Preparing to grow

 Hubby got this plant for our side door, we have a huge purple clematis growing one side, this is for the other side where there is very little space to plant this, so hopefully this small root will take, it is already growing. For now it's in the greenhouse allowing the top growth to grow stronger, it was purchased from Home bargains.

We popped to B&Q, I was very good and only got these two items, which is what I need, I have for years used chicken poo pellets, but with foxes in the garden next door, I stopped using them as I don't want them attracted to our garden because the pellets stink. 

I got these seed potatoes from B&M, there aren't many in the pack, which is perfect for us, I have just two bags to grow them, they are sat on my kitchen windowsill. 

My spring bulbs are beginning to bloom in their pots, the joy of having colour outside is immense at this time of year along with hellebores and cyclamen, the garden is looking cheery. I have loads of other pots with leaves growing a promise of more flowers to come.  

I do love this cider pot, I have had it ten years, with many different plants in it, now I keep spring bulbs and a fleabane daisy, which gives interest most of the year, it sits on the veg side of my middle fence, near our Magnolia tree which is visible from the sitting room. 

Friday was fun, Will had been to see The Mary Rose at Portsmouth and was full of stories, hubby and I each gave him £5 as a reward for a good report from his teacher, I do believe in rewarding hard work, as we know if you work to improve yourself it does reap rewards. We popped to a few different shops whilst we were in the area, did not get much just a few bits required. Later we both enjoyed our meal and shared a bottle of red wine, we watched 1 question on channel 4 with Claudia Winkleman, which we both enjoyed, it's a clever idea, one word with 16 possible meanings, contestants have just to find the correct answer, we were unsure on the 1st one, Eleven, but knew the 2nd, Brown.

Saturday was again a cold and grey day, hubby baked chocolate brownies, we walked to our local Co-op for some fruit and veg, the shop is not in the prescient. Afternoon was reading. Sunday hubby was out for the morning, so I lay in bed reading for ages, I did my nails and had a lovely lazy morning. I did some bits in the greenhouse, nothing exciting, I have a few new things already growing and loads doing well sheltered from the cold weather. 

Spring blooms

 I love to see tiny spring bulbs in pots, I have a few pots I bring on to this metal table each year, to be able to see new blooms at this time of year is pure bliss. There are crocus in another pot and my winter cyclamen most of which are still blooming. 

The first snowdrops have arrived, these by my huge herb pot in the side bed, I have small clumps around the garden and some more in a pot. There are signs of other bulbs starting to grow everywhere in the garden, I have some around my wildlife pond as well.

Loads of things doing well in the greenhouse, I have put the top layer of my strawberry tower in here, in hope I can get some early berries. My lime tree has put on loads of new growth, I renewed the compost last summer.

I adore this plant, I had one for years until the frost got to it, I forgot to cover it, so this one will stay in a pot, it has tiny orange flowers, its a fast growing plant. 

Monday was a cold, windy and wet day, with thunder and lightning followed by huge hail stones. We did pop Lilly to the vets, she is doing well, her weight is good, she was the smallest of the litter, her second jab is booked for 3 weeks, we will then book her to be spayed and chipped at about 20 weeks, she stays inside until all done. I had picked up a tummy bug, a couple day feeling yuck, I'm better now.  

Nothing else to tell you, got more supplies for Lilly, we are happy to find a brand of wet food she likes. Met daughter and Molly in our local town on Wednesday, then later walked to the library in our village.

With the horrendous weather we are doing nothing, I won't say too much about our weather, compared to most places in the UK, we get off very lightly, with only Norfolk and Suffolk areas being drier than us. I'm a soft southerner, I don't like cold and wet, together they bring your mood down and keep us inside.

  

Growing

Amaryllis time here again, this is the second bulb to bloom this season, I have a 3rd bulb already growing. 

I've started my sweet peas, I've not used the whole pack, just over half, the rest of the seeds can be used next spring. These soaked for one day, I then popped them on damp kitchen paper, they are on a sunny spot with the lid on to aid growth, once they start to shoot I will pop them in my long root growing containers.

 A very different tale, we all dream of winning the big one, how would you spend the money, would it change you, who you really are. A clever tale, a bit far fetched, but that's why we read non fiction, book 5 read this year.

I do like UK based police stories, it twisted and turned it's way to a conclusion, so many people who could be guilty. All through I had a slight feeling I had read this before, normally I remember quickly, it was the last chapter when I was sure, I checked and found it on my reading list for 2021, book 6 read this year.

I've twisted my back again, so I am am not doing much, it seams it takes less to bring back pain, which this time is taking longer to shift, Lilly is a lovely distraction, but I'm feeling a bit down, hopefully I can bring myself back up. I've not done any crafting, at some point I will get my yarn out and make something, I have plans to use my sewing machine, it will have to wait until my back is stronger. I am walking when I can and reading loads, we popped into the library, so I have plenty to read. 

We have tiny mice near our magnolia tree, they scurry under the bird feeders, we are both enjoying watch them run around, hubby scattered some seeds for them when feeding the birds, I love to see the mice, luckily we haven't seen any rats for ages, we have found a couple of small tunnels coming under our fence. I've not done anything in the garden for a couple of weeks, which is normal for me at this time of year, everywhere is looking tidy, I have things growing which do not require any input from me. 

Still blooming

Through the cooler months I do have some colour in my flowering section, a few summer blooms which should not be, and my winter chosen ones. Bulbs are starting to show, I think these are yellow crocus. 

Also in the greenhouse.

Inside my hyacinths, whilst not that tall are pretty blooms, they should be 2 bright pink and 2 white blooms, another Amaryllis bud is opening, this one is white, I have planted the red bulb. 

Friday we popped to Lidl for bread, milk and fresh bits, we had planned to go on Monday, but with the weather forecast so dire, we took advantage of the sunny dry morning. My eldest grandson popped in with his girlfriend in the afternoon, they enjoyed the cake hubby made, we chatted for hours, he is 19 and such a caring young man.

Saturday Lilly had visitors, Molly, George and Will played with her, we spent time chatting to mummy, we all enjoyed the cake, Will loves red velvet cake, we walked to the village, and got more food for Lilly, had the afternoon reading. Lilly crashed out, we are so pleased she has settled. The day was cold and dry, I had to again break ice on my wildlife pond and the drinking spots for the birds.

Sunday was a day at home together, we woke up to rain thankfully, it was a dull and much warmer day, daughter went out for a meal with friends and stayed over, ex was home with the children, she woke up late morning, something which is difficult to do when you have 3 young children. It's grey and very wet again here, I hope if you have snow you are all OK.

On a different note, I have not been able to comment on your post other than anonymous on my tablet, asked daughter why, she found I was not using Google as my browser, so my tablet did not recognise me, she set Google as my default browser and I can comment as poppypatchwork, most of you would know this, but I do get a few anonymous comments.

First post

Another Christmas gift from daughter, she knows I love these blooms, sadly I can only get them to bloom once, I have a white one already growing, should bloom in the coming weeks. My hyacinth bulbs are beginning to open, pale pink flowers giving colour to a dreary time of year.

The box has come in very handy, as Lilly loves it, our house has become a toy shop for cats, neither Grace or Purdy played with toys, so we had to go shopping for Lilly, she is happily playing or sleeping most of the day. I had said I would get an older cat to love here and have a second chance of happiness, but after losing both of ours, it would be too heart breaking to have to go through loss again too soon, so when daughters cat was pregnant the choice was made for us. 

I've sorted through my seeds, most came free with my subscription to Kitchen Garden magazine, these I am passing on to my neighbour. I have plenty left, I will cancel my subscription in February, 12 copies are enough, and a helpful reference point as I have kept them all. It's a time of planning, I have my note book out, I sketch my beds in the veg area and work out what I'm going to grow, I always cram plants in, my veg space is small.

We enjoyed good TV, Gavin and Stacey on Christmas night as did most of the country, loved The Split Barcelona, Strike, Ink Black Heart, The Christmas Lectures with Chris Van Tulleken, we also are watching The Day of the Jackal, still have a couple to watch. Christmas and January are always full of programs we love, so less reading time. Having I said that New Years Eve was just rubbish up to Graham Norton. 

New Years Eve was quite, just the two of us, we had a nice meal, shared a bottle of blush prosecco, waited up to watch the fireworks in London on the TV, we did stay up until all the fireworks was done, most locally were set off early because of the weather. We had a very blustery night, loads of bangs, neither of us slept well, my greenhouse and garden all came through, later in the day the rains came, some of the worse weather we have had, luckily we do not suffer from flooding here. It's a shame so many displays had to be cancelled, the weather has been horrible once again.

Lilly has settled, she has two igloos tucked away so she can retreat when she needs to, already she is following us and playing, after all her new toys a simple box and balloon not blown up fully keeps her happy. I had forgotten all they joys of a tiny kitten, she is house trained, which means we have a litter box inside, we won't let her out until she has had all her injections, been neutered and chipped.

At the start of another new year, I don't make resolutions, we have changed our lifestyle over recent years, turning our back on commercial, ignoring all the messages on my phone showing stuff they want to sell us as 'stuff you need'. No plans to declutter, our life with less feels so rewarding, our choices are not for everyone, but we both enjoy life. My hope is for 2025 to be a year of peace and calm, if not in our wide world, in each of your worlds.

This week

Sunday I marzipan the cakes, I'm really late this year, I had planned to do them last week, I also made holly wreaths for the top of two, my daughter prefers her left plain, the other smaller cake has thinner marzipan layer, my brother does not like it too thick, when did they all become so fussy. I will ice them on Friday and colour some icing red for berries.

  

Monday my brother arrived, he brought some sweet tree decorations, he made them with his 3D printer, he also brought a set for daughter and children's tree. Later I went to Will's school concert held at a local church, it was packed, loads of people, the children did well, but it was running very late daughter had to leave before the end to get George, so Will and I walked back to his house. Will had a reading which he did clearly, so proud of him.

My first amaryllis has opened, I got it from Lidl already planted in this glass, it's flowering a bit early, behind in the paperwhite daffodils, they are a disappointment, I did not have the best glass pot, and hoped they would thrive. I have another new amaryllis bulb which is growing only leaves this year.

We popped to our favourite garden centre,  I managed to get a plastic rake to help clean up fallen leaves on our fake grass, whilst there I saw their bulbs were 75% off, I was good and only got one pack. They feel nice and firm, I have a pot for them.

Tuesday we went to pets at home to get bits for our kitten Lilly, ensuring she has the same food as daughter is feeding her, we also got a cat scratching post, it was expensive so a lovely young man at the till asked if we all had the apt, my brother did not so they signed him up, found loads of discounts and saved us almost £20, brilliant result. I'm not sure if we will bring Lilly home next week, both daughter and I think she should stay with her mum for a week or two more.

I managed an hour outside, finally cutting back the late raspberry canes, there were a few berries still growing, I also cut back plants growing over the edge of the flowerbeds, everywhere is looking tidy, I still need to change the water in our large dish, it has an oily skin on it where the wood pigeons bathe, we were going to pack it away, but the birds use it daily. A pile of leaves has been collected all from recent storms, all we do now is keep the feeders full and watch the birds, we are having a hawk visiting, it sits on our fence and watches next door bird table, it's after the small pigeons.

Just rain

With so many negative things happening in our world today, 

I though I should pop this back up.

We did have a huge sort out under our stairs, which is accessed from our office, before there were toys tubs, wine and shoe racks and coats hung up. Now we have sorted and removed all the toys, these seen here are for the charity shop in the village, most are not played with anymore, I sorted the shelves in our sitting room behind our sofa, it now contains all the books, puzzles and toys the little ones love. Now is a very good time to donate toys and unwanted gifts.

I am so pleased the buds have not fallen off this cactus, and are opening.

My new Amaryllis is grown loads in it's glass pot, the Paperwhite Grandiflora narcissus are shooting in the second glass pot, not a perfect fit, I'm just so glad I already had a glass pot, the Amaryllis in the white pot is a bulb from last year, I repotted 7, this is the only one showing life, a few have already died, it does look as if they are only leaves, normally the flower stalk is the first to show. 

Hubby's eye is much improved, he can see much better, which makes me happy, his eye still aches with all the things he had done, he's improving which is the bonus, his older brother is still in hospital, he had another huge operation on his leg and hip, in hope this time everything will heal, which in turn will allow him home. The funeral of his BIL has happened, his sister is doing well, it was very small, due to the distance and so many having aliments and unable to travel. 

My sister went home on Saturday, allowing her partner to have Sunday resting, before he's back to work on Monday, we had loads of time together, lots of chatter, not much crafting, we love different crafts these days. 

Nothing much is happening here, I'm not reading, just busy with my brothers lap blanket, we did all the laundry over the weekend, Monday we popped to town for fruit and veg, got a few more Christmas gifts, it rained in the afternoon, not heavy, at least it's not snow, just a heavy frost overnight. I've started giving my Christmas cakes their drink of brandy, two get 4 drinks, daughters cake only has two, the little people love my cake, so I prefer not to have it too boozy. I have watched all the first series of Wolf Hall and loved it, we are now watching Ludwig, again another good show, it's a very clever storyline. Zoe Ball is finishing radio 2 breakfast show in December, with Scott Mills taken over in January, we are both happy with that, Zoe has done a brilliant job for 6 years, PS, I have a sore throat and sniffles, I'm hoping it passes quickly.

We received our first Christmas card through the post, it can stay in its envelope until December 1st, far to early.

Nothing doing

I got a few more packs of tulips bulbs, these 3 for £5 at B&M, I wanted the mixed pack of mini bulbs, hubby chose the other two packs. I do really have enough tulip bulbs for next spring, I won't plant them until next month, tulips should be planted in November, all mine will go in pots.

I have my early combined birthday and Christmas present, it's going to be handy on our forthcoming trip to Spain, the promise of an easy transfer of data from my phone to the tablet, was not as easy as they promised, the verification code was sent to our home phone but arrived after the time limit on the code. It's mostly set up now, just a few things for me to sort, hubby has some books to add from his family kindle apt for reading when away. 

My blanket is getting to a good size, I have the length I wanted, so it's just a cast of making squares until it's an oblong, then I shall make a small knitted boarder in a contrast colour. I am going to have some yarn left over, I am hoping maybe enough to make another, it's such an easy design to make. 

Daughter is now free of covid, she had a horrid time, Will was unwell Friday morning, Molly picked up a bug from pre-school and George had a bad cold and cough, so they all stayed home on Friday and Saturday, snuggled down together, because of covid we stayed away. Sunday they were all feeling much better so she took them to a local park to run around. Today the boys are back at school, Molly can't go back to pre-school until tomorrow. 

We popped to Aldi, it's not local to us, they had their wooden toy event and daughter hoped for a gift for Molly, apparently most of the toys sold out the morning before, when they were put on sale, we did get a few bits, but we don't think it's worth the extra drive to regularly shop there.

I managed to plant my over winter broad beans, all I have left to plant are tulips which will be done in a couple of weeks. I have also sorted all the ingredients to make my Christmas cakes, again in a couple of weeks, I am hinting at hubby, he should make another batch of mincepies, I am also thinking of making some eccles cakes,  hopefully my sister and her partner will visit in November, he loves them so I want to bake them for him as well. 

The heating as yet is not on, we have used the boost to warm the bathroom for evening showers, not used it yet in the mornings, our bungalow is warm, I've sorted my boots back out, sandals are not yet packed away, hopefully I can wear them again on our upcoming trip. We did not see the northern lights here, we did look.

Shed time

 My shed has arrived, we delayed the delivery until this week, I was expecting a tall box and was surprised on this shape, but as long as it's all there, hubby and I can get it put together so I can place it and fill it. Here I go again getting excited over a small shed, I forgot the word useful as I'm sure it's going to be.

I already had in my mind what was going in here, so it did not take long to sort, my tools stay in the garage and greenhouse, the bits stored in here are used in my veg and fruit sections, it's going to be handy to keep them all in one space close to where I work, mainly all my different poles and canes, the very tall ones don't fit in here. I'm sure the items on the shelf will swap about.

I think this space looks tidy again, it can be seen from the house, sitting on a paver to make it level, it does look wonky in the photo, but the concrete base is very uneven. I will store my various nets in the top section, the hatch is tiny. This area for me has to be pretty as well as hard working.

I have removed the runner beans, for now the bed is resting, soon half will have over wintering broad beans, I have heard of peas you can sow now, so I'm looking for them if not hopefully I can find some spring cabbages plants for the rest of the bed. I have netted the other bed which has leeks this end and Japanese onions in the back section, and one lone cabbage. For now on my back raised bed I have popped all the small pots with cuttings which are growing well, it's a perfect spot for them.

I have got some bulbs from Lidl and the Amaryllis from B&M at only £4.99 it's worth a go, both these packs are for inside, I will wait a while before starting them off, it's good to know I have them, plus pots and compost. I left all my Amaryllis bulbs outside this summer, a few have rotted, but I have 4 bulbs to try and grow again, I've never succeeded in getting flowers a second year, but I still try. 

Now is the time to review my veg section, it has been an expensive first year, I'm not concerned about getting my money back in harvest, that would take years, so we have spent what was needed to make it, and we can live with that. Also I need to consider the elements, the weather made it a cruel season, perfect for slugs and snails, we all fought a huge battle with them.

Overwinter broad beans were brilliant, lovely harvest and garden space cleared for a summer crop, runner beans had a slow start but romped away, I will have less plants next year, potatoes grown in bags worked for me as did carrots. Beetroot took far to long to get any size, so I won't grow them again, I tried courgettes in a bag, which did not do well, they take up to much space to go in a raised bed, parsnips also a slow grower, but I will grow them again as hubby loves them, so I only need a few. 

One main thing I am changing, I grew different veg in long rows, the full length of the beds, from now on I will grow short rows across the bed, the parsnips still in the ground are now in the wrong place, I can work around them, but it will be much easier if I make this one small change. 

I will be able to harvest rhubarb next year, my gooseberry bush is still small, it is looking healthy, all my soft fruits are in their permanent positions. We have been discussing a dwarf apple tree, which would need to go in a huge pot, the cost of a decent tree, pot and compost makes it not a cheap purchase, something we need to decide on.

I am completely happy with our garden, it is everything I wanted and hoped for, I get a buzz out of growing things, but it's not too hard work.

Spooky month.

 So we are nearing October or Spooky month as Will always called Halloween, I've got a few more bits this year, I'm enjoying seeing these tiny pumpkins, the first display in the corner of our sitting room. The vase is in the kitchen, slightly more autumnal vibes, both the China pumpkins are years old. These are out very early this year, no reason, other than I fancied something different.

I've made my own mincemeat, a lady I follow on Instagram shared her trusted slow cooker recipe, the house smelt divine for hours, way after the cooking time. Hubby who does all the baking will make mince pies. We got a pack of mince pies from Lidl, which were disgusting, much nicer to have home made ones. The smaller pot is for my friend who is always giving us jams and chutneys.

Hubby made the first batch of mincepies, I made some bacon and cheese wraps, both made with purchased puff pastry, I needed to use a pack of defrosted bacon, both tasted great. We both agreed the mincemeat was lovely, so I plan to make my own from now on.

I'm doing well on this lap blanket in my favourite Tunisian crochet, it's a simple stitch and design, I am using Emu Supreme double knit, I purchased a kit to make a Christmas blanket last year, which I only partially made as I was not enjoying the process. This is not for our use, hubby's group will have a raffle nearer to Christmas, so I hope to have this finished and donated, they fundraise for our local Portsmouth Downs Syndrome charity.

We popped to The Range, Dave , Northsider blogger, suggested I plant these onions, to grow over winter, a couple of other packs of bulbs came home with me, we had a look around the store, Christmas is in full show, we walked past everything, so a cheap trip. It is always lovely to see Wilko brand, which was on items all around the shop, I've always trusted their seed and bulbs.

Wednesday was market day in the village, we popped down, the plant guy was there, much smaller stand these days, nothing interesting, other than he was selling bare root wallflowers, wrapped in newspaper, I don't like wallflowers, but so pleased to see no pots, selling them just how our parents would have purchased them. Later the heavy rain came back, it was dark most of the afternoon, I spent my time between crochet and reading. 

Thursday was another day at home, more housework, we are still finding dust, it gets everywhere, hubby hopes to start painting next week, we popped to B&Q and got the wood stain for the stairs, everything is now ready for painting. Hubby got the fine mesh for the front of my huge bug house, hopefully we can finish it next week.

We have a weekend off, having some fun, I will tell you more in another post, we booked a very different experience for us, it's always good to try something new.

Greenhouse

I planted the few recently purchased bulbs in a couple of empty pots, I do love to see spring bulbs in pots on my metal table on our patio. I have to take photos so I can remember where things are growing. 

I've also potted some cyclamen plants, these I got at B&Q, nice looking plants at a good price, I do like to see colour around this table, which I can see sat in my chair.

I put a couple of pansies in this long pot, I have a few of these pots, throughout the summer my previous pot had geraniums in, that's now in my greenhouse.

I've pulled my mini greenhouse into the centre back of my big glass greenhouse and put the plastic cover back on, in here at the moment I have a couple of herbs and a pepper plant, this system worked well last winter.

Both my big begonias are now back inside, they both bloomed all through the summer and looked good on my metal table, the smaller pot with a geranium in doubled in size, these are my special plants which I do protect through the cooler months.

I have a mixture of plants on this side, a small new snowberry plant, which could go in the ground, but I'm hoping it will get bigger quicker in here. I'm hoping the hellebore is a white flowering one and might be good enough to be inside part of my Christmas display.

Yesterday was warm and sunny so the garden called, I cleaned and sorted the greenhouse, mainly sorting old plant pots, which are stored outside behind the garage, I have a tub of spent compost to deal with, my compost bin is full again mainly tomato plants. I then popped tender plants back in their winter spots, there is less in the greenhouse.

My back ached afterwards, it's a task I do every year, but as I age I find I can do less in each session,  it's the sort of job which is brilliant once finished. 

I don't cut back the flower beds until spring, in hope they will be useful for bugs in the garden, I did dead head a few. My garden is closing, my big red acer leaves are wind damaged and starting to drop. We are looking to get our Magnolia tree trimmed back, we have done it in the last couple of years, so time to get the professionals in.

Soon the runner beans will be going over, I'm hoping we get one last harvest, they have been a sucess this summer. I hope to get some loose onion sets and a few potato's for Christmas. 

Read, eat and plant

I love this author, she always creates a great story, and this was was a real page turner, I could not put it down, the strange tale of marring for money, it's a deal between them, just for a month, then they can go separate ways, he's rich and used to getting his own way. You think you know the story read the book, it was fantastic. Book 64 read this year.

I forgot my little note book with all the titles I have read when visiting our library, I thought this author was one I had read before, sadly same first name, this is 'chick lit', which I am not a fan of, it was cheesy and predictable, will they, won't they, I picked up another book by this author,  I won't bother to read it. Book 65 read this year.

I loved this book, it's very clever, the main character was just an ordinary bloke, living a very mixed up life, thinking he's on top of things, how wrong can you be. Book 66 read this year.

Recently at my favourite garden centre, I picked up a few more bulbs, the blue and purple iris and the snowdrops are for a small pot, the anemone's I do love, just not sure where they will go. I had popped in for coffee and cake with daughter and George, but had a wonder around the newly laid out spring bulb section.   

Sunday hubby used some old lemons we had for this delightful lemon cake, we have been enjoying a slice most days with our morning coffee. Less ingredients and sugar than purchased cakes.

I've not read much this week, my trip to the library, where I had forgotten to bring my read books list, I did not have much time and picked up 5 books, 1 I had already read, 1 by the same author which was chick lit and I chose not to read. I popped back to the library on Wednesday and got more books, it was market day, sunny and cold, not many stalls and I purchased nothing. 

I have picked up a large crochet project, it's a big granny square in shades of grey, I'm taking it easy as I have had cramp in my fingers, once I'm in the swing it should stop. I have a plan to make another Tunisian lap blanket, using more of my stash of 4ply yarn, I made one here, which I use each winter, this new one will be gifted to a fundraiser Christmas raffle, where loads of people our age will be attending.

The cooler temperatures are changing our habits, we have not sat outside for coffee breaks for ages, hubby has sorted and covered his BBQ, it's in the garage, he still likes to protect it. I still walk around the garden each day, there is less to do, next week I plan to sort the greenhouse so I can put a few tender plants inside, which is far earlier than previous years, soon I will pack away all my decorations (metal birds) along the fence shelf, then the wooden bench, chairs and table with be moved. Sadly other than the odd warm spell summer is ending.