KW-31 Working around the rain

They did promise us weird weather, I guess

It has now rained every day for two weeks. Which, of course, feels like 4. Which is for ever. It’s so strange how malleable human memory can be. This week is looking like a wash out as well.

The pumpkins are marching on

Somehow I knew that last week I should set lowIt has now rained every day for two weeks. Which, of course, feels like 4. Which is for ever. It’s so strange how malleable human memory can be. This week is looking like a wash out as well.

The pumpkins are marching on

Somehow I knew that last week I should set low expectations for this week. Fortunately, I mostly hit them. I trimmed the hedges, picked the berries and was absolutely right about only having to water in the polytunnel.

Trimming the hedges is a strong contender for least favourite job at the barracks. I really should be doing it multiple times a year, but once is about as much pain as I can take. The build up of lactic acid in the shoulders is an experience, believe me. But, it stopped raining for a few hours, in fits and starts, and the hedge does look good. I was actually quite diligent about it, taking out all the weed trees and self seeded roses with particularly evil thorns. It turns out that the more I do it, the better I get at it. This is not inspiring enough to do it more often, though.

On the picking the berries front, I didn’t wait for the rain to stop. The blackcurrants had already been mostly battered to the ground by the monsoons

¹

and it needed to be done, so I caught a drizzly intermission in the deluge, and got out there. You should always pick fruit in glorious sunshine, unless there isn’t any. In which case, just get them in. They don’t taste of anything much this year, but they will still be loaded with vitamins and good stuff, and that’s what they are there for - for winter nutrition and some jammy happiness on the morning porridge. I’m going to have tonnes (maybe half a tonne) of tree fruit this year, so there will be plenty of apples for much of the dark months as well.

But look! The end is in sight

Three more days of this wet nonsense, then it warms up again. Hitting 23 degrees in August is not a thing that I think anyone was expecting this year. They did only promise us weird weather. Putting more energy in the system does not make it universally hotter. It does make it universally weirder.

And for the Collapse Laboratory (which is slowly starting over the next two weeks, but really it’s the third week which is the big thing) is going to be drenched in sunshine, which is definitely nice. It’s so much easier to be creatively in touch with nature when you can spend all day outside in it, and feel the forest and the grass and the sunshine tactically with your whole self. Winter weather is lovely in a big jacket. Summer, less so.

I had a cancellation for the One Week to Save the World this week. A sort of cancellation. I thought the two would certainly be coming, but they also had the option to go and learn about mushrooms in Scotland, which they eventually went for. Which sounds like a lovely week as well. But we did have the chance to have a call and they told me that I had guilt tripped them into planting an apple tree. So that was nice!

Also, it looks like there are two spots available. If you want to come, but there is something, anything, putting you off actually coming, get in touch, and let’s see if we can work something out!

click this banner to check out the listing on Res Artis! It’s quite fancy :)

This week:

• I’m going to wing it.

And so, until next time, dear pirate, I remain forever you

Pirate Ben

xoxo

PS: I am an idiot. I posted this to the Barracks In Pictures list. So some of you will be getting this twice, and all of you are getting it very late. I apologise. This is also the reason there is no voiceover in this one, and no translate button. I am so sorry for being a total moron!