Tuesday 20 March 2012

Z says no

We all went out to supper this evening to celebrate Squiffany's birthday.  She had a party at home yesterday for her friends.  Weeza and Phil came over with the children, Phil on his bike straight from work - I've mentioned his 45 mile a day round trip commute, this added several more miles but he never seems to mind.  Ro cycles to work too, but he just has 4 or 5 miles each way to the city centre.  And I - well, less said the better.  One has to allow so much time, especially when travelling from one appointment to another - yes, it is possible because I used to do it, but I haven't been that dedicated recently and I tend only to get on my bike if I have a single errand to run.

The children were all lovely at dinner, the babies in adjoining high chairs looked particularly adorable.  Weeza shared her ice cream with Gus - his first taste of such a delicacy and he was thrilled.  He sat very still and well-behaved on her lap, his eyes following every movement of the spoon in the hope that the next mouthful would be for him.

I finally have got some seeds sown, but have decided not to grow greenhouse vegetables from seed this year.  I'll buy the plants.  The reason is that, with me away for a fortnight in April, it's a lot for the Sage to look after.  It's not difficult nor even very time consuming, but when I have seedlings or young plants in the propagator my first thought every morning is the weather and the temperature, whether I need to turn the heat off, leave the cover on, off or shade the plants, remember to fill a watering can each day and put it in the greenhouse so that it's not going to chill the plants and I can't expect him to remember it when it's not normally his job.  For a few days yes, but not for two weeks.  Just a few trays and pots to be watered is quite enough, on top of looking after himself.

Having said that, I think he quite likes looking after himself.  And I'm slightly anxious about what I'll find when I get home again.  This afternoon, for example, he asked to borrow Al's van.  Al said yes, but asked what for.  Tim in the shop wanted the old fridge taken away, he said.  "What are you going to do with it?" I asked suspiciously.  The nearest tip closed down and I didn't think he'd be driving 20 minutes to the next one.  "I'll leave it in the van, or maybe put it behind the wall" - he gestured to the newly-paved area where my shed is to go.  I lay the law down.  I said no, quite vehemently.  I was not having it brought home, it would be here for the next three years at least, and it wasn't to be left in the van.  The Sage accepted this with reasonable grace, though obviously thinking I was being totally unreasonable.  Later, I drove into town and saw him going in the gate of a neighbour down the road who is renovating his property and has a skip in the garden.  I asked, later ... the neighbour was out, he'll ask another day.  The Sage dearly loves helping people.  Unfortunately, I don't count as people and the result is not always quite harmonious.  Not that we fell out over it.  We would have if I'd found that fridge in my garden though.

10 comments:

georgie said...

Around here you have to pay extra to have fridges disposed of-because of the freon in them.
Buying veggie plants rather than starting seeds makes total sense. Seeds are a lot of work and with the plants, you know what will produce.

Rog said...

Cold Frame?

Z said...

If you buy a new one and ask the shop to take away the old one they charge because it costs them to get rid of it. We took an old fridge to the tip and weren't charged though. It's not my business, I'm not interfering with what the Sage arranges, so long as the fridge doesn't turn up here.

I like to grow the varieties I like, so it's a bit of a sacrifice. Still, it does make sense.

Rog .... ROG!

Roses said...

Fridges in gardens with small children potentially playing nearby is not a good idea at all.

You were very reasonable.

LẌ said...

Fridge in the chicken coop, take the door off. The shelves become nesting areas! TA-DA!

Unknown said...

I still think you do too much!

Z said...

LX!!! Ooh, you are being provocative!

I know, John. But just think if I didn't have enough to do - I would get into all sorts of mischief.

mig said...

Barney would happily, and quite reliably, water plants but if I asked him to do calculations as well he'd be totally confused within a couple of days. A couple of weeks doesn't bear thinking about.
I'm sure the sort of mischief youmight get up to, if you had more time, would make wonderful reading.

Blue Witch said...

I'm looking carefully at the cost of vegetable plants (tomatoes, courgettes, squashes - things that need lots of attention and warmth to get them started) this year, becuase I am nearly convinced that, with the cost of seeds, the few seeds now provided per packet, and the less than 100% germination rate, plus the inherent risks of damping off (or other terminal decline) along the way, it may be better value to buy in plants in future years.

Z said...

I do love growing plants from seed, BW, though I agree with you about the costs - mind you, plants are expensive too. I decided some years ago not to start things off in heat very early, that wasn't cost-effective at all and it was such a pain, warm spell followed by cold snap made it really difficult to keep everything growing and healthy. The range of peppers and tomatoes I like to grow aren't available as plants so it's worth my while to grow some plants. I've got enough seeds of both to last for several years, and I keep seeds of favourite varieties.

That's it, Mig, it's not really fair because of all the variables. A frost with a sunny morning expected might need the heat on but the propagator covered with newspaper to prevent scorching, evaluation of when to turn the heat off on a dull day, whether to take the cover off or keep the warmth in - I'll sometimes pop out several times during the day to vary it.

I would dedicate my time to leading grandchildren astray.