Hobbies and Crafts

Missed your post there Ann. It sounds like you're having a good sort out. I had one of those last year with lots of things going to the tip or Charity shops. It feels good when it's all done.

Yes, it was the battery, well the terminal, what ever that is lol. So the terminal's been fixed and we have a new battery. Because the battery was less than a year old the garage didn't charge us, so all we had to pay for was the auto electrician as he had to check the car over for the fault and fix the terminal, but it wasn't much so that's good and now we have another 12 months guarantee on the new battery. Hopefully though this one will last a bit longer than the last one.

That's bad luck about your car Gill. Good news that you are going to get it back quickly and will be able to go to your craft fair.

Your bulbs are showing through quickly but I think they will probably start into growth and then stop and go into a dormant period as soon as we get some colder weather. With the quantity you have bought and planted you are sure to have a lovely display.

Our nearest garden centre is a Wyevale and it is one that they have just sold off. We wondered what would happen to it but I am very pleased to hear that it has been bought by Perrywoods. This is a very good, family run, garden centre near Tiptree in Essex and we do have a trip there occasionally so at least we will still have a local garden centre.

We haven't had any rain yet today but, my goodness, it's windy. I keep looking at our hawthorn tree which has been swaying backwards and forwards and wondering if it is going to stay upright. We planted it as a reasonably mature tree about 4 years ago and OH had wooden trunk supports attached to the tree until a couple of months ago. I am hoping that we haven't taken them off too soon. Fingers crossed that everything will stay upright.

I wish they would sell one of our 3 Wyevales to an independent. Having three in the immediate area doesn’t give us much choice.

Our sunflower has finally collapsed in this high wind! I had supported it as best I could but the wind was just too much!! Next year we plan to bang in proper stakes and do the job properly! Apart from that the garden is relatively unscathed, unlike other poor souls who have had a really rough time of it. I do feel for them.

I feel sorry for the people in South Wales, some places are suffering and more rain on the way. Looks like it will be wet here tomorrow as well

What a shame about your sunflower Liz, can you collect the seeds for next year? Putting in a good stake should do the trick.

Apart from the odd pot blowing over we've been lucky.

We took Sandra to the craft fair yesterday but it was raining and all the rain went into the marquee, there were puddles everywhere, I felt so sorry for the stall holders. We had to jump over a few of the puddles to get around. I bought a card, but apart from that there wasn't anything else we fancied so we went into the garden centre and they had all the Christmas trees and lights up. Sandra loved it and we spent hours having a good look around. I've decided to make a start on the Christmas shopping next week so I don't have a lot to pay out in one go nearer the time. I normally buy things throughout the year but with being so busy in the gardens I haven't bought as much as I normally do by now.

Pleased to see everyone's gardens have stood up to the bad weather we've had lately, with minimal damage. I have yet more bulbs showing their heads above the soil, but hopefully they'll go dormant and flower at the correct time next year. The weather next week looks better with plenty of sunshine, so no doubt I'll be outside again pottering around the garden. I did manage to do a bit more deadheading today once the rain stopped.

Very wet here today so we have not been out at all. Garden looks a bit soggy but the wind has dropped so it is all ok out there.

Magpie, hopefully the birds will still be able to eat the seeds of the sunflower even if it is not straight. :-)

Our weather has been much the same as Ann's - very wet but with less wind than yesterday. One or two plants look a bit flattened but nothing got uprooted.

The trouble is after yesterday's wind our paving out the front and the garden out the back were ankle deep in leaves. When the wind dropped a bit late yesterday OH got out the front and bagged up as many of the leaves as he could but he didn't have time to get to the back garden, so now it is ankle deep in wet soggy leaves :-(

Your bulbs must like your pots Gill - they are certainly showing very early. I have some bulbs in the ground and some in pots but there is no sign of them coming through yet. I don't usually expect to see them till about January. If yours come through early you will have a lovely display to cheer up the grey days of late winter/early spring. You will have to post some pictures.

We ended up have a lovely sunny afternoon and according to the weather forecast it's going to be nice next week, so I'll be out in the garden again, once I've finished insulating and decorating the spare bedroom.

I've noticed a few leaves starting to blow into our garden Vera, but not as many as you. Pity your OH ran out of time to pick them all up and now you have soggy leaves everywhere. Yes, I might end up with some nice flowers sooner than expected, so long as the frost doesn't do them any harm I'll be happy. I don't know how to get the pictures off my camera onto my laptop then on to here, so I can't send any pictures. I might see if I can find the instructions for the camera as that might tell me how to get them onto the laptop then I'm sure someone will be able to help me to put them on the thread.

Gill, if you go onto Google and put in details of your camera and ask for instruction about how to transfer your pictures to your laptop you may find you are able to do it. Bit of a long shot, but might be worth a try! :-)
Garden looking very wet and bedraggled!! OH has taken all the sunflower seeds ready to distribute on our bird table. I've just got to cut back the big yellow daisies which are as good as over, then the garden is really 'ready for bed', apart from the leaves of course!!

So much for us having nice weather this week, it's really dull and damp with quite a nip in the air, so that's put paid to any gardening for a while. Hopefully it'll improve and we can cut the lawns and do a bit of tidying up. I'm still managing some deadheading so the plants are still producing fresh flowers, although I should imagine that won't last long once the frost gets here. I've yet more bulbs coming up so I'm waiting to see what happens with those.

I have an instruction book with my camera but it doesn't make a lot of sense. When I get some spare time I'll read through it again, it might make more sense second time around Liz. If not I'll Google it like you said.

Going to get a cuppa then make a start on the insulation. I've decided to do Sandra's bedroom as well as the spare room, so I'll do hers first. There's only one outside wall in her room so it shouldn't take to long to do, whereas there are three large outside walls in the spare room and lots of furniture to move around, so that one can wait a bit longer. We went Christmas shopping yesterday and I managed to get all my shopping done, I just need to wrap it all up now which I'll do once the insulation and decorating is finished.

Gill, when you bought your camera did it have a lead packed in with it?

I can't remember Ann, I'd have to have a look. It was a present years ago and I don't use it so much now. It's handy to have though.

Yesterday OH cut back a large Choisya for me. It went in as a tiny shrub 4 years ago and has grown like mad. The height is OK, about 5’ at the moment, but it had become so wide and deep that plants that were originally planted well in front of it were being smothered. Most of the books say this is not the right time of year to prune it but we had them in our old house, including a huge one in the front garden, and we used to cut them back at any time of the year if they were getting a bit out of hand. They are tough old plants.

I’ve been taking geraniums out of some troughs and potting them up ready for overwintering. If they are in pots as soon as the weather gets bad I can quickly put them into the mini greenhouse if there’s room or bring them into the conservatory. I cut the plants back quite a lot and trim the roots a bit but they still need to go into biggish pots and I am fast running out. Might have to spend yet more money on pots :-(

OH took the hint and has started moving all the furniture out of the study ready for decorating :-D. I have given him a hand with a couple of heavy pieces as there is quite a lot in that room. Several cupboards and bookshelves, two desks, two chairs, a large 4 drawer metal filing cabinet, 2 large futons, computers, printer, shredder etc. etc. Everything is either in a spare bedroom or piled on the landing.

Oh well, it’s keeping him out of my hair for a while :-D

goodness Vera, is the study a large room? this craft room of mine has a bed settee in it as well as a double free standing set of book shelves. Shelves all up two walls, shelves for a largish flat screen TV and two sets of 8 plastic drawers. We dread the time it need decorating. OH's room is almost as bad except it has a small fitted wardrobe which takes up space and no sleeping arrangements of any sort. His is the 4th (small bedroom. If all the junk was out it would take a single bed.

Quite a nice day today, OH at golf, I have walked round for the paper and to post a letter and have made 4 birthday cards. (I realised I had no male cards at all. I did move a couple of the bird feeders (back to where they were before OH decided to move them and since then we have not seen any Goldfinches, theya re fussy birds.

That's a big plant Vera, I didn't realise they grew that big. Mind you with me having everything in pots they don't grow as big as they would in the ground. I hope all the plants in front of it survive now they are getting some extra light.

It sounds like emptying the room is a bigger job than decorating it. At least you have somewhere to put everything. I'm insulating our daughters room at the moment and have things all over the place and that's just emptying half of the room. Thank goodness it's only one outside wall that needs doing and not the whole room. Mind you once it's dry we are going to paint it and probably paint the whole room so everything will need taking out then.

OH and Sandra made a bird table yesterday, I say made, they got as far as the stand then cheated and put next doors bird table on top. She has sold the house and didn't want the bird table so OH has painted it and today I put some nuts on there. Unfortunately the squirrel took the nuts. OH has bought some bird seed so that'll go on next, hopefully the squirrel will leave them alone and the birds might get a look in. Sandra was pleased to see something on the bird table even if it was just a squirrel.

Will you put the feeders back Ann if the Goldfinches like it there or will they find the new place and feed again in time? I'm the same as you I rarely have cards for men. I buy cards in bulk and most of them are for women, so I'm always having to go out to buy cards for the men I need them for. Sandra makes a lot of the cards for me but sometimes I need one straight away if I've not realised the date so she doesn't have time to make one.

The Nyger seed (goldfinch food is back where it was when we used to get a lot of them. OH moved it across the tree and they have not really been back much since, instead of 5 or 6 we have very occasionally had one or two. Hopefully they will return. We did have bluetits feeding this morning so that is something.

I also put out hedgehog nut as we have seen a hedgehog in the garden, it won't get those nuts though as a local cat enjoyed them!!

The study is fairly big Ann. It was originally meant as a double bedroom. All our rooms are quite big. The trouble with our upstairs is that all the rooms have sloping ceilings. Gives it character but makes it very difficult to fit in wardrobes etc. One of the bedrooms is very big and was meant to be the main bedroom but the only bit of flat wall is just about wide enough for a single wardrobe.

Anyway, all the furniture is out of the room and I have the bruise on my knee to prove I helped. OH has also taken up the carpet and now tells me he doesn’t think the central light is properly wired up so he will be having that down and checking the electrics. He never does things by halves but he does make a good job of the decorating.

I’ve been wondering whether to move my Niger seeds to another spot in the hope of attracting goldfinches. We only occasionally see one in the garden and then it is usually having a drink at the bird bath. I’d like to get a few more in.

Gill, depending on the variety choisya can grow 8-10 feet tall and spread about the same amount.

OH bought some sunflower hearts which I've put on the bird table, hopefully the birds will get to them before the squirrel does. I noticed before the squirrel was eating the nuts every time I put some out and I think it's been burying them in my pots of bulbs as the bulbs are all over the place, so I've now put the pots in the greenhouse before there's none left. I think it might make them grow more but it's better than the squirrel eating them or taking them away then we'll end up with nothing. Unfortunately when I was moving them into the greenhouse I hurt my back so couldn't finish Sandra's insulation in her room, so that'll have to be finished tomorrow now.

Your OH is a hard worker Vera, it sounds like you have a big place. Maybe you could have built in wardrobes to fit around the sloping ceilings, would that give you more storage?

I didn't realise Choisya's grew that big, mine are like babies in comparison.

I hope the Goldfinches return for you Ann. The seeds OH bought today say the smaller birds like them so hopefully they'll arrive soon to feed off the new bird table, providing the squirrel doesn't get there first like the cat at yours where the hedgehog is concerned. I haven't seen many hedgehogs this year, we had lots last year, unless they are down the bottom of the garden where it's darker and we just haven't spotted them. I did see one the other day going across the grass half way down the garden, but nothing since.

Not seen any goldfinches yet Gill although they may be around earlier than me!!

Just been out and planted up the alpine table, I had forgotten we bought the plants as OH had put them in the greenhouse out of the way. They are still healthy but the soil is a bit cold, even though it is sunny. Still hopefully they will live up to their Alpine name!!

Lovely sunny day out there but chilly so I have come back in to make cards. OH is at golf of course, it being friday. :-) :-)