Rest Day

Today we had a 'rest day' from cycling.  In actual fact it turned out to be quite a busy day and not restful at all.  First thing after breakfast we did some work in the garden.  Paul emptied the Maris Bard potato pots and was annoyed to see that one pot had been attacked by red ants.  The surface of the potatoes are all pitted but I think they will be okay to use providing we peel them.

 

Maris Bard (ant attacked ones on the left)

After coffee we decided to bottle the apple wine.  A staightforward process of siphoning the wine from the demi-johns into sterilised bottles, putting the corks in and then labelling.  About 28 bottles in total.  I'm not sure we will ever get round to drinking it all!

 

 

Then we climbed into the attic to discuss clearing the room out, decorating and turning it into a ..... gym.   Paul has bought a Zwift trainer so that we can continue cycling during the winter.  So much for my cosy retreat!

attic room - loads of stuff to clear out before we decorate

 

Saddle Sore

 

I'm feeling slightly saddle sore after a 39 km cycle ride this morning.  We decided to take advantage of the weather - sunny with little or no wind - and headed off north towards Hibaldstow.  Just before entering the village we turned east and crossed the little bridge so that we could follow the track alongside the River Ancholme.

 

an abundance of wild flowers on the riverbank

 

We cycled back home through North and South Kelsey, dropping down to Brandy Wharf and then a brisk sprint home through Snitterby and Atterby.   Nice to know I can still do it.

Potatoes

Paul grows his potatoes in tubs; this year he has grown Maris Bard, Red Duke and Charlotte. Yesterday I persuaded him to crop the first tub of Red Duke, the first time he has grown this particular variety.  

Red Duke potatoes

Scrubbed and then boiled for just 12 minutes with a sprig of mint they were absolutely delicious.  We had them with baked sea trout and peas.  Today the leftovers were fried to have with an egg and chorizo salad.  It's no wonder I find it difficult to lose weight!

 

The weather has been warm, sunny and dry but a couple of days ago we had a very heavy downpour of rain.  Rick had been playing with Mister Bunny earlier in the day and left him out in the garden.  Poor Mr Bunny got very wet and had to be hung out to dry.  Rick was not impressed. 

In The Garden

A lazy blog today, just some photos of the garden that I took earlier this morning.

clematis

the new border to hide the compost heap is filling in nicely

There is a burst of colour in the corner of Paul's vegetable patch - our Pieris Forest Flame shrub has turned a beautiful shade of red after losing its spring flowers.

our hostas always put on a good show

lots of bees buzzing around the lupins

Bath Time

 

After five consecutive days of cycling I stepped on the bathroom scales this morning expecting them to confirm that I’d lost a pound or two.  Nope – I’ve actually put weight on.  How can that be?

As it was another warm, sunny day we decided to give Rick a bath.  I half filled the tub with luke warm water and Paul picked him up and carried him into the bathroom.  Rick knew what was coming and put his little paws out to try and grab the doorway.  Nooo, I don’t want a bath!

He was a good boy, and after a shampoo and rinse Paul wrapped him in towels and carried him into the garden.  We then took cover as he gave himself a good shake.  He sulked for a good two hours.

wet dog

sulking in the sun