Just pottering

AL, OUR JOBBING gardener, seems impressed with my spuds, and even suggests most of them are big enough to need earthing up.

So I spend a back-aching hour shifting soil and compost into my patio bags yesterday until only the tips of the tubers are showing – and guess what, already by today, most of them have grown an extra inch or so. Just like that, overnight.

My tomatoes are progressing fairly favourably, too – bushing out, with the stems thickening up. Too early for fruit of course, but definitely looking promising.

Only the onions seem a little lackadaisical – doing nothing but just sitting there. Still, I did wonder if I was maybe overdoing it with them.

Anyhow, I’m modestly pleased with my gardening efforts so far, and with all the rain today I don’t even need to get out my watering can. God’s on the job.

For dinner this evening I do us a pie from the freezer – a rather excellent beef in red wine, made with great chunks of meat and a delicious rich gravy. All too often, shop-bought pies can be disappointing – thin, watery efforts, pastry cases filled with a syringe. Not so this one – I would not have been ashamed to have made it myself from scratch.

Sunday evening, after the chores of the day, is basically just telly watching time, recorded episodes of Daily Cooks Challenge (ITV 3) and NCIS (Channel 5). I put My Good Lady to bed about 9 o’clock, then watch a little of the Bafta ceremony (all rather tedious) before going off for my evening shower.

A quiet weekend, then, just pottering around home.