Monthly Archives: November 2014

NaBloPoMo

#NaBloPoMo: Romance of the Cup, FA Cup 1st round

Today has been dubbed Super Saturday given the assorted games being played today. As this was being handwritten, Liverpool were leading against Chelsea. The scoreline did actually change, but I won’t give that away. I love Jose, no one else comes close to that man and his swagger.

The FA cup (that’s the Football Association of England, and it’s not soccer) starts this weekend with the first round. There are a number of phrases associated with this tournament. ‘Minnows’, ‘Banana skins’ and ‘Giant killings’, all equate to the romance, drama and sheer brutality of ‘the cup’. It’s a rather nice piece of silverware.

If I remember correctly, this was one dubbed by The BBC as ‘The road to Wembley’. Wembley being the national stadium of England, and home of The Three lions. I have memories of The FA cup being the show piece ending of the season, a whole Saturday dedicated to it.  A proper three pm kick off.

The FA cup final is best described as being an epic. A showpiece. Beautifully mown grass, usually in the shape of diamonds. I wonder if that helped crosses go further. Players popping out onto the pitch in spiffy suits. Who can forget the Liverpool team of years gone passed with their white suits. Not quite Xavi Alonso, I tell you. A brass band, stirring into the tones of ‘Abide with me’ the other football anthem, other than you’ll never walk alone.

No one is safe in the Cup, and all teams are equal. Hence the banana skins, minnows and giant killings. The biggest of clubs, can fall to the smallest of teams who might be three leagues away from them. For smaller clubs, that’s a hell of pay day. There was of course the one episode, where one particular club decided not to participate, and chose to play in another tournament. Not a good day for English Football, the other was the lack of the 2018 world cup, I think.

I haven’t watched a Cup final in years. Even this year, I found it by accident, and then didn’t watch it. There have been too many changes since I last watched it.The shine, has somewhat disappeared for me.  Could be worse, we might still have those horrific FA Cup final songs that used to be released. Great for the charities that used to benefit, but less so for music aficionados.

chillies, NaBloPoMo, Superhots 2014

#NaBloPoMO: Chilli check-in

chillies chilliflower

 

These are the chillies plants earlier this week. We have since had a frost, but these were all fleeced. This in the vain hope that they wouldn’t be hurt, but you never know. They might look a bit robust, but so far, they’ve been very leafy but not provided any fruit.

There are a number of chillies in the poly tunnel:

  • serrano
  • chocolate habanero
  • orange habanero
  • jamaican jerk
  • bengle and Dorset naga
  • hot thai
  • hot patio sizzle
  • tobasco

The tobasco is actually nearly five foot tall, and only just starting to send out tiny little white flowers. The others are still leafy. As you can see , I have been finding some of the white flowers and tickling them. it’s too cold to keep the poly open, and there are not many flying insects around to help pollinate.

I didn’t plan to over winter these plants, but I am now debating as to how long I can keep them. I do need to check, actually, if they are still alive. It may well be that Mother Nature has already given me an answer to that question. Would be disappointing if they have all ceased to exist. This year we have had the grand sum of three chillies.

NaBloPoMo

#NaBloPoMo: Why do I wear a Poppy

3 Comments

marigold

Whilst in class, a student spotted that on my maroon5 hoodie across my chair, was a poppy. They wanted to know firstly, what it was, and why was I wearing it. It is important to note, that the students I teach are international, and wouldn’t necessaily be aware of what this particular red and black flower represents.

These questions made me stop for a moment. I wanted to make it clear, explain why I wore it without getting overwrought or even offending anyone. I had been caught on the hop, when all I could think about was my lesson.

I started to talk about Armistice day, the guns falling silent at 11, 11, 11. How there were many soldiers in many conflicts, some of whom were of Indian origin. There are soldiers today who go to a conflict, and when they come home need help and support. Many go, few return. Then another of my students surprised me. Turned to their class mate, and in a rather mate of fact way, said the word respect. A simple word that conveyed much more than I could ever explain.

I wear a poppy, because i want to, because I can. It is a simple gesture and a mark of respect. A thank you.

War and conflict are never a good thing, they never will be. The costs are always high, and no one ever wins.

I wear a poppy, as an acknowledgment and a thank you. I take note of the choice made, the potential sacrifice. It is my way of acknowledging, that those who come back, have my support. I could never understand, the experiences of men, women, who go off to a conflict. This though, is my way trying, and to stand shoulder to shoulder with those who come back. Those who come back, and for one reason or another face challenges.

This somewhat echoes what I told my students. The those who go off to conflict are human too. They have friends, families.

In making a donation, £1.50 it was. For a paper and plastic flower, it is a thank you and you are not forgotten. I wear that poppy, regardless of colour, creed and political allegiance.

 

And why, do I have a marigold at the top?

Marigolds signify courage and sacrafice. Same thing, but not difference.

grapevine, NaBloPoMo

#NaBloPoMo: Growing Grapevines on the Garden

1 Comment
Grapevines on the plot
Grapevines on the plot: Boskoop Glory and Madeline Sylvener

 

There are two varieties of grapevine currently being cultivated on the plot. These are Boskoop Glory, a red grape and Madeline Sylvener, which is a white grape. Both are meant to be quite suitable for the British Climate. There definitely parts of the British Isles that can grow grapes, so why not the middle of land locked England. These are desert grapes, I think, so we shall see if they do produce a vast quantity of fruit, and whether anything can be made out of them. Other than eating them, it might be nice to brew something.

There is a fourth, much older grapevine in Dad’s garden. The vines produce mammoth crop in the south facing garden, and we do nothing with him. Those grapes are red, and ripen in October. They don’t particularly taste very nice though, and that is the pit fall. Hoping that next year, they can be converted into something useful. No idea what that variety is though, and I did one year squash the lot to make a litre of Cordial. Yep, a whole litre. I was there squashing for a long time.

Across the cane trellis, there are thre vines growing up and out. These vines are still quite young, have been in the ground less than five years so are very much in there infancy. It can take up to twenty years for them reach their ful potential.

With their tendrils and creepers growing without restraint, the vines are starting to look a bit wndburned. Some of the leaves are  alittle scorched. Overnight we have a our first frost, so I do wonder if the vines will look a little different today. They might also need a bit of a feed. Might dress the base with both chicken poop pellets and some fish, bone, blood stuff. I did that in the summer, and it didn’t appear to do any harm.

I do need to investigate how to prune the vines and when. That cane trellis is at the moment, barely five foot hight. This may need to be increased in time, with another trellis and some more canes to support the lower levels. Previously, I have spotted a very small bunch of graps. It was still there, when I looked on Tuesday. Not sure if it is likely to get any larger, and with the over night frost, may well have died a death.

cabbages and brassicas, Hobbit homebrew, NaBloPoMo

#NaBloPoMo: Decanting Day 2: Rhubarb’d Vodka

During the summer, I had harvested some rhubarb. This was then placed into a clip top jar, with cloves, ginger, sugar and vodka. This has been in the airing cupboard for approximately three months. I say approximately, as it had about another ten days to go for that exact term. Shaken at the outset, the concoction has then been left to it’s own devices.

Unlike the cordial that I had made, it actually looks orange. A lighter shade of irn bru, not at all pink as was expected. I had also expected a bit more liquid. There is exactly 70 Cl-ish there of vodka. Those bottles are 500 ml sized.. Unlike soft fruit, Rhubard doesn’t actually release it’s own juices. The boozy soaked rhubarb is now put aside for a boozy pudding.

Hobbit homebrew, NaBloPoMo

#NaBloPoMO: Hobbit Homebrew Gin infusions

5 Comments
Gin infusions
Gin infusions

Have decided to do some more home brew experimentation. I have to confess that I have not grown any of the fruit products in this concoction. All of the fruit in this experiment is frozen fruit, from the frozen food section of a value supermarket. The Gin is also the cheaper stuff from that particular value super market. Blueberries apparently work better when they have been frozen, so we shall see. Notoriously difficult to grow, I don’t have blueberries on the plot for that very reason. At the back of the picture, the rhubarb vodka awaits decanting. More on that later.

On the left, the jar contain black forest fruits. Blackberries, red and black currants, grapes and sour cherries. The jar on the right, contains blueberries. Both have a generous helping of sugar. I’d say about 250g of normal granulated sugar. In addition, i have added coriander seeds and cinnamon. Especially for the blueberries. I was surprised as to how popular a combination blueberries and coriander actually was.

Both jars were then filled with 70 cl each of the gin. Shaken vigorously and stashed into an airing cupboard. There they will stay for six weeks, but will need to disturbed regularly for the first week, and then once a week.

NaBloPoMo, overwintering alliums

#NaBLoPoMO: Planting Autumn Garlic 2014

2 Comments

IMG_4005 IMG_4007

Once again, I am planting garlic. I have already planted one batch of Provence wight into a raised bed. So today, I have plugged in garlic into a second bed. A third has been prepared and tidied up as I might plant some more yet. Every year, I try to identify and plant an appropriate variety. it’s been fun trying to establish the best, the results have been quite interesting. The one key finding, is that raised beds are beneficial. In the past, the cloves planted into raised beds have been bigger and more flavoursome. By that, I mean pungent!

On the other hand, cloves plugged into open ground, have been much smaller. Ma has complained that these are then very difficult to peel and prepare. You would easily use a dozen of those smaller cloves in the place of three larger ones.

Beyond the Provence wight, I am also trying Elephant garlic this year. It is technically, a leek with garlic tendencies, The first that I have tried this, and the difference is already clear in the size of the cloves.

The garlic arrives in bulbs, as you can see. This year, I have found some from http://www.thegarlicfarm.co.uk/ I was impressed by the size and quality of these. As well as the fact that this is a nice autumnal collection. Whilst there were three loose elephant garlic cloves, the rest of the bulbs are broken down into singular cloves. These cloves are then plugged into the dirt, with only their tip exposed.

Many people, will use supermarket garlic. There has to be caution with this, I think, In some cases, the garlic is for different climates and may not necessarily take off. I’ve never done it, but that’s not to say it can’t be done or isn’t successful.

In the past, when there has been an abundance of garlic, some the crop has been pickled. Rather nice actually, and has kept rather well. The majority has been used successfully in cooking. There is just something about fresh, home grown garlic. It certainly keeps longer, and definitely tastes different.

NaBloPoMo

#NaBloPoMo: Welcome to the Plot

7 Comments
Welcome to Hobbitland
Welcome to Hobbitland

 

Welcome to Hobbitland, or at least my little part of it. In Birmingham, England. For the benefit of new and future readers, this is a patch of land. A vegatable pot, rented from the local council for, the cultivation, funnily enough of fruit, veg, and flowers.

What started off as 100 square metres, is now 200 square metres. I took on the second half last year, and to be fair at that point; it felt as though I was running out of space.

There have been perils and puddles, you can read all about them in the past posts. But now, the plot is starting to get going properly. The amount of things you learn, is phenonemonal. Yet one growing season won’t necessarily be the same as the next.

The black and white diagram that you see above, is something of an annual exerise. An opportunity to plan out and prepare for next spring. Each of the squares is either a raised bed or a bed in open ground. The shaded boxes, are the smaller wendy house and the large 2m x 3m Polytunnel. The polytunnel is currently home to a clutch of Chilli Pepper plants.

As it stands, now is time for me to tidy up the plot and to also grow over wintering crops such as garlic. Sadly, there are times where the British Winter does get in the way. Come to think of, the summer also gets in the way too. Especially when it is wet, windy, and downright drab. At the moment, the one bed does have garlic in it. There is also fenugreek and spinach still cropping, as well as lovely red vulcan chard. In years passed, I have at this time of the year sunk lots of bulbs for the spring. However, I am happy for now to have roses up and down the plot. There two dozen, perhaps, roses, that in the height of summer have produced fantastic blooms. I concede that they are not really edible. But what would an English Garden be without a few roses. There is even one called William Shakespeare 2000.  As well as would be posh roses, there are some less posh ones. Some from a poundshop, some that are mysteries entirely. They are lost label roses, and could be anything. All of them will be pruned in the coming months to help them regenerate for next year.

You might have observed that there are some fruit trees. I have forgetton, to label the rhubarb. Most of these trees are two-three years old. I have victoria plum, braeburn and falstaff apple, rochester peach, a cherry tree the name of which escapes me. Concorde pear as well. The plot is home to one domesticated ‘Reuben’ Blacberry. In being domestic, this is thornless. Wild blackberries are full thorns and will tear you to shreds. I am lucky that the plot is edged on the far side by such wild blackberries. These have been jammed quite a bit this year.

 

NaBloPoMo

#NaBloPoMO: pen, paper,Blog

2 Comments

image

I mentioned previously how I like using Moleskine notebooks. Have been using them for years, particularly since I trained to teach. There was just something about them. Especially given the literary history to them. I’ve had many different versions. Okay they are pricey, that is an issue! If they weren’t imported, they would distinctly cheaper.But they do last forever, they are fairly robust.

I now have a notebook dedicated to blogging. Especially since I might not be around a PC/phone/tablet. There really is something about seeing your words fill lines and the space of a page. Think I wrote two bits yesterday with a large pot of tea-hobsons in Stratford upon avon, £1.75, bargain-could have written another, but I had to depart.

And Jean was correct. Still don’t improve my handwriting.

And nl

NaBloPoMo, Sampling Shakespeare

#NaBloPoMo: Sampling Shakespeare: Much ado about nothing

Funny. This was play was funny.

imageFrom the opening moments, there is laughter, guffaws and giggles. Definitely more bang for buck compared to ‘Loves labours lost’.

The lavish sets and costumes are back, and boy do you still channel Downton. Though I did feel a bit of Jeeves and Wooster this time. The actors have done a switcheroo and the minors from the first show now occupy the major roles. To be fair, the fella who played bendick was a heavy weight in the first show. He now carries the show, complete with dirty giggle. You’ll know it when you hear it.

And talking about hearing things. The bad butler, he was a Bollywood! I for once, wasn’t the only Bollywood in the house! That was a surprise and a half I tell you. But his accent. Oh Dead Gods. Maybe, in being a born and bred Brummie, I can hear the idiolect rhythm and rhyme a mile off. And boy was it ghetto, or close to it. I got sounds of Dudley and Sandwell. It was rather disturbing. The boy butler, from the Black Country. I may have squirmed a little in my seat.

The costumes are exquisite. Lots of dapper looking chaps in twenties suits. Girls wear the most beautiful of age dresses. The word really is sumptuous.

Dogberry was a spot of light relief. The teapot scene was wonderfully crafted. Akin to something out of the Two Ronnies. Not a single word is uttered, but the meaning is clear.

Definitely more bang for buck compared to loves labours lost. A good night out, with good clean fun. A more positive story, written in a more fluid way. There was no part where you wondered when it would end.

The last word though. So much better than Joss Whedon’s attempt. Love that fella and his universe; but leave Shakespeare alone.