Most (if not all) of the corn seeds which I started indoors have germinated. A couple of months ago, I moved these young plants into the vegetable patch. Some of these have grown significantly and are taller than me.
Today, I spotted corn ears sticking out of the bigger plants. Yeah!
This morning, I cooked a pot of seafood risotto, using up the rest of the bisque I made a week ago.
Later in the afternoon, D and I did our bulk grocery. This month’s purchase consisted mainly of meat and frozen items. I paid with cash.
It has been usually rainy, windy and chilly these past two weeks. I am okay with it because that means I do not need to water the outdoor plants. It is also good to have green lawn during the summer months for a change. 😉
I am glad that I may turn on the oven to bake. That I am able to use up some of my plums by making plum cakes, without overheating myself or the house.
Today, my friend Kat is leaving Belgium, the second time.
Today, D and I got a not-so-nice surprise from one of our banks. Good riddance, said D. It turned out to be not such a big deal for us, just some inconveniences for D. I have financial backups all set up two years ago. Good riddance indeed.
Today is the last day of July in the year 2023…
This afternoon, D and I went to the recycling park to get rid of:
Shops do not usually carry big bags of bird seeds during the warmer months. Imagine our delight when D and I saw one last bag laying on the shelf of the shop we visited this afternoon. D said he will be frugal with the feeds. We shall see though. It is so hard not to help (spoil) the little birdies!
Vacuuming the garden shed once a year is one of my housekeeping chores. Having skipped this task for a year or two in the past meant that I have cleaned the shed for more than ten times since D and I moved here.
This afternoon, D moved most of the content out of the shed and cleaned the shed’s window. I vacuumed and then mopped the floor. When the floor dried, we moved all the things back in again. Stuff we have no need of, we set aside for our next trip to the recycling park.
Right now, D and I probably have the cleanest shed in the neighbourhood. 😉
Today, I cleaned out the deep fryer. I also wiped down the entire kitchen counter with special solutions. Deep fryer cleansing is done every few months. Deep cleaning of kitchen counter is done once every two years.
Yesterday, I made raspberry syrup using the fresh berries I got from the in-laws. This syrup will keep for weeks in the fridge, whereas fresh raspberries only last for a day.
Today, I reinserted the summer comforter back into the bed cover. The nights will be chilly this coming week. D will be happy with that. I will remove it by this weekend, when the temperature turns tropical.
Today, I have a dental appointment at 2.25 in the afternoon. D suggested biking there, he will accompany me. My front tire was flat when I pushed the bike out of the shed. It was promptly fixed, and we were on our way to Kortrijk in no time.
We were only about a third of the journey when my tire started to loose air quickly. Damn, cycling with a half-deflated front tire was a struggle I never want to experience again. Fortunately, even though I was about ten minutes late to the check-up, I was asked to wait because the dentist was still occupied with the patient before me. That gave me some much needed time to cool down and sweat it out in the waiting area. 😛
While I was getting my teeth checked and cleaned, D was off to look for a pump, in which he found at a café a block away. When I walked out of the clinic, my bike tire was pumped but started to deflate again.
We went back to the café for the pump, but the tire was no longer fixable at this point. So, I pushed the bike to a park a few blocks away, and waited, while D biked home to get the car.
All is well in the end. But what a day this has been. The last day of the month, my teeth were cleaned and I have one flat bike tire.
Yesterday afternoon, D and I went to the 40th edition of Rozenfeest (Roses Festival) in Kortrijk. The lengthy heat wave and drought has done the roses in. The blooms were very sad looking. On the bright side of things, the white mansion (kasteel) on site was opened to the public this year, showcasing an exhibition of flower arrangements from a local school.
I have to smile when my mom reminded me that her obsession for roses was tamed by our visit to this particular rose garden many years ago.
This Monday afternoon, D and I did our monthly bulk purchases, the second time. We were out of sparkling water! Again, I am blaming the lengthy heat wave. With a second bulk grocery run, June’s food budget is busted. I did set a very stingy (almost unbelievable) balance in the first place. And secondly, meat and expensive taste for various kind of carbonated drinks are things that we will enjoy for a while.
You only die once, you live every day… 😉
