Coronavirus lockdown diary week 8

This was a very busy week, I spent a lot of time in the garden trying to get through my long to-do list and I have been able to get most of it done, so I should only need to spend a couple of days in the garden this week and I shall be having a break from it the other days!

On Monday I made a banana loaf and I spent one evening making a birthday list for my dad's birthday in July. My mum and I were hoping to book a weekend away for him this year but that was before coronavirus, so I've been trying to think of some other nice ideas. I've had a couple of eBay sales which I posted out and listed a couple more items, but it's still quite slow. I've also done a little yoga too. Other than that, I really have spent most of this week in the garden, so it's mainly just a garden update hereafter.

We finished weeding the borders and I've started to plant some of the sweet peas I've been growing in pots. I've put three bunches around an obelisk one border with two more pots further along, both supported with bamboo canes. I have some more to go out next week but I'm staggering them in case they don't take in their new homes or if the slugs get them. So far though they're all looking ok.

I also planted some miracle gro border flower seeds. The tub apparently contains everything you need, seeds, coir and feed, so you just put it in the border, water it and flowers should grow. The reviews were mixed online, but I had it in my cupboard from a garden shop clearance last year so I thought it was worth trying. I haven't been able to go out to buy plants like I normally would this time of year so if even any flowers come up, it will help fill out the border.

I planted my second batch of pea seedlings into a window box and added more seeds in the gaps of the two boxes. The pea plants in the first window box are looking strong and have just started to flower.

One of the cucumber plants has grown much faster than the rest, so today it went in its final pot, though I'm keeping it indoors for a short while longer whilst it gets warmer. It's crazy how when you move a cucumber plant from its small pot, it smells so strongly of fresh cucumber! Two more went into bigger pots, but not their final ones and the remaining three are still in their seed trays whilst they catch up.

I also moved five of the courgettes in big plant pots. Three look reasonably happy, though the remaining two look a bit weak as they were very leggy. Hopefully they'll strengthen up soon.

The other big task this week was potting up all of my first lot of tomatoes into their final pots, as a few had started to flower. This took a couple of days as there were fifteen plants and then I had to move my second lot of tomatoes from their seedling pots into the now vacant medium pots. There were another 17 or so to plant so this took another couple of afternoons.

Next week I'm planning to do something more fun, maybe some baking and making more plans for my dad's birthday, plus some tidying and perhaps more eBay listing.

Nesting birds

One of the greatest sources of entertainment in lockdown has been a pair of great tits who moved in to the nest box (just hours after we put it up!), built a nest and now, seeing them fly back and forth all day collecting food and feeding the chicks. You can tell when one of the birds has brought food as the chicks start a symphony of chirps that seems to be getting noticeably louder each day! I don't think it'll be long now before the little chicks fledge!

Coronavirus lockdown diary week 7

Yesterday the government gave a much anticipated update on the current lockdown situation. Unfortunately however, not much has really changed. In short, there are fewer restrictions on exercise now, with the exception of team sports mostly, but otherwise not much has changed. I don't think it is surprising but it is hard to remain optimistic. That said, I had a nice chat with the cashier in the supermarket today who was so upbeat that it was uplifting and for that I was grateful. It has been another slow week, but not totally unproductive, so that's a positive.

1. Gardening
I planted out some sweet peas into the border on Saturday where I'd already set up an obelisk for them to climb up. The temperatures have dropped this week so yesterday I went out with some homemade cloches repurposed from plastic bottles to keep them happy. So far, they seem to be working. I have some more sweet peas in pots but want to be sure the first lot settle in OK and don't need replacing before I find places to plant them.
I managed to get some more of my runner beans planted out into a big tub but still have four plants that need a home, so this week I need to find another tub or see if I can fit them in amongst the others. Everything else has been growing nicely this week, although the spring onions are starting to struggle and a few have gone limp, which could be from overwatering them or maybe the change in weather, I'm not sure. I still have plenty of seeds anyway so I'll sow more every couple of weeks.

2. Reading
I tried reading some more of the book is started a couple of weeks ago but it wasn't for me, so I've decided to put it aside for the charity shop when the re open and this week I'm going to pick out a new one from my book shelf. It's good to finally be getting through my stack of unread books, even if I don't enjoy one book, if it gets earmarked for donation at least I'm decluttering.

3. eBay
Over the past two weeks I've been busy listing items in eBay to declutter. I've only sold one item but I have a bid on another and a few watchers on others. I have some more to list and will be going through my wardrobe again to see if there's anything else to go.

4. Baking and VE Day
This week I baked a sponge cake, iced it and decorated it with raspberries. It was so tasty and we saved half to have a cup of tea and slice of cake to commemorate VE Day.

So that is mostly it for last week. It is quite repetitive and monotonous but there's hope that things will start to improve with a provisional date for the reopening of shops and the hospitality sector. In the meantime I hope the sunnier weather returns so we can spend more time in the garden.

Coronavirus lockdown diary weeks 5 and 6

The past two weeks have been much the same as the ones before. The reality of the situation has become increasingly difficult as the weeks have gone on. That said, hopefully things will improve as the news is reporting a decrease in cases and outlines of the 'exit strategy.'

So, again this is what I've been upto...nothing new!

1. Gardening
The weather has turned a little recently, cooler wetter weather with the odd sunny warm day here and there. I was able to get some of the runner beans in a large pot and all of the tomatoes potted up. The Spring onions are coming along but roughly only half of the seeds I sowed in March and early April germinated. So yesterday I sowed another batch of spring onion seeds and some chives which also need a bit of a boost in numbers. I've also planted a couple of extra cucumber seeds to replace the two which have failed but the other four seem ok so far. The flower seeds however have been a mixed bag. Out of three trays of lobelia seeds, two failed completely! Only a handful of pansies have germinated too, but the zinnias look more promising - there are nearly forty seedlings - and the sweet peas are looking healthy too. We've started weeding the border this week so I'm hoping the sweet peas can go out shortly and will be soon followed by the other flowers. A rhododendron and lily of the valley both burst into flower this week, brightening up the garden and the lilac is still blooming and the gorgeous scent fills the air when you walk by.

2. Cooking/baking
I did some more baking and cooking over the past few weeks. I made a banana loaf which was so good that I'm hoping to make it again this week and my mum and I made some sweet unicorn cupcakes yesterday. I also made some apple and parsnip soup as a starter one evening and tried a recipe for cauliflower Mac and cheese. The latter was not good so the following week I reverted to my favourite tried and tested recipe.

3. Reading
I didn't even pick up a book over the last fortnight so absolutely nothing to report here!

4. Sewing
I made some homemade face masks just in case it's a requirement to wear them post lockdown, as I had some basic and elastic stored away by chance. It gave me a chance to dust off my sewing machine and practice so I enjoyed that.

5. eBay
I finally got around to listing some of the things I've been wanting to get rid of for ages. So far I've listed about six items and one has sold, but the remaining items are clothes which don't seem to sell well anymore so I'm not hopeful but it would be great to declutter.

I think that covers everything really. My hopes for next week are some more baking, finishing the garden border, sowing some flower and courgette seeds and listing some more items on eBay. However, it's very much a one day at a time approach now so I'm just planning to take it as it comes.