Hobbies and Crafts

Yes it is dry but the ground is soggy from last nights rain and OH doesn't seem inclined to go out and shift them (neither am I).

Lucky you Ann if you've got dry weather :-D. It's been pouring here since the middle of the night. The garden here was already a mess but now it's a yucky, soggy mess. :-(

Although our garden is very small our house is built round a sort of corner in a cul de sac and we abut 5 other gardens. They all seem to have trees that are dropping their leaves into our little patch. It was bad enough sweeping them up when they were dry but now......

I think it's a day for staying indoors with a nice hot toddy :-D

Another load of leaves down from the garden at the end of ours so more gathering up to do today if it stays dry. :-D

How exciting Vera.

I keep thinking how nice it would be to start all over again in a more sensible and ordered way but then I wouldn't want to get rid of any of my plants and we are stuck with the shape and layout of the garden ( and the neighbours ). so............... It would just look the same but with the plants, maybe, in different places !!!!!!

Let us know how it's going.

M. :-)

Way to go Vera :-D

The garden is pretty soggy at the moment and not very nice at all.

Our garden designer came as planned and was very good; very professional and a really nice friendly person. She spent three hours with us talking over what we want and making suggestions. OH looked a bit shell shocked when he realised just how much it could cost but when she had left he admitted to feeling excited about it. She really did seem to get on our wavelength.

The next stage is for the garden designer to send us a quote for doing a survey of the garden and drawing up really detailed plans, so we are currently waiting for that. After that, and assuming we accept her quote, we can decide whether we want to pay out for a company to do it all for us or whether we want to do it ourselves. Our current thinking is that we will get someone else to do the hard landscaping and get the beds laid out and then we'll tackle all the planting.

It will be expensive but it's only the kids' inheritance we're spending :-D

But lovely to still have them near I'm sure. Both ours live so far away. I know it could be worse they could be in another country but we don't get to see them that often and it always seems to be us doing the travelling. Hope all goes well with their move.

Daughter and son in law have just exchanged contracts on their own house. No chain so they are expecting a quick move and should be in well before Christmas.

They are buying a house just the other side of town so only about 10 minutes away.

It sure is going to be quiet round here.

M. :-(

Oh Ann, well, as you know if anyone can sympathise it is me !!

Mine gave the Forsythia " a good cut back " yesterday...... One year he will remember, from the year before, and the ear bashing he got that he has to leave it until AFTER it has flowered in the Spring.

M.

:-D :-D :-D Vera

Oh dear Ann :-(.

I know the feeling. Some years ago one Acanthus plant appeared in a bed down the side of the house. When I wondered why the previous occupants had only put in one plant OH admitted he'd been pulling them up when they were a few inches high because he thought they were some sort of thistle!

I really shouldn't let him go out there weeding on his own!!! In the spring I planted 6 perenials in one patch that we had just cleared (he really wanted all that patch for his dahlias! I have just managed to save the last one thatw as being 'weeded' out. the other five have all gone. I wouldn't mind but this one even had a label!!! A big label with a picture. He told me it was a weed and pointed to another one he said 'same as that one'. When I made him put the two leaves together, even he could see they were nowhere near the same. :-( :-(

Yes, been a drizzly day here so far. OH is playing golf so will be a bit bedraggled when he gets in. He already has a cough too.

I am just psyching myself up to get back out and finish the garden. It is a horrible dismal and drizzly day here today. ( we are in Surrey until tomorrow, well, who else was going to do the gardening !!??)

I have noticed the leaves are really turning colour and falling these last few days, sweeping the patio is a waste of time.

We haven't had a cloud in the sky for the last three days, as you can see from my butterfly photo, and no frost as you might expect at this time of the year with clear skies.

I walked down into town on Saturday night to go to the pub without a coat, just a thicker cardi and then nearly passed out with heat marching back up the hill home.

M. :-)

Not lovely here, it is very grey and raw cold, in fact I have just put the heating on. This morning I put all my Tee shirts away and got my sweaters out so winter is on its way. :-( :-(

Haven't bought any spring flowering stuff this year as I don't yet know what we will be doing with the garden but I have planted my few lovely Heart's Desire tulips in a nice pot so I hope they will give a little display.

I'm also keeping an eye on the unknown little bulbs I found in OH's shed when we were packing up to move. When we got here last year I stuck them in a pot and they developed some strappy green leaves, a bit like crocus leaves, but nothing else happened. I left the bulbs in the pot when the leaves died down and they are just starting to show leaf again so I am hoping they might flower this year and I will find out what they are. They will probably turn out to be spring onions lol.

I'm amazed to see I have an agapanthus in bloom for the second time this year. I've never seen them bloom twice. It is such a lovely day here that it's more like May so perhaps the poor thing has got a bit confused.

And when planting summer bedding how many times do we dig up and replant bulbs Lol!!!?

I was planting some tulip bulbs earlier in a spot I had cleared and came across a load of Daffodil bulbs with shoots about two inches high.

I wonder how early they will flower ?

Still have 80 crocus to go in. When will I ever learn, I do it every year, I can never resist buying a load of bulbs each Autumn and then have to find spaces for them without digging up the ones that I have already.

M. :-)

We prefer just having a kettle on a tray to a teasmade. We had one of those many years ago, then we had the one we bought my Mum after she died but prefer the kettle, easy to fill it the night before and just switch it on. On golf days we don't use it as OH is up so early he brings me a cup just before he goes.

Can you still get Teasmaids ? Mind you, I have got one, called Himself.

Most if the drink making gadgets seem to be for making coffee but for me it has to be a cup of tea first, in bed.

It is the one job Himself has always done. There again he has always found it easier to wake up in the morning than me. Takes me ages to surface but I generally stay up later than him.

My Mum and Dad had a Teasmaid for a while but the thing kept squirting hot water over my Dad so they didn't keep it for long. He went back to making the tea. Come to think of it, that was the only job he ever did in the house as well. .......

Just Googled, you can get them they cost about £60.

Cheaper to send the men downstairs !!!!!!

M. :-)