Update to last post, and a new bit of camping.

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After waking up on Wednesday morning, it was cold. Like really cold, and had the realisation that I pitched up way too far from the toilet block. Was obscenely cold, but looked stunning.

Concerned that the gallery won’t have added the photos correctly, but fingers crossed. When I got back from my dawn walk and micturation, I managed to blag a teabag and some sugar and made breakfast. Sadly, whilst trying to fry my eggs, the frying pan fell off the stove and threw my egg all over the floor. I cooked more but I was left with an eggy mess on the entrance to the tent.

I tried to get a bit more sleep but became aware that there were noises coming from the vestibule of my tent. Turns out great tits were hopping under the canvas and cleaning all the food off my plates. One of them was also eating the egg, which feels wrong in some way; cannibalistic in some way.

Anyway, it was really cold, and only looked like getting colder, so I called it a day and made my way home.

Two days later and I’m here, this time with some new bits of equipment and most importantly, a hot water bottle.

I had a hotdog for snack when I got here and have just cooked a super rice that does not live up to its name, so I am prepared to try to get some sleep. As before I will update you if I survive.

First camping of the year

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Firstly, it’s worth noting that as I type this, the new forest ponies are having some sort of meeting just outside my tent. It has been a strenuous day, and I’m very glad to be laying in my sleeping bag.

I decided it would be best to be in a field by sundown, so dug out all my camping gear and packed up my bag. Tried packing light and completely failed. 17.5kg later, I went to find a train to Brockenhurst. Not a bad journey and was under the impression it linked straight to a bus that would take me to the campsite. This was incorrect. Had a noisy walk by the main road until I rocked up to the campsite, where it promptly started raining.

Rained intermittently until the present time, although sunny too. Had brought no food so had to walk back into town to pick up some grub. It rained. Got back and made some hotdogs and all was right with the world again. I pitched my tent way too far from the toilet block however, so will remember that next time.

The collection of food cost north of twelve quid, so will bring my own next time. I am going to attempt to sleep and will update you in the morning, or later on if sleep eludes me.

My leaking butt crack

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The week started off with a mug of hot chocolate made on the wood burner camping stove. Whilst pottering about drinking my choccy, and getting zero support from Flymo customer support in fixing Momo, I noticed that I had a leaky butt crack.

Had to drain butt, luckily one of the smaller greenhouse ones were empty. Needed one of the brewing barrels too, and now have a broken butt I don’t know what to do with.

Flowers are all looking amazing and although this is not very exciting, here how the garlic is doing.

Week progressed as they tend to, and the weekend appeared, bringing a huge loss on the grand national but some sunshine.

The greenhouse got nice and warm too, but sadly there’s a guerrilla slug in there attacking the cucumbers.

Anyway, I have a week off, so might go camping now that it is no longer Easter hols, although I am beginning to suspect I have caught a cold. Fingers crossed I survive, and I’ll update before next Sunday if I end up in a field.

Blooming mushrooms and garden progress

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I feel that it has not been a productive week, being spent mainly binge watching television. The mushrooms have been shooting up, and I am only marginally concerned that I am keeping the bathroom constantly steamy.

Considering I was convinced that they were all done for, I’m very impressed at this growth. They made a good breakfast though.

I may have witnessed some spousal abuse by Don Pigeone, and I was shocked at his behaviour. I have made an agreement with him that I will put out seed if he stops eating the blossoms from the cherry trees. I am not convinced he will honour this accord.

It’s been sunny for nearly an entire day, and I hope it will remain so for the next week.

I have leave from 1700 on Thursday, as indicated by the countdown on the homepage, and I am very much looking forward to it. May even go camping.

I will be back next week, if I am not in a tent somewhere.

Still not summer

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Got Fallout 4 to work on my Mac, so that killed most of the day Monday. Weather has been horrible, and at one stage feared for the greenhouse. I think I saw Don Pigeone and his family on Wednesday morning before trekking to the office.

Momo gave the lawn a haircut last week, but now won’t charge. Contacted Amazon but years warranty will run out next Thursday. Flymo will call me Tuesday as everyone is closed for zombie Jesus weekend.

Have an aphid infestation on my birthday rose plant. So many that they just fall off if I give them a shake, so then had to hoover up hundreds of insects and their families. The garden flowers, however, are going from strength to strength. The cherry trees are flowering, although Don Pigeone has been eating the buds. Here he is looking guilty to check if I was watching him.

I bought a big firepit and finally burnt the garden waste. The downside was that the following day, at least 18 hours later, I emptied the firepit into the garden waste bin, and it turned out that it still hadn’t fully gone out. So Easter Sunday started with me having to dowse the bin with water to ensure it didn’t catch fire.

And bit of a surprise, mushrooms have sprouted again, so I will have a nice mushroom breakfast in the week.

To finish up, the apple tree, Eden, has been straightened a little and is covered in buds, so very optimistic of an apple or two this year. Bingewatching this week was Wednesday, and it’s pretty good.

Seems like ages since last week

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So the front garden keeps getting brighter and brighter, but now it’s a choice between cutting off the flowers to have in the house or keep the front garden looking nice.

The mushrooms have made no effort to provide any more fungi, so not sure what the next steps are there. Want to start a new tub from the mycelium in the current tubs, but it’s such a ball ache sanitising the straw. Will give it some thought next week.

I set up a camera watching the catflap, as random cats are coming to stay over during the night, hence the kitty face.

Flowers are also coming out in the garden, and I made Momo cut the grass. I have a video but it’s not uploading from my phone yet so maybe I’ll add it as an update. Momo was noisy, as I was supposed to mow before they went out to do the robot thing. But that would require having kept the normal mower. The trees are all budding, so yet again, it looks like we might have a lot of cherries and apples this year.

Hopefully the weather will improve, and it will nearly be summer. Or at least a proper spring. Apart from a possible Momo vid update, see ya next week.

Busy week and animals everywhere

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So Monday, I culled mushrooms from the last flush showing and cooked them up, and they were delish. Fed the pigeon, now named Don Pigeone, and saved them from being munched by one of the local kitties. Also binged ‘You me and the Apocalypse’.

Tuesday all the flowers were blooming in the carrier bag they came in. The plant bed for the front garden arrived. When I finished work I put it together and filled it with compost soil and all the flowers.

Took until it was dark, but happy they have a home. Suffered with heartburn for a few days, but interspersed it with feeding Don Pigeone. Put a camera outside to catch them munching away.

Dogsat Friday and visited a friend and their newborn on Saturday. Sunday was filled with as much laziness as possible, although I have moved the original mushroom tubs to the greenhouse. Have also got trapped in the love triangle of some local kitties. The girl, in heat, spent the day on the sofa while her bf sat outside, for about 16 hours, serenading her through the catflap.

Threw in a quick daffodil pic for good measure, but that was the week in words. Stay tuned for more next week.

Birthday and too many flowers

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Okay so greenhouse is now greening, as there are now things attempting to grow in there. There’s also a chair to sit and talk to them all. Mushrooms flushed and became a pasta at the end of the week, and my birthday was basically filled with daffodils and other bulb type plants. Spent way too much, but have cleared the front garden so there’s space for a new bed, for permanent bulb homes.

So many daffodils

Diet has kinda gone to cock this week, but maybe next week is the time for that. Garden has taken so much time that I can’t fit food around it. Ooh I fixed the water butts so that they both fill from the greenhouse.

Ordered a raised bed from Amazon and that should be here this week, so then can finally have a less embarrassing front garden. Trimmed a lot of stuff today, filled two wheelie bins, so it’s a lot clearer out there now. Nearly a month since I had a drink, and don’t miss it at all. Don’t feel any better for it either though. Only have two days in work next week, and no office days, so hopefully will be a bit chilled. See you next Sunday guys, as I will be going to Basingstoke and may plan camping.

Mooching about Somerset

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Well, what’s week. I had loads of mushrooms sprouting, I finally built the greenhouse, and I nipped to Glastonbury in the middle of a faerie festival of some description.

Weather has definitely sucked, but decided to hire a car again and go visit friends in Glastonbury. Very scenic drive and slap up food at the Glastonbury Premier Inn. Fun day wandering around the old stomping ground, but not much I recognise tbh. When I got back it was a sunny day so finally built the greenhouse. I still have trauma but it was a worth it. Irritatingly, the rainwater runoffs have a pipe size that is exactly the same size as hosepipe, so cannot attach hoses to them. I bought two 100 litre water butts to store the water once I work out how to get them attached. I will I will include a couple of pics of the new batch of mushrooms and some pics of the Tor.

The Tor from a distance
Zoomed in

Slow week, and sooo cold

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The new mushrooms have been set up and are hopefully munching their way through the straw in their new homes. I was showing off the previous tubs that I haven’t got round to disposing of, and seems Mike was trying to sprout mushrooms from the top, so I have drilled a couple of holes in the lid and might get a mushroom or two from him again.

It has been really cold, so have not assembled the greenhouse yet. Ruby is definitely sprouting too, so seems to have enjoyed the move.

Have been playing way too much farming simulator 22, but really been too cold to go out and do real world stuff. Made some more flatbread dough and had the occasional kebab. Otherwise I will have way more exciting stuff for next week, as I’m determined to get the greenhouse up this week. I will end with an awful pic of the new mushroom tubs.