vital functions
Mar. 15th, 2020 11:02 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
kaberettReading. ... gosh, really very little for pleasure. Some desultory progress on The Will to Change; I should pick that back up.
Writing. TINY POEM TINY POEM TINY POEM.
Listening. We're now making progress through TMA season 3. I'm annoyed that everyone is Very Excited about a story arc in S2 that I totally failed to get particularly excited by, by which I mean, oh fuck I'm going to do a hecking relisten, aren't I.
Cooking. A thing I meant to note last week and failed to (but am prompted in re, on Tuesday evening, by eating some yoghurt): I was greatly reassured by the Savoie yoghurt being... actually very similar to the texture I get out of the Instant Pot! I am making reasonable yoghurt, hurrah.
This week: I picked a pile of baby fennel at the allotment, in the interests of thinning out the regrowth from last year's planting (which I haven't entirely pulled up yet...), and then I wanted to braise it with some of the fridge carrot and shallot as needed using, so on Monday I did that in some salted butter which ditto + some of the enormous quantity of fennel seed, and it is so good. I am glad I didn't add honey or maple: it was plenty sweet enough with just the carrot.
I knew I wanted something sort of fluffy and egg-based to go with it but couldn't work out what, so sort of sadly made (and overcooked) a cheese-and-wild-garlic omelette (because I cocked up timings on steaming the new potatoes), then realised as I was sitting down to eat it that what I had actually wanted was soufflé, so given that we only ate half the braised vegetable the Solution in terms of Tuesday dinner was Obvious.
We've also had two big vats of soup, some of which has been eaten and some of which has been stuck in the cold box for storage. (Leek and potato; misc root veg + lentil + pearl barley, plus some more of the allotment fennel.)
Eating. A got me tiny sad raspberry trifles from Sainsbury's when he was there mid-week, and I am Truly Grateful. ("specifically Sainsbury's tiny raspberry trifles" are another exhibit for "Alex is more a picky eater than a food snob, as such" -- both the Tesco and the w8rose varieties are wrong and also upsetting.)
Also he made me Breakfast Waffles! Waffle waffle waffle. Was v pleased.
Making & mending. Got my act together to send a photograph of the guiltknitting to its recipient to request their input! And have a response, so now get to get on with the final bits of grafting and blocking and so on and so forth.
Replaced my laptop battery with only minor swearing, go me.
Growing. Tomatoes! In a tray! In the bathroom! Hopefully germinating!
The walnut is incredibly brave and putting forth new leaves at a prodigious rate. The oak is slightly dubious and sulky but I have high hopes for it. The lemon still has its three leaves. I... rescued a very sad pot of Greek basil from the supermarket when it was marked a looong way down, and so far it's doing a good job of perking up.
I made a number of large garden-related purchases: mostly the skeleton for a fruit cage (because I didn't get any redcurrants or jostaberries last year, hardly, and I'd like to this year), but also some bonus autovents for the greenhouse and a variety of additional fixings.
And then Adam very kindly took me to the allotment on Sunday! Infrastructural achievements: think I've finally got the legs for the second raised bed more-or-less adequately sunk, so now just need to fill in the holes properly; sorted out the water butt brought up from Cornwall, more or less (I could stand to improve the water funnelling mechanism but honestly This Will Do For Now); a preliminary fitting of gutter brushes, in the interests of reducing the extent to which the guttering gunks up; refitting of an autovent with a replaced cylinder; and sufficient inspection to convince myself that most of the issue arising with the greenhouse post-storm should actually be pretty straightforward to fix, give or take dragging a stepladder down and coaxing A up it.
In terms of actual plants: thinned out the resprouting fennel some more (and put it in food); nicked some of a neighbour's rhubarb (with permission!); weeded the broad beans (status: still identifiably four of them!). The garlic has taken off impressively; several of the planted shallots are having a determined go at growing themselves a proper crown, and it's charming; and two of the accidental potatoes are showing leaves! The rest (slightly less sheltered) might have got frosted, but if so: ah well, I've got another bag going rooty in the cupboard, they can get dumped out too.
In the warm box, the chillis and peppers are continuing soldiering on. I'm having a decided paranoia that I'm Doing Something Wrong if they're still only on their first pair of true leaves, but I can't think what so I'll just keep my fingers crossed.
If the Waitrose Garden website were working I'd have bought a blueberry bush, but it isn't, so I haven't. Yet.
Observing. A WEE PATIO MOUSE. Nowhere near inside the house; I have a suspicion it's been attracted by the bits dropping out of the bird feeders, though I saw no evidence it could get into the bird food storage bin.
Playing. Pokémon: shiny Tentacool!
Horn: continuing to have a go at rejigging my embouchure. Feels deeply weird; definitely producing better tone quality at the top of the range. Should probably watch some videos or pay for a lesson or something to check whether I am actually understanding it correctly(ish) now.
Writing. TINY POEM TINY POEM TINY POEM.
Listening. We're now making progress through TMA season 3. I'm annoyed that everyone is Very Excited about a story arc in S2 that I totally failed to get particularly excited by, by which I mean, oh fuck I'm going to do a hecking relisten, aren't I.
Cooking. A thing I meant to note last week and failed to (but am prompted in re, on Tuesday evening, by eating some yoghurt): I was greatly reassured by the Savoie yoghurt being... actually very similar to the texture I get out of the Instant Pot! I am making reasonable yoghurt, hurrah.
This week: I picked a pile of baby fennel at the allotment, in the interests of thinning out the regrowth from last year's planting (which I haven't entirely pulled up yet...), and then I wanted to braise it with some of the fridge carrot and shallot as needed using, so on Monday I did that in some salted butter which ditto + some of the enormous quantity of fennel seed, and it is so good. I am glad I didn't add honey or maple: it was plenty sweet enough with just the carrot.
I knew I wanted something sort of fluffy and egg-based to go with it but couldn't work out what, so sort of sadly made (and overcooked) a cheese-and-wild-garlic omelette (because I cocked up timings on steaming the new potatoes), then realised as I was sitting down to eat it that what I had actually wanted was soufflé, so given that we only ate half the braised vegetable the Solution in terms of Tuesday dinner was Obvious.
We've also had two big vats of soup, some of which has been eaten and some of which has been stuck in the cold box for storage. (Leek and potato; misc root veg + lentil + pearl barley, plus some more of the allotment fennel.)
Eating. A got me tiny sad raspberry trifles from Sainsbury's when he was there mid-week, and I am Truly Grateful. ("specifically Sainsbury's tiny raspberry trifles" are another exhibit for "Alex is more a picky eater than a food snob, as such" -- both the Tesco and the w8rose varieties are wrong and also upsetting.)
Also he made me Breakfast Waffles! Waffle waffle waffle. Was v pleased.
Making & mending. Got my act together to send a photograph of the guiltknitting to its recipient to request their input! And have a response, so now get to get on with the final bits of grafting and blocking and so on and so forth.
Replaced my laptop battery with only minor swearing, go me.
Growing. Tomatoes! In a tray! In the bathroom! Hopefully germinating!
The walnut is incredibly brave and putting forth new leaves at a prodigious rate. The oak is slightly dubious and sulky but I have high hopes for it. The lemon still has its three leaves. I... rescued a very sad pot of Greek basil from the supermarket when it was marked a looong way down, and so far it's doing a good job of perking up.
I made a number of large garden-related purchases: mostly the skeleton for a fruit cage (because I didn't get any redcurrants or jostaberries last year, hardly, and I'd like to this year), but also some bonus autovents for the greenhouse and a variety of additional fixings.
And then Adam very kindly took me to the allotment on Sunday! Infrastructural achievements: think I've finally got the legs for the second raised bed more-or-less adequately sunk, so now just need to fill in the holes properly; sorted out the water butt brought up from Cornwall, more or less (I could stand to improve the water funnelling mechanism but honestly This Will Do For Now); a preliminary fitting of gutter brushes, in the interests of reducing the extent to which the guttering gunks up; refitting of an autovent with a replaced cylinder; and sufficient inspection to convince myself that most of the issue arising with the greenhouse post-storm should actually be pretty straightforward to fix, give or take dragging a stepladder down and coaxing A up it.
In terms of actual plants: thinned out the resprouting fennel some more (and put it in food); nicked some of a neighbour's rhubarb (with permission!); weeded the broad beans (status: still identifiably four of them!). The garlic has taken off impressively; several of the planted shallots are having a determined go at growing themselves a proper crown, and it's charming; and two of the accidental potatoes are showing leaves! The rest (slightly less sheltered) might have got frosted, but if so: ah well, I've got another bag going rooty in the cupboard, they can get dumped out too.
In the warm box, the chillis and peppers are continuing soldiering on. I'm having a decided paranoia that I'm Doing Something Wrong if they're still only on their first pair of true leaves, but I can't think what so I'll just keep my fingers crossed.
If the Waitrose Garden website were working I'd have bought a blueberry bush, but it isn't, so I haven't. Yet.
Observing. A WEE PATIO MOUSE. Nowhere near inside the house; I have a suspicion it's been attracted by the bits dropping out of the bird feeders, though I saw no evidence it could get into the bird food storage bin.
Playing. Pokémon: shiny Tentacool!
Horn: continuing to have a go at rejigging my embouchure. Feels deeply weird; definitely producing better tone quality at the top of the range. Should probably watch some videos or pay for a lesson or something to check whether I am actually understanding it correctly(ish) now.
(no subject)
Date: 2020-03-15 11:05 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2020-03-15 11:07 pm (UTC)(Also I have been muttering FIRST MATE at Jon for two whole seasons now, so I am CACKLING at S3.)
(no subject)
Date: 2020-03-15 11:16 pm (UTC)(I also somewhat struggled to track how the emotional fallout from S1 worked, BUT HEY, relisten.)
(no subject)
Date: 2020-03-15 11:18 pm (UTC)(It doesn't help that Tim totally does the "I'm fine I'm fine I'm fine we're fine everything's fine ACTUALLY EVERYTHING'S TERRIBLE I'VE BEEN UNHAPPY FOR MONTHS AND I HATE YOU ESPECIALLY" thing that people who have spent the majority of their lives being well-integrated socially successful people often do with trauma, so, you know.)
(no subject)
Date: 2020-03-16 04:17 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2020-03-16 07:02 am (UTC)