Today, I are mostly........

.........going into town to collect my new digital camera. This of course assumes that I had an old digital camera to exchange it with. Wrong! The last camera I had was a present for my 21st birthday - a dim and distant memory - but I do remember the camera as being a very small rectangular thing made by agfa gaevart. You could add a flash by plugging in an upright block of six flashes - a bit of a bugger if two went off together. You couldn't see for about 10 minutes. The whole thing opened out to reveal a view finder and it made one hell of a whining noise whilst it charged up. We have very few pictures of our dog as she would never sit still long enough to be able to take one. We have lots of photos which are blurred due to movement. Anyroadup I am going in the next half an hour and how excited am I? I've done lots of research on the net and have settled on a Sony Cybershot DSC W15. Good lenses, good macro, idiot proof (we'll see) and a reasonable price. It's got other things with it like batteries and chargers and things but they dont really interest me although they probably are a necessity. I am looking forward to pointing and shooting.

I have tried to add photos before to this blog but it wont do it. I've tried taking off the pop ups but it wont go. I've tried to get in touch with someone who can help me but no joy at all. I don't think anyone is bovvered. Never mind I am reformatting the computer next week so hopefully that should solve the probs. I may be some time........ smoke me a kipper I'll be back for breakfast.

It's all go isn't it?

Where do people find the time to do all the things that you want to but never get round to doing? They all seem to do far far more than me. Take the ironing cupboard for instance - no PLEASE take the ironing cupboard. There is the world mountain of ironing in there. Being a mother I have mother powers ..... like being able to put my hand into the ironing pile and by touch alone (and in the dark without the use of a safety net) can locate the item which has been requested. Voila! Since the girls have fled - too hurriedly for my liking - I have not lost these powers. The pile is now of dangerous proportions. The ironing basket (a farcical term) is perched upon said pile and could fall at any time. The ironing board is wedged in between the door and the pile. One false move could cause an avalanche of gigantic proportions. Yet why oh why do I not take my life in my hands and tackle it? Every time we go out (an infrequent event due to not having anything to wear) do I have to call upon my powers to find items of clothing to iron. This usually calls for Baldrick to state that the dog needs to go out and will I be safe opening the cupboard. I swear and curse like a trouper. As soon as the ironing board is moved the avalanche begins. This moves the pile and therefore the position of the item of clothing in question. More swearing and cursing. There is also the added danger of the iron itself being knocked off the shelf and cause a serious head injury along with wetting all the clothes with the water I left in from the last ironing rally, which I should have emptied out (according to the instruction manual).

What confuses me is when I go to put more ironing in the cupboard the pile NEVER falls over. Whats all that about then? I didn't used to be like this say 10 years ago. Little mrs perfect I was. Slim, fit and very organised (not any of those things anymore). Tea ready at tea time with food cooked from scratch, washing and ironing done. Clean linen and towels. Paperwork all up to date. School stuff all sorted for the girls. Was chairman of the governors. In fact if I had me as a friend 10 years ago I would have been pretty pissed off at how well organised I was. And I had a full time job and had two children and husband. I have no idea where that person has gone. Do I want her back? Yes and no. I'm far more mellow now. More chilled. I don't fly off the handle any more - well we are all entitled to once in a while! Perhaps the ironing would be a start. I'll go and have a look!!!

Toms at the ready!

They've done it! The tomatoes are up. Now I had distinct reservations about them as I had problems with the temperature control. The capsule worked really well however I dont know if it's anything to do with the capsule in the green house being on the side where it gets the sun or the heater itself. I have monitored the temp for days now and its maintained at between 18 and 20 degs so not too bad . I only hope its warm enough for the peppers. The problem arises when the temp in the capsule is as above but the temp in the rest of the greenhouse is less than this and I can't risk putting the tender new toms in it - but on the other hand (left or right?) the peppers need to be warmer. Do I risk increasing the temp for the peppers to do their stuff at the risk of loosing the toms to higher heat. What a dilema.

Anyway the following have germinated....

Gardeners Delight
Cour di Bue
Costuloto Fiorentino
Roma F1
Shirley
Alicante
Gartenperle
Super Marmande
Astro Ibrido F1

6 of each the little beauties!! I am sure I've missed one out - will check and report back.

The peppers are ..... in no particular order

Corno Rosso
Cayenne
Jalapeno
Bell Boy
Apache
Big Banana

and others!!!!

My head is a shed. Just finished nights. Back to work tomorrow. I had to swap a shift to be able to take next Sunday off so the four days I usually get after 4 12hour shifts (2 days 2 nights) has been broken up. Anyway, will be working with a great guy tomorrow so it will be a pleasure to share the day with him. The last two nights have been hard. Saturday night is always busy with drunks and assaults and Sunday is usually proper poorly folk who don't want to ring the doctor it being the weekend. It was extra busy as we had some shifts down and some stations were not covered so it was all hell and no notion till about 0400. That's seems to tie in with the time the burger vans etc close up for the night. Went to an RTA (I think they are called MVC's now - motor vehicle collision not insinuating that it's an accident anymore) where two guys provided a positive breath test. The CPS may or may not decide who was driving the car. The two gentlemen (and I use the term loosely) couldn't decide so they may both be convicted!

The rest of Sat night was assaults - what is it about alcohol and some folks that they want to knock seven shades out of another person? Women are just as bad. Maybe Harveys Bristol Cream is the answer - it doesn't make me want to hit anyone! Althought Bacardi has made me fall down the stairs once or twice in the past! It was soooo cold last night and there were still girls out with next to nothing on. As my gran said - they'll get cold in their kidneys and piles from sitting on cold walls. I don't think I will ever get cold in my kidneys as I'm a good girl and am always well tucked in and wear a double cotton gusset at all times!!!

Am glad the heating is now working. It is siberian out there! I expect a letter from Powergen in the very near future about the drain from the national grid to heat the most expensive greenhouse in the world.

And just for the bird watchers out there - baldrick has had a lovely pair of tits on his nuts and the robins are nesting in the bird box he was given for his birthday - so spring must be round the corner. I noticed some pigeons at it in a tree the other day. Most precarious!

We'll try that one again shall we?

Onions Ho! Yep the onions are up and I'm really really chuffed - particularly as we unwittingly smuggled them into the country from Tenerife! And the sniffer dogs didn't sniff a thing. Ha! Under the radar they came. Do you think we will have them confiscated? I mean they were only piddling little onion seeds? And the tomatoes - Oh yes the tomatoes. Mmmm what's that you say? It's illegal? Isn't that a poorly bird? No m'lud I don't belive I am being flippant. Well the story goes that we were in Kefalonia last September and eating a rather nice Greek salad (succulent cucumber, juicy tomatoes, those slightly salty blackish greenish olives, sweet sliced onions and tangy feta cheese with just a smattering of oregano and drizzle of peppery olive oil) with some creamy tsatsiki and lightly toasted flat bread. We were perched on the edge of a cliff (in a restaurant and I was no where near the edge- although it has been said I have been close to it once or twice) sipping ice cold Mythos beer and it goes something like this.......
"This is the life."

To which the other three people in this story say "Mmmmmm".

"Wouldn't it be nice to take a little bit of this back home"?

Same reply "Mmmmm".

Pause whilst stuffing gob with food and chewing slowly looking out to sea.

"We've already got our holiday stones". A long story which I won't bore you with right now - perhaps another day.

"Mmmmmm".

Slurp of beer.

"I'm gonna grow some tomatoes".

"Bit late in the season for that isn't it"?

"Not now - next year".

"And how are you gonna do that pray tell"?

I grab 2 serviettes and take a tomato from the bowl . I then begin to scoop out the seeds onto the serviette and spread them till the juice has all soaked into it. I then put it in the sun to dry and take another slurp of beer.

The bazouki music whafts over my soul and over the drying tomato seeds.

I bring them home as a tissue in my pocket. The springer spaniel eyes me as I walk through the nothing to declare.

They are now hopefully growing in the greenhouse capsule - the most expensive heated greenhouse in the world!

The last entry - well what can I say - it all went a bit Pete Tong. I wrote reams as well - really good stuff not just about gardening. I wanted to spell check it and it wouldn't do it so I did something and all the lovely words went. Not even saved as a draft. By this time it was about 2330 and I was knackered and really couldn't be bothered. When I went into it tonight I was really surprised to see the title but sadly no text. I really ought to update my skills. This is a very steep learning curve!

And as for the canarian onions? Ah well, the proof of the onion is in the eating m'lud.

Onions Ho!