Author: Vivi

You ask, I deliver! Another shopping video………my shopping changes slightly with the seasons…..so this is sort of typical for the summer….but there are always a few curve balls to contend with so this week’s shop also involved a visit to my local, independent ironmongers. There was also a larger purchase to make this week which I didn’t have the money for but…..I still got it……through a bit of effort and wiliness and outside-of-the-box thinking!

At last the Hungry Gap is over! The first fresh food is coming in again from the garden…..small harvests most days. In this video I talk about the Hungry Gap, show what I’m harvesting at the moment and then, back at the kitchen, talk about meal planning and how I’ll use the fresh stuff combined with the last of my stored produce (from the 2020 harvests)…..and a few items I will need to buy. All the recipes are available in the ‘In the Kitchen’ playlist.

After a two and a half week absence I return to the garden….with some trepidation. Two and a half weeks wouldn’t be a problem in winter….but in the height of the growing season it is such a long time. Did my plants survive? Do I have blight? Will the garden be overrun with weeds? Will there be anything to eat yet? Come with me and discover, in real time, the answers….

Another month whizzes by……..and doesn’t go according to plan. Moments/events this month, and, indeed, this year, give me pause for thought. I consider some changes I may have to make in the future……it does feel like there is something of a crossroads just ahead of me.

In which I update you on my health status. Yes, it is chicken pox. Yes, it is rare, but possible to have it twice in one’s life. No, it is NOT shingles etc….. Yes, I know about Calamine lotion and oatmeal baths. How on earth did I get it? Immunity and Vitamin D. What has been going on for the last couple of weeks…..

In which I share some new books, review a couple of others and share a joyful postbag……and, yes, I do name my socks! This was filmed last weekend before the pox struck…..hahah, I’m so glad it was because my face looks a bit of a shock right now.

Summer has finally arrived in the garden……join me for some quiet time to do a little work and a little enjoying of the sights……. Appreciating a summer’s day amongst the plants.

Today it’s all about the sprays I use….to deter pests and to delay tomato blight. I talk about garlic and aspirin sprays (and the very simple recipes for them, plus frequency of use)….plus a spray to try against slugs. Later on I chat about the fertilisers I use in my garden. They are, of course, all organic.

‘How big are your beds?’ is one of my most frequently asked questions…….along with ‘Where do all the cats live?’……..so in today’s video I’m going to try to answer most of them as we take a walk around my garden and the site it’s in. Please note: I mentioned the footprint for the shed being 12 feet x 12 feet……I’m an idiot!…..it’s more like 7 x 7.

After something of a delay because of so many rain days I am finally getting on with my parsnip thinning and transplanting experiment……all the ‘books’ say it shouldn’t work…….but I have the space and they need thinning anyway. I also thin the beetroot patch….the thinnings will become a meal, yum! It’s a day for doing lots of little jobs including tomato cares and a bit of reseeding…..