Bike...you did what?

I fell off of my bike Wednesday.  You know, it hurts more when one is 52 years old than it did at 12 years old.  Rain made the road slick and the bike simply skidded along the driveway curb instead of rolling onto the sidewalk.  The only damage to me was a severely skinned left leg, as the rain kept my hands from being skinned as well.  A lovely young lady came along to help me, picking up my bike, whilst I picked up myself.  I was able to cycle home.  My Midnight Man put the bike away—which had no damage to speak of—and I hobbled up the stairs.  A well-placed ice pack brought the swelling in my leg down, and there is only a faint bruise today.  I praise the Lord “the falling off the bike” is now over.  And I’m not even stiff or sore. 

Some of you may wonder:  “When did she get a bike?”  Good question.  And the good answer is, about the 27^th May.  It’s a wonderful tool to help me expedite my duties as the parish administrator.  I am very grateful to the generous benefactors who contributed towards its purchase. 

With a second bike in the household a question arose as to where to store them.  My Midnight Man has kept his upstairs in our bedroom.  But I just simply don’t have the strength to carry my bike up-and-down the stairs.  So, with the help of our two grandsons, the storage closet downstairs was cleared out. 

Then My M. Man’s best friend, “Jon-David,” came over a few days later.  The main entrance was filled with the sounds of saws buzzing and hammers pounding, and the smell of saw dust.  Using some recycled wood, they created shelves in the storage closet.  This made more storage space and the bikes were moved into their “stable” downstairs.  Now I have a job to go through several containers and discover if there is anything of which I can rid myself.  

One of those boxes is filled with items from our wedding.  Since our youngest daughter is getting married next year, I want to offer her to opportunity to go through it with me.  Books are a large part of the contents...so bookshelves are needed in this flat. 

Bean Blossom

Tomato blossoms

My little balcony garden is growing, albeit some warmth would truly help the garden.  We had our summer in April this year; it was so warm every window in the flat was open.  I even wore my summer pyjamas.  May was windy, as we experienced the leftovers from the tornados in the USA.  It’s been cool and showery since then.  However, I’m still excited in that the bean plants now have one purple blossom and the tomatoes are giving me lots of little yellow blossoms.  There are a couple of strawberries and the carrots and beet root seem to be flourishing.  I’m not sure of how much harvest to expect, as the buckets hold small amounts.  But since I love growing things, I’m glad to have them.  I’ve about decided that next year’s planting will be flowers—edible ones if I can find some.

I’ve also spent some time sewing.  But that is for another blog.  I hope to finish the apron project on Saturday.  Once finished, I’ll write another post.

Strawberries

Serving Jesus, Author of our faith, “Lady Helene”

How my garden is growing...

     My absence from the blogging world has been noticed and brought to my attention.  Since I don't have much time to write a longer post, I thought it would be good to post some photos of my "Bucket Garden."  Then I will work on a longer post in the next few days...I hope.  :-)  

Looking out from the lounge

Top:  Spinach,;  left--Carrots, right--beet root

Cucumber Vine

ThreeTomato plants

Three bell Pepper plants

Pots and Watering Can

Cinco De Mayo, Balcony Garden and Wedding Impressions

        To my friends-family in South-West United States, I send greetings; “Feliz Cinco De Mayo.”  I had to look up the origin of Cinco De Mayo.  It is the celebration of the Mexican’s victory over invading French troops in the State of Puebla, Mexico.  It is celebrated only in the State of Puebla, Mexico and in the USA.  To learn more about this fascinating bit of history, I recommend:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cinco_de_Mayo

L-R:  Carrots and Beet Root

Sunflowers top, beans bottom

       After getting interrupted on several different days, I have finally managed to get the bean sprouts and sunflowers transplanted into bigger containers.  Only slightly messy, it didn’t take long because I had about four sunflower sprouts and about 12 bean plants.  Green shoots of spinach are thickening up and the purple beet root sprouts add a bit of colour to the box.  I plan to buy some tomato plants at a local plant sell on the 14^th.  The plant sell is to raise support for Save the Children.

        The dark purple waist coat I began sewing in 2008 is almost complete—just needs the button holes and the buttons sewing on.  I bought the buttons on Tuesday, when I went into town with John.  Only one shop in the local High Street sells haberdashery.  The shop had a bit more than I remembered.   

        The month leading up to 29^th April was filled with daily reports of the details of the upcoming Royal Wedding.  I rather likened the constant over-reporting of speculations of flowers and possible menus for the reception—not to mention the dress—to living in Indiana during the Month of May.  From 1^st May until race day, the local news channels don’t let you forget about the men and machines that run around in a circle for a few hours.  Even if a person doesn’t care, he/she is inundated with the tiniest bit of information.  I don’t care if Katherine sneezed five times during having her hair sprayed!  (Okay...so I made that up!)  I left the television off a great deal during April.  I did want to watch the beauty of the day unfold and rejoice that a young couple were embracing the covenant of marriage.  But I really didn’t need to know who had or had not been invited; nor did I want to know at the precise minute the bride was to be leaving the hotel.  Too much information can ruin a wonderful story!

Our Wedding Day 18 January 2003

        On Friday morning I turned on the television, picking the station I wanted to watch—BBC 1 and ITV1 were both broadcasting.  My Midnight Man and I sat on the couch, holding hands and followed the princes leaving the castle, Kate riding to the Abbey. 

        Now, it really annoys me when I watch a programme on television or listen to a report over the radio and the interview goes such:  “What did you think of the dress?”

        “Oh, it was beautiful!”

        I acknowledge that most people aren’t writers—and that their replies are more emotive than thought through for the sake of being concise and articulate.  The moment the cameras revealed a clear view of Kate’s dress, I blurted out, “Grace Kelley” 

        I wish I’d been the one asked about Kate’s dress:  It would have sounded a bit like this:

        Reporter:  “What were your impressions of Kate Middleton’s dress?”

       Me:  Grace Kelly’s dress,—obviously Kate’s designer took inspiration from the lace bodice and sheer veil.  The lines are elegant, enhancing Katherine’s stunning, slim figure.  It’s sophisticated, the skirt being full, balancing the tight-fitting bodice.  She looks stunning in it.  Her designer caught the essence of Kate’s personality, while suiting it to the occasion.  It’s truly a royal creation.”

        One of the highlights of the wedding for me was the prayer that William and Katherine wrote for the ceremony, which was read by Richard Chartres, the Bishop of London, during the ceremony. It was: "God our Father, we thank you for our families; for the love that we share and for the joy of our marriage.  In the busyness of each day keep our eyes fixed on what is real and important in life and help us to be generous with our time and love and energy.  Strengthened by our union help us to serve and comfort those who suffer.  We ask this in the Spirit of Jesus Christ. Amen.”

        There was a very strong Christian influence in the wedding service.  And it gladdened my heart that the new Duke and Duchess of Cambridge deliberately wrote “in the Spirit of Jesus Christ.”  One day William will be the head of the Church of England.  The words evidenced a level of faith in Christ.  http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/royal-wedding/8484272/Royal-weddng-William-and-Kates-own-prayer.html

        For several days after the Royal Wedding, commentators and news programmes were still reviewing on the event.  However, on Monday I heard the news that is now the main focus of the world...the United States Special Forces raid on Osama Bin Laden.  All I can say is, the world has experienced a weekend of world-shaking events. 

        I can’t help but think about the returning of Jesus Christ for His Bride and the judgement where Satan himself is cast into hell. 

        But until that time, I’m glad I’ve got some simple tasks to keep me grounded and focused. 

  Serving Jesus, Author of our faith,  "Lady Helene"

Dungarees and Dirt!

Christmas 2001

        As befitting a farmer’s granddaughter, and a “Wannabe Lady Farmer”, I chose to wear my dungarees today as I sat out on the balcony working on my “Farmer’s Tan” and organising my “Balcony Garden in Boxes.”  I was out in the glaring sun, mixing water with fertilizer, pouring it into dried out compost and making mud.  I reviewed my stash of last year’s seeds, deciding how much I wanted to plant, and which container to place them in.  The result is:  beet root, spinach, sunflowers, dwarf bush beans all planted.  I discovered that the packet that was labelled carrots was actually empty.  This set back the planting progress, as I need a trip to the super store to buy more carrot seeds, and more compost.  In addition, I need to plant cucumber seed, and yellow squash seeds. 

Before the planting

        My little pots of green won’t produce enough to preserve or store.  But we might get a meal or two from the effort I put in.  Having the soil in my hands was peace-giving, and honest.  There is a subtle excitement about the possibilities that exist in the seeds, satisfaction and pleasure of watching life spring forth and grow. 

        I am a little more organised this year.  I learned a few things last year and put the information to good use this year.  Like feeding last year’s dried up compost before planting anything.  Because there are no decaying bits, and no worms to help the old roots to decompose, there is no nourishment for the seeds once they sprout.  But, by loosening up the compost, making it not only moist, but muddy, with plant food diluted in water, the compost is still usable.  I will still need more compost for this year.  But I have a base to work with. 

The planting is on...

        By 4:00 p.m., the skies had clouded over, the temperature cooled and I was glad I’d gotten the planting done by 2:00 p.m. 

        Speaking of dungarees, the ones in this photo have been worn out and thrown away.  They were made of brown corduroy, very soft and lovely to wear.  By the time they went into the rubbish bin (trash), they were faded a light beige.  The blue denim pair I wore today are a Christmas present from a friend.  These are almost a year and a half old.  There is something about wearing dungarees whilst working in the dirt (making mud pies!) that make me feel authentic, uncomplicated, a little bit country. 

        Since I own only one pair of dungarees, I want to make a gardening apron.  My Midnight Man had three or four old pairs of worn out jeans he could no longer wear.  I’ve been mentally pondering the best design for an apron made from a pair of these.  I was inspired by a blog posting that showed someone else’s handiwork.  Today I opened up the inside seam of a leg and it will match the section to which I want to attaché to the front pockets.  The leg needs some trimming down to fit.  Then I have to design a way to tie it on, as well as something to go around the neck.  Once I get this done, I’ll post photos. 

        The jeans also provide enough scrape to make some pot holders, which will allow me to practice some free-motion machine embroidery. 

        As the days go on, and I’m puttering around on the balcony, I’ll make sure to prevent becoming a red-neck by using the SPF 30 sun block.  I’ll also wear my base-ball cap and sunglasses.  Oh and keep the water bottle handy to keep from getting dehydrated in the heat and sun.  I’d like to think that my Grandpa Cox would be proud of my humble efforts to honour my heritage—sowing and reaping and enjoying the process as the days unfold. 

Serving Jesus, Author of our faith,  "Lady Reed"