My commisserations as well Suzanne. There is never a good time to lose a beloved furry family member, but Christmas Eve is particularly tough. Please take graholl’s advice and be kind to yourself at this difficult time
3 Likes
For Christmas dinner I had:
Salmon dumplings; cauliflower and cheese bake; roast-pork; roasted red capsicums; zucchini stuffed with breadcrumbs and tomatoes and cheese and herbs; assorted pastries from a Greek bakery; ice cream.
The food was lovely but the best part was being able to all sit together at the table after a long time of having to keep apart due to the Covid restrictions.
Convenience Meals:
One of my friends has been able to manage a busy lifestyle: looking after her own Music business, and her two teenagers needing to be chauffeured to various activities, etc, by ordering in from a meal delivery service.
She speaks highly of the service she uses, and says she couldn’t do without it.
4 Likes
Sorry for your loss Suzanne, not a happy Xmas. We have a special bond with our fur babies and need to grieve their departure, as well as enjoy the many joyful memories.
‘Dogs give us many of our happy experiences, and one of the worst’
Take Care
4 Likes
I remember the days - having a family to feed, not much money and disliking takeaway food - back then it really was a treat for the kids! Still cook from scratch, but took a while to downsize to just one.
6 Likes
we had 6 for Xmas late lunch.
Two ‘french-herbed roast chickens’, roast potatoes one each, all done in a charcoal Weber. Third use that year.
Two salads from our garden, plus store-bought cherry and grape-shape tomatoes. Plus home made XMAS-ice-cream-pudding with dried fruit and BRANDIEEE!
We will soon be eating our own home grown baby tomatoes*. > 150 fruit and flowers on the 5 tomato plants. * baby tomatoes crop way heavier than the large varieties. some of the varieties we grow are Italian varieties for making pasta sauce.
As per Peter Cullen’s advice I ‘frighten the tomato plants’ for up to 4 days while it is HOT. ? way more flower and fruit.
Red and white wine. plus a dessert wine of late-picked semillon.
3 Likes
As Pauline said “Please explain?”
If the plant is well watered all the time it makes the standard amount of flowers and hence fruit. If it thinks conditions have turned bad it hurries to reproduce while it can and makes many more flowers. This has been passed on by many experienced growers and seems to be true.
3 Likes
And for leafy green veges where one wants leaves and not flowers. Forget to water them and this is one of the triggers to make them bolt.
4 Likes
yes, it’s a technique for getting more flowers that will produce fruit!
3 Likes
Pauline et al,
See the thread of posts that’s grown since, about ‘frightening tomatoes’ ?
It’s a technique for tricking fruit producing plants into produce a lot more flowers and, eventually, a good deal more fruit.
Has worked well for us ever since we began doing it.
Note that it is important to keep water up to your other beds.
I always have some chives or spring onions or Basil as companion plants in the tomato beds.
Tim B
3 Likes
