Teasing weather

Oh dear - I've spent too much time standing at bus stops lately, where the topic of conversation is, on the whole, 'the weather'.   As I write, it's wet and miserable, and everything in the garden is thrashing about in the cold wind.  Those plants I'd brought out of the greenhouse to harden off, are now back inside, in the warm,  filling up my staging.  The plan was, to do some potting up on the little table outside my back door, even if it was dull and slightly damp but it's far too stormy, and there's no space to work in the greenhouse.  I thought about doing it in the kitchen, but then, where do I put the newly potted-up plants when I've finished?  Better weather is forecast for the weekend, so maybe I can put some of them  outside again.  I've also just received 10 bare-rooted phlox plants from Hayloft Plants, and hope to be able to pot them up asap.

A week or so ago my sister and husband came to stay for a couple of days.  We visited the RSPB reserve at Middleton Hall.  It was quite dull and a bit drizzly but the bluebells in the woodland, in particular, brightened up the day.  We chatted to one of the bird watchers and he told us about the friendly robin he had been feeding (on cashew nuts!) for some years.  Although the hall was closed, there were plenty of volunteers around, and I asked one for permission to take K & A to look at the walled garden.  If I lived nearby (and didn't have too many other interests) I would love to be a volunteer gardener there.

 

It was the walking club coach trip to the Ludlow area on Wednesday, and how fortunate we were with the weather.  The long and medium walkers were dropped off first, and at the last minute I decided to join the medium walkers, as I have not been out with the club for about two months and thought I'd take it a bit easier.  This meant that I got to meet some new people, which was good.  The pace was slow enought to take in the stunning scenery, the wild flowers, the birds etc.  The fields were full of buttercups and daisies and some quite magnificent, large dandelions.  There were bluebells and wood anemones in the woodland, and alongside the little streams.  We ate our picnic lunch, sitting amongst the flowers, on top of a hill, with a panoramic view all around us, and Ludlow down below in the valley.  Most of the walk was downhill, which was good, and all the walkers met up in a pub at the end, where we all said how much we had enjoyed our day.

 

So, hopefully, if the weather forecasters have got it right, we should have a decent weekend, so I'm looking forward to getting outside in the sun (and maybe the 'warm') to continue with my potting-up in the garden, and working on my plot.  Monday doesn't sound quite so promising, but I'm hoping it won't be too bad, as I'll be off to Lichfield for The Bower, and hoping to meet up with Mike's friends from Green Man, and some of the other guest morris dancers, and their families.

 

Never mind the weather - the postman has just delivered even more gemstones, so I can always stay indoors in the warm, and be creative.

Bank holiday weekend

 

.What a glorious holiday weekend!  I made the most of the good weather, working on my plot, and in and around the greenhouse, at home.   My little cherry tree is covered in blossom, and I'm hoping that this year there will be plenty of fruit.  Last year, after the dreadful cold and wet weather, there were only two cherries - and they fell off!  The currant bushes are flowering well and the rhubarb is at its best.  There were plenty of plotters around to chat to, and to catch up on how we all were, and what we had been up to, and I even had time to read the paper, outside my shed.  So far I've planted out some broad beans, borlotti and climbing French beans and, at home, there are sweetpeas, runner beans and climbing peas to take over to the plot.  My greenhouse, and mini greenhouse, are filling up with vegetable and bedding plants (for the front of my plot).  On Bank Holiday Monday I even spent some time up at the clubhouse, enjoying a beer and burger.

 

After such a slow start, the garden is now greening up well.  In the 'woodland ' section I was admiring the fritilleries when I spotted a couple of lily beetles, and had to deal with them.  Since then, I've despatched a few more.  This doesn't bode well for the potted lilies, which are a few inches high at the moment.  In future, I will be on red alert.  My tiny pond is positively seething with tadpoles.  I've never had so many in it.  The mating pigeons are doing their usual - landing clumsily on my plants, performing acrobatics and almost falling off the bird table,  in order to get at the bird food (not really meant for them) and twice, flying into my windows.  Where are the squirrels this year?  I'm not too keen on tree rats but I've not seen any yet.  I was delighted though to see a thrush on the green, as I made my way to the allotments, the other day.  The birdsong is a delight, especially in the mornings.  However, on Monday, there was no hope of being able to listen to the birds, let alone have a quiet chat with neighbouring plotholder Grant, as one of the nearby householders had decided to impose their choice of music on us, at full volume.  I pitied their close neighbours, knowing that I could get away from it, to the peace of my own garden.  Pity then, that when I arrived home, one of my own neighbours was doing the same thing, maybe not quite as loud, but still very irritating.  Have I turned into Mrs Grumpy of Sutton Coldfield?  Very likely.  Still, as all my other neighbours were out, I decided that if you can't beat them, join them, and enjoyed an hour or so, setting seeds, and potting up seedlings, to Bruce Springsteen's 'The Promise' album -  drowning out the other music.

 

There has been a change of weather today, but the rain is welcome, as the earth is very dry and dusty.  I decided that, before I fill my greenhouse with growbags and tomato plants, I would give it a good wash, and it does look much better.  It's a very old greenhouse.  So old, in fact, that that it has the name 'The Good Life' over the door.  Looks a bit shabby, but does the job.  The door keeps coming off its runners though, and I have to keep asking my son to put it back for me. The mini greenhouse, now full of plants hardening off, is also falling apart, but I'm hoping it will last out a bit longer.

 

Heres a photo taken at my jewellery party.  I promised myself I wouldn't send off for any more gems etc until I had sold more of my stuff but this morning I was watching Jewellery Maker and just had to order some amazing red coral 'chillies'.  They look just like the real thing.  As a bit of a chilli head, I'll just have to make a necklace (and maybe earrings) for myself.  I did order a few more things too.  Couldn't resist.



Doesn't time fly...... when you're busy, busy, busy

I've neglected my blog for so long that I will have to write a brief catch up of all that has been happening, before I move on to the gardening and plotting etc.

Since I last blogged, the family have celebrated son A's 40th birthday - yes - my youngest is 40!  As requested, we had a family meal at my house with (also requested) a roast beef dinner with all the trimmings.  There was lots of fun and laughter, and party boy had his head decorated by his niece, with the streamers from party poppers, looking like multi-coloured hair extensions.  Mike's portrait looked down on the happy event - he loved our family get-togethers.  A's present from R was surfing lessons in Devon (she is already a surfer) and the big surprise was a phone call from them, to say they had got engaged on the beach there.  So, I am very happy for them both.  However, on their arrival home they were very upset their cat had gone missing (the kitchen fitters had left the door open and she had escaped) and to date she is still missing.  So, it had rather marred their return home from a lovely and special weekend away.  I've just had a text from A to say he has arrived in India - on another of his trips away on behalf of the University.

As I've mentioned already, my new hobby of making real gemstone jewellery has kept me busy during the long, dreary days we have experienced, and last night I held my first jewellery party.  I'd spent a couple of days busy baking as I had promised 'cakes and cuppas'.  Even though I'd kept it all pretty low key I was delighted that so many people turned up, and even more delighted at selling quite a lot of my jewellery - far more than I had anticipated.  I'll need to sell quite a bit more before I'm in profit, but my first venture was very promising.  What was even more pleasing was how everyone seemed to be enjoying the evening (and my cakes!).  Most of my neighbours have been fed-up with the lousy weather and it was a good excuse for a get-together and a gossop.

 

Here are just a few examples of my work.

 

The weather is still playing tricks.  When we do get a good day, it is usually followed by something like today - windy, some rain and, occasionally, sunny.  I was rather shocked to find that, after a long period when even the weeds weren't growing - suddenly the garden is overrun with the blighters.  They seemed to have caught me unawares.  I'd not been checking up on my garden, and was stunned to see the size and quantity of the dandelions in particular - and the chickweed - and the goosegrass etc.  So, I spent ages weeding the other day, starting with the front garden as it looked as though I had gone away on a month's holiday.  That evening I was seriously aching all over and even worse next day.  The trouble is, my left knee is giving me some trouble, so the weeding process was a bit difficult.  Although there is still a lot more to do, at least it does look a bit more like my garden.  The back garden is just doing its own thing, until I get around to tackling it, but from the windows it looks OK.  The hellebores are still flourishing.  Mike's 50th birthday present camellia is, at last, covered in flowers. 

 

I've been down to the plot on a couple of occasions.  There's not much growing there at the moment, but I've erected some more wigwams, and a new frame for the sweetpeas, and son R called down and collected the bags of garden waste for me, which I put out for collection on Thursday. Did wonder if there would be too many for the refuse men to collect as I already had a number of bags filled with the garden weeds, but no probs, they were all taken.  Can't complain about the council collections.  The greenhouse is filling up with veg and flower plants, and some are almost ready for planting out, but I'm still keeping my eye on the weather.  The occasional warm and sunny day if often followed by a cold and frosty night. My show day competition fuchsia is flourishing. I've been pinching out the growth tips, and it's looking quite bushy now.  For the first time, the usual good show of yellow tulips, under my front window, is a bit of a disappointment as there are not as many of them.  Over the years, some of these tulips have spread to other parts of the garden, so I intend to tag the stems of the yellow only ones (some have red streaks), and when the time is right, I will replant the bulbs with their yellow fellows, under the window, to fill in the gaps. 

 

Well, I'm off to buy my Saturday Telegraph, as I can't manage without a crossword session.  Then, if there's time, the rain keeps off, and I have the inclination, maybe I'll tackle the weeding again.