Turns Out Vinegar Is Good!

Hello Friends!

At last I have finished the fundraiser for Parkinson's UK and to date, before Gift Aid, I have raised in excess of £840.00, which I think is pretty darn good!  I still have a few pledges outstanding so will give you the final total in about a month when it is all processed.  I won't pretend it was easy, but I am so pleased I did it now, for many reasons.

We finished just in time as the weather is not good now, and I am glad I don't have to go out in it.  We're back to strong winds and heavy rain almost all day long.  I have just listened to the Countryfile weather forecast for the week ahead.  "Heavy and frequent downpours" seem to feature for the first half of the week at least!  Sighs . . . 

Moving on. I now have made several herbal remedies or tonics.  For the introduction I studied Nettles, Dandelion and Rosemary. Last month, the first of the full year we looked at Cleavers aka Goosegrass, and Hawthorn.  We reviewed Nettles as there is much to learn about them.  They are one of the most valuable herbs that grows.  We learned about making herbal vinegars and how to use them for different purposes.  This month we are discovering the properties of Elder, Plantain and Comfrey.  We are learning how to make herbal infusions with different oils and methods of preparation, and again how to use them in a variety of ways according to need.

I have already made Nettle Vinegar, Rosemary Vinegar and a Dandelion Vinegar along with an infusion of seeds of Sweet Cicely in runny honey.  That is still steeping.  Now I am preparing to make infused oils.  As the weather is bad and isn't good for harvesting anything, so while I patiently wait for a dry day for the harvesting, I am preparing everything else so I will be ready when I need to be.

I have decided I will be using the warm method of extraction, and I will be using my "dirty pourer" that I no longer use for tea.  In fact, I was surprised I still had it as I thought it had gone to the charidee shop long ago!

Now that it is ready, I am drinking the Nettle Vinegar as a general tonic.  Vinegar tends to catch in my throat, but I have overcome this by adding a brown sugar cube and topping up a glass with fizzy spring water.  I find it is quite palatable. I wish I had made more.  

I am also making a cold water infusion of Cleavers every evening, which is found in my water bottle daily.  It has a refreshing, green flavour and I find it delicious!

I have purchased some British organic Rapeseed oil and some organic Almond oil to make infused oils as soon as the weather allows me to pick my chosen blooms.  I am hoping to use some of these rose petals.

My lavender hedge is doing rather well this year, so something will no doubt be made from those flowers too!

Finally, this is how the mysterious flower spike on the Aloe Vera is coming along.

Until next time 

🩵🌷🩵

It's {Nearly} Over

Hello Friends!

I'm trying something new today, I'm composing this blog entry entirely on my phone. I would appreciate it if you could let me know what it looks like, font, font size, images etc and if it is better/worse/no difference to previous entries.

It's been nearly a week now since my last entry and the Walk 100 Miles For Parkinson's challenge is nearly over. So far, with all the kind and generous support of so many people, I have raised a wonderful total of over £820.00 exl. Gift Aid.  I am deeply humbled and immensely grateful to everyone.  

But I have one last favour to ask of you.  Please will you share my QR code with your friends and family in case they would like to donate and give me that one last shove in the hopes that I can achieve my target of £850, or maybe even break through the £1000 barrier. 

MY OFFICIAL FUNDRAISING QR CODE 

You can forward it by email or scan it as is normally done.

Well this blog composing on my phone is absolutely exhausting me. Still, onwards and upwards.

I don't think I have to tell you how unbearably hot it was this week.  One of the big problems with Parkinson's is that many of us lose our ability to moderate our body temperature. I don't have to tell you how very dangerous this is.  I suffered badly to the point that I came very close to pressing my emergency button in the middle of Sunday/Monday morning. It was only the thought of lying on a gurney in a hospital corridor for hours and hours that stopped me!  Thank God it has cooled down now!  Consequently, in the interests of staying safe and out of hospital, I made the executive decision to refrain from walking anywhere other than around my house and garden.  

I have made an infusion of the unripened seeds of Sweet Cicely in honey. It will steep for several weeks before I strain it for use. 

I have not had my lawn mowed in nearly a year so it has been quite the job but I had help. Consequently I have a lot of lovely native wildflowers all over my garden, or Wildflower Lawn as I have named it.  Here are a few things that will be good for wildlife though the coming year, as well as some things providing me with food for free!

 

Well I  am really struggling with this now as it has switched to nighttime mode and I can hardly see the screen! I can see some photos may be sideways but I will have to look at them tomorrow as I must get some rest.

Until next time 🩵🌷🩵

Have You Ever . . .

Hello Friends!

Have you ever placed an order for frozen food and then, when it is already on its way, realised there isn't any room in the freezer?  That was my dilemma this past Thursday.  I'd ordered a dozen assorted pasties, quiche, and pies from Chunk of Devon not giving a single thought to the lack of available space in the freezer!  Thankfully, a quick rearranging of things, and removal of some bags of peas that were more ice than peas, not only was sufficient space released for the pies, but enough over to accommodate the five boxes of Nuii that came from Tesco where they are on sale {the only time I succumb}.  They are the best ice cream chocolate coated bars I've tried by a country mile.  My freezer drawer now looks like an advertisement for Chunk and Nuii!

At least I now know that an empty draw will accommodate at least 18 Chunk pasties or pies, and alongside will fit up to 15 Nuii bars! 

I promised to share with you the news of an exciting discovery in my "vestibule" {which is what I call my tiniest of all front porches}.  

I have a flowering spike growing on my Aloe Vera plant!

A few years ago, I offered up my {too large for me} upright freezer and it was taken by a lovely lady from a nearby town.  I wasn't taking any money for it, and she gave me a lovely Aloe Vera as a gift in exchange. It has lived in the "vestibule" ever since. I was amazed, the other day, to discover it is producing a flowering spike, which is something no one I know seems to have seen before.  I did a little digging on Google and this is what it said:

Apparently, being a native of the Tropics and warmer climates, it is quite rare for them to flower further north in colder climates. Even rarer, it seems, if they are kept in pots as houseplants.  However, there is a wealth of information, most of which focuses on the optimum conditions and, it seems, that my tiny vestibule is a perfect growing climate to encourage the Aloe Vera to flower!  How lucky am I?  Here are a couple of photos I've taken, not much to see at the moment, but I am so excited to see what does happen in the coming weeks.

As luck would have it, I think Aloe Vera is one of the plants we will study later in the year for the Wild Welsh Herbal Medicine 2026.  If you snap off a leaf, it exudes a clear gel like substance that has very good healing properties for the skin and is a soothing substance to gently apply to burns.  It is used in the treatment of several skin conditions and is antibacterial and anti-inflammatory.  

*as with all herbal and complimentary medicines, it is imperative to consult with a qualified professional for contraindications, etc.

It has been a bit of a headache, with everything that has been happening lately, to fit in my walking challenge, but I've managed it most days.  It was inevitable that one day I would go out and find that the Council had sent a man with a weed whacker to do their worst, and that day was yesterday.  The only redeeming fact is that the strimming has been limited to the bottom of the hedges and verges.  Thankfully, the foxgloves, yet to flower, have been left untouched!  However, the middle part of the hedges are mostly stripped to a chopped up mess and looking rather bare compared to a day or two ago.

Nothing is left of the tiny patch of Silverleaf that I was hoping would flower soon.  Also known as Silverweed, it is of the Potentilla family.

I feel deeply for these plants that have been so wantonly destroyed. It hurts me now to walk by where just a few days ago there was so much life here, not only in the plants but in the tiny animals and insects that lived here and fed upon the plants now gone.

This has all knocked in the head my plans to record and research the hedgerows and plants throughout the year.  Some of the ones that had just begun to grow are gone.

Ending on a happier note, though, the horses and pony have been moved down to this field!

Until next time

💙🌷💙

A Week of Confusion

Hello Friends!

It has been a week of upsets and confusion, stressful situations and all could have been avoided.

The first of these issues was with Welsh Water.  I did say I wouldn't bore you with details, but oh! what a load of time and money wasters they are!  We all agree on one thing: they don't know what they are doing, there's a criminal amount of water wasting while they take years to do repairs, and we are the ones footing the bill. okay, that's three things!

On Tuesday I received a vague message from Welsh Water telling me they would be here the following day.  I phoned to find out what it was about.  

Apparently, there is a leak which needs fixing but they couldn't provide anything specific as to where it is, or exactly what access would be needed. I told them it was too short notice and that I needed more information.  Their answer was not helpful.  I called again and the help was much better.  It was explained to me that a leak had been detected in August of last year and that I had been notified in September of said leak and told to get it repaired.  I have received no such notification.  So, now they are coming to fix it and I will be billed.  I asked where the leak was.  They don't know, so they will be all over my garden and house trying to find it and then digging up the spot where it is located. This has the potential to be under my drive, or in my kitchen.  It could even be in a neighbouring property as my supply goes under the garden in front and they have since built a big extension over it. They have no legal obligation to put right what they dig up.

I said I needed more information; they can't just barge in and dig up my floor! Tuesday was not a good day as I had several appointments and that blocking my drive would not be acceptable.  The lady was very helpful, told me she had passed on my concerns, cancelled the appointment and requested a rebooking to be discussed with me so as not to clash with appointments and to give me 48 hours notice. Fine. Or so I thought!

Tuesday morning, my a.m. care call helper left around 8:40 and within three minutes was phoning me to ask did I know Welsh Water was blocking my access and digging up my drive!!!  So much for the helpful lady the day before.

More stressful calls followed, but apparently the leak was detected just on my side of the stop tap, no further disruption, so I just let it go, it was done. 

Until Wednesday.

I got a phone call from the lady I spoke to on Monday about rescheduling the appointment she'd cancelled and to set up the replacement.  I explained they'd been, it was done, and that was it.  Oh, no, she said, this is the next one as they now suspect more leaks!!! 

I shared this on Facebook, and all I am hearing is that nearly everyone in the area seems to be having the same problems with Welsh Water as I am.  Some have been waiting for their repairs to be done for over two years!  Some say as soon as one leak is fixed another is found.  It goes on.

It certainly sounds as if there is a massive issue with the infrastructure, and our water rates just keep going up but the leaks that are causing all the issues are not being fixed in a timely fashion.

On Thursday I heard back from one of the OT's who came to see me in December last year {remember when I hurt my back?} who has finally heard back with the information required for some special equipment to help me.  They will be bringing it out for me to test in June and then it will be ordered.  I wonder how long that will take?  Good job it wasn't urgent, or was it?

Every month I get a treat by way of a subscription for several frozen ready to cook meals from COOK, for the days I don't feel much like cooking. A few days before hand I receive an email to remind me to make any changes to my order which will arrive the following weekend. Except this month, they had a blip in their system, and the nudge emails didn't make it to everyone.  My order was incomplete and on it's way and I could do nothing to add in what I wanted {particularly the Sticky Toffee Pudding and Lemon Tart}  They were very good about it, offering to refund me in full, but regardless I am now sitting with empty space in my freezer until next month. These things happen, but I was looking forward to my puds!

So between the drama and the bad weather, walking has been reduced to a minimum.  It has been annoying that it's been good while my hands were tied and I could not leave as the Cook parcel has to be signed for and put in the freezer immediately, and then the rain came!  So, I have been doing exercises and such to make up for missing the walking, and I've made a note of what I need to catch up on, which I will do by way of doing two consecutive walks joined in the middle.  The good news is I am well on target and might well be looking at extending my original goal.

I do so very much enjoy observing the changes in the hedgerows, sometimes almost overnight, the new things popping up, and how quickly other things are growing, what is doing well, what isn't doing as well, so on and so forth.

The Elderflowers seem to be having a very good year

Goosegrass living up to an alternate name, Cleavers, climbing the wall

Possibly Common Ragwort starting to flourish in the lane

Plantain a plenty Ribwort Plantain

Cats Ear or False Dandelion

{uncertain} possibly Wood Avens, aka Herb Bennett

Keeping an eye on the changing landscape, the large Sycamore is starting to fill out with leaf, and the 

Hawthorn now looks like a puffy white snowball 

Looking at tomorrow's weather, it seems I will be out early for my walk, as there is possibly heavy rain on the way.

Until next time 

💙🌷💙

Swallows and Pheasants

Hello Friends!

Today turned out much better than the forecast said it would be.  You really can't rely on it, and it's better to look out the window and make an educated guess, bring a brolly along if you think it might be needed.

What a wonderful walk I had today!  I went out around five~ish, and had the presence of mind to take my medication with me.  I have to make sure the Madopar is taken to a very strict routine or else it won't do it's job and then what's the point of taking it? 

As I shared with you yesterday, my route is varied and I try to make it a little bit longer each day.  Today, I sort of got lost in all the beauty of a delicious spring afternoon and found I had walked a few hundred yards further than I had planned!  All was well, I took my time coming back, and it's easy to disguise multiple rest stops under the guise of needing to take a photo!

I have yet to master the fine art of taking a selfie, so here's a lovely photo of my gardening hat.

I bumped into my neighbour who was on her way home from the same walk I was on, we had a lovely chat and more sponsorship was promised!

A short while and a few more images to identify later

I found myself in old, familiar territory

I tried to do a Facebook Live, but it was an epic fail!

FB Live

Maybe that link will work, maybe it won't.

By this time, I realised how much further than planned I had actually walked, and if I maintain this pace I will be down on the cliffs by the end of the week.  However, the weather might have different ideas. Have you seen the forecast?

My heart sang, my spirits soared along with the sightings {for me} of the first swallows of summer!  The swooped gracefully as they fed upon the thousands of gnats swarming on this grand afternoon. Then I heard the old, familiar crake crake of the pheasant!  What joy that brought to me! My heart was full!  I looked across the field and there he was, his head popping up above the grass, then back down and up again!  You can't see him, but I could!

Time to turn and wend my weary way homeward 

As I wandered along, I took some more photos of plants and flowers for my records

The Hawthorn is quite beautiful

Silverleaf, soon there will be the tiny, yellow flower

Plantain

Cow Parsley, such a pretty, frothy picture 

Buttercups in profusion

and finally, the cheeky little Cleavers or Goosegrass will sow its seed anywhere!  Not quite as bad as the drain I saw with several well-established Sycamore saplings growing well therein!

I hope the weather isn't as bad as the forecast implies, with thunder and lightning, for that will put a serious dent in all my plans.

Until next time

💙🌷💙