Working hard!!

Well I was a good girl for once (halo) and did a load of housework last night but not the ironing I hasten to add!! I had to do some more work on my secret mission this morning so eventually got started in the garden about 13.00hrs when it looked like this....




I have moved alot of plants around in this bed, nade room for the blackcurrant bushes and alpine strawberry plants on the right, constructed 2 arches and planted my peas and french beans! So it now looks like this...



I have planted my Victorian Peas which climb to a massive 6ft!! over these arches. I decided as I had such a diddy veg plot I had to make good use of it and thought upwards was the best way!!



of course I was assisted by Sassy! I think! mind you if she does that when the carrots and parsnips are in there she will be for the high jump!!!!!



It doesn't look much different but it is I have moved quite a few plants around.....



The blackcurrant and alpine strawberry plants are at the back and this is where I have planted my Climbing French Beans! (thank you Lottie)



I can't remember if I told you of my bargain buy at the veg shop awhile back I got a bag of Jeruselam Artichokes for 50p as they had started going a bit soft, so I bought them and popped them in here and LOOK!!!



there growing!!!! Have to find a home for them too!!!

My foxglove tree plants I got from Worcester, how many days have I had them?? just look...



growing quickly!!!!

The Great Pip Challenge I haven't shown you them recently, remember I grew the ginger from a fresh ginger root and the date palms from some dates my hubby had at Christmas



Sheila asked what I was going to do with all the wood I was getting from my neighbour, well first off I shall edge all the beds it gives me a deeper bed to work with and seperates the lawn from the flower bed (at the bottom), in the tropical area it will keep the soil on the bed and not the patio!!! Other than that who knows but knowing me it will come in handy somewhere!!!

I must admit I'm getting quite excited about the tropical area, but I am being good and getting veggies underway first. I have been looking at this and it shows lots of peoples jungle type gardens and I am beginning to think apart from the veg patch I may do jungle at the bottom as well!!!!!! He heeeeee!!!!

Cats, pips and other things!!

Today I think I might pass the 3000 mark! Not bad for a blog started last September! Thank you everyone for reading my ramblings!!

I have the morning to play, so whether I will be here reading blogs or out in the garden all depends! Can you take your daughter to see a specialist with 'gardening hands' I wear gloves but it doesn't really help, well it probably would help more, if I didn't keep slipping them off to do a fiddly job then forget to pop them back on again!!! Mmmmm!

I really don't like my cats at the moment. Whilst Kathryn was home, they use her window to get in and out. Each night she moved my plants off her windowsill then popped them back the next morning. Now she has gone guess who forgot!!!! Even though her window wasn't open look what happened



this is one of my dates!!!!


the carpet is covered in soil, I had taken a pic but when I looked at it, bearing in mind I was wearing my 'nightie' there is a reflection of my 'bare' legs in a mirror (not a pretty sight) and I really would not like to put you off!!!!!!!!!! I hate to think what I have done to K's carpet because when I first saw it I panicked (sp?) and tried to scrape it all up instead of leaving it to dry then hoovering!!!!

Fortunately the ginger is still intact



I think I need to repot the dates and ginger, with it all being knocked over I think the soil needs to be a better!!

These are the 2 caster oil seeds that have come through



the third has not so far, but I only really wanted one as these things grow quite big!!! Can you see the green leaf in both the pots? I thought it was a weed to start off with, then when they both had exactly the same I thought maybe not!!!

I am also after a Paulownia tomentosa which is a Foxglove Tree, for my tropical garden. I am watching some on ebay and can't decide whether to buy a plant or buy some seeds grow them then sell them on ebay later??? The plant is in Worcester so I have sent a message to ask if I can collect it when I next go up (2 weeks).

I have just looked at my hands and bearing in mind I picked up all that soil earlier I think its a garden morning!!! Although I really ought to do some housework as my sister 'may' be coming to visit this weekend!! Choices, choices!!

Right must dash, have to take Tori to school!!!

Storms, Seedlings & Socks!!!

I was woken by thunder and lightning this morning!! The wind and the rain have been awful too!!! As you know wednesday is cleaning out chickens day!!! Well not today, sorry its too wet! So I went down and put arm bands on them to make sure they floated just incase it got any worse!!
Then dashed straight back inside!!

Just look at the sky...



This was at 07.00 this morning! and this was the next lot coming over...



and it has been like that all morning!! Now I was supposed to be preparing the new chicken run area this week, ready for the move at the weekend, but it is just so wet! I have some large shrubs that need to be moved before it gets too warm but that will have to wait because its a quagmire out there, or will be if I start digging!!

Everything in the propagator is coming along nicely, from there they get moved to the windowsill, where I wrap some cardboard in foil which helps reflect the light and stops the seedlings leaning so much...




These 2 photos, where taken at 07.30 this morning without the flash which is why they are quite dark!! But you can see nothing is straining for the light! I have Tomatoes Gardeners Delight, Black Cherry and Roma Plum, also Peppers, Chillies and some Basil.
Upstairs I have this lot (this was taken about mid-day)



the ginger for the Pip Challenge



the Dates..



and something called a Sensitive plant which looks like this



but after you've touched it does this..



they are still tiny yet. Tori grew some a couple of years back and it grew quite large, then she killed it by forgetting to water it!!!!

I'm getting 'stir crazy' being in all the time! I don't know how you people in Canada & USA cope with all that snow and being stuck in? Theres only so much housework you can do, but lets be honest who wants to do housework? Not me!!

I am knitting something for my little nieces birthday in April! I need to find something else to knit, but haven't been inspired yet! Someone suggested I knit socks?? Mmm! Not sure about that! I think I would be very upset if they got holes in, cos my lot are quite hard on socks!!

Pootling about!!

Just pootling around! Cleaned out chickens they seemed quite happy once we put some fresh straw in the run...



Spoke to our neighbour about cutting back her apple tree, she was fine about it! There are a couple of very large branches she wants to take off herself. Anyway once Mark had cut it back to the boundary, we had heart failure as it looks so awful! But he actally didn't take of alot!!



I planted some tomato and pepper seeds! I brought some inside into the propagator



and I left some in the greenhouse on the potting bench above the heater, just to see if they would grow!!!



I did put a propagator lid on them!

Finally, the Pip Challenge..............

my date has a leaf!!!!!!!!!

Few words lots of Pics!!

An odd egg!












We have a chicken which lays soft shelled eggs. I don't know which one of them it is. This is the oddest egg I have seen cos, it has a little tail. Looks a bit like the skin of a sausage!!!

We got some chicken netting today through the post,


I am determined to have some flower beds this year!!

I bought this in a charity shop for £5, it is Lambswool, and I have no intention of wearing it!!!



I shall be making something with it!!! I know its a boring colour but I have to practise on something!!!!!

The Great Pip Challenge!

Is storming along........... my ginger.....











and two out of the three dates, these are still in the propagator but will come out in the next couple of days!!













and finally I sowed the seed of all of these on the 1 st Feb and popped them in my bargain heated propagator



all except the Verbena & Sensitive plant have come through, so we are well on out way to a beautiful garden!!! LOL!!!

Added at 14.42 my flipping washing machine has just packed up!!!!!!!!

Cats, Chickens, Sweetpeas and Ginger!

A lovely sunny day, and its Wednesday so I always do a mid-week clean of the eglu! Assisted by Tango,



and Sassy



Now being half Red Burmese brother & sister they are very talkative. Tango is always telling me where I've gone wrong and what I should have done and please hurry up as I need a fuss!! Sassy on the other hand can be very aloofe, especially whilst her brother is around! She loves being out in the garden with you, but is pretending she doesn't!!!

The chickens at long last have started laying fairly reguarly again, which is a relief. They are obviously alot happier now there is more daylight. A funny thing happened last night.... you may or maynot know I'm frightened of the dark and living in the country with no street lights etc dark is b****y dark!! Anyway I wandered down the garden about 17.30ish as it is not really dark at this time and they where all in bed except Babs....

This is Babs


she was wandering around the outside of the run, so I thought OK, I'll come back later. I forgot until about 18.45 when armed with a large torch I went back down (this is brave for me, usually I would leave it for Mark to do when he got in!)Went in and there curled up (sort of) next to the Eglu was Babs!!!! Stupid bird! Have you ever tried to catch a chicken with a large torch wedged between your knees!!! Well I did!! Eventually I popped her in the run and she charged into the Eglu. and the racket from the others was hysterical, I wished I could have taped it and played it to you!! If you can imagine a bed with 3 people settled nicely into it, then all of a sudden someone else rushes in to join them, is cold, knicks the blankets, says you've got cold feet', stop shoving, etc. etc. you get the drift? Well it was just like that!!!

I also planted some sweetpeas and some Hollyhock seeds and there now under cover in the greenhouse here......



this is the garlic that I forgot to put in last autumn, so its now in pots here..



and I know I shouldn't do this but...... you remember the onions I put into trays last week and popped in the greenhouse? well look.......


Roots!!!!!!!

and finally, because I know I can whitter on a bit! I took Ruths advice and took the Ginger out of the propagator well look at it now....



Smiling here!!!!!

Bits & Bobs and Oranges!

Catching up on housework (blah) and ironing (double blah). I had a go at an ATC, I won't be posting a picture or doing anymore!!!

I am also trying out some 'Amigurumi Patterns' these are Japanese Crochet patterns. Just playing around, if they turn out ok I'll post info on them!!

I recieved some new Yarn through the post the other day from Yarn Yard (link on right)


I will get knitting again very soon, can't say who for or what I will be knitting though!


Doing a bit of research for someone's Family History which is proving to have a twist or two!!!



No I have not gone totally mad and decided to up my Vitamin C intake!!!
These are Seville Oranges, and what do you make with them?????????? Marmalade!!! I have never made Marmalade before in my life and as I am game to have a go at most things I thought I would have a go at Marmalade, well it is a favourite of hubbies!! I am going to freeze these as I have been assured by Lottie that this will be OK. Then when I feel ready we are going to have a Marmalde Day!! If you fancy joining in, let me know and we can all make Marmalade together!!!

The Great Pip Challenge



This is the Ginger, do you think I should take it out of the propergator now???

Our day out!

This is the website for The Mall @ Cribbs Causeway.
We arrived at 09.10 to find it did not open umtil 10.00. But we managed to get in and find a coffee shop open!!!
Wednesday is a great day to go just look how quiet it was....



just look how empty the escalator is here



Anyway kathryn got quite a few bargains, but sadly did not get her phone fixed as they did not have the part!!! We had a great time trolling in and out of shops. Then of we went to Hobbycraft, which was not a pleasant experience as someone had turned the heating on super hot, but we still managed to buy one or two things!!!!

The painting in K's bedroom is finished, we have just got to put it all back together and once we have done that I will post a pic!! In the meantime what do you think you can you make from all this lot...



there is 2 reversible single duvet sets, bought for £7 each in the sale, some lining material and curtain tape which cost £6.



and after carefully unpicking both duvets I then made 2 curtains, one duvet cover (non reversible) and a cushion cover!! Not bad for £20!!!!! Wait till you see it all together!!!

I have at long last potted up my ginger and dates, wasn't I surprised when I found I had 3 dates that had sent up shoots, so they are now nicely tucked up in my brand new heated propagator!! This I think is where the fun begins, keeping them alive!!