Tag Archives: Facebook

Happy New Year

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Okay, so I realise that it is March but, as you probably have noticed, I have been neglecting the blog fairly badly of late. But, then again, it is a blog about gardening and as the garden has either been covered in alternating layers of snow and ice for what feels like months or hidden under a layer of mud and water there hasn’t been much of anything to write about.

Today started out sunny with a slight dusting of yesterdays snow covering the paths. But it was cold. The kind of cold that makes you eyes and nose run simultaneously and takes your breath away and dries the back of your throat with every in breath. I had plans to get wrapped up warm and walk over to the allotment but by the time I had returned from walking the wee boy to his nursery class the weather had closed in and intermittent flurries of furious snow were whistling and swirling bringing the temperature down even further. So, instead of a walk I opted for a mug of hot coffee and an hour on the lap top with my back pressed against the warmth of the radiator.

It hasn’t just been the blog that has been overlooked, as I booted up my email account I realised that it had also been a victim of my tardiness. Endless emails advertising this that and the other filled the inbox and the trash box – oh! was even worse with amount of emails in there reaching four figures. Delete, delete, delete.

I have experienced significant change in my life over the past few months which has resulted in cupboards cleaned and drawers re-organised, new fabrics bought and new order in the household. Today, my social media outlets got the same treatment.

Little Muddy Boots has served me well but I feel that Girl Gardening has more to offer. I am, after all, a girl who gardens, not one who wears little muddy boots and Larger  Shabby Muddy Boots just didn’t have the same ring to it.  I had. a while ago begun to set up a whole new account for Girl Gardening but then decided it was a shame to lose all those posts (including my Turbines post which was Freshly Pressed in June 2012) and delightful followers that I had accumulated over the years so I have today migrated and merged, re-designed and re-named. I hope you like it and I hope that we will, at some point, get the weather we deserve to get out and garden together!

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Girls Night and Guacamole

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Can you remember a time without text messaging, smart phones, Facebook and Twitter? Does it make you wonder how the human race ever communicated with each other?

I often wonder how I would manage if someone made off with my phone. How would I contact people, I don’t know their numbers as they are all stored in that little tiny piece of technology that accompanies me wherever I go. How would I check my email, view my “friends” on Facebook, Tweet some useless anecdote. Would I have to revert to logging my slow laptop on every time I wanted to social network or (shock horror) would I actually have to pick up the phone and talk. My mum despairs of it, she thinks the art of conversation is dead  but my mother-in-law freely admits that she would be lost without her iPhone.

I get loads of text everyday, some are just a few words, others run in to chapter and verse of that days events, sometimes I get texts that really do put a smile on my face. This is one I got earlier in the week:-

“Hello Mrs. We are having a mini girls night round at yours on Thursday, you, me and Lesley. We’ll bring the dinner, pud and wine. See you at 7.30 ish, Jules”

It was not only the brilliant idea, free food and wine and the knowledge these two friends were coming round to cheer me up a bit that was so great about the text. It was the fact that it didn’t give me time to think of a reason why it shouldn’t happen. There was no “I have to be up early”, “let me check my diary” or “can  I call you back?” like there may have been if the idea had been delivered over the phone or in person. I just simply typed back “excellent idea, can’t wait”. I was committed!

As Jules and Lesley were bringing the food I decide that I had to make  an effort with dressing the table. The high chair was stashed in the kitchen, the table polished and scraped of its sticky finger marks and laid out with my best Kath Kidston crockery and napkins. I dusted down my crystal wine glasses and put tall fluted glasses in the freezer for the Prosecco. I even bought candles.

We enjoyed our Prosecco while nibbling on nachos and dips before sitting down to the main course of slow cooked chilli beef and fluffy white rice. As full as we were we still managed to squeeze down a couple of deliciously rich profiteroles before admitting defeat and crashing in the living room with our wine.

It was a great night and while we wished each other a good night via Facebook after we had parted company I do know one thing – the art of conversation is most certainly not dead.

Here’s to the next girls night in (or out) – I will cook next time.

Guacamole

The recipe below is for a delicious guacamole that I made for a recent get together over at Jules’ house. She has been badgering me for the recipe so here it is. It is based on the Lemony Guacamole recipe from River Cottage Veg Everyday by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall.

  • ½ a red chilli, de-seeded and very finely chopped
  • Juice of a lemon
  • Half a clove of garlic, very fines chopped (or passed through a garlic press)
  • 2 large, very ripe avocados
  • 1 tablespoon of olive oil
  • Salt and pepper to season
Simply peel and de-stone the avocados and mash with a fork. Stir in the garlic and chilli followed by the oil. Add the lemon juice a bit at a time until you are happy with the zesty flavour of it. Season to your liking with salt and pepper. Serve with nachos and soured cream.