Update

The garden is going well. We have been enjoying some home grown salads for a few weeks now. The chocolate mint and tarragon are having a fight for supremacy. The mint is winning but the tarragon is putting up a grand fight, whilst the poor rosemary is cowering in the background. I need to separate them soon.

We’ve re-planted some of the veg beds because we made the rocky mistake of not watering the old seeds enough. So far so good. Although the birds have been at the broccoli. They’ve nearly destroyed them all! The blue radishes are going great guns and the carrots are starting to come up.

I’m currently visiting family and had my first visit to McDonalds since going vegetarian. There are some distinct advantages namely that you get your burger cooked fresh. And if like me you also insist on having no salt on your fries you actually get a hot edible meal.

Standing up for once.

I’ve finally come off the Anti-depressants I was on. I can’t say it was easy. I’ve spent days feeling constantly motion sick despite standing perfectly still. And O my good god have I been angry. I’ve been angry at every thing. The problem with the anti-ds, that I found, was although they made me happy that was the only emotion I had. I didn’t care about anything. It was great nothing bothered me but on the downside. Things that should have bothered me didn’t even bother me. When I finally came off the happy pills, as they where called in this house, I was bothered by everything. I was starting to worry that my previous laid back self, the one I knew before the illness, was going to be replaced by this permanently angry stranger.

Thankfully for me female hormones had a part to play in my permanent angry state. Now those hormones have subsided some what. I find I’m left with a much more pleasing side affect. Before my illness I found I was always being walked over by others, especially in the work place. I hated standing up to people and no matter what the injustice I would always back down. In fact I never really stood up in the first place.

Now all of a sudden I’ve found my inner bark. Today for the first time I challenged someone else’s behaviour. I wasn’t nasty or bitchy. I just stood my ground and not allow myself to be walked over. My councillor, if I still had one, would be proud. I certainly was.

Breaking News

The plot that I re-sowed has already got some shoots coming up all in very neat rows. It's all very exciting. We've put some plastic covering over them to protect them from the birds. I guess we now sit back and wait.

Time for an update I feel.

The garden is coming on nicely. The veg in the pots are just about ready for harvesting. In fact we had a very nice home grown salad last night. The carrots, which grow short and stubby instead of long, are very nice. I’m not quiet sure if it’s the fact that they are a different variety or that they had only just been picked 15mins before being eaten but they were the best carrots I’ve ever tasted.

The veg patch is not doing quiet as well as the pots. But we were expecting some failures this year. We believe the problem is the fact that we didn’t water the seeds quiet as often as we should have done. I’ve planted some more seeds in one of the plots and they are being watered every day. So will see if our theory was right.
The peppers are coming on very nicely. They are still the thing I’m most proud of. No sign of fruit yet but I’m happy to wait and see what happens.

The Dill has completely surprised me by being rather aggress in it’s growing spurt. It’s at least four times as big as it was when we first brought it. I’ve had to move it into it’s own pot. I also don’t think it will be long before I have to move the Tarragon and Rosemary to a safer pot away from the chocolate mint that is threatening to take over the whole crate.

Cooking wise I’ve learnt how to make my own cordial. We had some apples that where past their best so I thought I have a go at making raspberry and apple cordial. It’s dead easy. Boil equal amounts of sugar and water in a saucepan until the sugar dissolves. Add the raspberries and simmer until you have a sweet smelling red liquid with pips in it. Then juice your apples and add to the saucepan. Give a good stir and remove from the heat. Pass all the liquid threw a sieve (keep the left over pulp to make a gorgeous apple and raspberry crumble later :D) allow to cool and then pour into a sanitised bottle. It can only be stored for a maximum for 14 days. But don’t worry there is very little chance of it actually lasting that long before it’s all been drunk.

The Prince's Rainforest Project

The worms

The worms for the Wormery arrived yesterday. It has amazed me that Jacqueline even wanted a Wormery, because she absolutely loathes worms! But, it would seem that her passion for organic gardening is stronger than her worm phobia. Mind you, I did detect a little shudder, when she opened the package! They are now safely ensconced in their new home and hopefully are peeing for England (or at least for Berkshire) We are told that worm pee is liquid gold in organic gardening circles!

The other big news is that we have started to be able to actually eat some of the produce that is being grown. We have had a couple of salads this week, using the rocket and spinach and the difference from the shop bought stuff is incredible. Mind you, you often hear people, particularly of my generation, complaining that food just does not taste the same as it used to. Well, of course it doesn't! My Dad, in common with most men of his age had an allotment and grew practically all the veg we ate, as kids. The stuff he couldn't grow was bought from a small local greengrocer, who usually had his own smallholding and sold the excess in a shop. Food was still rationed then and it was the only way to survive. Nowadays, we buy the majority of our food from supermarkets and even 'fresh' vegetables and fruit are probably a couple of weeks old, having been shipped from God knows where, then stored in a warehouse awaiting shipment to the local Sainsburys' (or whoever) Is it any wonder it has no discernible taste! Anyway, so far our produce has tasted fantastic and I am really looking forward to the day when we eat some of our home grown potatoes. Watch this space!

Coming Out

Some people who know me will be rubbing their hands with glee at that title. They will be congratulating themselves claiming they always knew the truth they were just waiting for me to admit to it.

Well you’re all still wrong.

Yes I may spend the majority of my life in jeans, jumper and t-shirts. I prefer trainers to high heels. I very rarely wear make up. But all this alone does not make me gay. I dress the way I do because it is practical and comfortable, and for reasons I will go into in just a short time, I feel no need to impress anyone else but me.

Correct me if I am wrong but I believe that in order to be a lesbian I need to be sexually attracted to women. Now although I see no problem with other women who do have that preference (as long as you are happy what does it matter I say) I do not personally share that attraction.

So why you are asking have I never spoken about a boyfriend? Why then have I never been seen on the arm of some bloke? The question is simply that I am not sexually attracted to men either. In fact I'm not sexually attracted to anything. I am what is know as an asexual.

Now before you ask. Yes I am perfectly happy, which as I said before is all that really matters at the end of the day. I do not feel like I am missing out on anything. I am completely happy with my own company and quiet content with my little lot in life. My only reason for making my sexuality, or rather lake of it, public is so that I can finally stop having to justify my lack of partners and you guys can finally stop waiting for me to meet mister right.

On a different note. The tranquillity garden is complete. The medicinal herbs arrived and are all planted. I now have an additional stone hedgehog and stagnant water feature. It is surprisingly relaxing out there. I love it.