I'm enjoying the foxgloves in the garden at the moment. I sowed apricot and white ones, having in mind some sort of tasteful pastel drift of loveliness, but I have ended up with at least fifty per cent bright pink. That happens to me quite a lot with seeds.
The sweet peas have been a bit of surprise as well. I was going for all sorts of bright colours, but the first ones to flower have been an almost-white hint-of-mauve concoction. The marguerite (penultimate photo) was a divine pale pink when I bought it. Those flowers passed, then a new flush came along that were much brighter. That happens to me as well. I feel that they must do something to the flowers to lighten them (lack of light?), but then it passes and the plant reverts to its more natural colour.
Anyway, I have flowers, and that's good enough. The garden needs loads of work, but I just haven't had much time, far too much work on at the moment, so it is having to wait. I did manage to pop some plants into the wildlife pond, which the dog has been very pleased about as pulling plants out of the pond is one of his very best pastimes.
I am trying to use every little spare moment efficiently at present, so that stuff does get done, even if it is slow going. I had an odd five minutes the other evening so I tidied a kitchen drawer that was getting a bit stuffed full of clutter. That drawer, if you know what I mean. The one where odd plugs and cables and bank cards and string and odd shoe laces and five pencil sharpeners and the rubber things for holding bikes onto the bike rack are kept and that I can never remember where they are when I need them and only ever when I am tidying the drawer or going deep into it to find some other odd missing thing.
Anyway, all this to confess a deeply shameful thing. Bearing in mind I try to be a bit green and eco-friendly when I can, it turns out I have been stockpiling AA batteries and I now have enough to power the whole street for a week. I think it must be a leftover reaction to when the children were small and they had all sorts of ghastly plastic things that flashed and made noises and they were forever asking for batteries.
So now whenever I see them reduced I think, ooh, good, batteries are on offer, I'll just pick up a pack of eight. I am sorry to say I counted them and I have fifty-four. FIFTY-FOUR. Honestly, what is wrong with me? I have racked my brains to think of something I use that actually takes AA batteries and there is nothing. My little voice recorder for interviews takes AAA batteries, but the only thing I have that takes AA batteries is a tiny string of lights on a wire that I get out in the depths of winter and use very sparingly because, well, because it uses batteries. Prepare to see many arty photos featuring miniature fairy lights.
I am now resolving (again..?) to be much more controlled about absolutely everything and not just randomly buy stuff on some sort of mad whim. Anything shameful in your drawers I should know about? xx
My son who's a theatre techie gifted me a box of AA batteries (they can't risk them running out mid performance, so have to change regularly) and I'm slowly working my way through them. My wireless mouse and a couple of other things use them. But like you I also have a stock of new ones too, probably for just the same reason.
ReplyDeleteAnd I think theatres are also changing over to non battery stuff - I hope so both from the environment pov and I don't need any more gifting!
It’s usually food things that I repeat buy such as jars of coffee especially when they’re cheap. Sometimes they practically fall out of the cupboard when I open it. I always have the wrong sort of batteries, usually AAA when I need AA. Your flowers are looking beautiful, do I suspect you have been camera borrowing again. Well worth while. A great bee action shot btw. B x
ReplyDeleteMy Mom used to do that with nylon stockings back in the day. If she saw a pair on sale, she would grab a couple of packs to stock up. I remember when we were moving her out of her home that she had so many unopened packages of nylons and by then no one really wore them anymore!
ReplyDeleteAt least with batteries, they will get used up eventually!
I am a bit of a food buyer especially if fancy cakes etc have been reduced in price, and I think they will be handy if I freeze them and if someone pops in for afternoon tea, then I can resurrect them. The reality is that I usually eat them before they even get frozen, not good for the waistline. I go through AA batteries on my camera so usually have a good supply, but if I change my phone I will start using the phone for photos as my camera is getting a bit old now and I don't think the photos are as good as some of the camers on the new iphones.
ReplyDeleteI would complain about the seeds not turning out as expected. Too often we just accept things when we shouldn't. We all have a drawer like that. I think we have ay least two. but not so many batteries.
ReplyDeleteAh, that drawer! Yes, we have two of those in the kitchen dresser. My hoarding instinct, however, is more larder-based. On one of its rare clean outs I discovered 14 (yes, 14!) bottles of olive oil. My argument was that they're quite pricey, so whenever they were on sale I picked up another one. That and tins of tomatoes and pulses are my weakness. Had total lockdown, as in 'no, you can't go shopping', occurred at any point, I feel we could have lived quite happily for months out of the larder and the veggie patch. It's my Armageddon mindset! :O) Beautiful photos by the way. xx
ReplyDeleteLovely pictures. I laughed at the dog's best pastime. I'm surprised that there isn't a shortage of AAA batteries thanks to you. Despite being somewhat of a minimalist I do have a drawer like that, full mostly with gardening bit's and bobs. xx
ReplyDeleteWe are shameful battery users here...although thankfully not as many as we used to use. There's still an awful lot of remote controls using various sizes, invariably the size we haven't got on hand. There's basically an entire drawer devoted to batteries. And also elastic bands..which I never buy, but squirrel away whenever they cross my path because you just never know when you'll need one.
ReplyDeleteYour flowers are glorious -- foxgloves are one of my very best favourites. Hope you get some garden time soon xoxo
haha, I can relate! We used to hoard batteries too, for the childrens toys and gadgets. A few years ago we made the switch to rechargeable AA batteries (ikea ones) and have never looked back - now I have multiple sets of fairy lights which just get their batteries changed over when they need it, and no guilt about needing to recycle them when they are worn out. I have a few clocks which take them, and also computer mice, so always have some recharged and ready to go. Can recommend! xxx
ReplyDeleteha, ha, that's a lot of batteries, but nothing to feel shameful about. Tidying "that" drawer was brave. I look in mine ocassionally but never think about tidying it because I know that most of the stuff would go back "just in case" it became useful! Your photos are beautiful, especially the one of the bee and the foxglove.
ReplyDeleteWe are still at the AA battery stage in this house with toys and of course flashlights. I just went on a very expensive battery buying spree. Hurricane season is here and you have to be prepared long before one arrives. All the stores will be bought out in no time and I will be at a loss. I have also stocked up on toilet paper again, that gets bought up as well.
ReplyDeleteThe drawer of doom.... I have one of those. It also contains far too many AA batteries. One day in the not too distant future I am going to sort through that drawer. I have done it once before, I can do it again. Life is so busy, isn't it? Sometimes I want to crawl in that drawer and hide for a few days. It would be a good place to hide because nobody ever looks in there. Have a lovely week, hopefully with some breathing space to do things that you enjoy xx
ReplyDeleteWe all have one of those drawers! Since moving house I vowed not to start another one but I can sense a build up of crap items in one already. Maybe we just all need one? How are your orange sweet peas doing? Jo x
ReplyDeleteI am trying to work out whether the reddish sweet peas are the orange ones, if you see what I mean. Maybe the orange ones are still to come, but certainly nothing you would call orange so far, although the red ones aren't bad. Not sure what they'll look like next to orange ones if they do show up though... CJ xx
DeleteLight bulbs! There is a whole box of light bulbs that look totally unfamiliar. It was my husband's responsibility to ensure that we never ran out - but I have no clue where at least half of them belong. Plus when the electricity suppliers got all generous with energy saving ones a few years ago ....
ReplyDelete