Marty

To be honest, I haven't got a clue what variety of mint I have in the garden. It's one a friend gave me a number of years ago. I'll ask her if she knows next time I'm talking to her. I actually have it growing in a large container, because it would try to take over the whole garden if it were planted in the ground.

Hi, young 'un!

And we just call them "jacket" potatoes.

Woke up to continuous rain and fairly heavy wind this morning. Been like that for most of the day, and the forecast suggests it will last until at least tomorrow morning. So I met up with a couple of friends and we went for a socially distanced lunch. I should really have done some more wallpaper stripping type work, but couldn't find the motivation. Coming up to 7pm here, and I really need to do some preparatory work, putting together a document needed in advance for an important Zoom meeting tomorrow evening, so I doubt if I'll do much housework for the rest of the evening, if any at all. If it's still wet and miserable when I get up in the morning, I'll try and force myself to get on with the inside work. And I'm just about to start a minimum 13 hour fast before I call into the local health centre at 10 o'clock tomorrow morning to have blood samples taken...

Hey, bro! I hope your pessimism proves to be misplaced. And you, my friend.

Glad to hear that, bro!

While I usually sprinkle fresh parsley on potatoes, I prefer to use freshly harvested garden mint for the smaller ones.

Not a bad read at all. And... (I'll say it now because I'll probably forget on the day)... happy first GA-nniversary, @MozLover21!

It's interesting to hear you complaining about the Australian weather. If only because I thought that even in the winter it was at least warm down-under. Awh shucks, bro! I hope they do better in their next game(s). Make the most of the cooler weather (although close to 30 sounds bloody hot to me. ) Fingers (and everything else) crossed, for you and mum, bro. Oh, yes! I nearly forgot... Ten tubers from the first plant. Weighing in at exactly one and a quarter pounds (nearly 570 grammes). Enough for two meals. The seed potatoes were planted on Friday 22nd May, which was ten weeks ago from last Friday. There's about another two dozen plants of the same variety growing, and I'm sure the yield will improve as I slowly dig them over the next few weeks, when I'll start harvesting the maincrop (indeterminate) ones. Those weighing scales and weights are quite possibly older than I am. They actually belonged to my maternal grandfather, who had a fruit and vegetable business. I remember using them in his shop when I was growing up, and they were old even then. He retired in 1965 when he was 72 years old. My eldest brother offered to take over the business (it had been in the family for at least 3 generations), but grandad talked him out of it saying that, although Napoleon had once referred to the English as a nation of shopkeepers, the British Government had since turned the shopkeepers into unpaid tax collectors for the Exchequer. I do remember the inordinate amount of time that grandad used to have to spend making sure his books were in order. After grandad died (aged 92), we found those scales, plus a set of larger ones that were used for weighing heavier items (like potatoes), in his cellar. Both sets finished up in my possession. They survived my move to Ireland, although in my most recent move I have mislaid some of the smaller weights, brass two ounce and one ounce ones. They'll turn up eventually, same as those books on the Canadian wilderness I mentioned to Gary a good while back will. When I finally get round to unpacking all the boxes and crates of stuff that I have.

Greetings, bro!

Glad to hear the weather has cooled somewhat for you, dug. Best of luck planting the new lawn. Today's a typical day here in the northwest of Ireland. Currently about 16C/61F with periods of sun between the clouds. Rain promised to cross the country from the Atlantic overnight. Rest of the week promised to be similar, although the temperature might improve a little (possibility of 20C/68F). I'm just back from a drive into Northern Ireland to post back a faulty second-hand laptop that was delivered on Friday. I live fairly close to the border, and normally get items I purchase from the UK delivered to a friend who lives that side of the border, as the North is part of the UK, so the postage is cheaper. (Wouldn't have even been able to post it back from the Republic today, anyway, as it's a bank holiday here today, so the post offices are closed.) I intend shortly to head out and dig the first of my early (determinate) potatoes. Just one plant to begin with, but I'll be interested to see how they turn out. (Mental note to self: Take Trusty Nikon with you and take some photographs.)

Coming up to midnight, so I'll have my cocoa and head to bed. Night all! (Hope your beloved Leafs do well for you tonight, Gary. )

Hey, bro! Not sure how your head got on with all that changeable weather... But it sure hurt mine trying to read about it.

Erm.... Although if we spoke Canadian French...

Bicker !! ??? We weren't bickering! Well, I wasn't. Not my fault they don't know how to talk proper t'other side o' pond. Like us does on this side.

No. Canning, bottling. Potato, Pudada. (Or maybe that should have been: Potato, Spud. )

Cool. We don't can it this side of the pond. We bottle it.

A couple of chapters back, I said something along the lines of Christine no longer being physically with the family - but in this chapter we can see that she is still an important part of it. And last chapter I suggested that Hank should maybe talk to Charles. And in this chapter Charles, if only because of a promise he made to Christine, initiated that talk. Whatever happens now between Chase and Hank, I suspect they are now at a point where they can at least remain friends. But dammit, Gary! Did you have to make my eyes leak!

Yea... but you do know I should be stripping at the moment, don't you?

"Never mind the quality, feel the width." (That was actually the title of a British TV sitcom from around the end of the 1960's, based around a tailor shop jointly run by two friends, one Jewish and the other Catholic.)

I'm sure that, like Albert, you'll get millions of tomatoes this year, clo! Mine haven't even begun to set fruit yet...

Nice to see Chase and Hank have a semi-civilised conversation at last. I suspect it might do Hank good to talk to Charles, as well...

Another cross-posting!