Diary > Monday 15th February

[Roobarb]

Good to read everyone's news.

Diana, hope your back is feeling better today, no wonder you were feeling fed up, I think backache affects your whole being.

How lovely to have the twins in the paper Annette, something you'll be able to keep looking back on as they grow.

Hope the wind has dropped again MH, it's certainly been torturing you recently. My passion flower bears lots of fruits, I did check whether you can eat them - the ones grown in the UK are a different species from the ones grown abroad for their fruits and although you can eat the ones grown here (when fully ripe) it seems from what I've read that you wouldn't want to!
Sorry to give you an attack of the vapours TY.  I've hacked loads off my plant and it continues to throw its grasping tendrils everywhere, taking over wherever it can, it's such a thug!

Sorry to hear you had such a bad night Caroline, no wonder you felt like nodding off in the conservatory. Tell your OH it's poor sportsmanship to take advantage of a lady in such a depleted state! Or else thrash him at scrabble next time you play. 

Ruskie, I'd ever heard of Bunnings, nicely clarified for the Brits by Caroline.  Nasturtiums like poor soil so might do well in your daughter's planters. If the soil is too rich they just produce loads of leaves and no flowers. Can be used in a salad of course. I watched all of the Last Tango in Hlaifax series, I enjoyed them.

[carol80]

Here in NZ, we are in a mini lockdown. 3 Community cases found. Auckland is in level 3 and the rest of the country level 2. We will know at 4.30 NZDST today if we stay or move. The 3 cases here have the UK strain of the virus and are in South Auckland. We came out of a long weekend and the family had travelled out of Auckland. It was when they returned home that they had a test. They do not know the source.
We start our vaccine programme on Saturday. Frontline workers first. From what I understand we will get the second dose 3 weeks after the first.
Stay Safe
Carol

[Roobarb]

Good to hear from you Carol but sorry that your news isn't good, hope the 4.30 announcement is favourable. Such a shame when NZ was doing so well. Hope you don't have to wait too long for your vaccination.

[carol80]

2 more cases today so will wait till PM updates us at 4.30. My vax properly after June. Flu jab next month.
Roobarb; good to see your weather heading towards spring and you can go for more walks. Just to get out of the house helps. I think you are doing amazing as is everyone else stuck in lockdowns around the world. Lack of Vitamin D doesn't help during the lockdown.
Stay safe.
Carol

[Ruskie]

I was thinking about you Carol - wondering how you were faring. Vaccines are being rolled out here very soon too.

Bunnings - yes, it’s similar to B and Q. There was a huge song and dance a couple of years ago (?) about Bunnings opening in the UK, but I heard that they hadn’t done as well as anticipated.

It’s a monopoly here - and I don’t like that, however we do go there quite often.  They sell a lot of wood and things for tradies (aka tradesmen/women), so I can see why Your son has/should have shares in them Caroline. 

I suppose your passionflower is similar to our passionfruit vine - which we grow for the fruit. It’s one of my favourite fruits. I especially love the pulp used in icing on a cake. I’ve had a couple of vines over the years  but they haven’t thrived. Possums ate the new growth on one of them which eventually killed it.

[ThrelfallYorky]

Ruskie, don't know about fruits, never seen any on mine. Not many possums per acre in Yorkshire, iy's cold that kills mine off.

[Mowsehowse]

I shall try to photograph the fruits l saw.