The great compost mystery.

As you know, I love pottering around in my garden. 

Although the very small patches that I own front and back are not really grand or big enough to be given the title 'garden', but nevertheless I still enjoy planting things and watching them grow.

I don't enjoy the weeding tho.

With the annoying weeds that seem to grow everywhere in mind, I decided to get my flower beds covered with stones to keep the weeds down.  So before the gardener came to sort out my unruly beds, I thought I should put some compost down to feed the ground.  And where better to get that from then my compost bin.

The compost bin is always a bit of a mystery to me.  No matter how much 'stuff' you put into it, it never seems to be full.  The worms in my garden must be very hungry, and/or very efficient!  Anyway, my compost bin hasn't been emptied since 2010, so I was a bit wary about opening the little hatch at the bottom and seeing what was behind it.  

When I opened it first all I could see were egg shells!  I was a bit bemused by this and had to Google it to see why after six years they were still relatively intact when everything else is mush.  Apparently, they take hundreds of years to decompose, so in future I have to crush them before I put them into the compost.  But either way, they are brilliant for the ground.  So happy days, I'll have well fertilized soil.  

Eventually, after much digging and scrapping, I got a big bucket of very healthy looking compost out of the bin.

But that wasn't all I got out of the bin.  Also hidden among the lovely fresh fertilizer, I found several items of interest.

A vegetable peeler, a wristband from a Bon Jovi concert and a bracket from a garden light.

I can understand how the vegetable peeler got in, no mystery there, as no doubt it got thrown in with the peelings.  But I have no idea how the Bon Jovi wristband got in to the bin.  Kevin thought it was very funny when he saw it, and he said it was from a concert we went to in 2006.  2006?  Well how come it wasn't discovered when the bin was opened in 2010.  Unless of course it went in after that, but it's still a mystery as to why it's in there.  And as for the bracket from the garden light?  It's a hundred years since those lights were on the wall in the garden, and even more worrying, how did it get into the bin?  Those worms must be more efficient than I originally thought. They must also be good with a screwdriver, as I'm sure the last time I saw that bracket it was screwed to a wall.

I also found, at the very bottom of the bin, this:

A perfectly formed (but rather dirty) grape!  

Seriously, what on earth?  How long has that been in there?  And why is it not wine at this stage??  I put grapes into the fridge and after two days they go off, so how come this one lasted six years at the bottom of the compost??  And, why was an obviously good and not rotten grape put into the bin in the first place?  

So many unanswered questions....

Anyway, I couldn't spend too much time pondering these mysteries as I had to get the compost spread on the flower beds before the gardener could get to work.  And what a nice job he did too.  I'm very pleased with the results.

But I've learned a lesson, I'll have to be more careful in future what goes into my compost bin.  But for now I'll just have to wait and see what lovely flowers grows from this batch of compost. I'm also secretly hoping that I'll come out some morning and find a grape vine, or maybe even Jon Bon Jovi, has grown in my garden.  

Although, knowing my luck, there will probably be several chickens...

Decadence!

Don't you just love...

'Afternoon Tea', with Champagne... (And mocktails for the young lady with us)

At the Balthazar Boulangerie (very French!!), Covent Garden, London, on a Sunday afternoon...

And anything left over (we did our best to avoid this!) they put in a bag for you to bring home!

Far too decadent for me!

Seeing stars!

Well I haven't been here for a while!  Did you miss me?  Sorry about that but I've been busy making some new friends.

And here I am, hanging round with them, my new celebrity friends. (OK I'm pushing it a bit using the word 'celebrity')

So, there I am getting a big hug from Dermot Bannon. (You know Dermot, that guy from the telly who's always wearing a very fetching yellow hi-vis jacket)

And there I am again getting a squeeze (oh my word!!) from Francis Brennan - no relation!  (You know Francis, that other guy from the telly, who wouldn't be seen near a hi-vis jacket, yellow or any other colour if his life depended on it.)

It was nice to meet both of them.

But I'm not sure which of my new friends I'd like to invite over to my house.  Either way it would be a disaster.

I mean if I invited Dermot over, I might end up with my house so redesigned that I have to drop down a chute to get to my bedroom.  Which would probably be a glass pod surrounded by a waterfall, or some other wacky design that he would come up with.  And everything would be white and bright with clean lines and matching surfaces.  And glass everywhere.  Which would be great, until Rusty comes in from the park and shakes mud over everything, and then somebody would have to clean all that glass....

So my other option would be Francis.  Well, that would also be a disaster, as I would have to have all my pillowcases matching and turned with the seams facing away from the door. (seriously!) And I'd have to have colour coded toilet paper in all the bathrooms. And he'd probably notice that I've never polished the brass surround on my fireplace!  Yes that's never!  And horror or horrors, there couldn't be any dust lurking in any corners.  God forbid!!  There would be no sweeping it under the carpet!  (I don't have any carpet, that's why the dust is lurking in the corners...)  And I don't know where I would hide Rusty.  He would have to be banished. or at least hidden somewhere until Francis has left the Parish.

I think they are both too busy to be dropping in to my house so I won't have to be sending out invites any time soon.  I did have a good chat with both of them, Dermot spoke at length about his new Volvo, and Francis told me all about the new venture he has in the pipeline.

I can't tell you any of the details of this new venture as it's top secret and I have been sworn to secrecy.  But I can tell you that I will be first in the queue in September outside Dunnes Stores in Stephens Green to buy some floral patterned cups and saucers that will look lovely in the new all white kitchen, with glass, that Dermot is designing for me.

Bet you're all jealous now!  But don't worry, when I get my new posh cups I'll invite all my old friends over for tea.  (I'm not polishing the brass tho').

Knowing your audience.

As you know, I'm recuperating from surgery on my shoulder, and have been doing nothing but lying on the couch, watching daytime TV, eating cake and chocolates (supplied by my very nice friends) and when I'm able to stay awake, reading.

I've read my way through three books already, so my 'to be read pile' is dwindling a bit now.

It was also my birthday last week and to help me celebrate my 10 year old niece sent me over a present.  Here it is in all its Minion wrapping paper glory.

I knew before I opened it, that it was a book, and I thought to myself, ah my niece knows me very well and how thoughtful of her to spend her (easily earned!) money replenishing my dwindling supply of books.  But I was wrong, it wasn't a book.  It was two books!

And here they are in all their glory...

Talk about knowing your audience!?

Anyway, having just finished a book, I was ready to start another.  But dilemma!  Which one should I read first.

I won't give you a full blown review of either as I'm sure you will all be queuing up to borrow them, so I'll just give you a synopsis.  The first one contains short stories about how to deal with hangovers, and the different types of hangovers.  And the second one is about how to deal with dates, and the different types of dating.  After reading both, I can't tell one story from the other as the subjects seem so similar.

They are also full of interesting facts, such as: (a) Every unit of alcohol kills the equivalent of two inches of bacon, which must be replaced the next morning.  (b) Winston Churchill who was Prime Minister of GB during the second world war, had a constant hangover, and he never surrendered! (The Hangover).  (a) It is surprising how often that a soul-mate turns out to not be on the other side of the world, but fairly nearby and reasonably drunk.  (b) Men's brains and women's brains are different, even as children. (Dating).

So, just to keep you interested, here's an extract from The Ladybird book of Dating:

"Rebecca* is meeting Ian* for their fifth date.  But Ian has not come.  Rebecca is sad.  Ian sends a test message instead.  He says he is under too much pressure from Rebecca, who is calling him everyday.  Rebecca thinks this is a lucky escape.  'Every day' is two words."

And, not to be left out, here's one from The Ladybird book of the Hangover.
.
"Susan* (they probably couldn't spell Siobhan!) woke up next to a full glass of wine.  She left it beside the bed in case she became thirsty in the night.  Now Susan does not know whose flat it was or where the nearest station might be.  At least she is dressed properly in case there is another party on the walk home."

I've read and re-read both books now and I have picked up some very useful tips:  Such as, always check where the nearest station is for getting home, and, more importantly, always check the grammar in your text messages.  And I've come to the conclusion that the stories in each book are definitely interchangeable....

I've also learned that Ladybird books have come a long way since my time.  And so have 10 year olds!!


* Names have been changed to protect the innocent.  Although after reading both of these books, I am coming to the conclusion that innocence has long since been lost...

Not a good day?

What a horrible day it is today!  Lashing rain and hail and windy and cold...

I'm so glad that all I have to do today is eat:

Watch:

And occasionally move the dog with my foot as he is taking up more room on the couch than I am!

This recuperation thing is not really all that bad after all...

A helping paw!

Isn't it lovely when you're confined to bed, or the sofa, after a small op (on your shoulder that was very successful), that you have somebody who will not only keep you company all day, but will also hold your book up for you because you're not able to hold it yourself...

What Spring brings.

What a lovely day!

And look what I found hiding in between the daffodils:

I didn't plant them, but a big thank you to whoever did.  They are very pretty.

And when your coming back to plant some more surprises for me, could you also dig up the bamboo that needs to be split, and fix the fence that has broken and clean the decking, and...., and...., and....