Winter garden produce

Been doing some reaping...

Cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli and lettuce

Violets in November

Yes, we really do have violets flowering in the garden and yes, it really is the end of November!

To do...

This is my 'to do' for this week. I have found that writing a list like this and keeping to it to be the only way I get the extra jobs done. It's just so warm and sunny outside...

@ Dust and wipe bedroom fans
@ Cut down trees and prepare hole for pond
@ Plant veggies (lettuce, toms., beans, courgettes, onions)
@ Write to cousin J. in England
@ Write to little friend J. in Rumania
@ Give around A & D's thank you cards
@ Clean and sort kitchen dresser
@ Prepare English exam for Wednesday group
@ Wash Toryn
@ Take purple carpet to dry cleaners
@ Pick up jeans from shop in town
@ Start sewing bean bags for fun in the summer

More snow

This time it has snowed on our very own doorstep!

Here are some photos I took between 8:00 and 9:30 am. I went for a walk even before breakfast because you have to be quick to catch it here.

At 8:00 am

Across the valley

Vineyards in the snow

The woods down the lane a bit

The road out of the estate

The main road up...

...and down

The mountains - by 11:00 you can see the snow is melting

Harry, the happy snowman (Can anyone smell carrots?)

Abundance...

I thought you would like to see a little a bit of what I've been busy with (and thankful for) lately.

Press play and listen to one of my favourite songs while you look at the photos:

 

Cherries - a gift from our neighbour

First courgette harvest

Apricots from our tree

A bucket of beans

Second courgette harvest + plum and salad tomatoes and aubergines

The last of the potato crop (we have the equivalent of 12 crates like these!) and more courgettes

Planting and keeping a garden is a lot of work, much of which I do on my own. After I have harvested, then all the produce has to be preserved in one way or another.* This keeps me busy, too. I planted much more this year because I had more land available and, thankfully, it has been rainy for a longer period of time and I therefore haven't needed to water as much as other years. It's a very productive  year in this respect, too.

*Post to follow shortly explaining how I preserve what the garden produces.

How are my bloggie friends doing? What are you filling your summer days with?

Busy, busy, busy

We've been:

reaping what we have sown, our first radishes,

studying (and eating) our lettuce which shows the typical Fibonacci spirals,

making chickpea bread...

...and apple crumble muffins,

making bridesmaid dresses for three ladies...

organizing, classifying,

and boxing up,

and rescuing weird little men from Cucumber Palm Island!

Garden update

I have been very busy with the garden, planning, weeding, planting... This year, thanks to my lovely son-in-law-to-be who cleared the land from unwanted trees and much more, I have been able to extend the planting down to the front part of the garden : )

To be able to take advantage of the first spring rains the potatoes have to be in by St. Joseph's day, also Fathers Day, which is March 19th.

I have only been 'doing' the garden for five years and every year I like to try at least one new thing. This year I have put in radish and carrots. The radish is already up but I think the carrots must have rotted as there is no sign of them.

Now, in photos, I will work down the garden from the top.

The dwarf bean patch

Spuds

The salad bar! I have here 70 lettuces, 12 plum tomato plants, 4 salad tomato plants, 12 cucumber plants (2 x 2), a row of radishes and 3 aubergine plants.

More spuds

Sunflowers and courgettes

Today I bought 50 sweet, purple onion plants (cebes de Lleida) and now I have to figure out where to put them.

Yesterday evening it rained a little, the first time since middle March. It's dry this year which means that every three days or so I have to water all this lot.

Do you plant veggies? I'd like to hear from you : )

Cute poem

While I was out weeding in the garden yesterday I made up this poem about Toryn, my little teddy bear, who, indeed, was sat in the apricot tree for a long time while I worked. I hope you like it. 

Ode to my Teddy Bear

My Teddy Bear

Comes with me

Everywhere.

If I'm shopping

He's there,

 If I'm cooking he's sat

Next to me

On a chair.

Then, when I'm out

In the garden 

He's there 

Watching me

From a branch

In the tree.

My Teddy Bear

Has chocolate brown eyes

Which shine

When he smiles.

And he's cuddly

From the tip

Of his nose

To his toes.

When it's time to sleep

At the end of the day

My Teddy Bear

Lays his head

At the end

Of my bed.

It's nice to know 

That my Teddy bear

Is there. 

    

Our week

This is a recap of a very busy week. Not so busy so as to prevent some photos being taken, though!

Preparing the earth for spuds

Apple yoghurt cake

Clean and tidy kitchen - a rarity indeed!

Nice clean hob top

Lotsa laundry to fold

1st and 2nd grade English phonetics lessons

My grand-daughter came to see us with her Mum and Dad! And everyone loves Toryn the Teddy!

We are all enjoying the sun, the turtles more than anyone!

We also celebrated S.'s research project's marks. Yeah, they gave him a 10, the highest mark given. This is his favourite meal - Cuban rice, without the fried banana.

Of course these are not the only things I have done this week. I have also tried to reduce the ironing pile by ironing 10 items a day. We had an interview at school, extra lessons to give because it's exam time, I made banana bread and we celebrated our Xoc's 7th birthday with a delicious chocolate cake (see below), I have managed to keep to the cleaning routine and I also went out one day to take photos of almond trees in blossom. (More about this in a separate blog post.)

Ready, steady, blow

AAANNND I've been playing around a bit with my blog design. Haven't finished yet...

These past days...

...in photos!

Still warmer than usual (10.00 am)

Firey sunset

Strong winds brought piles of autumn leaves...

...and lovely waves

"Panallets"

Garden goodies (and toes)

Two pots of olives already in brine

Thanks to my sister for the first two photos  :)