Friday 9th January

It’s 2am and I’m wide awake

A myriad of thoughts, ideas and plans

Are crashing through my brain

Like waves thundering towards the shore

Endlessly and unstoppable.

Lol!  That was me last night.  Despite very little sleep I have been feeling much better today. The strange pain in my arm seems to have gone and I am not too sniffly this morning.  I just have the cough left which also seems a bit better.

I was up just after 8am when Simon took Alfie to the Vet. I had to go straight down to feed the other 2 who had to wait until Alfie had gone as he was “nil by mouth”.  Since then I have been keeping busy to try and not worry about him.

I had a loaf of bread going in my bread maker by 9am and I have made a lemon drizzle tray bake cake.  I have done a bit of washing and tided up the kitchen including washing out and relining my condiments cupboard.  Josh did the hovering for me and Saskia said she would iron.  I have also done 40 minutes of Wii Fit.

Just before I made my coffee I decided that I had to phone to see how Alfie was doing.  The receptionist went to check for me and she said the operation is done and he is in recovery still asleep.  I have to phone again about 4pm.   Loulou has been very good and very quiet all day, I’m sure she misses him.  Rosie doesn’t seem too worried.

I’m going to have a little bit of me time now before getting a beef stew done for dinner tonight.  I think I’ll boil up some chicken and rice for the dogs too so Alfie can have a little treat once he can eat. I won’t be happy until he is home.

Coralie rang me earlier to say that she had been to have a look at some allotments near her house.  We recently decided that we would try and see if we could get a small allotment that we could share.  We both want to have a go at growing our own stuff and both only have tiny gardens.

We checked our city council website on Monday and there are some allotments very close to me which we thought would be the best bet.  We had a look and there seemed to be several that were all over grown and vacant so we were hopeful. The man at the council gave her the phone number for the man in charge but when she phoned him he said there is a 6 year waiting list!!!  Quite incredible as some plots appear not to be being used.

Anyway she phoned back and got a number for a man who is in charge of the allotments near her house and he was much more helpful.  He said that he has some available.  Coralie went to have a look today and said it all looks quite good so she is going to phone him back on Monday and hopefully we will be able to get one there.  It’s possibly not quite as convenient as the ones near my house would have been but better than waiting 6 years!

We are going to share the costs and hopefully the produce, if we produce any that is!  We need to do quite a lot of research as neither of us knows anything much about growing fruit and veggies.  I only grew tomatoes last year for the first time.

I will still have some bits and pieces here in my own garden including strawberries this year.  Last year we left it too late but this year I have found a company that sells a variety that you can grow in hanging baskets so I am going to order them soon so that we get them in on time.

I have also ordered myself a big composting bin from Recycle Now and a small kitchen work top caddy.  I have thought about composting for ages but it seems a good idea now if we are to have an allotment. The kitchen caddy means you don’t have to go outside to the bin with every little scrap, you can just take it out when it’s full.   Ordering from Recycle Now you get a discount via your city council so it only cost me £24.   It should come in the next few weeks.

Coralie and I are both really fired up and enthusiastic so I hope it all pans out.  I’ll keep you updated.  As you know one of my plans for the year is to live a simpler, thrifty, green lifestyle and growing some of our own veg is certainly in keeping with that.

Hopefully we will have some organically grown fresh fruit and veg with virtually no food miles attached, so we are doing our bit for the environment.  Also it will mean that we will be able to eat more “seasonally”.

I have been taking small baby steps in other areas.  I am being very careful about recycling.  I am trying very hard to only use reusable cloth bags for shopping.  I made Loulou’s coat myself from an old blanket.  I made a bird feeder out of an old milk bottle.  I am saving all my old jars ready for hopefully being able to make jams and pickles this year. 

I am also saving toilet rolls as I was told by someone that if you cut them in half and put them on a tray they make really good seed trays.  You just fill them with compost and pop in your seeds.  When they are large enough you simply put the whole thing in a bigger pot or the ground and the cardboard decomposes.  Apparently it saves the trauma of handling the plants direct and according to my friend traumatised plants don’t grow well!   I’ll be talking to them next!

I have read some really great blogs over the last few weeks which have brilliant ideas for living a simpler, greener lifestyle.  They have really made me think and there are so many issues that I need to look at I don’t quite know where to start.

Our largest bill is for electricity so I guess that may be a good place to begin.  I am going to give it some thought. We need to cut down and be greener.

Ok, I guess I’m waffling now!  Trying to keep my mind busy and not think about my baby.   I need to go and start my stew now. I’ll let you all know how he is later.