Giveaway Prize.... No Fear!!

I was going to have these in my December giveaway

but

I liked them so much I have planted them myself!!!

Sorry!!! lol!!!

Another Day in The Garden.

I know I have been abit down, I think its becuase I miss my hubby. He hasn't gone or anything he is just working exceptionally long hours. Anyway we chat, even after 23 years together we still chat and there has been very little of that going on recently.

Anyway he managed to get home a little bit earlier last night about 9pm (thats from 7am in the morning) and he had a lovely surprise for me




aren't they the most beautiful colours? Bless him. love him to pieces!

Anyway as it was due to be a dry day yesterday, and it had been dry for the few days before I decided after hanging out the washing I needed to mow the lawn, one last time. So here is before



and this is after!



There is a difference honest!!!

Having decided that the end of the world was nigh, with reference to gardening. I gave myself a good talking too. I have coped and live with M.E. I'm sure I can cope and live with a bad back! I just have to manage my time better so I don't overdo it. So with this in mind I decided to do a little bit!
The other day I showed you behind the green house, do you remember





it was in a bit of state.

Well I decided to have a go and tidy just this small area up. So all the plant pots got put into here



I shall wash them in the spring, all the rubbish got bagged up, all broken plastic pots etc also got bagged up as they can now go to the tip for recycling.

I brush tidied and moved stuff around





It was only an hours work and to be honest, not a good height for my back! I probably did too much but at least I stopped at an hour and that one area is now alot tidier than before! I am relatively happy, but you know me. Taking little steps is very hard!

Despondent in the Garden!

Its a bright sunny day today so I told myself I had to go out into the garden! I don't usually need encouragement, but I have totally lost the will to be out there. I could go as far as saying 'I Hate Gardening'!
I know you think my garden looks good, but to me it looks a right old mess. I remember when we first moved in and it was all lawn, so the girls could play, camp, cycle etc etc it used to look so big. Now its claustrophobic!
I had to top up the coal bunkers with the pre-packed coal so moved these bags from here



to here,



which of course I shouldn't have done becuase of my back, but I can't wait for hubby as he is having to work exceptionally long hours nowadays!
Under these bags I found three of these





I plan to put the cat trap here,



as we still have not trapped the wretched feral cat. Although I have a plan B if this doesn't work as when I tidied up the front garden there was a strong smell of un-neutered tom and I haven't smelt it in the back garden for awhile now!
So moving down the garden I raked up the leaves. Leaves and gravel do not go!



I moved this




and found this...



we have always had newts since we had the pond, I just haven't seen any for ages and ages. So I very carefully replaced the pot!
Now you would have thought it would have cheered me up to see these frogs and newts and yes to a certain extent it does.


So I moved further on to rake up the leaves from the lawn,



normally I enjoy being out looking at what is about, how I can improve on last year, what might work better etc etc. but the spark ain't there.





Behind the greenhouse is a right old mish mash of mess clutter, some of it rubbish some of it to be used again.




I think since my back I am scared to be laid up, it only takes that one stretch too many and I am on my back, so to speak. I want to do so much but I hold back, so becuase of this I am suppressing my enjoyment.
I think also there comes a time when you don't know where to start or what to do and usually inspiration will come in the shape of a friend or family member.
I have always enjoyed doing something different in the garden, but I'm wondering if it is the right thing to do. Maybe I should go back to the good old cottage garden. Get rid of the big greenhouse which does take up an awful lot of room. But I know me, the preverbial butterfly, maybe I should wait a little while longer and see.
I think I could save up my pennies and egt some help in the garden next year to do the heavier jobs that I can't do and lets hope my enthusiasum returns!

Outside for a change!

I have blogged very little about my garden. Mainly due to the awful weather we have been having! But today started of dry and bright with sunshine.

So outside I went, the veg patch is quite bare at the moment.



This bed I want to move, very little grows well here, I think its down to the high fence with the huge hedge behind it. Anyway we intend to slab it and put the bar-b-que here and at the far end by the blue chairs I shall hopefully move my Indian Bean Tree. The bed is going...



down here where the chickens where on the right



at the end of the bed on the left I thought I might put a triangular bed and use it for strawberries. My neighbour has a strawberry bed and she got loads. I want loads too!! The only thing stopping me is my back! Normally I would have done it, no problems but I'm scared about doing my back any further damage!


But look at these silly things, these are the autumn planted onions, I'm sure they are not supposed to be doing this just yet! I have never grown these before so don't really know?



In the greenhouse things are growing away cos its so mild I shall have to fight my way in with a machette in the spring!



Look at the Maureli's



they are supposed to be dormant!!!!

This was the sky just before the rain came again!!!

Autumn is Here!

I can tell when autumn is here not only by the changing colours of the leaves, or the low hard sun in the sky but by looking round my garden

My Caster Oil Plant, I can still remember the first time it flowered, I believe two years ago on this blog, since then it has been dug up cut back and re-planted and this year yet again it shows me its different developments of its flower..









It always flowers at this time of year, and I love it because it is so different to anything else I have in the garden,

I was given a tuber of this flower Impatiens tinctoria (I believe)





yes there are other types of 'Bizzy Lizzie' lots and lots I have the book to prove it! This one is currently 1 metre tall and flowering away merrily, a sight for sore eyes at this time of year!!


My tree ferns have loved our awful summer and have grown amazingly well, I will stuff the crowns with fleece and leave them to there own devices this winter. This is the small one



and my bigger one has masses of fronds





A sure sign of colder days and nights is I can find the cats relatively easily

Jake's favourite position is half in and half out of the cat flap, I have yet to get a pic but I will



he comes and goes as he pleases now, but I lock them all in at night! Although he is timid he acts quite dominant on occasions, Sassy does not like him at all and avoids him at all costs, when they do meet everyone can hear it. Funnily enough neither Sassy or Tango have given him a swipe, Chimarnie my old cat would have, its all Jake needs, maybe its not in the nature of a Burmese?? Watching him round the house I understand how important a tail is to a cat, he is definitely not as agile.

Sassy likes to be as close to me as she can



sitting on the chair next to me when I'm on the computer. She is so sweet.

Tango is sneezing alot



and is not complaining to much about being shut in, which is unusually for him. I have checked for other symptoms of 'Cat flu' but he doesn't seem to have them, he is drinking and eating so maybe its just the sniffles.

In the autumn I come in from the garden and start to make and do in the home, I have been quite busy so have some nice things to share with you, but not right now. I am away for a few days visiting my mum so will be back next week.

Don't forget the hour changes this weekend!

Just have to show you this.........

My very first ginger flower..........



isn't it beautiful......



would you like to see some more I've taken a million pics in case it doesn;t happen again!!!!!



Say goodbye to this



as its time to dig up and pop in the green house. I have to still move this



and this



and this



and this to fit in



In the greenhouse I have already chopped some back



I need to chop these back



then as you can see they are full of water I have to drain this out, otherwise it freezes and kills the tender bananas.



I have never over wintered so many before, I wonder how many will be dead before next year???



This banana at the bottom has gone balistic this year, I think it is because of all the rain we have had, but he seems quite happy at the mo. no need to cut him back just yet.

I do love the markings and colours of this Ensete Leaf



and to finish with, my favourite coloured flower