Food For Thought.

MY PENNINE WAY PICTURE FOR TODAY

First sighting of Malham Cove.

The path in to Malham Village.

TODAYS WEATHER READINGS
Temp Low: 2C
Temp High: 7C
Feels Like: -2 to 8C
Percipitation: 1 mm
Wind Speed: 6 mph
Wind Direction: SW
UV Index: Low
Weather: Overcast and very still all day.

MY WORK BOOK

Subject: See to the sheep
Location: Field
Categories: Misc
Start: Mon 26/01/2009 08:30
End: Mon 26/01/2009 09:00
Duration: 30 minutes
Message: Entry No.317
1) Took across some hay.
2) Checked and counted the sheep.
3) Put out some minerals.

See to the greenhouses
Greenhouse & Con
Greenhouses
Mon 26/01/2009 09:00
Mon 26/01/2009 10:15
1.25 hours
Entry No.318
Did some watering.

Break for tea
Home
Misc
Mon 26/01/2009 10:15
Mon 26/01/2009 10:35
20 minutes
Entry No.319
Had 1 mug of tea.

Pruning
Mulberry tree lawn
Walled Garden
Mon 26/01/2009 10:35
Mon 26/01/2009 12:35
2 hours
Entry No.320
Finished pruning the apple trees. (Note 1)

Break for lunch
Home
Misc
Mon 26/01/2009 12:30
Mon 26/01/2009 13:30
1 hour
Entry No.321
Had 1 mug of tea, 4 cheese sandwiches and 3 jam tarts.

Pruning
The East Wall
Walled Garden
Mon 26/01/2009 13:30
Mon 26/01/2009 14:00
30 minutes
Entry No.322
Finished off pruning the pear trees.

Cutting back
The East Wall
Walled Garden
Mon 26/01/2009 14:00
Mon 26/01/2009 14:30
30 minutes
Entry No.323
Trimmed the ivy on the east wall by the white gate.

Cutting back
Mulberry tree lawn
Walled Garden
Mon 26/01/2009 14:30
Mon 26/01/2009 15:50
80 minutes
Entry No.324
Cutting back the two Laurels in the shrub border.

Carting away.
Mulberry tree lawn
Walled Garden
Mon 26/01/2009 15:50
Mon 26/01/2009 16:30
40 minutes
Entry No.325
Carted to the burn pile some of the days rubbish.

Clean and put away the tools
Potting Shed
Mon 26/01/2009 16:30
Mon 26/01/2009 16:45
15 minutes
Entry No.326

Seeing to the sheep
Field
Misc
Mon 26/01/2009 16:45
Mon 26/01/2009 17:00
15 minutes
Entry No.327
Took across some hay.

NOTES
1) It seems I saved the worst until last as this particular tree was more difficult than all the others put together as there was not much pruning I could do with the secateurs and had to rely on the long arm pruner to do most of the work. It’s a handy tool to have and okay for a bit of pruning but it gets very tiring when it comes to doing a whole big tree.

Tools of the trade, step ladders and long arm pruner.

The business end.

2) Below is a sample of a news paper article I saw yesterday. As some of you will know I long ago adopted the head in the sand approach to the news regarding it as nothing more than brainwashing by both media and government but there are times like when visiting my parents that one can't avoid being subjected too it. Its not a bad thing though because after watching several news broadcasts and what have you I realise how blessed I am to have escaped the craving to be bombarded by so called news stories. The article below being one example of why I can't be bothered with it. You may be able to read some of it but just to give you an idea of what its about I will tell you the basics of it. Apparently the government are going to employ food police to go knocking on peoples doors at meal times to see what they're having to eat and if it doesn't meet with their approval you will be in for a lecture. The best part about it is, these people stand to earn up to £8 an hour which is more than either me or Vicki get for doing an honest days work. No doubt in time the government will introduce a tax on burger and chips to cover the cost of these wages.
To go with the article above here is an extract taken from 'Mail Online':

In a trial in six local authorities across Herefordshire and Worcestershire, the officials have been recruited on full-time contracts to visit an estimated 24,500 homes dispensing dietary advice and tips on how best to reduce the estimated one-third of all food bought which is thrown away.
They will call at homes throughout the day, including lunchtimes and in the early evening, when many people will be busy preparing dinner.
If successful, the eight week trial could be rolled out to other authorities around the country.
Each official, dispatched to the streets after one day of training, will be paid between £7.43 and £8.49 per hour, with a bonus for working on a Saturday.
If all 25 million households in the UK were visited in the same way, 8,000 officials would be required at a cost of tens of millions of pounds. to read the rest of the article go to http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1127371/Food-police-come-knocking-kitchen-door--tell-leftovers.html
COMMENTS FROM THE POTTING SHED
Jeanette If the Hyacinth bulbs you're trying to safe and grow another year are what have been grown in pots then I wouldn't bother to try because most likely they've been force and if so most likely won't ever come to much after that. What you need to do if you want Hyacinth in your garden is to buy the ordinary Hyacinth bulbs at planting time and put them straight in to the garden. When I grow them in pots I throw the bulbs away afterwards.

Sara No, the picture at the top of my blog is a place called Lanhydrock House in Cornwall http://www.cornwall-calling.co.uk/national-trust/lanhydrock.htm I no longer post pictures of the gardens where I work out of respect for my employer if you did want to see a few pics though email me your address and I will forward a few for your private viewing.

The Weaver of Grass The summer house fire is inside the summer house. On a shoot day the beaters use the summer house to have their lunch so if its cold and I'm not doing much I light them a fire. 1 slice of malt bread! Thats no good!! Well I need the energy. I don't know if I have a sweet tooth or not, I just have it because its something from the garden that I can put on bed to make a sandwich. Come the summer I will be eating Tomatoes and Lettuce or beans and stuff so really its more to do with whats handy and whats home made rather than a taste for sweet things. Below is a picture from a post I did in the summer showing what I was having for lunch one particular day. I lived for a long time on what I could pick from the garden.
Katie I don't think there are any white Hyacinth growing this time. The ones that you see are being grown in a heated greenhouse so are well in advance of anything that would be growing outside. Of course with them being in a confined space the scent is very nice when you walk in to the greenhouse.