We are lucky enough to have a lovely rental property that sits behind the first hole of a golf course. It is quite nice not to have other homes behind us and we have a great view up the fairway for this hole. The only time it is irritating is some mornings when the groundskeepers come riding down to their shack which is also behind the first hole and they are quite noisy as they get out their machines. But for the most part it is peaceful and quiet and great. We see deer cross the fairway sometimes and there's always some magpies and crows flying around down there.
Living here we have come to realize what a strange breed is the golfer and especially the British golfer. It is not a sport that anyone in my family has ever taken up as a hobby or sport or vocation or love. But the golfers that play the course behind us must be the most avid and determined and also frustrated golfers in the world. They are out there every single day. No matter the weather, no matter the date, no matter the time, we see golfers on the course. The only times we have not seen golfers pursuing their passion have been the three times when the course has been covered in snow. And quite frankly, we were a bit surprised that there weren't golfers in the snow. I figured there would be colored golf balls by now so they could be tracked. But snow means no golfers.
Until this week! Surrey has taken some heavy rainfall this week and parts of Surrey have gone swimming involuntarily. Our own garden is a mixture of swamp and muck but at least not underwater like some of my friends. The first day after the big storm that dumped water on Surrey this week, I was home all day and not once did I see a golfer out on the course. I didn't think much about it but then we kept having rain and more rain and more rain and now for three days there have been no golfers. I imagine that it is so wet and muddy that the course has been closed because the golf cleats could probably tear up the grounds pretty badly. There is a sand trap near our first hole and right now, it is a water feature.
So the golf course is empty and I rather miss the golfers. They come in all sizes and shapes and all manner of odd golf clothes and bring everything from golf carts to remote controlled golf bags that roll across the course by themselves. And as we have seen golfers in heavy rains and heavy winds, still out there whacking the ball, I believe that the course has been closed by the owners and that there would be golfers there in spite of all the wet and soggy conditions, were they allowed. Hopefully we'll see some in the next few days.
Wednesday, December 25, 2013
Disappearing Fish
We have a very nice pond in our back garden. And we have 6 fish in there and looking very nice as well. We had learned our first winter here that when it gets cold, the fish tend to sink down to the bottom of the pond and hibernate. So we don't have to feed them and don't have to worry about them. Our first year though, I did worry that they might not be getting enough air when the pond froze and I was right. When spring came and the pond thawed, all of the fish came to the top gasping for air and they all died. So we replaced them with the 6 we have now and next winter, I made sure to poke holes in the ice with this lovely golf club I had found thrown into the bushes behind our house.
Everyone told me that herons come and eat your fish. I haven't seen a heron yet anywhere around our house and garden but people kept telling me I would lose my fish to a heron. About mid Oct, I finally decided to heed the warnings and put a net over the pond to keep any potential heron from stealing my fish and also to keep the leaves from falling into the water. I left one end, about a foot wide, of the pond open because the neighborhood cats and foxes and badgers and squirrels all drink out of the pond. There are water lily pads in the pond so I figured the fish could stay under the water lilies and out of danger or they would deserve to get eaten.
Wow, talk about locking the barn door or tempting fate! Our pond developed a leak and we were having to fill it, even after all the rain. So our landlord came over to replace it and punched a huge hole in the lining to drain it. I was standing by with two nets to catch my fish. Pond is getting lower and lower in water level and so far I have only gotten one fish in my net. Finally, the pond is almost empty and there are no more fish in there at all. I go downstairs under the deck where the water is draining and there is one fish lying in the puddle there. that's 2 of 6 and that was all! someone, some cat, some heron, some fox, some squirrel, or some badger has come and eaten my fish, four of them. OMG. my net was too little too late.
Once we get in the new pond liner and fill up the pond again, I am going to put the net over the pond right away. I am still going to leave a hole for the wild critters and the neighborhood cats and hopefully these two fish have learned their lessons as to what can happen to their friends when they swim to the end of the pond. yea, right. maybe I'll make spring with two fish and maybe not.
Everyone told me that herons come and eat your fish. I haven't seen a heron yet anywhere around our house and garden but people kept telling me I would lose my fish to a heron. About mid Oct, I finally decided to heed the warnings and put a net over the pond to keep any potential heron from stealing my fish and also to keep the leaves from falling into the water. I left one end, about a foot wide, of the pond open because the neighborhood cats and foxes and badgers and squirrels all drink out of the pond. There are water lily pads in the pond so I figured the fish could stay under the water lilies and out of danger or they would deserve to get eaten.
Wow, talk about locking the barn door or tempting fate! Our pond developed a leak and we were having to fill it, even after all the rain. So our landlord came over to replace it and punched a huge hole in the lining to drain it. I was standing by with two nets to catch my fish. Pond is getting lower and lower in water level and so far I have only gotten one fish in my net. Finally, the pond is almost empty and there are no more fish in there at all. I go downstairs under the deck where the water is draining and there is one fish lying in the puddle there. that's 2 of 6 and that was all! someone, some cat, some heron, some fox, some squirrel, or some badger has come and eaten my fish, four of them. OMG. my net was too little too late.
Once we get in the new pond liner and fill up the pond again, I am going to put the net over the pond right away. I am still going to leave a hole for the wild critters and the neighborhood cats and hopefully these two fish have learned their lessons as to what can happen to their friends when they swim to the end of the pond. yea, right. maybe I'll make spring with two fish and maybe not.
Friday, December 20, 2013
The Slimy Rule
Normally I stick with the slimy rule for food. Anything slimy in the food category, be it veggies, fruit, meat, etc, automatically goes to the smell test, albeit rather cautiously, and then is trashed, binned, garbaged, exited from the area. This rule has worked well for us over the years and probably kept us from getting any manner of nasty food related illnesses. (YES, some foods are actually meant to be slimy but we don't like most of them, e.g. durian)
This morning, for some reason I ignored the slimy rule. My thinking was: This is a brand new package of streaky bacon, I've just gotten it out of the freezer as of yesterday, I am opening it for the first time today, why would it be slimy???? But it was. I went to the smell test as that's automatic and not even necessary of thought. It really smelled OK. Nothing rank, nothing "OMG", nothing "PHEW" so I cooked a couple of strips for myself and a couple for my husband.
Another clue - it was exactly the same type of streaky bacon that I had cooked two days before but it didn't crisp up and get brown nicely. Still, no matter how many times I get British streaky bacon, it does something different in my pan almost every time so I ignored that warning as well.
Plated our breakfasts (notice how nicely I referred to putting our food on the plates?) and set them on the table. In a few minutes, hubby comes downstairs ready for breakfast and ready for work. By now, I was deep into a Sudoku puzzle and it took me a few minutes to look up and speak to him. By then, he had already taken a big bite of the bacon and had moved on to toast. I told him it had been slimy and he goes "thanks for warning me!" But as he didn't say anything else, I took a bite of mine too and swallowed it down.
In a few minutes, I noticed he was looking rather grim and concentrating rather fiercely on whatever was in his mouth. So I asked "what's up" and he replies, "this bacon has a really weird taste. You should have stuck to the slimy rule." Oh great, just great. Now we both are waiting for our stomachs to explode today and I have to say that I think mine just did. gulp. I am NEVER ignoring the slimy rule again!!! NEVER, EVER. Slimy is bad, slimy is evil, slimy is - opps, gotta run.
This morning, for some reason I ignored the slimy rule. My thinking was: This is a brand new package of streaky bacon, I've just gotten it out of the freezer as of yesterday, I am opening it for the first time today, why would it be slimy???? But it was. I went to the smell test as that's automatic and not even necessary of thought. It really smelled OK. Nothing rank, nothing "OMG", nothing "PHEW" so I cooked a couple of strips for myself and a couple for my husband.
Another clue - it was exactly the same type of streaky bacon that I had cooked two days before but it didn't crisp up and get brown nicely. Still, no matter how many times I get British streaky bacon, it does something different in my pan almost every time so I ignored that warning as well.
Plated our breakfasts (notice how nicely I referred to putting our food on the plates?) and set them on the table. In a few minutes, hubby comes downstairs ready for breakfast and ready for work. By now, I was deep into a Sudoku puzzle and it took me a few minutes to look up and speak to him. By then, he had already taken a big bite of the bacon and had moved on to toast. I told him it had been slimy and he goes "thanks for warning me!" But as he didn't say anything else, I took a bite of mine too and swallowed it down.
In a few minutes, I noticed he was looking rather grim and concentrating rather fiercely on whatever was in his mouth. So I asked "what's up" and he replies, "this bacon has a really weird taste. You should have stuck to the slimy rule." Oh great, just great. Now we both are waiting for our stomachs to explode today and I have to say that I think mine just did. gulp. I am NEVER ignoring the slimy rule again!!! NEVER, EVER. Slimy is bad, slimy is evil, slimy is - opps, gotta run.
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