Wakehurst

Went to Wakehurst (part of Kew) with a friend and three friends of hers.  By car, unfortunately a trip that would be impossible by public transport.  Lovely walk round the gardens and sitting on a bench by a pond in the sunshine.  Saw some thrushlike birds in a field on the way home that I think were redwings.  Planned to get some winter aconites on the way out of the gardens, two pots as a birthday present for a neighbour and one for me, but the shop was shut half an hour before the gardens (Sunday trading hours?) so wasn't able to.

Freegle frustration

I put 4 things onto Freegle I didn't think a charity shop woiuld take 3 weeks ago.  Two things easily got rid of, one a little hiccup, but the third has been offered in turn to 3 people who wanted it before it was finally collected.  It is so much easier to take items to the charity shop that are acceptable and small enough to go in the shopping trolley that I am surprised so many people on Freegle offer stuff in that category.

At least in my list of "in" and "out"* I have been able to add 4 things to the out list.

*the lists don't count food, toiletries, cleaning products and books.

Knowing I will have to write down what I buy does make me hesitate before I purchase and that occasionally means I decide I don't need something afterall!

Problem with new bike panniers

I am kayaking tomorrow in my new (to-me) kayak which is stored at my friend Beate's as she has the car.  As this is not a club session, I need to take extra stuff including a changing robe rather than the small microfibre towel as I will be changing in a carpark not a changing room.  I therefore wanted bigger panniers.  I found some that seemed slighty roomier in Decathlon last week, with an extra "pannier" that clips and upclips to the top.  Triedt o put it on tonight to find that the way of fixing it to the pannier carrier is impossible as the ribs attached the pannier carrier to the bike get in the way. Grrr! I don't know what type of pannier carrier would work with this fitting!

Bike ride and signs of Spring

When I got up it was bright with a little blue sky so I planned to go for a bike ride. By the time I had washed it had clouded over and looked like rain so I decided I wouldn't. By the time I had finished breakfast sunny again, so I went before the weather changed it's mind! Just in case it did rain, I went on one of my shorter routes - about 6 miles.  It had started to spit with rain just before I reached home, but that soon stopped, so sawed up most of the rest of the cherry branches.

Snowdrops and daffodils just showing through. Very pleased to see the clump of snowdrops I had tansferred last year "in the green" from the back garden to the front garden are is showing signs of life as the leaves had died immediately whereas the leaves of the untransplanted snowdrops hadn't.

Hellebores are also in bud. Hellebores are great, they flower for 2-3 months.

Snowdrops (single versions) are googd for pollinator insects, and hellebores are good for queen bumblebees.

Transition Leytonstone film show

Yesterday went to a Transition Leytonstone event which showed two films. 

The first was the first episode of a tv series made in Ireland called "The Powerdown Show". First part of the programme giving details of peak oil and climate change, but second half about what can be done, and the subsequent episodes would be dealing with what positively could be done.

The second film was "Climate Change? No thanks!" which interviewed tourists and farmers in an area of India where the monsoon has failed for several years. It repeated itself rather, and could have been half the length.  It also did not have the positive, forward looking aspect of reacting to climate change problems which I feel is the distinction of the Transition Town movement.

There followed a panel discussion, and I thought the representative of Organiclea (local food-growing co-operative" was very inspiring and positive. Several people I knew and lots of others I recognised from various groups I belong to/events I attend locally - which all helps me feel part of a local community.

Fallen branches for woodburning stove

On my way home yesterday from the busstop I passed some branches from an ornamental cherry street tree - one large branch and several smaller ones.  I dumped my bags at home and then went back and dragged the big branch home and put it in my tiny front garden. It was longer than the width of my front room, sticking out into the garden path by a couple of feet.  Went back and got most of the smaller  branches too.

Off today and this afternoon managed to saw up half the big branch into logs before it started to rain again. Probably a good thing as don't want to damage my back having not sawn for a while, especially as I had my monthly session with my osteopath only this morning! Did saw from alternate sides so using both left and right hands to saw, as that balance helps prevent harm to the back.

Craft Group

Last year we started a craft group at work.  It meets once a week alternately on Wednesdays and Tuesdays (as two people work with us part time).  There are 7 of us, but with holidays, committee meetings, meetings out of the office, forgetting to bring stuff, it is sometimes only 2 of us and rarely more than 3. This is a shame as it is much more fun when there is a little group of us.

I am knitting a bolero. I have a velvet bolero as my "patrtern" and am knitting rectangles and triangles to sew together.  I am using mohair wool I got from a charity shop.  It is two stranded - a green mohair and a black thread with pink and blue bits everynow and then. This is impossible to knit with and not knit twice into the same stitch by accident, so as I knit I am winding away the thread bit.  This presumably was why the wool was given to the charity shop in the first place!

My life diet

Welcome to my first "follower" who is trying to be green but in the country. 
http://mylifediet.blogspot.com/

So I will be interested to see how Natalie gets on and pinch any good ideas that will work in the city.

Life in a cottage garden

Last night I watched on iplayer Friday's "Life in a Cottage Garden with Carol Klein".  Loved Carol's enthusiasm, but it didn't seem a cottagy garden to me (though it was featuring January and February, so maybe it will look better this Friday).  The garden was large - you could have run a small holding in it!

It was far too large to have a problem with shade. Urban gardens like mine have problems with getting enough sun, with shade from houses and neighbours trees, but even cottages in country villages can have the same problem.  It would be lovely to have a programme that addressed this problem properly.

My vegetable patch is in the middle of the garden to get the sun, as I have a tall house on the south side and my neighbour's ash trees on the north-west.

Water rail

Kayaking yesterday saw a small brown wading bird with a long beak with some moorhens - this on the Lea Navigation between Hackney and Waltham Forest.  Checked when I got home and it was a water rail.  Impressed with myself that I had remembered the name as this only the second time I've seen one.

silver birch kindling

The rain yesterday brought down some of the "branches" (finger thick at the ends) of the birch trees along my road.  So I've rescued them and they are in the front garden waiting for me to cut them into 6 inch lengths for kindling.

Rescuing a jumper

I had a thick jumper from a charity shop that on about its second wearing developed some holes.  I washed it at 60o so I would be able to cut it easily.  I then cut it up the middle of the front and then across, just above the highest holes to make a short. long-sleeved bolero.

For choice I would have had it a couple of inches longer but it is just long enough and looks good with a long, shaped, black tunic I have. 

2011 plans

Instead of resolutions I do plans.  My plans for 2011 that relate to living green (and country) in the city are:

1. Start a recycle craft group for Transition Leytonstone
2. Carefully go through every bit of the "studio" (large, walk-in junk cupboard!) throwing and recycling what I can and tidying the rest.  Investigate getting a clutter consultant to come in and see if I can improve on that.
3. Try to get rid of other stuff I am not using in the rest of the house.
4. Try to find thermal linings for my curtains
5. Get new boiler
6. Investigate replacing spare bedroom window where the seal of the double glazing has gone.  Triple glazed?  (Mainly as hopefully a more specialist firm will be better than Anglian and Everest, etc)
7. Get more things for my "countryman's hedge"