The Last Shall be First

The last wet few days have meant I could concentrate on my test paper marking, but still with occasional rambles to restore my soul. I braved the afternoon’s dampness yesterday to venture down to the greenhouse, where I was as snug as the proverbial bug in a rug with the door closed. There I potted on some ‘Gardeners’ Delight’ tomatoes (still relatively small plants despite my starting them off earlier than I usually manage),  pricked out the Tagetes ‘Paprika’ that were so successful last year, and sowed some more salad leaves and rocket with newly purchased packets of seed.

It was impossible to miss the rhubarb forcing (of course) its way out of the rhubarb forcer as it has confronted me every time I have gone to the greenhouse for the last few weeks, rather defeating the object of forcing it in the first place, so I finally took a knife to it and released it from its prison. Traditionally I believe you are not meant to cut too many stalks at one time, but I wanted to sample the relative tastes of forced and unforced stalks and there is plenty more that wasn’t incarcerated. The bundle is now being dispersed in a range of ways: some to the Golfer’s golfing friend, some (as I write) in the oven within a rhubarb cake recipe from Croft Garden‘s kitchen, some for a crumble and the remainder to accompany my muesli for the next few days.

Whilst taking the less damp foliage route to and from the greenhouse I had to walk through the rose garden and decided that it would be worth the effort to move the step up to the ‘bus shelter’ back so it didn’t project onto the path as much, as it currently does restrict access. The ‘bus shelter’ was in situ when the rose garden was relocated here so the step was an add-on, but I suppose in the midst of all the physical effort at the time I decided to take this easier option. In fact it’s not such a big job at all – and a lump hammer will soon put paid to the raised part where the new step will be inset. Watch this space!

Whilst mentally logging this task I also surveyed the progress of the roses and, already having wondered which would be the first to flower this year, noticed the first bud to show colour – would you believe it?! Not only was ‘Zéphirine Drouhin’ still flowering in December last year (above left) it couldn’t wait any longer to start flowering this year (right).

Half-heartedly searching last night for a solution to the picture editing problem I have been encountering on WordPress I wondered if it really would make a difference if I tried a different internet browser – I downloaded Firefox and used this to access the internet instead of Internet Explorer and – Bingo! Who would have thought it would be so easy – and, more to the point, why cannot WordPress and IE sort this glitch out between them? After all, they are the experts whereas I learn what I need to learn as I go along – but Hurrah, it’s sorted now anyway.