Secret garden update.

Someone really needs to give my hubby a lesson in 'small is beautiful' sometime.

I asked him to make me a raised bed for the secret garden, he loves working with wood (despite being allergic to sawdust) so I knew it would be a work of art and I gave him the measurements. I hold my hand up here and admit that I did say 8ft long by 3ft wide, but the timber we were looking at was thin. He ordered the wood and when it arrived alarm bells should have rung, but I assured myself he was planning to make two (as I thought I'd previously mentioned).

I'll pause here to say it's nobody's fault that I now have a magnificent wooden enclosure that could, if planted with edible stuff, feed our village for a year. Alternatively, I could breed a herd of wilder beast in it, or line it and have a luxury swimming pool. I haven't even begun to work out the cost of filling it with soil, but it's going to be at least 50 big bags.

So! how much did this raised bed cost?

Wood - £105
Delivery - £5
Stain - £10
Screws - £14 (well they were brass)
New circular saw - £50
Compost/soil of some sort - £150 (guessing)
Things to grow in it - anything from £50

Total - £384

And there was me worrying about a plant I bought for it that will grow to 3ft wide by 3ft high, it will be in plant heaven stretching it's little feet out and wiggling it's toes. Winnie however is well impressed with the hugeness of the new litter tray.



I've had a mare of a time with blogger tonight, could someone please tell me where the choice of font and colour have gone because I'm going to bed now, before I do something I'll regret a lot.

Special Indian Onion Salad

1lb/450g onions (I use red and white for the colourfulness)
1 tomato (I use 3)
Quarter of a cucumber (I use at least half)
2 tablespoons coriander leaves (I use more)
1 green chilli (it's a woosies salad)
4 tablespoons sugar
Half a teaspoon salt
2oz/50g garlic vinegar (just finely chop a clove into your regular vinegar)

Peel and slice the onions thinly. Peel and chop finely tomato and cucumber. Chop coriander leaves finely, if fresh coriander is unobtainable omit entirely. Seed chilli and chop finely. Mix sugar and salt in vinegar and dissolve. Put onions, cucumber and chilli into glass dish (I put it in tupperware container so it's easy to transport). Mix well and let soak in vinegar mix. Add the tomato before serving (I add it with the onions, cucumber and chilli). Mix well and sprinkle with coriander leaves before serving (I put the coriander in a couple of hours before it's going to be eaten so the flavour can permeate the salad).

This is yummy, especially with a good burger.