Bonkers....

Absolutely  & Utterly Bonkers......   No, actually, you're making your own story up again Children, because I was referring to the fact that I tried to murder this gooseberry bush, along with two of its' sisters last year?  No word of a lie, they were showing 'thuggish' tendencies towards their neighbouring Worcesterberry and Chockerberry cousins, (and, before I forget which is which:  A Worcesterberry is a Gooseberry on a Blackcurrant rootstock, and a Chockerberry is a Blackcurrant on a Gooseberry rootstock).  Or is it the other way around?   Honestly.... I can amuse myself  for seconds with that conundrum every time, until I find the scrap of paper it's written on, then lose it, and forget again......Surely so many Senior Moments aren't good for one in such a short space of time.

It's also Bonkers, (see my friend Gloria over my shoulder now, but not literally, just 'peering', eh?) because the above-mentioned of Wellie's Goosegogs are ready well before the other bushes, or a glut of Elderflower heads, and many a recipe book marrying the two flavours well in a number of culinary directions, but given the wealth of blossom this Spring, mercifully uninterrupted by frosts, Wellie's got designs on keeping the fruit to HERSELF this year.

Last year, Mother Nature kind of had a 'Free For All' as far as the Orchard produce went, and there were Bluetits and bold young steers pecking, licking, coughing and spluttering all over the lovely apples, plums 'n' pears, and whilst I've got a perfectly good sink, with running water and everything, the damaged fruits having fallen from the trees then into Sheep Doo-Doo or Cow Dung, forgive me, but that didn't really blow my frock up much  to want to cook or preserve them?
So!..... here we have another nice picture of Wellie's hand/an update on how her 'tabletop' strawberries are coming along.  They've been planted in amongst a goodly dollop of manure, infilled with Westlands Multipurpose Compost with added John Innes, and mulched with grass clippings.  (Me and my grass clippings, eh?!)

 Now, only because someone brought up the subject on the GYO Grapevine forum the other day about pricking out/thinning Carrot seedlings am I even remotely touching on this subject.  But I wanted to show that it is perfectly possible.  The carrot seedlings in the background were bought as a £1.98 batch of 'Chantenay' seedlings, which I then thinned out, either individually, or in small groups, into homemade paper pots within the confines of my conservatory.  It's important to keep the paper pots moist at all times so that the roots have easy access to surrounding soil later, and, of course to plant them into a totally 'Carrot Root Fly Free Zone'.  It's Bonkers to even want to do this Kiddywinkies, but I have designs on them for my village show?!
(just ignore the weeds, Wellie will call in 'Wonder Wellie' wearing her frilly knickers on the outside of her strides, as soon everything else in the house and garden that needs doing is done this week, eh?!)

 Next up is my adorable little pussy cat.  Isn't she gorgeous?  Like HELL she is!....Wellie, knowing exactly when to withdraw her hand/arm/whole body at a moments' notice, just by looking into her beautiful eyes are the only set of Rules my friends!! Trousers and I have a sign for visitors that says: BEWARE OF THE CAT. And we mean it.

Well what else has been Bonkers this week?  I'm growing 'Myan Gold' Maincrop Potatoes for the first time, and I noticed today that they're just beginning to show signs of flowering.  Not a single flower on any of my 1st or 2nd Early Potatoes, obviously... Any advice out there?

During the week, I made the mistake of wearing pedal-pusher-Trizers to Mrs. Hyphen-Hyphens' to do a tad of weeding, with it being so warm, and I got very cruelly bitten to death on my ankles, (and you know how much I can be allergic to 'ankle-biters'; particularly in supermarkets), and I kid you not, I ended up looking like I'd got Elephantitis.  Trousers very kindly, eventually, agreed to go and buy me some anti-hissie-fit tablets, and after four days now I feel better.

Our registered Blog members totalled 28, then 27, and I witnessed 'Sleepwalker' abandoning The Funny Farm Blog, so could we all wish him/her well today please with their departure?
And a very warm welcome then to their replacement, whether or not it be connected...
And I'll be back here again, god willing, for you next week, if you'll let me.X