Billy Young's Blog - Posts Tagged "strawberries"
8th June 2012
It has been slow at work this week. Mind I have only been working a three day week given that I had a long weekend last week. Still the three days I have been have been long ones. I suppose it is to be expected after five days relaxing.
There was a meeting at work this week with some unhappy news at least for some. Our holidays have been changed to accommodate changes to the business. It’s a way of saying that due to expected increases to orders later in the year they want us to take three weeks holiday in the summer and give up our holiday in October. I’m alright with it because if it secures that I keep working then all is good. Some of my work-mates don’t like the idea and voiced their dissatisfaction at the changes. I understand why they feel like that as it means that after the September weekend we wouldn’t have another day off until Christmas. That combined with the dark mornings will make it a very wearying few months. Still as I said if it’s good for the company then it can only be good for me in the scheme of things.
My strawberries will need weeding again tomorrow. It will give me a chance to check to see how the fruits are developing. None are ready yet that mush I know but I have seen some growing out of the flowers already, casting their petals as they do. I’ll also see how my apple and gooseberries are doing. The gooseberries were looking good the other day when I was having a look. It will be a few weeks though till their ready for picking but they are starting to fatten up nicely. Though this year isn’t as good as last year’s crop in the amount on the bush, sadly. I think that is due to the colder spring that we had though it doesn’t seem to have affected the apples as much. I’m looking forward to a good crop come autumn.
There was a meeting at work this week with some unhappy news at least for some. Our holidays have been changed to accommodate changes to the business. It’s a way of saying that due to expected increases to orders later in the year they want us to take three weeks holiday in the summer and give up our holiday in October. I’m alright with it because if it secures that I keep working then all is good. Some of my work-mates don’t like the idea and voiced their dissatisfaction at the changes. I understand why they feel like that as it means that after the September weekend we wouldn’t have another day off until Christmas. That combined with the dark mornings will make it a very wearying few months. Still as I said if it’s good for the company then it can only be good for me in the scheme of things.
My strawberries will need weeding again tomorrow. It will give me a chance to check to see how the fruits are developing. None are ready yet that mush I know but I have seen some growing out of the flowers already, casting their petals as they do. I’ll also see how my apple and gooseberries are doing. The gooseberries were looking good the other day when I was having a look. It will be a few weeks though till their ready for picking but they are starting to fatten up nicely. Though this year isn’t as good as last year’s crop in the amount on the bush, sadly. I think that is due to the colder spring that we had though it doesn’t seem to have affected the apples as much. I’m looking forward to a good crop come autumn.
13th July 2012
I’m glad it’s Friday. Though work wasn’t too bad after a week off I’m still happy that I have next week off as well. Adding to my joy is my new computer which is running like a dream. Find my way around Windows 7 has been easier than I imagined. I’ve played a few games of chess, at the easiest settings of course. Well it has been a good few years since I played. I can’t actually remember how long it has been but it is a few years. I was thirteen or so when I learned to play. I didn’t have a chess set so I made one out of Lego and drew a board out on to two pieces of paper stuck together. That was my first board until Christmas came and I got a little wooden set. I lost that one after leaving home at seventeen. I did get other magnetic sets but I always seem to lose the pieces strangely and after a while stopped playing till the internet. Yes we have all play those online games but they only hold our attention for a bit don’t they?
Magz has been busy this week making jam from the mass of strawberries I have been gathering from the garden. This week though Tammy gave me a hand by collecting the berries while I’ve been at work. I showed how to choose the ones that needed picking, not really that hard just look for the red ones. Though the snails and slugs have been out in force this year meaning a lot of waste. My basil again has suffered as has the lettuce and Brussels sprouts. I just have too put it down to a battle lost I suppose for this year and try again next while the success of this year. The strawberries are certainly one of those and I’m sure there will be more as my apple trees are looking good.
Magz has been busy this week making jam from the mass of strawberries I have been gathering from the garden. This week though Tammy gave me a hand by collecting the berries while I’ve been at work. I showed how to choose the ones that needed picking, not really that hard just look for the red ones. Though the snails and slugs have been out in force this year meaning a lot of waste. My basil again has suffered as has the lettuce and Brussels sprouts. I just have too put it down to a battle lost I suppose for this year and try again next while the success of this year. The strawberries are certainly one of those and I’m sure there will be more as my apple trees are looking good.
3rd August 2012
It has been a week of trouble concerning our boiler. It started last Sunday when Magz smelt gas in our bedroom. The gas board were quick to respond and turned up within an hour to confirm that it was our boiler. The council came out the next day which would have been good if they had fixed the problem but they didn’t. Instead they said it wasn’t the boiler, it was somewhere else. At that they left to send the plumbers that fitted our kitchen. The plan being to remove the kitchen to find the leak that we smelt in our bedroom where the boiler is. Luckily these men proved to have some brains. They quickly found the leak exactly where the gas man had said it was. They also fixed the problem even though it wasn’t in their remit to do so. My hats off to them and a big thanks to the Big Man upstairs for them being in this world.
Calum’s project still hasn’t been done. He had plans last weekend that meant that he never got round to doing his room. Yes he had all week but as teenage boys are prone to he had his excuses. I still don’t think he has gotten around to it yet even though have been doing the nagging dad routine all week.
It did give me time to potter about in the garden a little. Magz has been making the most of the strawberries this year. She was cooking up some more jam and is planning scones for tomorrow. My mouth is already watering at the thought of them covered in jam.Yum.
Calum’s project still hasn’t been done. He had plans last weekend that meant that he never got round to doing his room. Yes he had all week but as teenage boys are prone to he had his excuses. I still don’t think he has gotten around to it yet even though have been doing the nagging dad routine all week.
It did give me time to potter about in the garden a little. Magz has been making the most of the strawberries this year. She was cooking up some more jam and is planning scones for tomorrow. My mouth is already watering at the thought of them covered in jam.Yum.
6th June 2015
Don't you just hate summer colds? I do and I've been struck down with one since Sunday. Unlike winter colds summer ones don't like to go away. No they just start to ease then slap you in the face to remind you that you haven't shaken it yet. Luckily they aren't that common. The last time I remember having one was a good few years ago when I worked in a chilled environment so you could say it wasn't a true summer cold. The first was when I was a kid and that one had me stuck indoors and not allowed out under doctors instruction. For me at the time it was like being in jail or at least how I would imagine it to be. The skies were blue and all the other kids were out enjoying themselves in the summer heat. All I could do was wipe the snot from my nose and watch them from the window. Well at least when I had the energy to pull myself from my bed as I remember sleeping a lot. This cold has been the same stealing me of my energy. I did feel better yesterday but today...
Because of this the garden has been ignored and yesterday when I did get a look I was shocked. The wild plants have overrun the strawberries. The tomatoes I planted out have died off and I will have to replant. In fact almost all of what I planted has for some reason failed. On brighter note my potatoes are doing well. As are my herbs which always seem to do well. And once I deal with the weeds the strawberries should give some nice fruit as they are in flower. I just need to shake myself free of this cold and for today's rain to pass as the weatherman promised and the war on weeds will continue.
Because of this the garden has been ignored and yesterday when I did get a look I was shocked. The wild plants have overrun the strawberries. The tomatoes I planted out have died off and I will have to replant. In fact almost all of what I planted has for some reason failed. On brighter note my potatoes are doing well. As are my herbs which always seem to do well. And once I deal with the weeds the strawberries should give some nice fruit as they are in flower. I just need to shake myself free of this cold and for today's rain to pass as the weatherman promised and the war on weeds will continue.
1st August 2015
Absolute Write is running another poetry competition which I have entered. The theme is space. Any kind of space. For instance space between my ears, between people in the same room or lack of space. Basically a vary wide subject matter as it can cover so many different things. I don't really thing I made the most of the subject but once the competitions is over I will post it in my blog here, That will be in September and you will then judge for yourselves.
Finally July is over and another month has come. Though it isn't the worst July I remember, that would be '88, it has been wet. The garden has suffered for it. Only yesterday Magz and me had to tie up the cooking apple tree again. The weight from rain and fruit was too much for it In the winter I will have to be very hard on it when I come to prune it. It is the only way to try and stop it from being so top heavy. I also need t rethink the strawberries patch. This year they haven't produced any real fruit. Part of that will be the bad weather but some of it is due to the shading that the fruit trees are now providing to that section of the garden. I will use the grow bag I was trying to grow corn in for them next year. Of course I will need to move them before they begin sending out runners so that will mean the next week. That is if the weather allows me the time.
Finally July is over and another month has come. Though it isn't the worst July I remember, that would be '88, it has been wet. The garden has suffered for it. Only yesterday Magz and me had to tie up the cooking apple tree again. The weight from rain and fruit was too much for it In the winter I will have to be very hard on it when I come to prune it. It is the only way to try and stop it from being so top heavy. I also need t rethink the strawberries patch. This year they haven't produced any real fruit. Part of that will be the bad weather but some of it is due to the shading that the fruit trees are now providing to that section of the garden. I will use the grow bag I was trying to grow corn in for them next year. Of course I will need to move them before they begin sending out runners so that will mean the next week. That is if the weather allows me the time.
7th August 2015
Just been out doing the garden. With all the rain through the past month there hasn't been much of a chance to do the garden. While out cutting the hedges and grass I took the opportunity to mix some food for the potatoes and tomatoes. The tomatoes have been a surprise to me as I didn't think they would do well with the cold wet weather we got this year. But they are about to flower so I thought I should give them a good feed and now hope they produce some nice fruit for Magz. I also sprayed my apple tree with anti fungal stuff. As you will know from past years it has fungal problems which is really bad in the wetter years as it has been. Still I have sprayed a few times already this year for that reason and it has had an effect so we should get some eating apples from it. I have also been planning how much pruning the cooking apple tree will need after the fruiting season. It has need some more tying back even though I thought I had pruned it hard last year. Of course I didn't want to over do it but now it looks like maybe I should have been tougher on it. While tying it back though I found two more cherries that were hiding. Magz enjoyed them as they were extra juicy. as well as having a bit longer to ripen. I also got one strawberry, the only one this year. Sadly neither Magz or Tammy wanted it as it looked like something had a little nibble at it. And talking of nibbling my gooseberry bush under attack from sawfly so I also sprayed that. Magz was the one that spotted the green caterpillars. I was around the front when she came round in a panic over what she had seen. I just got out the trusty spray and hope that will deal with them. Though I suspect it will take a few more sprays to be sure followed with more spraying from now on.
