Friday, May 16, 2014

Driven to distraction by pop-up ads – and restoring the original settings didn't help – I google'd the problem just now and have just added an extension-program called Simple Adblock (free in the Chrome store). I think maybe it's going to work.

Yesterday was successful, although fully as exhausting as feared. The streets around the dr's surgery are being resurfaced – driving my husband to a point near enough that he could walk there, was rather like a computer game. But we managed, and got the desired referral back to Rheumatology for his near-useless right hand. And, later, it was good to see our old friends, and especially good for my husband to connect for a moment again to the world of art.

Not much knitting, therefore, but I did get all the way around round 94 of the borders of the Unst Bridal Shawl (a particularly soothing round) and have embarked on 95. I hope to do a bit better today. There are chores – back to Boots to pick up yet another prescription – but nothing involving the clock.

I was up there earlier in the week – the dr had filled only half of the request, hence the return visit. I spent a few soothing moments in the yarn dept of John Lewis (of course). I looked at the balls of Rowan Big Wool, enticingly coloured and £8.50 each. Any of us could knit one in a weekend – probably, indeed, in an evening. And there I was, blissfully happy with a yarn costing £5.50 for a ball which lasts me a month. But does nothing for stash reduction.

Eeny Meeny had a sluggish day yesterday and has slipped down the ratings.

Horticulture

My seeds are coming up! First Salad Mixture (Mild), then the peas, and today the lollo rosso loose-leaf lettuce and a couple of nasturtiums. That leaves only the courgettes to check in. There is room out there for a couple more big pots. I must give serious thought to a more interesting and extensive range of subjects for next year. It is wonderful to have them right under my nose, where I can pop out to talk to them every half hour.

The chillis on the kitchen windowsill are growing and flowering nicely, but remain reluctant to set fruit. Rachel says the chilli plant I gave her for her birthday last year (end of June; I've forgotten the variety) is covered with chillis.


Simple Adblock helps a lot, but hasn't solved the whole problrm.

6 comments:

  1. I wonder if helping your chillies with pollination would encourage them to set fruit? My OH does it to the tomatoes, using a soft paintbrush to touch each flower in turn, transferring the pollen.
    It amuses him to say "Just going up to the greenhouse to have sex with the tomatoes."

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  2. I think the Big Wool is highly over-priced but you could perhaps get it cheaper over on Ravelry by buying it from other folks' stashes,

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  3. Anonymous12:24 PM

    You could set up a delivery service with Boots and that would leave you more time for nicer things! I am knitting a two ply shawl in white yarn for a friend's expected granchild-it has to be machine washable for this modern age. I am using the 64 year old pattern that my granny used for my shawl and adding extra stiches to make it fit the tension. I am enjoying it but need to really concentrate these days-no watching TV and knitting. Catriona

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  4. I was told chilies do better, the peppers have good heat, if the plant is stressed while growing. I was wondering if you'd heard of this? This weekend I'm hoping to visit the local farmers market for a chili plant - we call them pepper plants around here - that is well under way. Mr. A. likes them particularly. We make a hot pepper jelly every year.

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  5. I have my mother's greenhouse that I am, rather slowly, learning how to grow things in. One of the growers at the market told me to gently tap the branches with blossoms of plants being grown indoors to pollenate them. Is your Princess shawl the triangle or the square? Did you knit it from cotton or wool? I was looking at the pattern online. It is so complex!

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  6. =Tamar6:52 PM

    www thekitchn dot com says windowsill plants lack both wind and insects, so they may need help pollinating. Chilis are often self-pollinating, so a gentle paintbrush touch should get the pollen where it needs to go. (Or use a cotton bud, or shake them gently?) Other possible causes are lack of water, sunlight, and soil nutrition, but you've been growing plants successfully for years, you know all that. The web also says that some chilis (Ghost Chilis) always have to be hand pollinated, and that the day's production of pollen is most potent between noon and 3 PM! I never knew timing was that critical for plants!

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