bon voyage

Just to let you know, I am taking a summer break!

Enjoy this glorious sunshine!!

See you soon...

veg out

Well hasn't this weather been just grand!

Thought it was about time to share my edible pursuits,

before they get eaten by me or the critters that live in my garden.

Anyone who grows veg or gardens will probably have said

'its an odd year'

I'm sure I say it every year, I'm not sure I would recognise a 

'normal year'.

After a slowww start things are picking up.

I find it remarkable that whatever plant you grow there is a specific bug/beastie that appears,

seemingly out of nowhere to destroy your crop!!

Here I have lost 3 broccoli to vine weevils, whose grubs eat the roots.

I tried my best to pick off the adults, not wanting to smother my plants with chemicals.

Fingers crossed they dont find the sprouts!

Typical that its the sunniest year for years and I am growing the silliest tomatoes ever!

They are minibell and were free seeds with Gardeners World mag.

On the upside I haven't had to deal with tying in or pinching out!

The crops are a good indicator of how sunny a summer it has been so far.

The gooseberries are huge and plentyful this year.

Also the sweetcorn is growing well.

Remember my new raised veg boxes?

They are working a treat.

The left one has mainly carrots, which have been sown fortnightly.

The right is salad leaves which have to be covered to protect them from.....

....sparrows!!

Honestly I know they said on springwatch they are in decline, well they should come to my house.

I think we probably have about 50 who live permanently in our roof.

If anyone wants to rehome some I would be grateful!

They have decimated my peas, beetroot, lettuce, clematis.....

Chirp cheep chip cheep all day long!!

My husband however loves the little blighters!
So thats something.

Whilst we are talking birds our starling pair who nest above this room have a second brood.

Thats a first....told you it was an odd year !!!!

meet the gang

Well I am still not crocheting!

My hands are somewhat better.

As you see, this crochet lark could quite easily be the culprit to my woes!

Remember Raymond?

Meet Brendan...

and...

Penelope!!

So thats the gang for now...

..hopefully new friends will arrive

just as soon as my thumbs will allow me!

.............

Thanks for all your concern!

Especially to Heather at Little tin bird.

Who has been crocheting with the same cotton yarn and has reassured me that the pain is probably due to the type of yarn, as it is a lot stiffer to use than wool, so requires more effort.

Fingers crossed!

(ouch maybe not hehe)

Mottisfont Abbey

This post comes with a health warning!

Gasps of awe may occur throughout,
so proceed with caution!!

Breath taking or what??

This is the walled rose garden at Mottisfont Abbey, near Romsey in Hampshire.

They have over 350 roses, imagine if you can the heady perfume they create!

Now is the time to go, however it was very busy, try and go for later in the day,

as for the next two weeks they open until 8pm.

Plants that grew amongst the roses were:

geraniums

campanulas

alliums

dianthus

foxtail lilys

penstemen

peonies

iris

erigiums

nepeta

All edged by box and lavender.

Heavenly!!

There is also the house itself which has a whole room painted by Whistler which is beautiful and lovely grounds including a river walk with rainbow trout and ducklings!!!

It was a lovely perfect day to celebrate my Dads birthday.

So here he is in his veg patch using his present,

a wolf adaptable tool,

which he is very chuffed with indeed!

pain stops play

After many months  days of over use be it patchworking, gardening, cycling to the allotment and

er-hum crocheting,

my hands have gone on strike!

Yet still they won't leave that hook alone.

So I'm going cold turkey on the crochet front....
one whole day and counting...

I hope its just a rep strain.

hey ho

here's more from my side kick aka the garden.

I have recently visited an ngs garden in my area, which was small yet beautiful.

My ultimate goal would be to get accepted and open my garden for charity.

I know I have a long way to go, as you can see from the exposed areas,

hopefully in a year or so, when the shrubs and climbers have matured I will give it a go.

Here is my new arch which was last years birthday present,

looking through to the arbour which was the previous years present.

I do have a clematis climbing up the left hand side of the arch, 

hopefully there will be lots of lovely white bells in a month or so..

 Lots of new blooms this week, 

I can hardly keep up with the staking and tying in.

pictured above this white sweet william is really sweet!!

lovely frothy nigella

super cute wool carder bee 
an uncommon solitary bee which
I haven't noticed before so I had to look it up,
after panicking that I had killer bees in the garden!

And last but not least the lovely peony
(apparently a cutting form my great grandmothers garden)
They are breath-takingly beautiful in every way.
With its flower shop fragrance and silky soft petals,
it's almost up there with roses, if only it repeat flowered!
loverly
just like
 the opening titles of
my fair lady....in my garden!!

self sown

Gertrude Jekyll

Thanks for all your interest in Raymond he is a busy little bear,

currently looking after 107 crochet squares!

Whats up with this weather?

Probably just a 'normal' year,

it's been so long since we had one,

it's hard to recognise!

Was I the only one praying for rain?

Things are getting quite jazzy in the garden.

I love how this primula bulleyana lights up the shady corner,

and the fact that it self seeds!!

Another self sown foxglove.

Yep here's another doing it all by herself.

Ok so the rose wasnt self sown, but too beautiful not to share.

How does your garden grow?

raymond

he is the keeper of the crochet....

have a great weekend!

lupin o'clock

When does an interest become an obsession?

Why become obsessed by one plant?

What's not to love?

Have I got space for more?

When will you flower, wee purple ones?

Anyone own or seen an orange lupin?