Today, well it was written in 2012  so today, well 8 years on, which of course, is not very many years at  all.  So, yes today, and thank goodness for the ability to watch it now.

So do you Zoom, Skype, WhatsApp or Messenger for group family calls ?  I zoom with family and my WI group and local WI Federation.  I Skype with family in Australia.  WhatsApp South Africa and also speak to my sisters via Messenger.  All options incredibly acceptable to keeping in touch with your  family, near and far, easing the heartbreak of loved ones "over the hills and far away".

Craft work, using up cotton thread to make knitted dish cloths, family history trees and housework.
Time flies and we often need-must disentangle one day from another.  We are lucky enough to have our Sainsbury's "oldies" food delivery each week, for the last 3 weeks, since Him indoors has a few health issues.  Thankfully, he's fine and we're fine.

We visit  our allotment for exercise and looking forward to fresh beans, potatoes and salad items.  Presently we are picking rhubarb and later on, there will be raspberries.  Flowers and herbs always.

Margaret xxx

A Granny's Diary - Oldies Shopping Day

Our shoppinjg has just been delivered by the nice man from Sainsbury's.  It's Saturday evening at 10pm .  He's busily ticking off our food items from the list and I'm running backwards and forwards taking our food out of the shopping bags, wiping each item down with a freshly rinsed out hot dish cloth and put each new item on the table besides him, for  that oh so vital tick.  And then of course, it's time to fill our cupboards and 'fridge/freezer with these new foodie numbers.  Hurrah - we have enough food for another week, and milk and butter and I'm making my sourdough bread !

I really do love my sourdough bread but frankly I'm seemingly better at making bricks than making San Fran sourdough.  I keep trying different recipes, new ideas and sometimes my creation is not quite as much of a brick as the previous one, and sometimes its not!

Ah never mind, we were talking about shopping.  We are most fortunate having our weekly food  box delivered.  We oldies count our blessings, relishing our non-attendance at our favourite foodie cathedral and having more time for the garden.

Ah ha  the garden.  My bee and butterfly garden was all set  to host all flowers designed to attract bees and butterflies and other pollinators.  But I gave in to His idea that we should grow some veggies, for future poverty needs, which has resulted much more work for me and even some digging.  I believe in the no-diggiong principle but have to admit our ground did need some fork and spade work but, oh gosh, it does make for hard work and extra creeks and groans when you've done.

We've just picked our first little handful of microgreen leave and hoping for many more to come.

What a peculier time we're living through right now.  Thank goodness, things may be improving more soon but when our new normality will settle down, is anybody's guess.

Cheerio,

Margaret xxx

Its October and I'm still in the garden xxx

Friday, 5th October 2018 and in Canberra, Australia, at  the Australian War Memorial, its launch day for Australia's commemoration of the ending of WWI.  5000 Poppies have planted 62,000 Poppies to commemorate the 62,000 Servicemen and women of the Australian Forces who fought and fell in The Great War.

5000 Poppies For Ever...Lest We Forget xxx With grateful thanks to Lynn and Margaret for their wonderful and amazing project of respect, love and remembrance for their family members who fought and fell.  Their 5000 Poppy project now commemorates all Australians who fought and fell in The Great War - 1914 - 1918.


Margaret Halstead

Copyright © Margaret Halstead 2018