Oh, yesterday was going to be such a productive day.
Mike left before dawn on a trip to London to visit his parents. Not to be outdone, I was up with the sparrows too. A gloriously sunny day and much to do in the garden.
And it started so well.
There’s no easy way into the compost heap. The ladder from a now dismantled tree house does the job.
I turned the top layer of partly decomposed contents into the right hand bin to expose the beautifully rotted compost down below, dug out a quarter of it, had a well earned coffee, and then forked it into one of the raised beds. Phew!
Time to plant out the first of the peas.
********
It was that grassy slope in front of the top raised bed that did it.
In the fullness of time it will be steps.
But for now the ground is uneven. And, as it turns out, it’s hideously easy to turn your ankle and be sent flying head first into the soil.
So now I’m reduced to hobbling with a rather swollen foot. It’s May and I’m a gardener, this had better not last!
I did learn that a garden fork and a spade make an excellent set of crutches when needs must.
And at least I did manage to finish planting out that first row of peas.
Ouch!! Poor you, now you will have to garden as I am sometimes inclined to do, sat on your bum on the cool earth, planting and trowelling all around you.
Take care.
That’s pretty much how I did the peas.. it certainly makes you feel closer to the earth!
Ooh, ouch! Don’t try to do too much too soon. I’m glad it wasn’t more serious. As Sue says, sitting to garden is one way of getting things done.
Thanks Janice. The raised beds were a necessity because of the slope. But it’s also handy to be able to sit on the edge!
Did you hear sniggering from the trees Jessica? Arnica works a treat on bruises. Hope you’re soon walking normally again.
I hear them CT..
Blame those darned squirrels, I bet they’ve left a sneaky little booby trap out for you.
Seriously though Jessica, sorry to read you are hurt, what a good idea to sit down to garden. You should rest it for a couple of days though. Hope the swelling goes down soon and you feel better.
Rose H
x
Thanks Rose. It’s been such a lovely day today, it’s been a pleasure to sit down for a bit!
I’m prone to pulling muscles in my back, and know how easily these things happen, just at the wrong time. Hope you’re feeling better soon!
Always at the wrong time. We were planning to walk down to the village to vote this evening. And a lovely walk it would have been too.
Ooooh…wincing in sympathy for you, Jessica. Those peas had better be worth it!
It’s a real pain, literally. I’d just got started on the planting.. lucky I only have a small plot at the moment, and not a whole allotment!
Sorry to hear about your foot, Jessica. How frustrating in the middle of all that gardening! Hope it isn’t painful and heals soon. Perhaps you can spend some time resting and enjoying the sun.
Thanks Wendy. Hasn’t it been lovely? For us though, cloud tomorrow (although they said that yesterday), so I have been making the most of it.
Oh no, hope it isn’t anything serious and you can get back to gardening soon.
Thank you. It’s developing into a corker of a bruise.. but I managed to get another row of salad leaves in today!
I’m wincing too – you poor thing! Lots of frozen peas….
Thanks Em. And none of my own ready to freeze!
Oh dear. What rotten luck. And just as the weather should be cheering up. So hope your days of hobbling around are short lived, and that very soon you will be sprinting about in your normal energetic manner!
Thanks Vera, I need to be.. the weeds will continue to grow regardless.
That sounds very painful, it must be annoying too as you wanted to get so much work done, hope that your injury isn’t too serious and that all aches and pains disappear soon:)
It’s not so much painful as awkward.. and if my foot gets much bigger I won’t be able to get my wellies on! Thanks Rosie.
So sorry to hear about your foot hope it will soon be better. How frustrating for you when we have some decent weather for an change.
Sarah x
Isn’t it always the way? Enjoy the sea over the weekend Sarah. Jx
oh, no! i’m afraid this might mean Ptolemy is now in charge…….hope you’re feeling better SOON!
The animals have always been in charge..! Thanks Steph.
Sorry to hear about your tumble, always happens when no-one’s there to help and you’ve got loads to do doesn’t it… hope you’re feeling better soon Julie x
Doesn’t it just! But it seems to be a lot better this morning. Thanks Julie.
I’m with Rose H – look to the squirrels – or maybe it’s karma? Or perhaps it’s Mother Nature’s way of telling you to sit in the sun with a cup of tea and put your feet up… Get well soon x
Thanks Anny. The sun has deserted us today.. grrr!!
How annoying when there’s so much to do and such glorious weather too. Your raised beds are looking good.
We used scaffold boards for the front of our compost heap that slot down between a channel either side. Not only easy to take off the front of the compost heap but also I can use them to make a ramp to empty the wheelbarrow as the heap grows – though if the ramp isn’t positioned properly it acts as a seesaw and whacks me in the shins.
I can see that Mike will have to make some modifications to the bins we inherited.. the current arrangement doesn’t work very well!
OUCH! Bet you were “pea – d” off!
That and other words were used..
Oo you poor thing – hope it gets better soon.
Thanks Elaine. Thankfully I can still pot up.. standing on one leg!
I hope you haven’t sprained it! Enjoy sitting and relaxing in the garden for a few days until it gets better.
Perfect bank holiday weekend! You have a good one too.
Oh no! Impressed you still got the peas in – guess you will have to supervise from a comfy chair, preferably with a drink in hand, with your foot up, while others do the hard work?! I sympathise, I seem to have sprained my wrist whilst wrestling rootballs out of the car and into the requisite skip at the recycling center this morning. My right wrist, of course.
Oh no! Wrestling rootballs is dangerous work. Be careful. At least you will still be able to hold the glass with your left..
Hi Jessica – sorry to hear about your fall and hope you won’t be hobbling about for too long. It must be the squirrels revenge! Our new compost bins look very much like yours – do you have problems with rats, rabbits or foxes burrowing into your heap from beneath?
Hi Viv. No such problems that I’m aware of. There are mice in it, but they are everywhere anyway! And slowworms, but I can live with them!
Poor you. Lots of Arnica. Could have been worse, I guess – I once, years ago, slipped down just the last three stairs indoors and broke my ankle – off work for 12 weeks! Sunny here, but I can see clouds looming. Take care. X
It is amazing how something that’s so easy to do can cause so much injury. All in the angle at which you fall I guess and the relative position of the bones. Thanks Abby.
At first I wondered if you’d toppled head first into the compost heap ! Poor you .
I thought about that as I was climbing in and out, which isn’t easy. I’d have had to stay there all day if I couldn’t get out again! We will need to make some modifications to one or more of the sides and make them removable.
Just having a catchup, sorry to read about your foot. Too late now to recommend RICE – rest, ice, compression and elevation. I fell and cracked a bone in my foot when we lived in Indonesia – it was a real pain, hobbling on crutches. Love the photos of the ferns, and all the spring growth.
I should have done that, now that the bruises are really coming out it is amazing how far the damage spread. But it’s getting easier to move about now and my foot is resembling a football a bit less each day. Thanks Anne.
Ouch….you certainly have my sympathy. Roll on the coming of steps eh???
I do hope your poor foot gets better soon.xxxx
If only, big scale landscaping required first 🙁
Thanks snowbird.
Ouch! I hope you feel better soon (maybe you do already).
Thanks Alex.