Thursday 31 January 2013

Seven days - not doing stuff. Honest.


Photograph from Radio Orkney Face Book page, from Bruce Flett. With thanks.
So, its been quite a week of weather. I can't say these are my photos, but posted on our local Radio station (Radio Orkney), gusts in excess of 80MPH, are not the weather I often venture out in. The best quote I heard this week was from a chum (James I hope you don't mind) and the quote regarding the upandcoming weather was.....'Oh joy...the phrase 'easing gale to severe gale' is never a good sign!' Thank you James, its never a good sign hearing things might go 'back' to a severe gale from hurricane force winds is it?? No.
One of the south isle barriers this week - which were closed alot - photograph again from facebook and the Radio Orkney - with thanks from Martin Fleet.
So, given the blustery weather, its been a week of 'not' doing stuff. Not being out much and not eating much but soups.  I've discovered gnocchi is not just for italian dishes, its also darn fine when dropping head first into a chunky home made chicken broth, yes very fine indeed.
Prior to the gales we had snow of the crunchy squeaky kind, nice to walk in, with a stick. Finally able to get a proper sensible, but safe walk.
See I've even taken my wooden leg. But, it obviously DIDN'T go up the hill, even with a proper stick, honest. Moving swiftly on, or rather, moving very slowly on, at a steady and even pace, to avoid hurting leg further.
The dogs really enjoyed the snow (which is Haggis's first venture into snowy climes) and being kinda brown and heathery in colour, it was NICE to see them again.
Peedie is an old hand at snow. Whilst he's not a great fan (it gets caught in his undercarriage and turns into snowballs. But he prefers it to sideways rain.
Like I said it was a week of NOT eating anything but soups. This time chicken, sweetcorn, leek and bacon chowder. Yummy and warming indeed.
Now between the snow and the storms we DID get walking again around a path by the coast. It did NOT hurt my leg, although it was exhausting. Currently it would seem I'm NOT very fit.
We almost DIDN'T make to the favourite bench.
But we sat a while and watched the view. NOT moving, which is strange for me. I'm more of an 'ants in the pants' kind of girl, rather than a sitting type.
Bonnie eh? Both the view and the bench. And, I've definitely NOT being digging. NOT with one leg, that's impossible huh? Um no.......NOT completely impossible. Ahem, it was the garden students *honest*, those are NOT my gloves.
Nor is that a 'ladies' garden border fork gallivanting in a veggie plot. No its definitely NOT.
And I definitely DIDN'T break my raised bed whilst forking it over the soil. NO, this is an illusion, I'm not the strong. Especially with the 'one leg' situation at the moment. But doesn't the tilth look bonnie?? The edge of the bed gave way when I tried to use it for leverage rather than using my dodgy leg. It would seem, I'm stronger than a railway sleeper. Even with a dodgy leg. You see Linnew is thinking of holding a potato-off soon, so I thought before I embrace new growing I should probably dig up the residues of last years tatties........just to get a head start.
The edge of the bed is just *resting* honest. And, so with beds laying in terror beneath me, I had no choice, I had to harvest a huge bucket of tatties today. At the end of January, although if I was more cunning I'd say that these were harvested much earlier and NOT in January.
This bucket of tasty King Edwards, with no blemishes and delightfully fresh and tasty before you is a kind of mirage, unveiled in January when they should have been uplifted in the autumn. I'm always late. These are also the freshest carrots you'll see in late January......whilst a bit on the muddy side, a few blemishes but a really nice end of row crop. And, as I'd forgotten about them, a nice bonus.
So that probably makes me the laziest vegetable gardener in the world. Or very clever to 'clamp' my tatties and carrots in their growing spot just before we decided to start eating them........I'm probably more efficient than lazy. Or probably not.
 
You see a week of erratic weather and generally *NOT* doing stuff, not walking, not venturing out much and not gardening, due to being the laziest gardener in the world it would seem.......
 
With thanks to James and the listeners and 'facebookers' on Radio Orkney's page for weather photos.

22 comments:

  1. So glad to hear your leg is taking it so easy!!

    I can't even walk on my soil, it's so sodden after all the rain, then the snow melt, then more rain! I'm hoping these flaming high winds are going to start drying it out!

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    1. Its pretty claggy isnt' it? My leg is in its straightjacket and trying to behave. Gladly the veggie beds I have are raised so almost workable but the area round them is pretty much like a quagmire.

      I think perhaps the winds can help out by drying things out a bit that would be nice.

      The veggie patch was quite workable upto a point, but only due to not walking on it too, until of course the rain started.......

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  2. your veggies look great, love the potatoes. when we lived in Scotland, there was this amazing lady we used to visit and she would make the most scrumptious soup ever. I don't know what it is about the Scottish folk but like yourself, they sure know how to make soup. yours looks delicious ... gnocchis and all. :)

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    1. The Scots are a nation of soup makers aren't they? I think its the dour dank winters which gnaw at your bones in the dreich winters.

      Gnocchi in soup is my new favourite thing. I'm a potato girl!

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  3. Oooh your chicken soup with the gnocchi in it....yum!

    You ARE going to get a telling off though, if you don't start behaving and letting your leg do it's healing thing, you know that, right?! xxx

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    1. It was yummy robyn.

      I am not doing nearly as much as normal I promise. The leg brace is my friend, it lets me move without hurting myself although its a slow bugger, dragging me along at snails pace!

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  4. Pretty much like you, soup has been the dish of the day for the last 2 weeks. Being that my mother lives with me - I still get to enjoy 'mums homemade soup' - you can't beat it!
    That's some wind you've been having - it was bad enough down here!
    You really need to take it easy with your leg - on saying that I would be doing the same no doubt! Hope your weather improves soon.

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    1. I love mum's home made soup - she always made excellent lentil soup with grated veggies and smoked ham stock! I hope you're Mum makes soup for you for a long while yet!

      The wind has been bad right enough, due to be bad again (Force 11) and I'm sure it will do its best for a while yet. But, like we like to say, it does keep the robbers away, unlikely to be burgled in a force 10 now are you?

      I'm taking it easy by my own standards, hoping the weather does improve soon!

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  5. Mmm, "exciting" weather. Good to see you are looking after your leg so well... Fancy breaking your raised bed! Good luck with the tatty-off...

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    1. I hope your's wasn't too bad over on your coastline.

      I know railway sleepers are supposed to be indestructable. It would seem the stakes broke, the grounds so wet there and a clay fest - so potentially metal or plastic rods need to be used instead of a 2 by 2 stake........

      I do like a good tattie off!

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  6. Stunned by your Orcadian weather. Over the years perhaps 3 or 4 visits to the Mainland but NEVER outside the high, long winter months. I am amazed by your elemental existance.

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    1. I'm often stunned by the resiliance of Orcadians and their ability to keep laughing and working in such weather. I'm surprised if you've visited that often you've not expereinced some pretty strong winds! Thanks for popping by!

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  7. Nothing like a stiff breeze to blow away the cobwebs.
    It's nice to see so many people telling you to take care of your knee. I've done the ligaments in both knees now and found it difficult to heed the advice with dire consequences. So from one who knows, eat more soup and put your feet-up with the knitting and a good book.

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    1. And, we've another due on Monday - oh dear! I promise to eat more soup and rest - I can't say I'll knit though - I can't knit for toffee!

      I hope your gardens surviving the winter.

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  8. Fay, you made not doing stuff appear very interesting. How adventurous are you with your soup with gnocchi, tattie soups as good as it gets here. I am impressed with your veggies, as for the weather, the snow had completely cleared and this morning we rose to a light scattering of the white stuff again.

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    1. Alistair - this house is the potato fan, so soup with tatties in it and tattie dumplings really gets my vote.

      And thanks for the veggie compliment.

      As for the weather - ferries currently under review again for monday's storm force 11's to hurricane speed winds again. Deep joy. Off to tie down the compost bins again.

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  9. Oh, hope your leg is soon better, thought for a while you maybe did have a stick leg.

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    1. Alistair I think a stick leg might be better behaved.

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  10. And I thought we have had a rough winter so far in Central Virginia, USA. Very interesting blog post. Thanks for the tour! Love all those stones. Ah, Scotland.

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    1. Ah Scotland is bonnie isn't it and we do have lots of lovely stones! Nice that you've popped by - thanks and rough weather goes with this territory - but then we get the big skies too. Hope the winter is kinder for the rest of the season for both of us.

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  11. that weather is truly frightful. The house in the top picture is used to being under breaking waves in a winter storm??

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    1. I'm not sure Diana but my hat goes off to the fact its still standing solid.

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