Sunday - The Day of Rest

The chap that was going to cut our inherited conifer hedge at home has hurt his back so my plan (yes I know) was to cut it Sunday morning as we were promised sunshine. Somehow it ended up in Newcastle where on of our son's live (the sunshine, that is not the hedge).

As the hedge was still wet from an overnight drop of rain, I spent the whole morning continuing my search for damson stones before making Damson jam. Pat only wanted me to make 2 jars on the logic that we would not eat any more during winter. It took just a long to make two as it would have to make six.

Still, the remainder were put to good use. I added chunks of apples, and pears, and simmered gently for a short while. When it was cooled I added lots of frozen raspberries, and whole strawberries - all from my very first crop, mixed it all up and froze it in containers to make crumbles, pies, and puddings.
We had the leftovers that were not enough to freeze in a container, covered in yoghurt for tea.

3.30pm I dragged Pat reluctantly away from the T.V. to help me with the hedges. He was the collector of trimmings I was the trimmer. I managed 30ft O.K. dispite my protesting back and shoulder. I then started on the 100ft length, I had to trim some plants so that Pat could lay the sheet of plastic to collect the rubbish.

Oops, for the first time in my life it nicked the cable somehow which had got hidden in the ground foliage I was cutting. We bandaged it with black tape, but my better judgement prevailed and I gave it up as a bad job. It was not meant to be.

That gave me the opportunity to dig up and pot up a Dierama for my friend Sheila and divide yet more the Stipa Gigantica var. golden oats, to give to her too.

I now have to order a new lead, and find another man that does not charge the earth to trim the total of 150 feet of the hedge that is left - and along the top too.

At least it gave me time to update the blog.