Result. It was mostly blackcurrants this year, but as you can see there were a few white currants in for good measure. The redcurrant seems to have been struggling, but it does have leaves and has grown, so I'll try and feed it lots and give it a bit of soil improvement and hope for better things next year.

This morning I took Nigel Slater's advice and boiled them up with a desert spoon of sugar, a desert spoon of water and a handful of my alpine strawberries too. Then I put a generous spoonful of the mixture over my breakfast toast, along with a splurge of honey and a banana.

I know what you're thinking. You're thinking as soon as I try and eat that it'll all fall off. That is why the Earl of Sandwich put the top slice on the sandwich and I followed suit. But it wouldn't have made as pretty a picture.

That is a breakfast. Oh yes. But I think what's left of that purple sauce would be even better with a generous scoop of vanilla icecream. I may even have to buy some on my way home tomorrow.

What is it with weddings and cool cars? The bridesmaids got there not too long after we did, in this beauty:]]>http://www.martiandaze.net/blog/rss-comments-entry-1987603.xmlGardenmartian77Mon, 07 Jul 2008 13:19:57 +0000http://www.martiandaze.net/blog/2008/7/7/weather-whinge.html169780:1611484:1971369Days like today have me tearing my hair out. It's July, and we've got some pretty serious winds going on with heavy rain showers.

My apparently over-engineered bean support system is creaking. The canes seem to have bent with the wind - there's now a distinct lean, even though none of the individual supports seem to have shifted. And the strings that the beans are climbing up? At least one of them has snapped. 7 foot of bean came free and is now thrashing around in the wind. Something tells me that isn't going to be healthy. 

Still, I guess it's another lesson. Even a strong frame is only as good as its weakest parts, which this year I guess is the string. Maybe next year I'll put vertical canes up for each bean as well as the frame. It's survived better than last year. Eventually I'll get it right. Maybe next year too I catch the black fly infestation before it reaches horrific proportions - anyone got any organic advice other than squishing them?! I've put marigolds in under the beans, but for some reason this year I've hardly seen any ladybirds at all.

My poor little apple trees have put on a nice amount of growth, lots of lovely leaves, and now of course they are getting pummled. The supports we put in are keeping them upright, but it's a worry. My iceberg rose out back is thrashing around all over the place, and it was looking lovely this year. 

I know. It'll all survive. I'll learn a bit more, and next year will be better. Deep down, I just don't like the wind I think. 

We have Brighton Pier.

I go past that bit every working day. In the morning it's lovely, in the evening a bit crowded around there.

The one that's still standing, as opposed to the West Pier.

And this is just at the back of the marina. All of these boats are well out of the water and waiting to be cleaned or mended or something. I might try and get a better shot with my camera rather than my phone... Or it's nearly time to get a new phone, so maybe I'll get one with a better camera!

And this morning we had our first daylily or hemerocallis flowering! Woohoo! But I still haven't charged my camera batteries, so it's a really rubbish photo that focussed on the leaves rather than the flower. I wanted to make a note of it though...

And discovered my camera's batteries were completely flat. 

And couldn't find my phone in my bag. (Oddly it was right on the top there when I got to work.)

So no pictures. <sigh> 

And naturally the weather (this being Britain) is not due to be nice tomorrow.

You know, I don't always take great photos anyway. I'd suggest trying Wibbo's Words - she lives just up the coast in Hove Actually, and takes far better pictures than me! But I will try again tomorrow... 

I've found several different routes in now, which I'm really pleased about. I have my favourites, but there is a time and a weather condition for each! My current favourite is to turn right down the hill on the way into work, and go right along the sea front on the Undercliff walk. With the recent good weather it's beautiful. Blue sea, sun on the white cliffs and buildings of Brighton in the distance. I think it might be because I'm wearing blue-tinted glasses at the moment (to keep the evil hayfever-inducing pollen spores from my poor eyes - I hate wearing sunglasses) but the effect is pure Mediterranean. Even the ugly high-rises of Brighton only enhance the effect. After all, most Med resorts are hardly chocabloc with architectural splendour.

Today because of the wind I decided to turn left out of the house, and go up the hill instead. It's a more built-up route, more sheltered. It's also more direct, so it's about 5 minutes faster. I get to take the high road, past the race course and down into town. The views are more spectacular. The join between the sea and the sky looked smokey this morning. And there were horses being exercised along the side of the race course, and wild flowers growing in the roadside scrub. Then you get the adrenaline rush of heading down Elm Grove so fast the cars don't overtake, and trying to get the braking right and dodge the worst of the potholes. 

Maybe tonight I'll use my third route home, see some of the more rural bits around here. Along the cliffs to St. Dunstans, then turn left up through Ovingdean.

Commuting hell? More like one hell of a commute...

Saturday we got up fairly early (and for some reason I was pretty difficult to wake up) and headed up to Londres to help my brother with his new house. In true London style, to be able to afford one he's had to take on a pretty serious renovation job. It's structurally sound, but everything else needs doing pretty much! So we gutted his kitchen and painted his living room and bedroom. Poor GG tried to do things that most people would not have attempted, and had a small mishap that needed a plumber to fix, but he needed to find a plumber anyway so that wasn't too bad. I know she's feeling pretty bad about it still though, but really, it was just a small accident.

Anyway, we stayed there from about 11 am to 10 pm. That's a lot of painting and kitchen massacring. It'll take a few more days like that to get it inhabitable too. Oh, and a new bathroom. And kitchen.

Sunday we had a cricket match up in Cambridge, so we went back up with my parents on Saturday night to cut the journey. Which was definitely a good plan. Oddly I ached a bit next day, and was even harder to wake up! It was a seriously windy day, but sunny, so we did manage to play. I was umpiring. Our team barely showed up. Don't know what was up with them all. They are normally a pretty good side, but they totally collapsed in a small heap to all out for 39 runs. It didn't take the opponants long to win, but they did lose a few wickets in the chase. And i got a sunburnt face, because it was so windy I didn't notice. It was windy enough that it was hard work standing still. I was very glad not to be actually playing.

Also, having spent the last two weekends umpiring, I would like to apologise to all of those umpires who's decisions I have doubted. You were doing your best. And to the people who say "it was too high!" or "I hit it!" or "I didn't hit it!" fine. You try standing behind those stumps.  

It's shrunk the world for me. When the bridge in Minneapolis collapsed it was reported on the radio news when I was listening in bed next morning. My first thought was about a blogger I'd been reading (who has since stopped blogging, unfortunately), and I headed off to check on her. It made it personal. Otherwise I'd just have ignored the news item, most likely.

Or I've knitted hats for Canadian homeless people. I'd never have done that if not for the way the ever-charming Rabbitch writes. Again, it made something that seemed far away personal.

When people I have never met but have read for ages are going through tough times I want to help. They feel like friends, even though there's a good chance that they have no idea who I am (I lurk a lot!). This morning I read a totally heart-wrenching blog post (which I won't link to) from someone one the West coast of the States, and it really brought home how powerful a few words can be.

I am fascinated by what makes me read certain blogs. It seems to be something to do with tone. But I can't say exactly what that is. And there definitely seems to be an optimum number. I may do some more thinking about this... 

1. My new job is very me. Yay!
2. My new route to work is along the undercliff walk, right along the sea. It's beautiful.
3. The raspberry canes have already produced more than last year. And they are autumn raspberries, so there should be better to come.
4. Our alpine strawberries are producing well. Yum.
   
5. Thanks to gardening and cycling, I have a reasonable tan base. In places.
   
6. My girlfriend is gorgeous.
7. She doesn't eat the alpine strawberries or raspberries, so there are plenty for me.
8. Work are taking us to Thorpe Park tomorrow, for a day out.
9. Lots of other things.

Of course, the dissertation still needs finishing. But in general, life's sweeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeet... 

Anyway. First up, it looking very debonair casually leaning against the bird table.