Garden Update

The vegetable patch is little more than a hotbed for weeds, so this year, we're only growing a few things in the greenhouse. We've planted strawberries, tomatoes, cucumbers and a few flowering plants. Outdoors, I've got a new lavender plant on the patio and some sort of daisy that Blondie started from seeds and brought to us.

There were a couple of sunflowers, but they got infested with some sort of bug and duly ejected from the greenhouse. They've struggled to survive in the garden with the cats and wind and sunshine, and look to be on their deathbed. Oh well, you win some, you lose some.

Everything else took root and is thriving. The strawberries were the first plantings and have really done well.
Here's a shot of a few of the plants in a "proper" strawberry pot.


And a few of the first fruits:


A few weeks later after some gorgeous sunny days...


The first batch, ready to rinse and cut up in my cornflakes this Wednesday morning. They were tasty!


This weekend, Drama and Blondie came to stay and there were a couple more ready for them to pick and eat.
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The cucumber plant has just flowered, so we should see some fruit there soon. And the tomatoes have 2 tiny little fruit on as well. These are the Garden Pearl variety, "cherry tomatoes"--really. We have invested in some tomato food and expect big things from our little plants!

Additionally, the plum tree and apple trees have signs of life again this year. Hopefully, this year, we'll actually be able to enjoy more than 1 plum and the birds won't get their share.
Here is a shot of the plum tree.


And here's a shot of our growing greenhouse (pre-sunflower ejection)!

Pride Goeth Before a Fall

The running is becoming contagious. Paulster ventured out with me on Saturday evening. We have a 3.5 mile Corporate Challenge coming up in July, so we needed to get moving.

"Coach Cynthia" had just said to him, "you don't have to pick your feet up that high...it wastes energy", when...well, let's just say I should have picked MY feet up a little higher. I caught my toe on the pavement [sidewalk] and splatted big style. Sunglasses and water bottle went flying, palms down and then suddenly (actually, it was very slo-mo), I was head first into the concrete.

A concerned neighbour even stopped his car when seeing me face-planted into the pavement to make sure I was OK. This is by far the most interested in my welfare that any other human in the UK has been in my 4 and a half years here. How kind. After assuring him I was OK, I attempted to assess my injuries and Paulster tried to keep himself from laughing, I got up and dabbed away a smidge of blood and carried on with our little training run.

Here's what I look like a week later.


With my eyes open, it really just looks like a bad makeup job--too much purple eyeshadow. That is, until you notice the protruding eyebrow bone and green-ish bruise spreading up from my eye. Like Lucy Ricardo, I've has a little 'splaining to do this week as I've met with clients and colleagues and even the dentist.

Touch [knock on] wood that I'll manage to stay on my feet in the future.