News from the hibernaculum

 Life is rather more indoors now, especially as I have caught a cold.  That wasn't my best idea of the season but as has often been said, stuff happens.

I've been staying in since Sunday and really haven't felt like doing much.  My birthday cards are still up and I feel that the cards and the candles make for a cheery note in my sitting room.  I shall soon fringe the scarves which you can see piled up, and then they can go off to the Salvation Army in Grimsby.  I don't feel up to card making or sewing but I'm picking up my knitting occasionally.

The only thing I feel like eating is toast and Marmite.  And, sad to say, instant soups.  Getting soup out of the freezer has felt too much like hard work but may happen today or tomorrow.  

And I'm compiling an order for some roses, including one called "The Country Parson" which is a gift from Jack.  Thank you Jack but don't think that is the only one you will be planting.  

What's ahead?

I had a bit of a shock last month when Annie-the-home-enhancer told me she will soon be taking six months off from cleaning as she is expecting a baby (her fourth).  To be honest I'd noticed she had gained weight but the reason had never occured to me.  Bless her heart, she says she wants to continue doing my ironing (which she does at home) as she doesn't want to sit around getting bored.  My observation is that mums have very little time for sitting around!  We shall see.  

But how to keep my house clean, that is the question.  Step forward Jack.  He's helped me before.  Don't tell him that I said this, but he's actually quite good.  I shall get him to push the vacuum cleaner around the house but I shall do what I can.  I've also told him that we are going to clean out various cupboards while he's here.  I think he's hoping to "help" me clean out the freezer as he has his eye on my supply of home-made soups.   

B is for Butternut

Butternut squash sounds like a vegetable that has put on a woolly cardigan, made itself a cuppa and settled down for the afternoon.

Jack  treated me to a plant earlier this year.  We both watched it with avidity.  It has produced but a single fruit.  That single fruit has been cossetted and is a pretty good specimen.  Jack put various things under it to protect it from the slugs and any other nasties which might be lurking and I have watered it. 

And then for its final destination.   I think I will roast some to go with meat but then I shall make soup so Jack can have some to take home.  Such wonderful bounty must be shared!

Butternut squash has a very cheerful colour (mine isn't ripe yet). That beautiful golden orange seems to say, “Yes, summer has gone, but we shall have soup.”  

A joy to be savoured in my hibernaculum.   

 

Happy Birthday!

 

It's Jack's birthday.  He has come to visit me as he knows he will get one of his favourite breakfasts (bacon butties) if he comes here.

That might look like some sort of chocolate cake to you, but Jack had said he didn't want a cake.  Instead I made a batch of ducks and put birthday candles in them.  He was quite happy with that.

I also knitted him a new hat so he can proclaim himself to be a supporter of Lincoln City.  And that book he's holding is the history of Lincoln City Football Club.  They are doing rather well this season.

Happy Birthday, Jack.

(He's 83.  I was probably not supposed to tell you that.  Tee hee.)

Jack writes

 

It's a long time since I wrote anything so, as I am going to visit one of my long-standing friends to take her an item she couldn't carry because of the weight, I can kill two birds with one stone.  

Now, the vicar has been worrying about my sanity of late.  It all started last year when she gave me  a forty-two piece wooden jigsaw of a lot of penguins.  That blasted jigsaw just about put me in the nut-house!  It took me three hours to complete it.  Then somebody else gave me a thousand piece jigsaw.  I spent weeks and months struggling with it and if I had any hair I would have pulled it out, but then gave it up as a bad job.  Well, Christmas came again again and guess what my reverend so-called friend put among my pressies?  That's right another jigsaw.  Two hundred and fifty pieces this time and it was a map of my local area which again has me in tears.  I did tell her not to buy me a jiggie for Christmas but did she listen? NO!!!.  So, enjoy this post as it could be a long time before I get enough sanity back to write another one.

When we first started our phone calls (after I lost my wife of fifty three years)it was a ten minute chat, but sometimes now it is forty five minutes.  She will keep butting in when I am in full flow so I blame her for the length.  But we laugh a lot and I hope the vicar enjoys our morning chats as much as I do.  Some of the long words I say may not be quite right but she gets enormous pleasure when she corrects me.  

I hope you are all in he best of health and that the good Lord is taking care of you.  I hope I can write again soon (the vicar is the editor so she gets the last word.  She also gets the last word if I text.

Keep smiling

Jack

PS.  This is the vicar getting the last word.  Jack will read and enjoy your comments but cannot reply to them.

HAF

 aka How about February?  What is planned?  What is hoped for?

First of all, I shall be very busy leading worship.  My dear Friend E has gone on a cruise all around the coast of South America, lucky lady.  This means Plan B comes into operation meaning I have one Sunday "off" per month.  Unfortunately when I saw another friend M in Brigg I thought she looked rather ill, so I'm stepping in to take her service on the "spare" Sunday this month.  I've also got a funeral booked and am speaking at the funeral of someone with whom I have been friends since we met in the sixth form fifty seven years ago.  And there's a couple of midweek things I am needed for.

The Mermaids aren't swimming at the moment but we are helping to make up jigsaws ready for a special event in May.  I am useless at jigsaws.  The other Mermaids can confirm that.  

I've planned three meals out but there may be more.  One is  to celebrate the Silver Wedding Anniversary of a couple I married.  That is a very special joy.  

Jack is coming today to do a couple of small jobs.  He's threatening to write a blog post.

I'm still in my Hibernaculum Project.  My new mindset on winter has been very successful.  I won't say I will be sorry when spring comes but I won't be dreading next winter.   

V is for visit

 

Yesterday it was hard to write a post about "U" but today I had a choice for "V".  The obvious subject was the Virgin Mary, but instead I wanted to share the Advent Collect with you.  In many Anglican churches it is used throughout Advent in addition to the collect for the day.  The more modern version omits the word "visit" but I remember being struck by it as a child.  

Almighty God,

Give us grace that we may cast away the works of darkness,

and put upon us the armour of light,

now in the time of this mortal life,

in which thy Son Jesus Christ came to visit us in great humility;

that in the last day, when he shall come again in his glorious Majesty to judge both the quick and the dead,

we may rise to the life immortal;

through him who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, now and ever.

Another thing I remember as a child is being taken on seemingly innumerable visits to people I didn't really know but who were known to my parents as people who would have a lonely Christmas.  It's a custom I still maintain as do many others.  

The posh gentlemen have got fed up with walking as their feet are so sore and they are considering giving up the idea of visiting.  (The camels went on strike a while ago.)  They've now hijacked my car and my trundle truck.  And it would appear that they pinched some Elastoplast for their blisters!   

And I've just had a visit from Jack, not to sort my garden but to exchange presents.  Jack, thank you for all you do.  I hope you (and all my readers) have a blessed Christmas and a peaceful 2026.  

Millie writes

I haven't written for you before but we have met - I come with a human called Jack (see sidebar) and you know quite a bit about him.  I'm his manager: I make sure he gets up in good time, gets regular walks and generally behaves himself.  It's not easy, let me tell you!

Yesterday we went to see Mary.  I have a good relationship with Mary.  She has quite a good treat tin and she's very good at tickling my ears.  She also helps with making sure that Jack behaves but I am better at that than she is.

Our visit had been planned for quite a while but we can only go sort Mary when the weather is good so this trip had been postponed a few times.  Yesterday the weather was OK (well, it wasn't actually raining) so we went.  We were needed to empty the shed.  Unfortunately Mary wasn't well so Jack cleared the shed while she sat and said yes or no for what she wanted.  I supervised.  I wasn't sure whether it was better to go outside to supervise him more closely or whether to stay in and supervise her.  She had the treat tin so inside won.  

Anyway, we got the job done and Jack arranged the disposal of everything she didn't want.  She went off to bed and we went home taking a lot of things from the shed.  It's good to know she's on my side when it comes to managing Jack.

And, in case you are worried, she phoned to say thank you for my efforts, and she's feeling a lot better

End of summer

 Jack came yesterday and the garden is now transformed!

He removed the tomato plants and tromboncino and tidied my veg plot.  He took home the green tomatoes and I had the red ones.  It's been my best ever year for tomatoes and I didn't want to ripen the last few.  I've got a few beetroot and carrots still to harvest. 

The ripe tomatoes will become yet another batch of tomato puree which I use for soup. 

He disposed of the runner beans and sweet peas and tidied the flower border.  Runner beans haven't done very well this year and we've decided to grow climbing French beans as an experiment next year.  He's planted some wallflowers too.  

He had his usual bacon buttie and I made some crumble for him to take home to top some fruit he has already.  I had invited him to lunch but he had also been invited out for his evening meal.  He has the remains of a cottage pie given him by a generous hostess.  And he will get the leftovers from a local carvery delivered as well.    He missed out on lunch.  

So I had a solitary meal of salmon, new potatoes, peas and a generous dollop of home-made tartare sauce. 

Don't worry, Jack.  I know you hate waste so I'll eat your share today.

Jack writes

 Hi, everyone.  

It's about time I did another post.  First, thank you all so much for your kind comments when I rang that bell.  

The Vicar's tomatoes are better than mine.

Now for a more important matter.  The Vicar.  As of late she's been reprimanding me for my use of words in the wrong places.  Maybe I'm not learning all the big words she comes out with.  I feel so inferior so I've learnt a few big words (by that I mean more than four letters) so I can at least fire back on the odd occasion when I can get a word in.  Although we talk every morning for 25-45 minutes, I do well to string five sentences together, and I might get some of the words in the wrong places, e.g. I said I was ravishing when she offered me a Christmas dinner.  She's never let me forget it should be ravenous.  On other occasion I've got things wrong and it always gives her great pleasure to berate me when I'm wrong.  She also gets great pleasure when she wakes me up with her phone call.  That doesn't happen very often.

This year all the stuff I've planted in her garden has done a lot better than the stuff I planted in mine and she always goes out of her way to remind me of that fact.

Saying all that, I must let you know that I would miss our chats in the morning and I'm sure the vicar would too.  

I know it goes against the grain for me to be nice but I've got to admit she's always there for anyone who asks for her help, me included.  I lost my wife and as long as I keep breathing I always be grateful for what she did for me

I hope you all keep well and, if my post has brought a smile to your face,  it will make me happy too.  Laughter is better than pills so once again thanks for all your comments not just to me but to my friend, the vicar.

God bless.

Jack

Sometimes all you can do is smile

move on with your day

hold back the tears

and pretend you're OK.

He's been!

Pot placed in a dull bit of garden

 I looked out of my window at 6.55am and saw a man and a dog.  Millie Dog soon came for a treat and a tickle but Jack was a man with a mission.  And a spray.  So he got on with his job.  And Millie sorted me out.

A small corner well used

We had to delay the bacon butty ritual as I was expecting a Sainsbury delivery which arrived about 7.45am so the great man didn't expire from hunger.  Actually, that would be unlikely as he had eaten his first breakfast at home.  The butty was a mere top-up.  Three thick rashers of (butcher's) back bacon in a large bun.  Milly Dog had another treat.  (She'd had her breakfast before she came, too.)

Poppies allowed to grow and Stulch applied

Anyway, the usual whirlwind has been around my garden.  I've been buying Strulch this year (mineralised straw mulch) and Jack thinks it marvellous as it has reduced the need for weeding considerably, it looks good and will bio-degrade.  I am gradually buying shrubs so that there will be less work in future especially as they will be surrounded with Strulch.  

Veg garden.  (Jack - just a few things for planting next time you come!

And then he  did everything else.  He's taken most of the leaves from the tomato plant to encourage the fruits to mature.  He's weeded the non-strulched areas.  He's picked beans (maybe because he fancied a few!) and sweet peas for me.  He's even got a few tomatoes to take home with him.  

How would I manage without Jack!

My beans are better than the one he's grown at home!

I have no idea!

 A couple of months ago I bought a courgette plant.  I asked Jack to plant it and before too long it flowered.  Jack was bemused by the fruits which started to appear but we left it to its own devices.  I kept looking but none seemed ready to pick.  

This evening while I was making my way around the raised vegetable bed something brushed against my leg.  A courgette.  At least two feet long! How on earth had I missed this!  And I have no idea what variety of courgette this is.  Can you help?  I think it is a grafted plant.  Fortunately I bought just one as it appears to be very prolific.

But while I was outside I also picked my first "big" tomato of the season.  I've been eating cherry tomatoes for several days but this is the first full size jobby of 2025.

And at least every other day I have picked a bunch of sweet peas.

Jack tells me his his own garden isn't doing nearly as well as mine.  Tee hee.  Shame about that! 

But thank you, Jack, for doing such a great job with my garden.  A bacon butty awaits your attention.  And I know you have some brilliant leeks which you hope I will turn into soup for you.  

The fruits/flowers/vegetables of his labours

 Jack came yesterday.  I had to go for a rest!

He sorted my vegetable plot and planted my winter broccoli.

We had the first few tomatoes with our bacon butties.

He brought vegetables in for me to use.

He checked the runner beans.

He's given me permission to pick my sweet peas. 

He brought me some roses from his garden.

He checked the roses in my garden and approved of the "Strulch" I bought earlier in the year.  I am allowed to buy more. 

He must have been in a good mood as he allowed me to keep my poppies.  

And he took a dozen savoury ducks home with him.

A picture which has brought me joy.

 I haven't mentioned Jack much recently but this picture has brought me great joy.

He's ringing the bell at the cancer unit to celebrate coming to the end of his radiotherapy treatment.  

And he's coming to sort my garden next week.  Bacon butties and savoury ducks planned.

In disgrace

 I don't suppose it's a surprise to anyone that I am in disgrace with Jack.  He came yesterday.

His first complaint was that I haven't written anything on this blog for a month.  As you can see I have remedied that. 

Then he moaned about the number of plants I had acquired.  There were carrots, beetroot, rocket, tomatoes, mimulus, sweet peas, gazania, salvia, begonia, antirrhinum, geraniums and African marigolds.  So he sorted all of them.  Except the geraniums which I have been growing on and they are still a bit small.  

And anyway he added to the quantity by bringing me a daphne, a cotoneaster and something he couldn't remember the name of.  Fortunately I like surprises.  

He planted up my vegetable garden but we have plenty of room for other crops.  The "snake" is a porous hose.  It's the easiest way for me to water the garden.

He filled pots and beds so that I will have a glorious show in the summer.

And he went home with six portions of home-made soup and twelve savoury ducks.

He can't complain about that.  But he'll find something else.  

That was March

 

The great thing about March is that we have finished with February!  There are more sunny days, less bitter cold, more looking forward, less moping.

My month started with eight days with the lovely Holly-Dog.  (I have been mis-spelling her name.  Sorry, Holly).  She made me very welcome and has invited me for a few days in May.  

I've had quite a few meals out.  Some time ago I made the decision to reduce the number of times I eat out and so make going out much more of a treat.  This month I have had lunch out thrice and brunch once, as well as a couple of meets for coffee.  

I've been swimming three times.  I'm in a group of five who call ourselves Monday Mermaids.  We are all "ladies of a certain age" and we hire a small private pool for an hour.  It's great.

Jack has been twice and made a start on the garden for this year.  He also came with a friend for afternoon tea and with his son for coffee.  Many years ago I conducted the weddings of both his son and his daughter and it's a real pleasure when I see either of them.  

I've been leading a lot of worship as one (non stipendiary) priest has been away on a cruise and another (stipendiary) has been in hospital.  

Happy Birthday, Jack!

 I visited you on Saturday and you seem set for a very good birthday which will last for several days.  I won't tell everyone how old you are but I thought this photograph from four years ago would be OK for today.  You mentioned a pretty good supply of birthday cakes which have been promised so I don't think you'll starve.

It's quite a long time since you first told me that my garden looked a mess and responded to my challenge to do something about it.  I don't regret the challenge - do you regret picking up that particular gauntlet? (or gardening glove?)

We've had very different life paths and I think we've each learnt quite a lot from the other but I'm sure you'll understand when I say I'd rather not learn your culinary techniques.  Maybe you haven't wanted to learn some of my gardening ideas either.  Tough!

I hope you enjoy the present I left for you when I came.  And I'm sure you'll have a lovely week.

Love, The Vicar. XX

February and March

The number of posts I managed in February wasn't exactly stellar.  Just the one.

For me January and February are usually difficult months and 2025 ran true to form.  Early in the month I woke one morning with incredible pain in my leg, worse than when I was waiting for the knee replacement.  Jim and Sheena, one of my cousins, managed to borrow a wheelchair so I could get to the car, and between them they took me to the doctor.  Strong pain killer and physiotherapy.  I felt more than a little light headed while taking pain relief but eventually everything settled down.

That had eased when I had a "digestive episode".  You don't want/need to know any more.  Except that things were a little miserable for several days until that settled.  

So, my post on being OK (which I wrote between these two incidents) was very necessary and hearing that lots of other people are also surviving by being OK was very comforting.  Thank you to everyone who commented.

I have high hopes for March!  I'm starting the month with eight days dog sitting which is going well.  When I get home I am looking forward to pottering around my garden and making a few plans.  Jack and one of his friends are coming for tea one day so I have to be on my very best behaviour and I have high hopes that his friend will make sure Jack is on his best behaviour too.  

The weather here is gloriously sunny at the moment so I may take advantage of that with a couple of days out.

And with good luck and a following wind I may get a few more blog posts written.

I think I must be very good-natured or maybe just a mug

 

Not by Jack - his weren't as neat as this,

Jack and I always exchange Christmas presents.  We have done so for several years.  Some of his to me are unusual - anybody else get a tin of mushy peas and some kettle descaling tablets among the things they received last year?  No?  Then it'll just be me. (He is actually very generous and many gifts are very nice but he would have to admit that some are "unusual".) 

Anyway, Jack likes to buy each person several things.  This all fine and dandy but Jack is not the best present wrapper around.  I'm certain there was a whole roll of sellotape on the things I got last year.  I felt that he might appreciate a little help in the gift wrapping department so I invited him to come for help and a little tuition.

I think it may have been a revelation to him.  I suggested gift bags for awkwardly shaped presents.  We talked about the best sort of paper and how some paper is difficult to use and some are not eco friendly.  He discovered how to use a minimal amount of sellotape and how to attach a gift label.  We explored how to decide how much paper is needed for each present.

He didn't bring his presents for me but he has gone home knowing that their appearance will be his biggest test yet.  I'll let you know.

(He reads this blog regularly so now he knows he's got to do his best!  Tee hee!)

O is for Orchid

 To give me a houseplant is to condemn it to death.  That is a simple truth.

Not mine but it could be!

A few years ago Jack's daughter and her husband asked me to help them re-affirm their marriage vows.   I had officiated at the original ceremony twenty years earlier.  All well and good.

But after the ceremony the happy couple gave me a thank you present.  Which was an orchid.  And knowing my "skill" with houseplants, Jack sniggered.  He knew he would be crowing soon.  

I took it home and googled "care of orchids" and I discovered it would like bright light but not direct sunlight.  So I put it on the bathroom window sill which is south facing but I thought the frosted glass would moderate the brightness of the sunshine.  And I waited for the poor thing to die.  

Roughly weekly I gave it a drink.  I found some drip feed made especially for orchids.  And I ignored any advice which Jack gave me.

I'm claiming crowing rights!