I guess I overdid even myself

I promised kids we'll be having pizza. Ok, I knew I had one frozen grandiosa pepperoni pizza in freezer, so I thought I feed that to yongest ones and make another pizza from ready pizzabottoms ( from the freezer) to os. I was having a spinach feta bake I made a day before. It wasn't until I popped the pepperoni pizza in to the oven, when I took note of the date. Whoops! 2015😳

Ok, I can't  feed that to my children! So I took few more pizza bottoms from the freezer and filled them as they wanted ( the don't like grandiosa much anyway so they were happy they got another pizzas) . But then I had that suspicious thing in my oven... I overbaked it and after  a quick taste I decided it was edible    but not very appetizing. You know how fat behaves in freezer...

I took all 7 pepperoni slices off, added more cheese and baked it again. And ate it. I' still alive  .

I'll promise I'll never do that again!

Storm is a brewing...

Or not. According to weather forecasts we might get some rain, but storms will pass by us through east. Everything needs water right now, so I'm on second day on the row waiting. Yesterday we didn't even have clouds, today it looks more promising, at least whole sky is now yellowish grey.

These hot days (officially +31C, unofficially from +32C to +34C have been really tiring. Old man was in dire need of hydration, but because he has had a weight loss surgery as a bonus, he can consume about 1dl of liquids/15min. So it's been really hard, and they don't have ac at home. And he's having handfull of pills three times a day, it's difficult for him to eat anything after popping those pills... In two weeks he should be off several of those pills, so it should get easier. And being a stubborn old man, he didn't take his painkillers (I don't eat those, I'll make it without) he was sick and tired. Now he takes painkillers nicely, thank you. (His older sister had cancer operation four years ago, and is no shy of giving orders to her little brother, thankfully).

Everything has been busy.

I think someone thinks too much of himself (herself, aren't all working ants female?)

It's been too hot to go for 'Suma walks in to the village, so we have been walking in the woods, no matter how many mosquitoes and other blood sucking critters.

Early in the evening last monday (about 10pm). We don't have darkness at all now. ('Suma is in the picture somewhere)

Ceps are coming along, Not yet edible (or it is, for maggots)

Number One had his 3rd birthday last weeks (oh how the time flies) and he wanted to have a ghost.

I couldn't find any ghost at the supermarket I do most of my shopping (or mega market, what ever) and didn't have time to online shopping. But did have time to sew.

I think this is all right, even thoug it looks like a barbapapa to me. Sorry about childhood traumas, Number One.

Because having a vacation means I have had more time. I've cooked even more, and managed to empty not one but both two laundry baskets!

We had an explosion in the kitchen. I was boiling eggs (like I do once a week for hb's lunches to take with him to work) and heard a loud bang. Because nothing had felled to the floor, I checked eggs. Yep! That's and inch wide hole in that egg! never had that happen before, I mean of course one or three eggs crack and leak almos every time, but this was a new one. Never a dull day in my life.

Have I told you lately... it's hot

We had the most magnificient thunderstorm the other night. Thursday? I think so (I'm off work for few weeks now so I can't remember anything work-related, like last week). We had power cut for about 15 min, which is very rare these days (our porwelines went underground fwe years ago so thunder shouldn't trouble us anymore). Thunder itself lasted almost to hours, and kids kindly woke me up. And rain itself was very much needed, at least in my veggie path and on farmers' fields.

Old man has slowly adjusting to being diabetic, when I called him his biggest worry was that rhubarbs in manor yard won't go wasted (it's a joke, is't s small cottage which old man bought two years ago when last owner had died and his family didn't want it to be sold to other neighbours...) He wants all rhubarb made in to cordial so he can drink it. This is not a great year for rhubarb, it was too dry in early spring (because lack of snow) but it's still growing. He's not getting home yet, which (to my opinion) is a good thing. Even his staples are still on, they are supposed to be taken off this week. And there's a proper ac in the hospital, it's like tropic in their house now.

Because I'm on holiday now, I bagun a new craft project - I've been crocheting baby blankets just because, and I saw a picture of a striped crocheted jumper/tunic I kind of fancied. So, I'm using all left over yarns - which I do have some - and the front is nearly finished. I'm doing it in evenings when kids watch netflix ot youtube, so I don't have to consentrate on tv. I can easlily knit while watching tv, but not crochet. And I think that's the reason I don't crochet so much. It's fun, though.

Veggie plot is not finished yet. I don't know what to do with rest of my brassicas, if I plant them outside bugs eat them in two days. Now they are taking room in my polytunnel, so some of tomatoes are still in their small pots and not growing. My co-worker kindly brought me few cucumber plants (I gave her strawberry plants) and they took some space I had planned for tomatoes...

I know, my problems are tiny.

This is maybe the first year ever i get my spinach to grow. Therefore my new zealand spinach didn't even germinate (sowed twice). Golgen beets and striped beet are growing prettily, but red beets didn't germinate. And chard is looking pretty good even after I planted it in the veggie plot. And beans are doing ok. I stuck some sticks/branches as bean poles, and runner beans are already climbing!

I'm still mad because of corn. I sowed about 50 seeds (expensive quality seeds) and 10 germinated. And few died, so now I have maybe four decent corn plants and two that might still have some green...

Tomorrow we will have afternoon tea, number one is having his birthday party (there will be another party on saturday, but I prefer going tomorrow, so much less people and less hassle). Only trouble is I don't have a present yet, he wants to have a ghost! Grrreat.... I think I have some off white fleece fabric, I'll be sewing a ghost tonight.

Lovely rain

I'm already waiting for my days/weeks off from work. I had (skype)meeting with my two superiors (I apparently need two, one is not enough!) and they were actually more excited about my upcoming vacation than me! and that tells a lot about situation of the world at the moment.

But I have been working a lot lately, I have a project that needs to be finished this week (as day after tomorrow) and with my team we have done at least decent job (if not magnificient).

Therefore I have been spending my time inside in front of my laptop instead of weeding my veggie plot.

I noticed serious bug problem with my brassicas, I need to get that sorted out (I've tried to squeese all critters by hand, but it is so impractical). I have pine oil soap which might or might not work. I'll see.

I's been raining (there was thunder close by) so it's a bit cooler now, so I might get 'Suma to go out with me. She's been hiding inside, poor puppy. And cat's are all snoozing all day, they leave the house by 10pm or later and come back at 7am.

Old man has had some minor complications, he wanted to get up and going so overworked himself and got a minor infection and some internal bleeding. Maybe if he keeps quiet for a while it'll be easier...?

Before operation it was said it takes at least two weeks at the Uni hospital and then two more weeks at here nearby hospital, but he decided he'll be at home this week (a week after his operation). I told him it won't happen, did he listen to me 😂

In the meantime

I have had net troubles today. Couldn't get connection at all with laptop, and had to miss one meeting completely. Another was teams-meeting, and that I can use from my phone. I should be able to use skype from my phone, too, but it is just not working.

Well, co-worked had a chance to bragg about his catch (13,4kg salmon) and all other important but now seriously neglected information was finally shared. It's so good to gossip sometimes.

But because everything else was not working, I called it a day after 10am and used my time much more better way - gardening.

Than you Jo for your kind words.

Old man was awake in the mid morning when my mother called the ward, everything seems to be ok. Operation went smoothly, it was easier than surgeons had anticipated. So far so good. Now old man has to learn how to live as a type 1 diabetic, he has no pancreas to produce any insulin at all. Of course many other hormones and entzymes are also missing, and because part of his stomac was also removed, eating is so much more difficult and important from now on. He's lost too much weight already.

His operation was now, because there has been no new covid19-cases (in that university hospital area). The medical team thought it would be better to have the operation now, even if there migh have been some benefits with postponing it with medication old man was having. Later this year there might be new covid-cases again, so no better time than now.

Weather has been very summery, 'Suma the poor girl doesn't understand why she's feeling so hot. Poor puppy. I planted all sun flowers (14), and chards. Yesterday I planted all broad beans which have been growing in the polytunnel, they were way too big already, but... Better now than never, I guess.

Little cucumbers are in cold frame, and most of tomatoes and aubergines in glass greenhouse.

I have never grown aubergines, di I need to support them somehow, with canes or strings?

Tomorrow I'll have to go to my office (because of the connection problems), but in the evening I'll plant other beans I have and hopefully most of brassicas, too.

Then there's zucchinis and pumpkins left and when they are gone I can use that free space in the polytunnel to plan rest of tomatoes, aubergines and peppers...

And then the weeding starts.

Week 11?

I don't know anymore which week this is - the "new normal". I still can't do certain things that are part of my work, but I'm still overworked most of the time - I know I'm doing something wrong because some of my co-workers have had basically a long spring vacation and my hours keep adding.

But I don't actually care, I know I'm doing my part and when this is over no-one can tell me I didn't do enough.

Children are out of school, D has still one language course to attend (4h a day + homework for two weeks) but she didn't return to school in the first place like boys did, they had 12 days - but mostly they were biking, hiking, picnicking and studying outside the classroom and outside the school building.

But I'm relived school is over for now.

I've been in the veg plot, in polytunnel and all around. I try to work on my veg plot or polytunnel at least an hour a day, but it's not so easy in this househould.

Weather has been nice, too nice, if you ask me. We need rain - yes, we had snow during mother's day weekend, but it's not enough. And it's been several weeks since.

I still haven't planted everything on my plot or cold frames, Most seedlings are still waiting in the polytunnel. We usually cet frost in mid June (it was 10th June, but lately it's been near 15th - we do get the worst from climate change, no snow in winter but more snow in summer).

I have weeded strawberry boxes, I got 10 runners to plant (2 of them will go to my co-worker, they are from plants I got from our nice cleaner lady and I promised to give her any I can find). In another box there's plenty of runners left, but NOW it's raining so I'm not doing it. With rain come mosquitoes, and we have plenty of them in sunny dry days. I have seen several flowers already!

Glass greenhouse has all planted. Six tomatoes, two cape gooseberries, two spinach wines (I don't remember the name of that plant) and four aubergines. Plants are still very tiny, but if I'm lucky I'll get at least some harvest. There was a critters nest in the greenhouse, mole or mouse, I have no idea, but it was VERY productive during winter. I scooped droppings and used as a fertilizer in growing bags (I didn't change the mulch this year). So, time will tell how powerful those droppings are 😁

My corn is my biggest worry - os likes fresh corn cobs so I sowed over 40 seeds. I have six plants! All other seeds sown using same soil are doing well. Yestarday I saw few small green dots in pots - they might grow now, ut it's so late! I think I have to harvest them as mini cobs (like ones used in fry ups). i don't know what's wrong with corn, seeds were bought this spring and they were of expensive/hight quality brand.

Old man is finaly having an operation next week. It's a major operation, at least six hour in the theatre, a couple of days in ICU, few weeks in the university hospital and after that he'll be moved to local hospital to recover -if he makes it through the operation. First he was told the tumour was inoperable. Timing is always poor, of course, but at least he has done all firewood, all field work (potatoes are planted) and fixed his tractor.

I'm considering if I should ask my sister to live with mom for the summer with her family. Even with her partner working benefits overpower risks, I think.

We'll have a family meeting this weekend.