Questions and anthers

Two years ago I got a cutting of a pepper plant from a colleague.  It had been growing idly away and not really doing much else, as plants do.
I had pretty much given up on it actually producing any peppers (it produced many flowers, but these never turned into anything) until a friend from work informed me that the flowers needed to be pollinated.  In hindsight, it was a bit obvious - how else do plants fruit?

So, I spent the next week helping the pepper plant to have sex with itself.  This isn't as kinky as it sounds, and just involved rubbing some pollen onto a cotton bud from one flower and brushing it onto the anthers of another flower.  Less than two weeks later, a small green bud had formed where a dying flower was.

A few weeks later, we were able to harvest our first (and only!) pepper.  We ate it raw with a homemade fish pie and it was amazing!  It makes such a difference growing your own.  The store bought ones taste very watery by comparasion.  We're hoping to get more peppers from it next year, but I think producing its one pepper took a lot out of it as it's going a bit yellow around the leaves.  Hopefully it will recover over the months.

 The tiny but tasty pepper!

A very shiny picture of the pepper's insides.

Monthly update

I've realised it's been a month since my last post. I'm really going to have to either stop apologising for not updating, or just get better at posting regularly.

We have reached a point with the house buying where nothing seems to be happening, but there's a lot going on in the background (i.e. legal searches).  There was a bit of a delay as the vendors hadn't instructed their solicitors for three weeks.  There was a miscommunication between them from what I gather, but thankfully things are progressing.
It's looking more like we will move in early November, so a bit later than we'd have liked but still way before the baby arrives.

Pregnancy-wise everything is going well. I'm still getting bouts of nausea but it's a lot better than the early weeks.  The movements are very strong now, and at times it can be uncomfortable. I don't mind this since it means the baby is active and well.  I'm not saying I wouldn't appreciate it if it would stop bouncing around on my bladder though.  I'm getting to a stage where running is getting uncomfortable, so I think I will have to stop altogether soon - I'm finding it hard weaning off completely!  I feel really unfit at the moment, although I know that's pregnancy-related.  Walking up stairs leaves me feeling like I've sprinted a mile with no warm-up!  I walk for 1hr40mins a day, do yoga once a week and a pregnancy fitness DVD once a week, so I doubt I am actually as unfit as I feel just now.

24 weeks pregnant

As the post title suggests, I've now reached the 24 week mark.  It's quite a nice point to be in, as if Little Parasite decides to make a super early entrance, its survival rate has increased dramatically from the last week. I'd still rather it cooked for a little longer though, so it can avoid any health risks associated with premature babies.  Plus we're really ill-prepared just now.  We're in the process of buying a house, and we're hoping to complete before October, so there seems little point buying any bulky furniture/prams etc. till we've moved.

Overall, I think I'm in the nice stage of pregnancy. I'm not too nauseous (although I'm unimpressed that I am still getting bouts of nausea), I'm more alert than the last trimester (again, unimpressed that I haven't experienced the mega-surge in energy I read about!), and my bump is still small enough not to be cumbersome.
So far, I've also been lucky not to have heart burn or swollen feet.  My main gripe is that the weird after-taste after eating anything has remained with me. At least I can gargle mouthwash to ease that (although sometimes even that leaves an odd taste) and it no longer makes me gag.

I had my first 'bump feeler' this week too.  I was surprised by how little it bothered me.  I'm  not the most tactile of people, so I was really expecting to have a major strop the first time someone touched my bump without asking.  Luckily I knew the person, otherwise they may not have evaded injury so easily.

I have had to buy maternity clothes now.  They are soooo comfortable!  I don't know why they don't make jeans that comfy for non-pregnant people. I may have to move in to them permanently.
It has made me realise just how baggy I must wear my clothes usually though, since I still have a couple of pairs of jeans that are quite loose.

Anyway, on to the bump pictures...

 

21 week belly shot

 

21 week belly shot

Just to show how ridiculous my usual clothes

are looking now. 

24 week belly shot

My bump really seems to have had a 

growth spurt the last couple of weeks.

It went from being 'pregnant or fat?'

to definitely pregnant in about 2 weeks.