Tomatoes

Yesterday lunchtime I transplanted the tomato seedlings on my office windowsill into small, individual pots. Even discarding two very small seedlings and 3 growing so close together roots were likely to be damaged separating them, I still have 13. They are all looking good this morning.

I got a packet of alicante tomato seedlings free with a catalogue. I put them on the "freegle" intranet forum at work and someone has been very pleased to take them. I don't have space for 13 tomato plants in the garden so will put surplus on the forum as well to find good homes.

Radio Times "My country life"

In the new Radio Times, which came out this morning, there is an article "My country life" with a full page picture of Kate Humble with a dog and chicken on her lap, donkeys in the background and the Wye valley behind her. A very strong desire overcame me: "I want that!".

This blog is about being green and country in the city, and I do believe this is important. However, if I had a way of earning my living in the country I doubt I'd resist the temptation!  And there is excellent kayaking on the Wye river as well!

Ideal Home exhibition

My friend, Elizabeth, had free tickets to the Ideal Home Exhibition, so we went today.

Went to the "Natural House" from the Prince's Foundation for the Built Environment. The charity is working for communities that are walkable places that are designed effectively to encourage social interaction and make people feel safe, encouraging local industry and jobs. http://www.princes-foundation.org/.

They are, for instance, creating a 1,000 home sustainable village on a brownfield site in Neath Port Talbot in Wales and helping to redevelop the centre of Port au Prince, Haiti.

Whilst queuing to enter the house I was reading on a display board about the "web of daily life", which is encouraging people to live locally (that's not just "live" as in home, but work, shops, hobbies).  How quickly would a major spike in oil prices disrupt your daily necessities?

I am not sure how far work is from home as the crow flies, but it is 8-9 miles cycling via towpaths for the middle bit of the journey, which I wouldn't want to do everyday! In London, as long as the tubes can run I'd be OK. I would miss evening classes at the City Lit, lots of exhibitions at central museums, second hand bookshops, some cinema (I do go locally but it doesn't always have the film I want to see), theatre and decent haberdashery stores (though John Lewis is not a patch on what it was!) if I had to stay local for most things.

I liked the Natural House. Because a lot of the stuff in it was second hand, it seemed much more normal and real than other show homes I have been in. There was an overmantle and a long shelf I particularly liked - I don't see nice things like that in my local junk shop!

Spring chickens and snow

Yesterday morning, for the first time this year, I heard a neighbour's chicken after she'd laid an egg. I fancy some rescued chickens but would be worried about foxes. I could get a fox-proof pen, but foxes sniffing around all the time, or even lying on top of the run, would be very stressful for them.  Though I am seeing and hearing foxes much less often this last year or so. Someone told me if there are a lot of cats that means less foxes - and someone who moved in a few doors down has lots of cats, so perhaps that's true.

In my perpetual diary I see that in 2008 it was Easter, and there had been light snow early in the morning followed by sleet! Today I am wearing a 3/4 length sleeved t-shirt and thin, embroidered waistcoat, no vest

Spring weed and rescuing soft toys

This morning I have been out in the garden giving it a general weed. I find a good weed at the beginnning of the season helps to keep the weeds under control the rest of the summer. Let them get out of control now and it's hard, hard work for months.

I've left the foxgloves in the deep beds. I'll get most of those out when I start sowing the vegetables (and it's March so I should already have started!). Each year I scatter the seeds of foxgloves and poppies all over the flower beds but they insist on coming up in the vegetable beds!

Yesterday kayaking up the river Lea (not the Navigation) above stonebridge lock I rescued two Santa soft toys, a teddy in a Santa jacket, and a shark. I left behind one teddy that was too muddy to try saving. I had all 4 of the rescued toys in the washing machine this morning. They have come out better than I expected. One of the Santas is a dog toy, so I'll take that for my friends' dogs, Pip and Fred, to play with. The shark will go to the charity shop next visit, and the Santa and Santa teddy I'll take next December.

draught snake

Transition Leytonstone is holding an event on energy at the end of the month. The local free paper wants a photo this week.  Long, thin, fabric animals to stop draughts coming in under doors are going to be made at the event, but that would be too late for the photoshoot.  Ros, guiding light of Transition Leytonstone, remembered that at the Transition Leytonstone Recycled Craft meeting at my house she had seen a snake I had for under-door draughts. On her way to dinner at her daughter's, she popped by to borrow it ready for its moment of fame.

Charleston, finding buses, blue wool and horrible herbal tea

Today I had a day off so went down by train to Lewes in Suffolk.  Partly as a trip to a pretty town, but mainly to suss out buses to Charleston, the country home of Vanessa Bell (sister of Virginia Woolf). This is my favourite house. I love the idea of living in a house full of painters, potters, writers, political thinkers (and with servants to do the housework!), where the house is decorated by the people living and staying there, not just the pictures,the lampshades, but the walls and doors as well. It is difficult to get to if you don't have a car. I found a tourist office in Lewes, so now how my bus timetable.

The service is infrequent - once every 2 hours - and it looks like if I miss the 1521 back to Lewes, I'll have to wait till 1811! If I leave London after 10am to take advantage of getting some money off the price of my train ticket with my yearly tube season I won't get to Charleston after 1 pm. In fear of missing the bus I'd want to be early to the bus stop to get the bus back to Lewes....so about an hour and a half at the house! The joys of country buses!

I think I will just have to hope a friend with a car will take me and I'll disregard the carbon footprint.

As well as lots of antique shops, there were several charity shops. I got a big ball of blue wool for a £1, and this should be enough to knit a tea cosy. As I was offering ordinary tea green tea and herb tea, I made all the tea for my meeting on Sunday in the cups. So I really don't need a tea cosy, but I fancy knitting one all the same.

At my herbal tea tasting class yesterday we were given another tea - a bitter tasting one. Very good for us I am sure, but I have only committed to drinking one cup a day as I know I won't manage more. I am drinking today's cup now while I type this. The best I can say of it is I like it better than I do ordinary tea, which I hate!

Transition Leytonstone Craft Group & tomato seedlings

There were 8 of us in my dining room on Sunday afternoon for an exploratory meeting on setting up a Transition Leytonstone Recycled Craft Group.  One person didn't show up and one person had warned me she might not have been able to make it after a lunch-time meeting in Hackney (and with two main routes blocked locally and the diversion routes full of traffic as a result, even if she had finished her meeting on time, the bus journey likely to have taken ages!). So, instead of a few of us around the dining room table as planned, I had folded the table down and put out an oval of chairs gathered from around the house and out of the conservatory.

We are still feeling our way about we should/can/have the time and energy to do, but we have supported another "Make do and mend" event in September and are thinking of compiling a recycled craft directory for E11. Not sure this will work, but nothing ventured nothing gained. I will be hosting a second meeting at the beginning of June.

It was nice using some of the china I have collected over the years from charity shops and bric a brac shops.  Normally I have only one or two visitors at a time and they just get handed their tea and coffee in the kitchen mugs, and my mother gets the same, very pretty, pink rose tea cup each time she comes because it's nice and large and she likes her tea and doesn't like it in mugs.

My tomato seeds on my office window ledge have germinated and I have 10 seedlings so far.

Parkland Walk

It was a misty, frosty morning this morning which cleared to a sunny, warm day.  After my hoover had been delivered, instead of unpacking it and using it, went to Finsbury Park and walked along the Parkland Walk. This is an old railway line from Finsbury Park to Highgate.  Thirty years ago when I first did this walk it was very obviously an old railway track.  Now, except for it being linear and you pass some platforms, it's like walking along a woodland path.

At the other end I had a snack lunch and popped into the two charity shops (very naughty, I am supposed to be getting rid of stuff not looking for more!). I found a little teapot with an integral strainer, just right for making my herbal tea at work during my herbal course.

I then walked back again.

Herbal tea tasting course

My herbalist is running a herbal tea tasting course which started last night. As well as a small bit of theory, we had various things to taste to categorise as sweet, sour, bitter, salty, bland or pungent. Then we had a tea to taste and comment on. 

We have been given a supply of this tea, to take 3 times a day for the next week. I was able to have some before breakfast this morning as I have had the day of to take in a delivery, but I think breakfast is not going to be possible on workdays (supposed to have it half an hour before meals), but hope to take it twice a day. We have to keep notes for each tasting. We are to try not to "label" the tea and bring in any knowledge, etc, we have of that herb, though I think I recognise the smell. For me there is very little taste, though I would categorise it as sweet. However I am finding it pleasant to drink.

The more I learn about herbs the more amazing I find them.

Gail (the herbalist) had picked 3 plants from over the road, as she is keen on plants in season.  They were chickweed, goosegrass and shepherds purse. You can eat chickweed in soups, so I might try as it is rampant in my garden!

Spring in London

I haven't had a Sunday morning cycle ride for several weeks so nice to be out on the bike today, despite it being overcast and cold.

Cycling along Leadbridge Road (the A104) saw lots of flashes of the white on the wings of finches in the bushes along side the road.

Then into the Lea Valley Park.  The pussy willows are now yellow instead of soft white, the willows are covered in small yellow/green leaves.  The hawthorn have their  fresh green leaves and the blackthorn are just about to burst into flower.

A friend who lives in Sudbury in Suffolk has frogspawn in her pond, but no sign in mine.

Choosing a vacuum cleaner

I changed the bag in my vacuum cleaner at the end of a hoovering session. When I came to use it last weekend I could hardly get any suck out of it at all.  I can't work out why, though my mother suggests the filter, which I can't get at

Although I'm not keen on housework, especially hoovering which makes my back ache, I have the first Transition Leytonstone recycled craft meeting on 13 March and feel I ought to get rid of some of the dust and cat fluff first!

So after work today down to John Lewis looking at vacuum cleaners.  Stood there for ages trying to decide between a John Lewis one and a Miele one.  The John Lewis one was nearly half the price, slightly lighter, bigger capacity. The Miele one was Which Best Buy and used less energy. I went with the Miele one, but don't know I made the right decision.

Fourteen years ago I got a washing machine and choose one that was better energy rated but more expensive, but it only lasted 4 years.... Its less green replacement has already lasted 10. Time will tell with the vacuum cleaner.

tomotoes

I have just spent part of my lunch hour sowing tomato seeds to go on the window cill at work.

When I try to grow them at home there is not enough warmth for them to germinate quickly enough. I am running out to buy plants from the local DIY store as they have either not germinated or only an inch or so high!  Last year I sowed them at work, which is well heated, and, because the building is used at weekends, 7 days a week too.  This was very successful.

Had a little panic, as noticed on the seed packed "Tomatoes greenhouse", and I definitely need to be growing them outside. But it does give a time to "Sow under glass", then "plant out" so am hoping it is OK for these to go outside in May.

Buddleia, spring vegetables and cold hands

I had a day off today, and though cold the weather was dry, so I was on a step ladder cutting back  a clematis, which comes over the fence from my neighbours' all over my shed rof.  It blocks the gutter I have round the roof which connects to a water butt.  I cleared as much as I could reach.

I then had another go at my other neighbour's buddleia.  The branches that go up vertically will have to be left but I hope to get all the rest down in one or two more sessions, and there will be so much  more light in both my and her gardens.

I sawed some of the thicker bits of the buddleia to store for wood.  Difficult to know what to do.  If it doesn't burn well I've wasted the time sawing it and the space saving it.  But if it does burn well I will regret not sawing more.

My hands got cold and then, with all the activity, warm again.

I was able to pick a small bunch of swiss chard and a big bunches of chives to have in a vegetable stew.