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"What have you eaten" Parallel Chat

Porridge for breakfast, I'm going to try HB eggs again for lunch with a salad, and I might have stir fried chilli and ginger beef with vegetables for tea.

I'll have a gardening afternoon with any luck, just pottered around this house this morning.
 
Breakfast: Croque Monsieur (kind of) on a low carb soda scone. Coffee.
2nd meal will be chickpea pasta with some veg stirred through.

Alistair went to have his annual check up with the local GP and has been told by one of the older GPs at the practice to stop eating carbs! Not because of BG levels, just because, now that he is off work, he is putting weight on. According to this GP, this is the latest thinking in health circles. Pity the dietician doesn't read the same journals. Also a pity that most of the other medics around here don't seem to acknowledge this kind of thinking.
 
@Annb interesting 're Alistair 's check and low carb advice good to hear it's gaining traction but ,as you say, not all health professionals are on on board! Interesting though that is one of the older GPs.
@jpscloud hope you got in the garden his afternoon as planned.I've had a hectic day lots non garden stuff to do plus it's still cold out there. I've just got back in from a quick rush around the garden wrapping up my tomatoes again - it's like tucking them up for bed! My hands are so cold now. I'm now seeing forecasts with a complete switch by next weekend to mid summer temps - hard for our plants and us to adjust to these temperature swings. I will be pleased though to put the fleece away.
 
@Annb interesting 're Alistair 's check and low carb advice good to hear it's gaining traction but ,as you say, not all health professionals are on on board! Interesting though that is one of the older GPs.
@jpscloud hope you got in the garden his afternoon as planned.I've had a hectic day lots non garden stuff to do plus it's still cold out there. I've just got back in from a quick rush around the garden wrapping up my tomatoes again - it's like tucking them up for bed! My hands are so cold now. I'm now seeing forecasts with a complete switch by next weekend to mid summer temps - hard for our plants and us to adjust to these temperature swings. I will be pleased though to put the fleece away.
I did manage to do quite a bit, we had sunny spells and when the sun was out it was ok but as soon as it clouded over it was so cold it really put me off! I think this is the first time I've ever done lawnmowing with my coat on :hilarious:

As you say, the weather forecast shows over 20C next weekend - we'll be complaining about the heat! I hope it doesn't make my brassicas bolt. They are nice sturdy little seedlings at the moment so here's hoping they will be ok.

The hardboiled eggs did upset my stomach a bit, so sadly it looks like they're off the menu. I'll try scrambled/omelette again and see if that's ok.
 
I did manage to do quite a bit, we had sunny spells and when the sun was out it was ok but as soon as it clouded over it was so cold it really put me off! I think this is the first time I've ever done lawnmowing with my coat on :hilarious:

As you say, the weather forecast shows over 20C next weekend - we'll be complaining about the heat! I hope it doesn't make my brassicas bolt. They are nice sturdy little seedlings at the moment so here's hoping they will be ok.

The hardboiled eggs did upset my stomach a bit, so sadly it looks like they're off the menu. I'll try scrambled/omelette again and see if that's ok.
Been out all day and very busy so no gardening again today. I'm planning on not covering my plants tonight and hoping it doesn't dip colder than the 6 forecast - it's a bit borderline but crossing fingers. Several of my tomato plants already look a bit sorry for themselves so think in a couple of days I may well need to replace some with the ones I kept indoors as insurance. Lesson learnt but I did plant them at same time last year and didn't have this issue. Our weather is unusually temperamental this season.
 
Been out all day and very busy so no gardening again today. I'm planning on not covering my plants tonight and hoping it doesn't dip colder than the 6 forecast - it's a bit borderline but crossing fingers. Several of my tomato plants already look a bit sorry for themselves so think in a couple of days I may well need to replace some with the ones I kept indoors as insurance. Lesson learnt but I did plant them at same time last year and didn't have this issue. Our weather is unusually temperamental this season.
It's catching us all out I think! What worked like a dream last year looks very sad this year. My runner beans are about three weeks behind last year now but I did get winter brassicas and carrots started earlier and they were fine with the cold, so I'm hoping they'll do well. Thank goodness for your indoor ones, hopefully they will catch up quickly in some warmer weather.

I think I'll risk planting the beans out now, I've got the same runner beans I grew last year and I'm trying climbing french bean cobra as well.

Yesterday I had porridge for breakfast, cottage cheese salad for lunch and curry for tea - today will very likely be the same breakfast and lunch but maybe a freezer lucky dip for tea.
 
None of my attempts at gardening have done at all well this year. Even shrubs that were doing well previously have suffered. Must be the odd weather. The only things that have done well are the spring bulbs and the montbretia. Longer established shrubs are fine, but they have deep roots by now and can survive adverse conditions. Weeds, of course, are flourishing. I still have some hope of seeing some action from some Jerusalem artichokes that I planted, but we'll see. Just bought new lavender plug plants and have potted them up to replace all last year's ones that died so am still a bit hopeful. Many of the mint plants that I planted in pots last year have died and the rest are struggling. Mint! Struggling! Usually it is an invasive plant and people can't keep it under control. That's why I kept it in pots. I suppose I should be grateful that my rhubarb has survived at all, even though it hasn't grown very tall.

Somehow, I've never been great at growing plants. The first year we made a garden here (1974) I planted out a hundred brassica plants. A neighbour's sheep got into the garden and pulled every one of them out but didn't eat them. They just dropped them alongside the holes they came out of. That was the start of my gardening disasters. No! I forgot. When we lived in Dumbarton, a similar thing happened. An elderly aunt was staying with us and I came back from shopping one day to be told "I thought I'd help a bit in your garden so I weeded that patch at the bottom of the steps." My newly planted chive bed! I do usually manage to grow strong trees and shrubs though - and montbretia. :arghh:

For breakfast I had one cold sausage, some bits of a melon Neil bought and some tea. It's a new melon on me. White flesh, very much like a honeydew but it is shaped like a slim rugby ball with dark green, coarse skin. No idea what it is, but it tasted good.

2nd meal will be lamb tagine.
 
Mint! Struggling!
Right?! That stuff is bombproof!

You do have a more challenging climate up there, though. Brassicas should do well, if you can keep the sheep off them!! You could maybe try swedes in containers, like I do? It's a bit of an investment for the containers and compost, and I also feed them fairly heavily, but the harvest is worth it to me. That's assuming you like swedes of course! Could do turnips, if you like those? Neil will have to peel and chop them for you, I struggle and I have quite strong hands.

"I thought I'd help a bit in your garden so I weeded that patch at the bottom of the steps." My newly planted chive bed!
:eek:

My friend has really struggled with growing vegetables in her garden, and it's put her off, which is such a shame. I hope you'll have a go and join @shelley262 and me with our garden updates!
 
None of my attempts at gardening have done at all well this year. Even shrubs that were doing well previously have suffered. Must be the odd weather. The only things that have done well are the spring bulbs and the montbretia. Longer established shrubs are fine, but they have deep roots by now and can survive adverse conditions. Weeds, of course, are flourishing. I still have some hope of seeing some action from some Jerusalem artichokes that I planted, but we'll see. Just bought new lavender plug plants and have potted them up to replace all last year's ones that died so am still a bit hopeful. Many of the mint plants that I planted in pots last year have died and the rest are struggling. Mint! Struggling! Usually it is an invasive plant and people can't keep it under control. That's why I kept it in pots. I suppose I should be grateful that my rhubarb has survived at all, even though it hasn't grown very tall.

Somehow, I've never been great at growing plants. The first year we made a garden here (1974) I planted out a hundred brassica plants. A neighbour's sheep got into the garden and pulled every one of them out but didn't eat them. They just dropped them alongside the holes they came out of. That was the start of my gardening disasters. No! I forgot. When we lived in Dumbarton, a similar thing happened. An elderly aunt was staying with us and I came back from shopping one day to be told "I thought I'd help a bit in your garden so I weeded that patch at the bottom of the steps." My newly planted chive bed! I do usually manage to grow strong trees and shrubs though - and montbretia. :arghh:

For breakfast I had one cold sausage, some bits of a melon Neil bought and some tea. It's a new melon on me. White flesh, very much like a honeydew but it is shaped like a slim rugby ball with dark green, coarse skin. No idea what it is, but it tasted good.

2nd meal will be lamb tagine.
Hope your Lavender does well. Wonder if your mint will respond when it warms up a bit? My mint dies back completely over the winter but starts again when it warms up - sprouting from the hidden roots. Alternatively maybe a friend or neighbour could give you a new sprouting root to try again? Or maybe just a few of the supermarket potted herbs. If you repot them into a slightly bigger pot they can do well.
 
No gardening today as too busy but loving the warming temperatures. My tomato plants look a bit happier, I really don't think they enjoyed being wrapped up in fleece every night for almost a week - but better than the frost getting them! Planning to assess tomorrow and get the indoor ones out and planted as overnight temps are due to go up.
I've been busy in the kitchen earlier making low carb Panda Flour rolls. I also roasted peppers and garlic and when cooled, skinned and seeded (peppers), then sliced and put in a container with olive oil and few leaves from my home grown basil plant. Will be used in salad and also added to a stir fry later this week. I also prepared a coleslaw which is now in a container in fridge. I cooked a roast chicken dinner today so lots of leftovers and salads in the fridge for next few days - preps which should free me up to get gardening - crossing fingers.
 
Yesterday I had porridge for breakfast, cottage cheese salad for lunch and fish fingers with vegetables for tea. I got the last raised bed ready so planting out can happen now, but I'm not feeling very well this morning and there's heavy rain in the forecast, so we'll see what happens later.

Planning the usual breakfast and lunch and another freezer lucky dip for tea.
 
@jpscloud hope that my hug carried on working! Rain stopped gardening for us a few times today. However I have managed to get my tomatoes planted out. I've now got just three plants left not potted on but they are promised for a friend who is away until Wednesday so will be passed on to her then. I've now got 15 plants out there in pots - hoping they include all 10 different varieties of seeds I planted and that they bear fruit! All 44 plants that germinated have now found homes with family and friends.
My salad preparations yesterday helped make dinner easy today. I took advantage too of my indoors rain time by making some low carb Panda Flour wraps. I've put four in freezer and remaining two in fridge ready for tomorrow as planning on using the roast chicken leftovers and salads to make chicken fajitas tomorrow.
 
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@jpscloud hope that my hug carried on working!
Yes it did thank you! I got rained off as well though, and we also had more hail - what a crazy May. My squash are pretty desperate to go out now, but we're forecast lots of rain until the weekend. The grass is really getting long again now, after last year being totally under control from March until October!

So porridge for breakfast, cottage cheese salad for lunch and chicken with vegetables for tea. I had some chocolate biscuits after tea, couldn't resist.
 
Breakfast was porridge, lunch was chicken salad and tea will be pan fried hake with baby corn and small brassica leaves from the garden.

I was much more successful at dodging the heavy rain today and so... the beans are in! I've put runner beans and cobra french climbing beans at the ends of raised beds to go over arches between the beds. I also planted some new courgette seed, it's a different variety to the ordinary one that is now getting ready to flower, so I need to plant that out tomorrow. My mini cucumber will be staying indoors, it has some tiny cucs on already! So does one of the peppers, hungarian hot wax (sounds like something for the bikini line rather than the kitchen but they are really good).

While I was planting I heard the first swift of the season, first scream of the summer! They haven't yet used the swift boxes I put up for them but they barnstorm my garden all the way until the beginning of August and I love them.
 
@jpscloud thrilled that you're moving forward with your planting - well done it all sounds very promising. Your hot wax peppers sound hilarious what a name! I had to clean out our guttering today in between heavy showers - with George holding the ladder - as drain pipes were getting blocked. A very messy job but good to have done it. George has increasingly poor balance as he gets older so even though I'm shorter it has to be my job. I noticed that some of my pea flowers are turning into pods. I love garden peas - so good to look forward to.I've also managed now to put large plant pot 'saucers' under most of my food production pots including the 15 tomato plants. Idea is that when we are away for a few days I can fill with water so that my plants shouldn't dry out if dry weather. We should be away this coming weekend in Liverpool to meet up and celebrate a close school friends 70th but not looking likely at the moment with a West Midlands railway strike likely on Friday and Saturday! Will have to cancel all our bookings tomorrow if it's not called off by end of the day.
 
I noticed that some of my pea flowers are turning into pods. I love garden peas - so good to look forward to.
Garden sweeties! Mine rarely make it into a meal :joyful: No flowers on mine yet but it's so much warmer today and for the next while, so they are bound to get going very fast now.

I've also managed now to put large plant pot 'saucers' under most of my food production pots including the 15 tomato plants. Idea is that when we are away for a few days I can fill with water
That is a great idea, it's going to be hot and dry for a bit after the weekend apparently.

Will have to cancel all our bookings tomorrow if it's not called off by end of the day.
That is really upsetting :( I hope you do make it after all.
 
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