I've been so lazy

The lack of a broadband connection has really kept me away from saying much on here recently but as the wind and rain persist outside, I've told myself off and here I am!

Word of warning, if you've got a UK Online broadband account, don't ever try and upgrade or ask for anything to be changed on it. They have you offline for weeks. They missed their own timeslot for switching us over to 8mb and then couldn't even guarantee to have us connected by 30th January ! They blame BT, BT blames them. So now we've converted to Orange with a promise of a connection by the 28th! We'll see if they are as good as their word. Dial-up is just soooooooo tedious.

The "weather" has been driving us all barmy just recently. Reading everyone else's disasters in the garden, makes me thankful that my own are relatively minimal. The wee g/h took a direct hit at New Year but apart from that (touch wood) we've been lucky in this last round of gales/wind/snow.

Outside the Aquadulce broadies are looking like the slugs have been having a good munch. Despite taking proper precautions, they've still been shredded. I'll be sowing some Green Windsor's when I can get to do something meaningful.

Inbetween showers this morning (whilst re-erecting the bird table and retrieving the feeders from the onion bed) I dug around in the parsnip pot and pulled half a dozen babies. Will have those tonight to make me feel better.

The onions are looking slightly flattened and sorry for themselves but the garlic is standing straight and proud. The soil in the raised strawberry bed is sinking, I guess the worms are doing their job on the leaves that I stuck in the bottom of the bed !

In the (still standing) greenhouse, the sweet-peas got a bit nibbled by Mr Slug so I resorted to some pellets. They've left the actual peas alone though - bonus ! The calendula and altroemeria seedlings are still coming along nicely and all the fuschia cuttings appear healthy.

Mum gave me some Bear's Breeches (Acanthus Mollis) seeds and they are cooking nicely. She also nicked some hollihock seeds out of one of her neighbours gardens and I had them in loo rolls. The tubes went all mouldy so I buried them up to their necks in a large pot so I couldn't see the soot !

I've still got some pepper type of things in the g/h. One is actually turning red now. Lack of proper labelling means it will be guess work as to how hot (or not) it is when I harvest it !

Inside, I succumbed to sowing something last weekend and now have 3 aubergine pots in the leccie propogator on the spare room windowsill. I left it far too late last year and whilst I had fine plants, the fruits just didn't come to anything. I can always so a few more in a wee while.

I also did a tray full of Sparkler 3 radishes in an unheated propogator in the office. Just so I could see something germinating which they have done. Probably a bit lanky really but no real waste if they come to nowt.

My Peace Lily (Spathiphyllum) donated by Mum last year is producing new leaves at a rate of knots ! Don't think anyone has told it that it's supposed to be sleeping !

OH has just come home with a wireless router to play with, so I'm going to let him on while I brave the winds. I'm sure something else will get sown today. The sun has just poked it's head through, so all might not be lost !!

Keep safe with this awful weather people.

Cheeriebye!