Wednesday, 21 June 2023

But Me No Butts

 My two water butts were completely empty by Friday afternoon. I filled them to 50% with the hosepipe on Saturday, and Sunday night's rain raised the level to about 90%. [I much prefer to water the plants with a watering can, filled from the butt, rather than use the hosepipe] 

Crops are growing well, we are enjoying the mizuma salad leaves and perpetual spinach most days. The broad beans and shallots should be ready for harvesting shortly. I think I need to re-pot my greenhouse tomatoes into bigger pots. My herbs are doing well, and appearing in many dishes- mint, sage, chives, thyme, rosemary, basil and bay. Bob made some lovely iced tea the other day, adding mint sprigs. I've yet to make cucumber sandwiches withadded chopped mint [allegedly a favourite of our late Queen Elizabeth and served at Buck House Garden Parties] I am very pleased with the produce so far this year.
The word butt has loads of meanings
  • the thick end of a branch
  • an archery target [hence the archery area is called 'the butts]
  • the thicker [hind end] of a leather animal skin
  • the target of criticism or ridicule
  • a push or blow, especially given with the head
  • the stub or a cigar or cigarette
  • a liquid measure equivalent to 126 US gallons
  • a carpentry joint where two bits of wood adjoin without special shaping
  • a person's buttocks
  • and finally -a cask for containing wine or liquor [or water]
And it wasn't Shakespeare who coined the phrase...

    Thank you for all the comments yesterday. πŸ˜₯. Like so many of you I'm really saddened by the state of our nation. I had one long comment from Anon, explaining that the Govt were lying about the seriousness of covid, and knew there was no risk in partying. Having personal experience of family and friends dying, or still suffering, I chose not to publish that comment. 

    17 comments:

    1. I was very happy that our butts were refilled by the rain but not as much as they could do due to the nail in the downpipe rusting so it came away from the pipe and the water was spurting out of the nail hole into the fence! Oh no, not a conspiracy commenter! Kx

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    2. I think I can hazard a guess at who your 'Anonymous' commenter was! Maybe 'they' should just pop their tinfoil hat back on and stop spouting rubbish!
      Your veg' garden is doing really well, now we just need rain to help all our produce along! X

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    3. Butt or Butts is also quite a common street name in Norfolk and you will often find areas named The Butts the origin of which I am not sure but there was a Bishop of Norwich named Butt in the 1600s. I believe the name Butt may have come from Normandy but I am not sure of this.

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    4. I'd quite forgotten the Norfolk Butts, thanks for this Rachel. I shall research further ..

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    5. I remember childhood hilarity at the word.

      Your garden looks glorious!!

      Hugs!

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    6. Hosepipe ban here in Devon so you fill your butts ups while you can. (however, long and I'll be honest a bit boring discussion on the news here which resulted in us being told that it is ok to water veg patches so you should be alright if a ban comes your way)
      I watched some of the enquiry yesterday and people like George Osborne and David Cameron just saying "no - austerity didn't make a difference" I'm not sure how these people can ever be held to account.

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    7. Accountability is lacking all over the place methinks

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    8. What an interesting and apposite post! My husband yesterday reinstated our water butt yesterday after last year's building works and casually wished for some rain to fill it. A few hours later we had a deluge which not only topped up the water butt and also delayed the Scotland v Georgia match, taking place at Hampden, just across the Clyde, for an hour and a half. Scotland won!!

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      Replies
      1. Good that you have a full water butt, and a Scottish victory. Great result all round

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    9. P.S. Kezzie here! Forgot to mention that the Sackbutt is an ancestor of the Trombone!

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    10. Oh I love the idea of cucumber sandwiches with chopped mint, but I would need them served to me, with tea in a china cup, and with a few corgis at my feet!

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    11. Looks like your garden is growing well!

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