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The Joys of Pootling

 Having declared the Official Arrival of Spring yesterday because Mr and Mrs Duck said so, overnight a lightweight frost promptly laid itself across the gardens of Damson Cottage. Undeterred, I crunched my way to the greenhouse first thing to begin the Official Seed Sowing of 2022…


This is my seed box. I’ve been perusing some seed catalogues this afternoon. I may need another seed box. I digress…

This morning, then, I sowed peas (to pop and eat) and sweet peas (to admire and enjoy their heady scents) using my collection of empty loo roll tubes that I’ve been saving as root trainers for just this purpose since last Summer. I also planted up a load of leeks using an unnecessarily large tub. This is because the year before last I planted them in small pots to start them off and they were an absolute bugger to separate and untangle when I wanted to transplant them outside. Once I have reassembled the various parts of the electric propagator (which appears to have spread its components across various sheds) I shall start off some chilli peppers and tomatoes. Everything else can wait until April, although I have got some sprouting seeds - alfalfa, bean sprouts and the like - that I can start off any time in jars on the kitchen window sill to make nice crunchy additions to salads and stir fries. 

Whilst I was seed sowing, I had a nice chat with Edith Bunny, stopping every now and then to find her a few fresh shoots of dandelion. She tolerated me for about twenty minutes before scooting off to the far side of her palatial accommodation for a spot of sun bathing. I collected the last bits of twiggy detritus remaining from all the storms we’ve had and then retreated inside as an icy wind was making gardening not as pleasant an experience as it usually is.

For the rest of the day, I pootled. I didn’t listen to the radio, nor read the news, nor watch any TV. The quiet noises of the house were my companions. I chatted with Heather for a couple of hours on the phone, and we put the world to rights. I started reading a book I found on a visit to Waterstones yesterday, one that I was immediately led to and bought without reading the bumpf on the back. It called to me, that book, and now I know why. I did some planning for the apothecary herb garden. I read a couple of gardening magazines. I made a marmalade cake, and a pizza and potato wedges for dinner this evening. 

I played ‘Stick Ribbon Squeaky Mat’ with Bambino, which basically involves me wiggling his ribbon on a stick with a squeaky attachment around under the back doormat whilst he goes frantic with excitement. This game continues until either a) he gives up or b) my knees give up. 

So given it was a pootling day, I got a lot done. I have to go now, because the pizza and wedges are cooked and I am feeling jolly hungry. 

Comments

Anonymous said…
I didn’t realize you can get alfalfa seeds in less than 50 pound bags. I must try that! I love days like that. They are my favorite.
KJ
6 March 2022 at 15:34
Denise said…
They are my favourite kind of day, too, KJ. I got my alfalfa seeds from a veg seed company. A small packet enough to keep me in sprouts for a while. Of course, alfalfa automatically makes me think of Lennie from ‘Of Mice and Men’ who is fixated on keeping rabbits and feeding them alfalfa as part of his American Dream. I wonder if Edith will like alfalfa sprouts…???
7 March 2022 at 10:23
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