A productive and wet weekend

The weekend forecast had one word - wet.  We decided to make the most of the rain and go to the cinema!  We rarely do this as a family, so we took the kids to see one of the kids films that is out and then went for some tea at a near by "diner".  A treat that was enjoyed by all.  Given that it was going to be raining or snowing for pretty much all of the weekend, I hadn't expected to get many outdoor jobs done.  However we managed to get a lot more done than originally thought.

Ste made me a potting bench, a counter top one so I can move it around as needed.  As usual, he used wood that we had to hand and in this instance, kept a part of the house alive using an old fireplace.  It's perfect and does the exact job I need.  So I set about to use it.  I had lots of seedlings that were getting leggy, so I pricked them out and replanted them as deep as possible, so they grow nice and strong again, like they did last year.  It is huge, the reason it looks small here is I had my glove in my hand which got caught by the camera.

Below I have kale and spinach in the left hand tray - spinach hasn't germinated yet, if at all.  Kale shot up so I won't sow these 2 together again.  Then aubergine and beef tomatoes in the bag.  They're next to my indoor peas which I sowed at the same time as the ones in the greenhouse (which are just starting to germinate so a week or 2 behind these).  The tray to the right is tomatoes, different varieties and 2 or 3 of each.
I made a bold move this weekend and binned the weaker seedlings and only kept a few strong ones of each.  I felt like I was doing something wrong throwing seedlings out!

I made a start on the plastic bottles that we had saved (Ste uses them for water in his gym) and am keeping them to use as mini greenhouses/cloches for when plants are put out or maybe for direct sowings to help germinate.  I've cut the bottom off so canes can be put through the hole in the lid, to support the bottle from flying away.

I sowed some sprouts and some flower seeds (sweet pea, cosmos) as I'd like to do my bit for the decline in bees and welcome them to my garden.  Not the wasps though, they can b****r off ;) 

A few more broad beans went in. These are the dwarf variety "Sutton" whereas the others are "Jubilee Hysor" left over from last year.  The Sutton does not need support so I will bear that in mind when planting out and just plant in blocks instead of rows.

 My bare root comfrey arrived.  I ordered 5 from ebay and to be honest when they turned up, I wondered what on earth they were!  However after a quick chat with Dawn and an email from the seller, I filled a container with damp compost, placed the roots in and covered with a touch more compost then wet newspaper.  I'll see where to roots grow from then plant them up when the weather warms a bit.

 Speaking of warming things up.  I was like a kid in a toy shop when Ste bought me this beauty for Christmas.  Now I know some people aren't fond of paraffin heaters but let's give it a try.  It was recommended by UK here we grow on one of their You Tube videos.  I got it up and running and it had it's first night on last night.  I'm pleased to say it kept the greenhouse at 6.3C.  I also got the heat bench up and running thanks to Ste, who rewired things so there is now power in the greenhouse! 

The bench heated wire works, so I will be starting to use that over the next couple of weeks.  Between the paraffin heater and the heated bench, the seedlings should do pretty well.  Just as well, as we're running out of window sills in the house !

One thing I was really excited about was the piquant seeds Dawn sent me when she offered them on her blog.  The seeds originally came from Dani on Eco Footprint South Africa and I shall be offering mine when they are ready too.  I think it's a lovely way of keeping this little pepper family going.

I have decided to try and get some batch cooking done on a weekend to start giving myself an easier life for week days.  This is my first attempt and scones in a long time.  These have blackberries in from the summer.  The blackberries were past their best when we picked them, so I froze them for use over the winter in puds and things.  They turned out really well so I buttered them and froze them individually for lunches.

After a weekend out in the cold and wet (and by gum it was both), Ste and I succumbed to a sore throat each.  Grace had a bunged up nose, but she hadn't been out in the elements, so I think it's a bit of a cold virus too.  I made Ste and I a Hot Toddy each using the following recipe from the internet:

Hot Toddy

1 shot whisky

1 tsp honey (I had 2)

2 cloves

1/2 cinnamon stick

off the boil hot water

slice lemon

lemon juice to taste

It was lovely actually and I felt fine this morning.

After lots of family time on Saturday afternoon, we watched another film last night.  Pirates of the carribean - you can see Jack with his telescope!  It was lovely to have the chill out time together.

The dogs enjoyed it too. 

I've lots more to write, but that's enough for today - I'll update you with other goings on shortly.

Happy Monday :)