Jungle Rock!

We decided to crack on in the jungle plot today, I knew where I wanted the tree ferns so hubby dug a big hole and hit rock!



Well possibly Bath Stone which is exceedingly pourous, or then again it could be cement. Could this be where the well is?? We have been told on a number of occasions that there is a well in the garden and this is in approximately the right place. So what did we do? Went ahead and planted the tree ferns!! They don't produce any roots so are easily removed. I think I know someone who is a 'dowser' so I will get them round and we will see! Anyway this is the finished area!



Then we got on with the bigger area, I haven't planted everything yet as I'm not a hundred percent sure about there placing! will leave them in pots for a week and see how I feel!



I still have some big leaved plants in the greenhouse which I have started to bring outside to harden up!

The chickens have been very interested in whats been going on and have enjoyed eating all the 'leatherjackets' we chuck into them!





Right off to get some dinner and a large gin!!!!

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Awaiting the Arrival of a Few More Jungle Plants

I have been digging again, remember the pic of the patio in yesterdays post, well I have dug up the bed and some more of the slabs



The big part of the bed measures 142cm x 470 (4ft 8in x 15ft 5in)



with a banana in it. I can move the banana if necessary (I think). I have redeployed the plants I dug up around the garden. The smaller bed




now measures 100 x 170 (3ft 3in x 5ft 7in)since I lifted a row of slabs. I will probably keep the angelica and fennel for now as it gives me instant height. I need to paint the delapidated fence, which belongs to my neighbour but she thinks belongs to us! I am also debating about buying some bamboo barrier to sink along the boundary as most of her shrubs roots like to grow into my garden!!! The soil is quite good and has had the chicken run contents added to it over the winter. It is also quite stony as the outside privy used to be here. So now all I need is a man!!!! to help me lift all my jungle plants over to the bed so we can move them around etc. etc.

Just to show you how things are growing, my caster oil plant has had a burst of growth


so it is obviously happy here which I think is good, because we are going to have to dig it up!! The down pipe behind it is where the rainwater from the main roof and 2 flat roofs (sp) goes to a soak away ideally we should dig up the whole patio and sink a huge tank underneath, but this is not an ideal world!

My brugmansia which was lifting the roof off the greenhouse got moved close to the house and seems to be enjoying the position,



I need to repot it and I may move it. I would really love another one, but where I bought it from has not had anymore in!!

Just to finish on................
The most amazing thing happened at breakfast this morning, Tori said ' I will have to tidy my room tonight, it is really getting on my nerves'!

Music to my ears!!!

T has never kept her room tidy even though I have encourages her to do a little on a daily basis! I must admit since Feb. I have said nothing and done nothing, as I didn't want to upset her or nag her, I felt she had enough on her plate. To be honest getting into her room at the moment is rather like an obstacle course and how on earth she finds things for school I never know!
So maybe I have been doing it wrong all along! Maybe I should have left her to it. She has agreed with me a while back that over the summer she will have a really good clear out to make way for all the college stuff! I live in hope!

Before & After!

I saw blue sky today!!! Not much but as my Nana would say 'enough to make a pair of sailors trousers' what ever that means!!
Tori had her first part of the art exam yesterday, 5 hours!!!! Today is R.E! She I must admit is fairly upbeat, not sure whether thats good or bad!?

I got out into the garden again today and I must admit I am thrilled with how its coming along. When I started today it looked like this




and by the time I had finished it looked like this



I have re-seeded the bare patch in the corner, it is so damp and humid I think it has a good chance of coming up!





I was accompanied by



Sassy! I say accompanied as she is not a bit like Tango, she finds a nice sunny spot, fairly close to you and sunbathes, but keeping an eye on you making sure you don't move to far away!

So whats next, well, I need to move the slabs from the top to the bottom to lay here



then I can set up my tomato house! Of course I really need to crack on with the patio area, soon to be a jungle




there you go, one looking up the garden and one looking down! So I hope to tackle this, this weekend. I may start tomorrow depends on how my back is holding out as I think I might have over done it today!! SSHHHHHHHHHHH!!!

Stopped Raining!!!!

We have had so much rain recently just look at the garden



look at the length of the grass, I don't call it a lawn cos its not really! So I set too, I am really pleased with the way its coming along



the bed on the left is really taking shape, I would like to paint the fence buts its too soggy for me to stand on just yet! This is south facing but my neighbour has the most enormous silver birch as her hedge look.....




its should be dryish again tomorrow so I shall finish off the edges round the bottom and round the bed by the fish pond, on the right. Then I can tackle the jungle bed!! At the weekend provided hubby is feeling better (he has a cold) the slabs I've lifted at the top will be laid beside the greenhouse so I can get my some of my tomato plants into the tomato house and pots in the greenhouse. Just look at the size of them at the moment...



but theres no room to put them anywhere..



I had to move some of the tropical plants back into the greenhouse, although it hasn't been to cold its the cold and wet they don't like, look at my poor bananas..




of course I had an assistant



he does like to chat, and of course always likes plenty of attention!

I have put more bark chippings down in the chicken run, we hope to rig up a shelter in the next week or two



Anyway when I had finished what I wanted to do, I went inside and had some lunch then the postman delivered a parcel and look at all the lovely goodies I got, what fun I shall have with these, mainly christams presents!!!!

My Chickens Need Your Help!

I think you may remember us moving the chicken run quite successfully! Well maybe we celebrated to early!



Its beginning to look very soggy again..



I was going to take a close up of the ground in the chicken run and nosey Bunty got in the frame...



but here is a better pic of the ground..



This is broody Babs



she is all fluffed up and I'm forever having to push her off the nest. She is going round making cluck, cluck noises! Sweet but sad, I would love her to hatch some eggs but to be honest I can't consider anymore chooks until I solve this problem.

This is how much rain we have had since Saturday afternoon



So what do I do? I'm hoping you may help me come up with some ideas, we need to put up some sort of shelter/roof, but what? Hubby is dead against a permanant structure 6ft high, from the next few photos you may understand why




at this part of the garden it is only 12 -13ft wide. The bags on the left are not normally there, that is what we cleared out of the run on Saturday. Until we get dryer weather they will have to sit there, as you know everything comes through my house as I have no rear access! But the good news is the neighbours go on holiday for a week as from next Sunday and they are usually pretty good about allowing us to come through there garden, I'll ask!

So over to you, sensible, affordable ideas please! I will consider anything, I had thought of putting up a shelter with a brush wood roof which I could send clematis up, but of course that would shade the bed where I have the strawberries.

Over to you>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

May & April Swap!

There was a time when April was known for its showers! May was also a good time to have an early holiday! K's birthday is at the end of May and her cousin D is at the beginning! We have celebrated both of the girls birthdays with bouncy castles, parties in the garden etc etc. Last year they where both 18! So preperations went ahead, both had decided to have an adult bouncy castle at seperate locatons one at the beginning of May and the other at the end!!!
We went to D's party and it was freezing, she had a bouncy castle and bar-b-que but boy was it a miserable day weather wise!
K had opted for quite a big celebration, with a huge bouncy castle, bar-b-que etc, etc. We had arranged with the farmer to use the field at the back of the house. Watching the weather closely we realised it was going to be quite cool, so purchased fire pits, a huge marquee type tent, but the weather deteriorated so badly that nothing would have remained erected!! So the party was scaled down somewhat, the firepits and marquee where returned unused to the shops for a refund and as we had so little time to rearrange a smaller party was held at home!
I went and purchased a chocolate fountain, warned all the neighbours and it turned out to be a raving success! Especially the chocolate fountain!

We have had some fantastic holidays in May, especially when the girls where young! As I said some fantastic birthday parties too! So what on earth has happened to the weather?? We went and bought another water butt yesterday 210litre, from Wilkinsons (my favourite shop) £19.99, and set it up on the left side of the greenhouse! We now have 7 butts rigged up round the shed and greenhouse all apart from the new one are full!!!! We still need to find a really big one which doesn't require digging the patio up to fit it in,to set up next to the house!

Now the grass in our garden has reduced so much, are mower which never fails to start but has rusted so badly that I believe it is actually quite dangerous to use, we have been on the look out for another mower! Because our carbon footprint is so massive (solid fuel rayburn)we had been looking at getting a push mower. Whilst at B & Q yesterday getting bark chippings, we walked past a push mower that had been reduced from £29.99 to...............£15!!!! We bought it!Got to be good for the waistline!

I have sooooooo much to do in the garden and it is now just too wet to get out there! The new chicken run we where so pleased with, was a mud bath! Hubby and I spent yesterday afternoon sorting that out and bought some bark chippings to put down. We are going to have to rig some sort of roof, as they currently no longer have a dust bath! I have an idea on how to do one just not sure hubby will agree!!! We might have to wait until my sister and her hubby visit to give us a hand!!!

So what do you do with yourself when its wet outside???? Apart from housework and ironing? Yarnyard has had some beautiful yarn up for sale so I had a bit of a spending spree!!! With Christmas in mind of course! So I think I may get on with some knitting, try and get ahead of the game, so to speak! The only problem I have is if I sit for to long my back plays up! But... the damp weather has brought up a new problem, my poor old knees!! I was in so much pain yesterday, I actually had to take pain killers (unusual for me!) Well I can't really blame them, they have had to lug a very over weight woman around for well over 10 years, so it must have taken its toll somewhere!! Another incentive to lose more weight!