Dereks Diary Part 2

[balc2]

Hope Rosemary's birthday is good one & that you both enjoy it! 🙏🎊🎉🎁🎂

[derekbrooks]

Thank you Balc2.She says that she has enjoyed it so far.She stayed in bed all morning as she normally does but I took all her cards up to her .I went in the garden and continued weeding the rose beds in the back garden.We went on one of her favourite walks this afternoon.She calls it the "Yellow brick road" even though it isn't yellow. I just went out for a bit after and finished the weeding I was doing.She is just watching "The one show" at present and we will do some crosswords together after which we usually do till she wants to go to bed.The carer has already undressed her.

[balc2]

I'm glad she had a good day yesterday 👌

What is her illness? From what you say about her it seems she's not very healthy but you often go out for walks together. 🤔

[derekbrooks]

The answer to your question,Balc2,is that she hasn't got a definite illness. She can walk but not very far.When we go a walk I put her wheelchair in the car and we go somewhere that is wheelchair friendly and I push her round.She will get out of the wheelchair sometimes and push it but not very far.She doesn't eat or drink enough so she has lost weight.Her main problem is her lack of motivation for doing anything.I am always trying to get her to do things but she doesn't always want.
I took her a walk round Blackleach this afternoon. This morning and when we got home this afternoon I have weeded the rose bed in the front garden.

[balc2]

Does she have Fibromyalgia, by any chance? My wife has & she finds walking a hard task, especially outside.I was looking up the symptoms of it just yesterday on the NHS page & she has practically all of them! We have know it for at least 15 years, maybe longer. Her doctor confirmed it also some years ago. I looked it up because we were discussing it yesterday when a niece of mine told me she had had it for many years also.

[derekbrooks]

As far as we know,Balc2,she hasn't got it.
I went to Blackleach this afternoon for the art club but there was no garden club at school to go to after so I came straight home.The rest of the afternoon and also this morning I have been in the garden and greenhouse.I took the geraniums from two tubs in the garden to the greenhouse and potted them up.Also potted the plants that were in my two pouches and another hanging basket.

[derekbrooks]

Another dry day.Picked all the tomatoes including the green ones.Went to the allotment after.I told you before that one of my bean frames was not secure and I tried to support it Part of it has now completely collapsed.We have two clothes props at home but we don't really need both so I took one to prop up the bean frame.It is still not perfect but it will have to do.I picked a lot of runner beans.
I took Rosemary a walk this afternoon .When we got home I put the green tomatoes in a drawer with a banana skin to ripen them.I then sorted the runner beans ,keeping those containing large seeds to sow next year.I put them in a box on top of a cupboard in the kitchen to dry and then I remove the seeds from the pods. We will use the rest this weekend.

[balc2]

Just a couple of weeks ago I picked all the Cherry tomatoes left on the plants on the balcony & then took the plants down & got rid of them. Some have ripened now but there are still plenty left to ripen! But how do you distinguish when a green tomato is ripe??? I have some green toms but I don't know the name of the variety. Some years ago my son gave me a couple of 'Green Zebra' tomato plants but they were bigger toms than these I think. I don't know if there is a green mini-tomato but these plants may have been smaller because they were sown a LOT later than I traditionally sow my tomato seeds, (21st March), also the spring was quite cold here which held them back a bit.

[derekbrooks]

Hi Balc2. I don't grow any green tomatoes so I don't know how to tell when they are ripe.The normal sized ones I grow are all red,Alicante and Shirley, and the cherry ones are Sungold which are orange .
Before it was time to go to the hut this morning I cut down the rest of the tomato plants and also the cucumbers and put them in sacks to take to the allotment to go on the compost. The tomatoes didn't have blight.I wouldn't put them on the compost if they had.We have only had a few small cucumbers and I don't know what variety they were.They may have been a small fruited variety. Jean (Paws57)gave me the plants and I forgot to ask her. I took Rosemary a walk this afternoon and after, I emptied the tonato and cucumber pots and put the compost in sacks.This will also go to the allotment.
As you know,Heather,our daughter from Portmadog ,comes for the weekend every two weeks.She normally comes on Friday but she has had to work today so she has just arrived 20 minutes ago.

[balc2]

My question about how to tell when a green tomato variety is ripe was more a rhetorical question than asking you about them. I think the tomatoes start to turn yellowish but I've eaten a couple that were still green &, apart from being a little sharper, they were alright. I still have a few that are in the process of ripening & I will probably eat them this week.

[derekbrooks]

Another fine day but it has rained this evening.Because Heather is here to see to Rosemary I was able to go on the allotment this afternoon. Whitefield horticultural society have another show next Saturday and I was hoping to show. I showed there in September, if you remember. It is mainly a late chrysanth show but I don't grow these any more. There are veg classes and one for a vase of mixed flowers which I could do. However, I can't go because neither Martyn or Heather could be here to look after Rosemary and I can't leave her for that length of time.So, the vegetables which I intended showing I will have to give to our neighbours .I have at least twelve leeks and this afternoon I removed all the blaching collars from them and put them away in the shed.I pulled up four leeks to bring home.I had four marrows left so I cut them to bring home.I then started forking over the potato bed again to get any that I missed when digging them up a few weeks ago. Heather has gone home this evening and she took two of the leeks.

[derekbrooks]

It rained till mid morning but when it stopped I cut the remaining chrysanths and put them in a vase in the house.I had cut most of the plants down before but I cut the remaining few down.It rained again for a bit ths afternoon and after, I untied all the labels from the top of the canes and tied them onto the stools.

[balc2]

When can you take cuttings of Chrysanths? I can't remember having done it before? In the spring? I expect it's far too late to take them now!

[derekbrooks]

Hi Balc2
I will now plant my chrysanth stools in boxes and keep them in the greenhouse over winter.I put the boxes on warming benches in January or Febbruary to start them into growth and take cuttings as soon as they are ready in February or March.I'll tell you more about it when the time comes.

[derekbrooks]

The last chrysanths ,cut this morning