Day 153 - Bubbling frustration calmed by a quiet voice speaking.

Sunday 2nd June

Another beautiful day on the island and a good couple of hours in the tunnel.  Gentle frustration was rising as I headed back to bed a little while ago but I am doing fine now because I am writing.  I have been busy extending the structure of my new site and more on that later.

The morning was a gentle plod around the tunnel moving things around, planting grow bags and more potting on.  One of the most rewarding things about this time of year is seeing plants that you have grown from seed begin to offer up their rewards.  From borage, sweet pea, courgette and sunflower buds will come great joy and I will be very thankful.  There is nothing like putting food on the table that you have grown yourself or popping your own cut flowers into vases.

It is at this time I feel like Mother Nature is holding her breath slightly in anticipation of what is to come.  I had to stop short of planting up my tomatoes but that will do another day.  My successional planting is much better this year and one of my goals is to extend the growing season into the autumn and winter.  This is not easy in a space that relies on the sun to heat it but we shall give it a go and see what winter vegetables can survive.  The island lies in a gulf stream of warm air so we do not often get very cold conditions. 

Traditionally I have preserves to extend my season and this year will be no different.  My favourite is my 'boxing day chutney' that I make in late September using the green tomatoes that failed to fully ripen.  I will probably risk boring you with so many shared recipes but I do have a rather large larder to fill!  I also give the filled jars as presents.  Another way I extend my season is through drying herbs.  From about the end of June I begin to harvest herbs that we use in our cooking and crafts.  Oregano is my favourite herb to dry once the flowers begin to appear.  I use it in all Italian cooking and I also use whole dried stems in wreath making for Christmas.  I also dry mint, rosemary, lavender and thyme.  I noticed my parsley is getting a bit leggy so I will cut off the longest stems and pop them in an airtight bag and freeze them.  You can then crumble the frozen parsley into your cooking. 

I would really like to make some natural ointments and creams this year.  I did it a few years back with great success but it seems to have fallen under my radar the past few years.  I see my calendula is coming back in one of my cut flower raised beds.  Calendula self seeds like mad so you kind of always have it!  Calendula has lots of healing properties and is particularly useful for the skin so I think I will start there.



My butterfly and bee border is coming along beautifully.  A few more weeks of growth and I will be able to start cutting for my flower business while still leaving plenty of blooms for our flying insects. 

Being forced back to bed is annoying but I do just try and use my brain a little and see where that takes me instead.  If I am sensible I could be up and about in the evening so all is not lost.  My little writing voice continues to speak and I am thrilled to see my piece on activists has been approved and is live on Satish Kumar's new site Small world big ideas.   I wrote my contribution before I read his book because I thought the book would shut my voice down.  No doubt his book will have the same effect on me as Dakini Power is having.  You read about these selfless people and you just feel humbled and, if I am honest, a little inadequate.  I was asked to write this piece on my quiet understanding of being an activist and I am pleased with it.  This is my contribution to the debate and I think it has a place.  I will leave the roaming of the world to others and just take my journey one conversation at a time. 

The structure for the new site One soul many hearts has edged on a little.  Once a new page appears you just know that it has survived the mulling around in my head stage.  Mindfulness Gardening has done well to survive the mulling stage and is now the focus of my work today.  Mindfulness is about learning to live in the moment and it is one of the biggest challenges I have ever faced.  When I began this quest I was completely useless at it!  My mind just kept taking me away from the moment and into the future.  It was a very bad habit that I found very difficult to break.  But break it I did and I did it through gardening.  This page on my new site will allow me to share how I managed this and, at the same time, share the limitless joy of gardening.  My lovely photographer, David, will support this with photographs that just make you 'stop and stare.'  I do hope this part of the site will be a little peaceful haven where we may all potter about and enjoy the moment. 

My little cat has just crawled up on the bed to give me a cuddle so it must be cup of tea time.  I am sure your Sunday has been spent outside and, for that, I am grateful.  Let us hope this lovely sunshine lasts.  If you do have time to read my activist piece I would be grateful for any comments.  Enjoy the rest of your weekend.

Until tomorrow. xx
PS  Enjoy this dance video. I love it and watch it all the time.  xx