Marty

My banana loaf is still in the oven.

My banana loaf is in the oven. I can smell it!

What was that someone said recently about minds and gutters...? Oh, wait! It was Page who said it, wasn't it... ?!?

How I feel some days. Lyrics: Because some of you might find his Irish accent a bit difficult to follow.

Greetings, young Albert!

Got the jab about an hour back. No side effects to report. Pfizer-BioNTech (aka: Comirnaty) vaccine.

I've heard she's fond of zucchinis, as well...

She's not the only one.

My jab is due in 30 minutes....

Only in Ireland.... Barge carrying third Luke Kelly sculpture wedged in Royal Canal (Aerial image showing statue of Kelly blocking beleaguered canal) Source: https://www.thejournal.ie/royal-canal-5398143-Apr2021/

Here it is - cooling after coming out of the oven. The kitchen smells like heaven.

Wholemeal bread. I think you might call it whole wheat bread your side of the Pond.

Mine's in the oven now. I may have a slice when it comes out and has a chance to cool slightly. I just love the taste of freshly baked, still warm bread with butter melting into it.

I've bread rising. It should be ready to go into the oven in the next five to ten minutes.

I certainly hope so! I'm fairly sure mine is waiting for me. I was rung this morning by the Health Centre to remind me of tomorrow's appointment.

Happy Wednesday to you as well, bro. I don't know why, but that photograph seems to me to be the one of best ones you have shared with us so far...

Greetings, young Albert!

Currently only 10°C/50°F here, and actually feeling even colder with no sunshine.

Our weather has taken a distinctly humid turn too. However, we're expecting a strong cold front within the next 18-24 hrs. There is a slight potential for freezing temps Fri and Sat mornings before a gradual warmup. Overcast and rain here in the Northwest of Ireland at the moment, although it's apparently dry and sunny further East and South. Long term forecast suggesting possibility of a dusting of snow around Easter Monday, with a possibility that high pressure will build in the Atlantic, causing a cold northerly air-flow over the country for most of next week.

There are similar pipes in Northumbria, in the North East of England, known as Northumbrian smallpipes. The bellows on these are also operated by the elbow. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northumbrian_smallpipes It's quite possible that they have a Scottish origin, as the border between England and Scotland changed through the centuries until the Act of Union between England and Scotland in 1707.

Coming up to 1:00am, so I'm away to my bed. I'm going to leave you with this rendition of Midnight Walker, performed by Davy Spillane on the uilleann pipes. The uilleann pipes are a form of bagpipe, where the bellows are operated by the elbow, hence their name (uilleann is Irish Gaelic for elbow). They are my favourite Irish instrument (closely followed by the harp).

That decision is entirely for you to make for yourself, bro. For my own part, I always enjoy growing my own vegetables, and was delighted to be able to do so last year after 6 years of being unable to. Not only are the vegetables fresher than shop bought ones, but I know that they haven't been sprayed with harmful (both to myself, and the general environment) weed killers or pesticides, and that they haven't been treated with unnecessary fertilisers. It's coming up to the "hungry gap" time of year, when most of my vegetables from last year have been eaten, and there's nothing left in the garden to harvest. I still have potatoes, which should last me into May; but they are starting to form sprouts now, so may shrivel before I get them all eaten. I think there are about half a dozen onions still left on the string hanging in the stone cottage. I planted a row of winter onion sets early last November. They are growing well now (I actually weeded them today), but they probably won't start to form bulbs until May, by which time I should have the main crop sets growing. And there are still some garden peas and some runner beans in Ziploc bags in the freezer. But I'll probably be finding myself having to purchase some of my vegetables over the next couple of months or so, until the garden starts yielding again.

Marty waves at Page... (It's not another double entendre, just a play on words.)

I'm just surprised that someone as innocent as him could actually work out the double entendre.

I might be lying in the gutter, but I am also looking up at the stars. (From his play "Lady Windermere's Fan" - first performed on Saturday, 20 February 1892, at the St James's Theatre in London.)