Bruichladdich and the good life

I bought a bottle of Bruichladdich on Saturday and came home and had a wee dram.  It certainly warmed the cockles.

Then my friends Caroline and Dave visited our allotment to do some filming for a video they're making to promote community veg growing.  Whilst I was there I spotted that a bird had got stuck in the netting over the brassica patch.  It had died.  I felt awful and I don't want to use netting anymore.  I'd rather lose some cabbages than lose a bird.

Down on the flea market on Sunday morning I got all these tree decorations for only £1.  What a bargain.

In the afternoon I went to the allotment and dug over the bean patch.

Chris planted the overwintering onions in one of the raised beds.

He picked the last of the beetroot and spring onions to make way for the Japanese onions.

It's a far cry from what it looked like in summer, but there's still quite a bit growing.

Chris put the bird pictures up in the shed.

When I got home I tidied the back garden.  Here it is before.

Look at the rotten pumpkin and marrow.

The nasturtium was still going strong.

And here's the garden after I'd tidied up.

I've left a lot of the dead foliage in place, as it will give wildlife somewhere to shelter over winter.  Chris has seen the blackbird perching on the dead sunflower head, waiting for its moment to pounce on the some food.  I guess it gives animals somewhere to hide from the bad weather, and it gives them cover from predators when looking for food.

I spotted a little bird, a dunnock I think, hopping around in the back garden.

On Monday I went to the Christmas markets in Manchester with my Mum.  We had a look around all the stalls but I didn't buy much.  The lovely crystal jewellery stall was there.  I got a rainbow moonstone pendant there a couple of years back.  My Mum got me a silver feather ring with a moonstone in it, and a moonstone pendant.  They've been wrapped up for Christmas.  We had lunch in the brasserie at Harvey Nichols and we had a hot mulled wine when we were on the markets.  But again, I left the city feeling disillusioned.  Everything is so expensive.  I don't know where people get their money from.  I mean, I have a resonably well paid job but I can't afford many of the things on sale.  Are people buying things on credit?  I don't get it.  Half of it's over priced rubbish anyway, shops buy in stuff made by cheap labour then stick a huge price tag on it.  I'd rather make stuff myself.

The shop had it's official launch on Monday.  I missed out because I didn't want to cancel the day out with my Mum.

The shop is stocking Rocks organic spiced fruit punch cordial.  It's so nice hot!  I'm already on my second bottle of the stuff.

Look at Covent Garden's cool soup of the month - I love the little sweet potato steel drummer on the front.

Last night I watched the final episode of 'Giles and Sue Live the Good Life'.  I've already praised their other TV series 'The Supersizers Go...' in this blog, so I was really looking forward to watching this programme.  But it wasn't as good as I'd hoped.  A - because they didn't live the good life full time, they went home to their normal lives after filming, which seemed like a real cop out.   Could the BBC not find 2 people willing to try the good life full time?  And B, fair play to Sue she seemed to try her best, but what a wash out Giles was.  I'd thought he'd have got stuck into the tasks, and wasn't willing to get his hands dirty.   He treated it all like a big joke.  He was pathetic!  Watching him aimlessly throw potatoes into the patch was a particular low point.  I bet he's never done a hard day's work in his life.  Surely he was embarrassed when he watched it?  Doesn't he realise the human race had to fend for itself at one point?  And that luxuries haven't always been handed to people on a plate, and our ancestors had to work to eat?  Is it really that crazy an idea?  I mean, what would happen if there was a global crisis and people had to fend for themselves again?  Some people would be screwed, and Giles would be one of them.  Please could they redo this programme properly and show that the living the 'good life' isn't such a crazy idea?  The crazy idea is this throwaway, over consuming, wasteful, lazy, meaningless lifestyle that we currently live.  Giles, you have officially shown yourself up as a stupid, overindulged toff.  Sorry.  Rant over, but I'm glad the world isn't full of silly little rich kids like Giles, or else there'd be no hope for us. 

I'm off to my sister's this weekend.  I'm going to help my nieces put their Christmas tree up.  I've knitted the girls a mini Christmas stocking each, personalised with their initials.

The weather has turned very cold, and parts of the country have got snow.  There hasn't been any snow here yet, but I'm already wishing I'd knitted myself a hat and gloves.  Poor Chris is working outside in it.