Stretching the Mind and Body

Hooray. By almost ignoring social media for four months I have just finished researching, revising and editing my new 85,000 word historical novel. Three more chapters to post, one by one, to my online critique group. After I receive constructive feedback, I'll put the novel aside for a month before I read through it and make minor corrections etc.

 

This morning, I also worked in the garden, I planted a rosemary bush that languished in a plant pot all winter. At one end of an eight foot by five foot vegetable patch, I planted yellow gladioli in groups of five, removed tete-a-tete daffodils from pots and interspersed them with the gladioli. They will flower against the backdrop of the holly bush and make a splash of colour. I also raked the bed and worked potato fertiliser into it before planting chitted second early potatoes. Phew! I shall put my feet up and read for pleasure,

 

All the best,

Rosemary Morris

Multi Published Historical Novelist

 

Gardening Organically and Cooking

Beautiful day here in S. E. England, so I took advantage of it. I sowed winter lettuce in a trough in the greenhouse, and also sowed land cress, mizuna and rocket in trays. I use home made compost and add liquid manure to it i.e. chicken manure steeped in water. A couple of days ago I boiled rosehips and cooking apples until they were soft. I then left the mixture to strain through a jelly bag. I didn't have time to make the jelly so I put the liquid in the fridge. Today, I m...ade the jelly. Phew, it's always difficult to judge when the fruit has set. I also made macaroni cheese and cooked potato, carrots and runner beans from the garden for lunch. For desert I had stewed Bramley Apples - the apples from the garden. Then, with a little time left over I made scones to have with butter and homemade jam before I give my daughter a hand with her children this evening. All in all a very satisfying morning.

Sunny Weather, Home Grown Vegetables

Today the weather in South East England is perfect - sunny with a pleasant breeze After writing for two and a half hours I ate breakfast in the garden. An hour later I picked pounds of runner beans, half of which I gave to a friend.

Before I went on holiday this year I transferred some of the six different varieties of tomatoes I grew from seed into pots. The rest I planted in a space in the front garden. The ones in pots haven't done very well. The outdoor ones have run wild without any care and attention. Today I began to prune them and discovered that the lower part of each plant is loaded with cherry tomatoes, plum tomatoes, salad tomatoes and a new striped variety. They are looking good pruned and tied them to bamboo canes. I incerely hope they won't be attacked by tomato blight.

The rest of the vegetable patches and the fruit trees are very productive this year. I'm looking forward to delicious apples, pears and plums.

Herb Garden

Writing and Rainy Days

I enjoy organic gardening as much as I enjoy writing historical fiction. Unless the weather is really bad I usually manage to do something or other in the garden. However, when it pours with rain and I don't want to dash in and out of the greenhouse, it's good to stay indoors writing or tidying up my office. On other occasions I tidy up the entire house.

Organic Gardening

As well as growing herbs, fruit and vegetables I also grow ornamentals, sometimes interspersed with the latter. I'm aiming for an English style cottage garden. Today I planted primulas and pansies in the rose bed to give winter colour, and I re-potted my blueberries in fresh ericaceous compost. Another mild day but the weather is about to change. Nevertheless I hope to get a lot more done before the first frosts.

Writing and Gardening

A friend wrote in her newsletter that Stephen King said novelists should finish a new book in 3 months. Ouch, it's taken me much longer to write each of mine. Anyway, this morning I wrote Chapter 27 of my new novel, Monday's Child (the sequel to Sunday's Child) set in the Regency era, and began the next chapter. Approximately 7,000 words to write before I finish the book, revise and edit it before I submit it. Phew!

I spent the rest of the morning working in the greenhouse and the garden. I picked tomatoes, cucumbers, runner beans and radishes, planted out lettuces weeded and tidied up. It's a sunny day, the sky is blue and the bees were busy collecting nectar from the lavender and other flowers.

Now I'm tapping away on the laptop with my feet up. Later on I'll probably pop out in the garden to do a bit more.

Organic Garden in Autumn

September 3rd, autumn is here in S. East England although the weather is mild the leaves are beginning to change colour.

As a vegetarian (I don't eat meat, fish or eggs) my ambition is to be as self-sufficient as possible throughout the year. At the moment, my curly kale and black kale, cabbages, chard, New Zealand spinach and lots of herbs are flourishing in my organic garden and will last until spring. Under cover there are cherry tomatoes and three other varieties ripening including a delicious grafted one called Indigo Rose, as well as cucumbers. And there are other vegetables such as carrots, lettuce, white radish aka mooli aka daikon, small radishes and much more.

This morning I planted out spring greens, aka collards, and covered them with netting to keep off the pigeons, which would strip the leaves bare. I will also plant out purple sprouting broccoli to enjoy in the spring. In the meantime I shall grow winter salads in the greenhouse and move the tender herbs into it.

Home Grown Organic Gardening Salad

Delicious lunch today. The only two things on my plate which were not home grown were an avocado and some Port Salut Cheese, even the salad dressing was homemade with extra virgin olive oil, lemon juice, salt  and home grown herbs.

Menu.

Drink. Apple Juice made with apples from the garden

First Course

Lollo rosso lettuce mixed with a small grated courgette and shredded dandelion leaves.

Mixture of runner beans, carrots and the last of my new potatoes with chopped chives in home made mayonnaise

Cherry tomatoes.

Cucumber with a little celery salt.

Avocado with a dash of vegetarian Worcester sauce.

Dessert.

Plain Yoghurt with summer fruit jelly made last year.

Yummy, yummy for the tummy, as my young grandchildren say.

Mind you, I couldn't do so much organic gardening without a gardener who comes once a fortnight and does all the heavy work.

Writing & Organic Gardening

Yesterday, - unusually - I didn't have time to post anything. In the evening I stayed up until after midnight reading Stolen, Escape from Syria - A mother's terrifying journey to rescue her kidnapped child - by Louise Monaghan, who fell in love with a Syrian with terrible consequences. After he kidnapped their daughter, May, I was hoping against hope that Louise and May would escape.

I woke late and  gave up on writing my novel for today. Instead, I put up the bean poles for my runner beans.

The garden has been productive throughout the winter, and now there are plenty of herbs and the first spring vegetables, some of which I use to make a salad for lunch - the first broad beans dressed with homemade egg free mayonnaise and a little finely chopped sage, tender baby salad leaves with homemade salad dressing, and crisp radishes, delicious.

This evening I must go to bed early and get up earlier than usual to catch up with my writing.