2nd July
The heatwave continues. I cut a bumper crop of sweet
peas today. All varieties along the fence are now out and thriving as are the
cupanis in the front garden tub, but the ones growing up bamboo wigwams are
thin and unproductive as yet. The 3 hanging baskets with the purple surfinas
are a glorious ball of colour, they are fabulous – definitely one to repeat for
next year – not that I’m thinking that far ahead yet – I’m still waiting for my
first courgette! The bedding plants are establishing well with red buds of
flower on some of the salvias. The fuchsias and the phlox are all out as too
are the lavender bushes I planted out last summer, with the ones I planted out
this year looking healthy. The red carnations just keep coming, and as for
strawberries, well, despite a recent slowing down in production, we have had 2
punnets worth of sweet, juicy fruit – delicious. We have also had about 2 bags
worth of salad so far.
It doesn’t look like I’ve done much in the garden
recently judging by this journal. I’ve been watering, deadheading and the like,
but thanks to work and some presentations I’m doing in another arena of life
I’ve been pushed for time. That and of course the small matter of a new kitchen.
The old one has been falling apart for a few years and the lino on the floor
has been damaged for a while and the floor underneath has been affected by
damp. Last Saturday we emptied the kitchen, then set to work with taking up the
hardwood flooring (mostly rotten). Then cleaning down of the walls, ripping off
the tiles, and organising my good neighbour, the retired carpenter, to lay new
plywood over the wooden floor boards, and latex self levelling cement over the
concrete parts. Why 2 different types of floor you ask? Well the back end of
the kitchen used to be an old bathroom, and the side had a concrete hearth for
a chimney stack. The same neighbour then plastered some great hole in the wall.
Then it was my turn to fill holes, my wife's turn to take off a freeze from the
top of the wall, and tomorrow the electrician comes to put in some extra
sockets and a new electrical point for the cooker. In the afternoon the boxed
up kitchen units arrive and then over the weekend and Monday we are painting the
walls. On Tuesday the fitter comes to make all the raw materials into a
kitchen. Next Friday we have the delivery of a new cooker, fridge freezer and
dishwasher and then our handy neighbour can put new floor tiles down and all we
have to do is then move everything back in that we moved out last Saturday. Oh,
and there was the taking of all the old stuff to the recycling centre not to
mention all the research and preparation we have done to facilitate all this.
So I reckon I can be forgiven for being not too busy in the garden and not
noting down what I have done, especially as this week alone I have had 3 rather
late nights in the kitchen in a heat filled environment.
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| One kitchen nearly gutted |
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| Ready for the build |
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| Finished! |
Next post: 7th July
