Brrrrrr

Juno and I enjoyed a zero degree walk down to Verwood this morning. Alison took the car to work so we walked down to collect it before I then did a 30 minute run around the goat farm. It was brisk but sunny, perfect for getting out and about.

Next stop is Cineworld to watch Gladiator 2. I would not usually be that motivated to see the film but having Unlimited encourages me to try different films from my usual.

Autumn and Brighton

We have continued to enjoy beautiful weather for the time of year and walking Juno has been a pleasure. However, we did have to leave her behind this weekend as we headed to Brighton. Maria was seeing Peggy and Fergus who were celebrating their birthdays and so we spent the day and evening out with Julie and Andy, as well as other members of their family.

It was a lovely visit with two good journeys too. Very nice vegan pizzas as well. 

Nice day for a bike ride

Having cut the grass and Alison being out in the garden for the morning, it was clearly a lovely day again and so  a good time for another bike ride, this time over to Horton and up to Drusillas.

The chicken farm where they produce lots and lots of eggs saw quite a nuber of the hens outside and the fields are home to sheep, something that has only happened recently. The rooks have been loving the bonanza of the sheep disturbing the ground and the resulting insects, boosted by the droppings which attract more insects too. 

It was lovely to see a sizeable area given over to wild flowers including sunflowers which have been left to go to seed to support the birds over winter. Great views over to Knowlton Church and to Horton Tower too.

I stopped at Drusillas for a pint before heading home and they had two huge fires blazing in the wood burning stoves. Almost too warm!!

Another day in the sun

It was another lovely day yesterday and Juno and I got out to have a run, a bit further this time, 2.25 miles, before I went to the cinema to watch Small Things Like These which I thought was very good. Cillian Murphy was a great lead and I was so immersed in the film, I was taken by surprise when it ended.

On the way there I stopped at the allotment to cut the grass again and to take a few photos so I can start to plan next steps e.g. sorting out the main compost heap. That's going to be a big job but a vital one in providing the right nutrients for the beds next year. It looks quite messy but a little weeding and clearing will make a big difference before I get onto the actual proper work.

In the evening Alison and I went to Maria's dance to watch her in the Open Evening performances highlighting the course they are all following in college. There were great performances all round and they are only sixth form. Goodness knows what they will be doing in a few years time.

Sunshine bike ride

It has been another gorgeous day of sunshine and after getting my jobs done, including the weekly shopping, dog walking and cleaning, I got on the bike for a 10 mile round trip to Moors Valley and back. It was quiet along the paths and I got good views of jay, robins, tufted ducks, coot, mute swans and a couple of wrens. There was a roe deer in one of the fields and the squirrels were scampering around in the leaves.

There was time for a coffee stop on the way back ahead of a meeting with the Ragwormers to discuss the event management company and ideas for building the business.

Retro time

Alison brought the old music system down from the attic yesterday and we've been enjoying the hits of yesteryear ever since! Obviously I am biased towards the old punk and reggae albums and singles but there is an awful lot of classical from Robin and Joy's collection, turning a blind eye toward the masses of easy listening dross. However, there are records from way back which I am going to check out and see if they have any value. 

The day took on an odd direction when I decided to retune the TV channels due to our having terrible signal in all aspects. It seems to have killed one of the broadband extenders which means the subscription sport is off other than through the firestick, as well as resulting in no freeview channels at all. After a few adjustments and trial and error, we now have nearly 200 TV channels, ones we've never had before and there is a new extender on the way. Happy days.

I have also been for a run, second day in a row, 1.5 miles yesterday and 2 miles today. Getting back on it, as I am definitely feeling less energetic, flexible etc. having stopped for quite some time, just one rub since spring.

W allotment in Nov

It has been a fortnight since I was last at the allotment. Alison and I were heading to the town to do a bit of shopping and tied the two in together. I gave the grass a cut, a very necessary one after some strong growth despite the time of year.

We brought home plenty of greens, spinach, chard and lettuce, parsnips, courgette, carrots and some rosemary and parsley. There will be more harvests to come but it was noticeable that the flowers were still going on several plants. It has been dry and mild in recent weeks, not much rain at all, and the growing season has extended. 

The broad beans are up here as well as in the other allotment. We also collected seed from spinach and runner beans. There is a good deal to do soon in terms of tidying up and getting the manure/compost on to the beds which will lie fallow over winter.