Things to do on a Wednesday

It is raining.

There are floods in the north of England and the weather all over is s***.

I am telling you this because  .................. my little one is on holiday ........ in the sun........... and the warm.

I have just seen the weather forecast for my holiday - in Scotland - ............. rain, overcast and cold!!!

So what shall I do?

1)      I am going to search the internet for simple, very simple, instructions for Hardanger ........... yes, I am still harping on about it.  I WILL do it, even if it is only a small card I WILL do it.

2)     I am going to try not to eat the beautifully, moist ginger cake I made yesterday (trying to forget the rain!!)

3)    I shall make more cards - losing myself in my craft room.  I may even go so far as to tidy parts of it .......... like my desk!!!

4)    Not throttle the cat! 

She really needs to go to the toilet ........... the door is slightly ajar .......... she doesn't like getting wet -   ergo she stands on the threshold with all her legs crossed and looking at me piteously ............. I will not carry her outside to a dry place - there isn't one!

Off to Hardanger land then ......................

Things to do on a rainy day!!!

It is not just raining ........... it is pouring, the back is flooded, the fish pond is overflowing ........ trains are not running, weather warnings across the country are amber .........moan, moan, moan ...........

So what do you do?
I shall make my monthly swap cards ready for posting and think of where they are going .......... feeling better already!!!

this little one - punched paper tied with chiffon ribbon is going out to Indianapolis where it is 19C and possibly going up to 24C later in the week.

Feeling better already - I don't really do heat!!

These two are off to the east coast of Australia, fairly decent 18C and sunny.   I know it is only Spring there but much more the right weather for me.

The orange teabag folded one is also entered in an online contest and if I win ..................... I know what I shall buy ......

Now let me see ............ where to next?  Back to America I think!

Just north of Santa Cruz in California is where this one is going ............ it's back to the sixties and music festivals.  Here in England it is always a good idea to take your wellies!!  By the way it is 27C and cloudy over there ...............

The digital stamped card will go to Pennsylvania where it is 66F and sunny

This one was copied from a design in a magazine and I am rather pleased with the way it has turned out.  It is going to the south of England but hush!...................

 it has stopped raining and ..................... the sun has come out!

I hope that you have enjoyed my little travelogue - in and out of the weather ................ I still have one more card to make but that is for an online contest so it wont leave this address this month.

uh! uh!  It's raining again!

I think I hear my cross stitching is calling to me - maybe I will share that soon.

 

Tales of ponies, chickens and such

Isaac went forth and digged a well ..................

My Isaac just digs holes!!!

We went to visit friends who have horses so 'we' could get some manure - yeah!!!!

 This little fella had just come back from a birthday party - human 70year old - and just couldn't wait to get into the field to his friend

The larger horse was having problems with flies attacking his ears

 so he wasn't looking his best but he is still a magnificent animal.

The views around this field are wonderful and the birds trill away all the time we are there. 

Just great county sounds and when the birds fly to other bushes further away it is soooo silent ................

It is difficult to believe that we are so close to the Motorway but you can see how close the blue signs are!

I wish that we had brought a container with us that would be suitable for these juicy fruits - a fresh pie made with these ........... and the windfalls at home would be lovely after lunch

 These pretty Balloon flowers will soon be in seed so we must come back soon

and here is 'Isaac' merrily digging away in the 'manure'

Several holes later and half a dozen filled bags -

which are TIGHTLY closed we are all finished and ready for food.

We drove out to a village called Shustoke, where we stopped at The Plough (http://www.wheresbest.co.uk/venue/3494/The-Plough-Inn/).  There were lots of birds there, from chickens to ducks to turkeys and rabbits - hope they're not on the menu!!!  We had a wonderful meal - too large for me, but they wrapped the leftover chicken for me to take home.

So fully replenished and all the birds tucked away for the night we left to our own houses.

Amaryllis bulbs

I have planted up my bulbs,

(Amaryllis bulbs - the correct name for the indoor flowering Amaryllis is Hippeastrum)  hopefully, to bloom at Christmas. 

 I don't know why I bother with these flowers so much ...........

I just love them!

and so did my Dad - they were his pride and joy during the winter months.................... most would have just one single bloom

but sometimes there would be two or three .............

such joy to all of us .............. and the neighbours .................... and the visitors ...................

all had to be shown the magnificent flowers and we all aaahhed and oohhhed in all the right places!!!

So mine are now potted up and we will await the results.  I am expecting to have a lot of leaves and no flowers as I can save bulbs over the winter (or summer!) and then they grow blind. 

But we shall see.

While I have been potting up - PJ has been pithering ................ in the garage/workshed!!

This cat lives at the railway and not only is she pretty but she loves a fuss.

She is looked after by the guys who work there and, at present, there is a lot more going on than usual. 

 The guys have moved from their old - think dilapidated - hut (bothy) to a new home, more sheltered and clean (well - for a short while) and the younger guys, or apprentices have a portacabin in which to spend their breaktimes. 

Trouble is the cat now has nowhere to shelter or sleep as the guys feed her and look after but do not want to leave her overnight in their new hut.

PJ has been clearing their old bothy in readiness to knock it down and out of the kitchen cabinets he has made a new house for the cat!! 

Why not? 
The wood is only going to be chucked out and we are into recycling so with a bit of a cleanup, touch of paint and a clean old blanket -
New Home for Cat.


Remembering .............

 

My Father became a gardener when we moved to Grandad's house.  I don't remember him doing much in the garden of the old house ...............I suppose while he was Park Keeper he worked long hours and usually had me along!!!

He would grow the most magnificent dahlias and chrysanthemums.  They would be cared for in detail although he never entered them in shows, but we knew that he should, they were always huge flowers.

These were Dad's favourites and he spent a lot of time helping them to grow large!

Mam always had a nice selection to cut and take to Auntie May, or whoever she would be visiting, even given to me and Ena after we had left home.

 This is how it looked - Dahlias interspersed with Chrysanths.

I wasn't keen on the dahlias as they often had earwigs in them

I always made sure that when I was given a bunch I turned them upside down - much to my Mother's horror! - and gave them a good shake.  The earwigs usually fell to the ground and scuttled away!!   

Dad had certain colours in his Chrysanths as well, autumnal ones, making sure that each one had the right amount of curling petals.

He would place each flower bud into a paper bag so that, as it opened, the petals curved like these......................................

We often looked out of our lounge window to see lots of flowers like these!!!!

And then when the garden was cleared in the Autumn ready for the winter weather to work the soil  ......... we would have the Amaryllis to look forward to...................

Exploring cat .......

We have a very timid cat - had it since it was a kitten and it came home to a house with four other cats.  Over the years it has become our only cat.  It's black.  It's quite small.  It's very stupid (or is that cat clever!!)

She doesn't come out in the garden unless we are there, at least one of us has to be there and if not, then we have to leave the back door open and be still in view!!!

Whilst we have been out pruning the Buddlias etc. she has ventured out.  Not a good day as it was a bit windy (doesn't like windy weather) and prunings were falling down (she's not keen on a lot of noise!) but out she came.

She spotted the space where the old pond used to be ................ that's new ......

Eventually, after much watching, sniffing, moving cautiously, she managed to get herself into the space.

We thought we had lost her as she was under the bushes for sooooo long and being black, in the shade - need I say more?!!




We knew she was there ............ we could see her tail!!!!

Sorry - I cannot alter this picture - it is a landscape that has turned portrait!!!

She sat watching spiders move, sniffing smells ........... forever ............... and then ran out and into the house like a black streak.


 It appears that she was very tired as she went to bed and slept the rest of the day until the smell of the chicken cooking on the barbie woke her up!!

Kaffir Lilies

Autumn is here ........

and we have spent some time in our own garden!!!

We have to start tidying ready for next year so we have gone out today withsecateurs, plastic bags, boots, and of course ............

 cups of tea!!!

We have one plain purple buddlia on the right side of the garden

 
and all the other colours are on the left side, so we have decided to prune the left side and dig out the right single one. 
 

 Easy .......... I have several bushes which will fill the gap and then I will also replant the border, remember the old pond has to be dug and sorted so we may as well do it all in one go ......................... yeah!!!

Prune today.................... dig later............ replant in the Spring says me ............ seems a good idea ............. don't want to overdue it ..................

All pruning done, garden cleared, bags filled - how many!  four.

 Look at that bare fence!

not for long!

At the base of this fence is a lovely little variegated grass called 'Fireworks', I shall plant it down by the pond where it can be seen and it will lighten the corner under the Camelia.

Now that the Buddlias have been cut down, this small one (which is supposed to be variegated but has been in the dark tooooo long) has appeared - outlined in red.

Speaking of Buddlias .................. PJ is not taken to romantic as in flowers giving ............... when I moved in to this house he left a single red rose on the mantelpiece with a card saying 'welcome home'. 

That was it until I hit 50 and then he sent me a bouquet of flowers - just showing off really!!!!

Anyhow, while we were at the garden centre, he appeared with this Buddlia -

Curious!!!

Why would he buy a Buddlia?

True, I don't have this one .............. but?!?!?!

Who says he isn't romantic!!!!  

We celebrate our Silver Wedding Anniversary next month!!!!!

Pond 01 Hardanger 00

I just haven't had the time to even look at my hardanger materials - I did find a stitching DVD which had an article on it but after I spent two hours trying to get my PC to play it I gave up.  Another day .............

Both the ponds are finished now ........... hard work ...................but only in the mornings!!!!

Remember this space .........

We started on the Saturday: PJ hauled all my plants out, placed them on a sheet of plastic and them, table and me moved up onto the lawn.  While I potted up the plants...........

PJ dug out the hole - did I tell you he should have been called Isaac?   Read the Bible and you will find out why!!!

All the soil went into these containers ready to be poured

into the hole which the old pond would leave .......... clever eh!!

So then we manoevered the pond base into place - lots of back filling with soil, lots of measuring (lots and lots - why is it always just a half inch out??!!)

Then we filled the pond with water and watched it settle, set up the pumps and dragged our weary bodies to bed!!!!






On the Sunday we decided to buy a few plants as it looked a bit bare, nowhere for the fish to hide was our excuse so we were very good and bought just a couple of lilies and some border ones.

Now to change the fish over!!!

this is our old pond.

Sunken, half hidden, overgrown and small

The electricals are under the green bucket covered and surrounded by plants - that was fun ............ finding the wires, undigging them  ............ 

We have to remember to take these as well, they wont look good in my new border - honest!!

Ok fish!

 

I thought it was very sad that they would now go through a very traumatic time without understanding that they would be going to a new BIG home................

So PJ came along and removed his fish one by one into a large bucket, and removed the blue plastic that has been their home for many years, they were just tiddlers when they first came to live with us.

 

leaving this gaping, smelly, muddy hole behind.

Slowly we lowered them into the new pond and introduced them into their new home (holding our breaths? nah!  not much!!!)

OFF THEY SWAM AS THOUGH THEY KNEW ALL ALONG!!!!!!!

 Trouble was................ those big fish in that little pond now looked tiny and lost.............. back to the Aquatic centre .....................

 Couple of white Koi and a couple of plants later........................

oh! and this crocodile fell into the basket ................

and this looked way tooo cute to leave in the shop .............. 

 

So there it is ....... now we have two sad people sitting in the sunshine watching fish swim round a pond

 - why?

 bacause we can!!!!!