Mix and fix

The 6th section came in yesterday

simple stitching, lovely design.

 More on Carrie Rose

This section is almost finished, must be done by June 10th

My next start arrives, another stitch along

 My micro salad

looks good and taste better

our kids were bemused with me growing it

we also had fresh radish and herbs.

 Sam's flower

he does not normally pick flowers from our garden

last September, Sam choose the plants for the pots at the side of our house

yesterday he was so pleased to see so many lovely flowers

 This morning we have the promised rain, 

Oh well at least we had a sunny day yesterday

We had our BBQ last night, and lit our chimera, being British we sat in our fleeces eating, as the sun was going down it got rather cold, desert was taken inside.
May must have been one of our coolest on record, out of the sun yesterday was cool.
I did spend some time in the garden, I tried to make a fruit net cage, I had the poles, corner connectors and net, it all went well until I tried to put the net on the frame, it's not big enough when stretched, so for now, I have a 3/4 net cage, still it looks better than my 1st attempt, with loads of bean sticks. I also planted a few leeks in my raised garden.
Sam and Josh spent the afternoon with us, Sam outside, helping me in the garden, asking loads of questions, and taking an Aquilegia for his garden, Josh stayed inside making more Harry Potter cards, I now have to make Doctor Who cards for him. They are coming back this afternoon, we are taking them to the ice cream parlour, we are looking forward to their faces on seeing so much ice cream. I'm sure photo's will follow.

Stitching and stash

Hubby got my parcel for me

lovely stash

 I go a fat quarter of both

White and Ivory Linda Evenweave 

and a full meter of Antique White Brittney Evenweave

all 28 hpi

the threads are for next project

 Carrie Rose, I have done more on the side

I have gone to the bottom of the page on this stage

I just have to full in a few bits

 Aquilegias in the garden

looking good, I love these flowers

 A self seeder with a different colour flower, 

much nicer colour then the mother plant above. 

 Salvia in my BBQ bucket, 

I love these as well

 It's much cooler here today and with the promise of rain tomorrow, I don't have many plans to be out side.
Every thing is looking good on my afternoon check after work.
Plans for tonight are to stitch, I would like this section finished before the new project comes through. I still have plans for a big project, hence the big piece of natural fabric, but it will wait for me.
I also have Dark Places to finish, just a few chapters left, it's a really great book, and I have no idea of the ending.
No plans for the weekend, I am not working, just two days at home, no requirement to got into town or to shops, still living off the contents of the freezer. On Saturday hubby is planning our 1st BBQ if it is nice, we can only wait and see.

So green

Last night was a perfect evening

 I spent a couple of hours doing little jobs 

then, sat outside and ate tea with hubby

Had my 1st Pimms of the season

 I have more seedling coming along 

and planted a few of each of these

they are not huge but they should grow

My plot is well and truly filled with plants.

 Inside my kiwi seeds have germinated

can you see the tiny white shoots

I have kept them wet on a piece of kitchen towel

on our sunny warm window sill

I will add just a small amount of compost to keep them growing.

 On Monday I got this tiny tin as a treat

full of sweets much like Parma Violets but loads of different flavours. 

Not sure what I can use it for.

I sat with my book last night, Dark Place is almost finished and I don't know how it will end. Tonight is much cooler, so evening inside and I hope to stitch. It's so much fun to have so many things I love to do. I have done more to Carrie Rose, but not enough to show you here.
Tomorrow I will pick up my parcel from the sorting office, it should be for my stitching stash, I'm not expecting anything else.
I am so please to have time to sit in our garden and enjoy all the work we have done, it has taken 4 years to reach where we are, we both love to watch the birds and have loads of feeders around the garden, it does mean I have to use net where we don't want the birds. The Pinesol I purchased does help with the flies, I used some just before we set out our meal, plus it does smell lovely. So we are happy in our tiny part of Hampshire.

Another day out

We visited Corfe Castle today

Parked in the park and ride

 Took the train to the little town of Corfe

at this point we were missing Sam and Logan

loads of 'the boys would love this'

 Looking up to the castle

another ruin

 Local post office, 

The bottom of the building was full of modern signs

but I loved this window

 I waited for this photo

I wanted this street without cars

and got lucky without people as well

 Hubby and eldest daughter

 Back at the station

These cases were every where

as were milk churns, and I love milk churns

 Fliss brought me a gift for the garden

she knows mum loves Robins

It has been a lovely day, the drive home was bad it took us almost 4 hours to make the 2 hour drive, but we expected bad traffic. This evening I plan to read, I have started Dark Places by Gillian Flynn, another brilliant starting book.
Yesterday, work went well and I was home by 2.30pm, we had a wonderful Turkey roast, we are back to using up stuff from our freezers, more about that later. We lazed around after our meal and then wanted to do something, Fliss suggested popping into Portsmouth for a treat, in one of the two ice-cream parlours. This sundae had more calories in than I have eaten today, but it was lovely. We popped in to see Su and David and were in trouble for not inviting them, so next weekend all of us including Sam and Josh will go back for a treat.

Having the extra day off is brilliant, garden is looking good, nothing to do in the house and a day out with our daughter, we are enjoying having her home with us, which is good, because she will not be able to afford to live on her own or in a shared house for a while. Hubby is now only working 3 days per week, so he is able to help more around the house, but I am not allowed to call him a house husband, he does not like the term. 

We have been spending this week, firstly we have purchased a new fridge/freezer, but with a much bigger fridge, I do love the American style FF, but in our tiny kitchen we do not have the room for one. Our current FF will be put into our garage and we will get rid of the tall freezer we have, we do not require all the freezer space. The garage fridge will be used of all hubby's beers and stuff from his beer cooler, which again will go. Both we will put on freecycle, for anyone to take away, both are still working, just not what we have need for any more. I was very surprise hubby agreed to getting rid of his beer cooler, it is a huge talking point when we have BBQ's, but it does  take up loads floor space in his garage. 

Secondly I have put in an order for more stitching stash, mainly linen, I do require a big piece so I got it on line from a supplier I have used before. I am still keeping a list of every thing I spend, and it's not as high as I thought it would be. 

Planting time

2nd shoot on my orange pip

I love these shiny dark green leaves

 I pulled out plants from my green house

ready for planting in the garden

Yes one does have a Wilko's label on

 French Marigolds around the tomato plants

Hubby's favourite flower

we have three different tomato's in this huge tub

 This Melon Eldorado was just £4.00

it's a grafted plant and has loads of flowers on

and lower down one melon forming

it's in the warm greenhouse

 Table and chairs need a top coat, looking good

 My Acer is lovely, it looks good in this corner

The Hosta is thriving in the chimera 

the dish on the top is a bird bath

you can just see a sweet pea coming out of the chimney

 My first yellow rose of the season

I have two clumps of yellow Aquilegias

The yellow tub, is a BBQ purchased from our local Co-op

just £9.00, but with hubby's double discount 20% off

Behind my Chocolate Cosmos back again

  And some stitching

I have a couple of weeks to get this section done 

before my new design is here

After a quick pop to town, I have spent the day in the garden, loads of bedding plants are in, spring pots have been sorted, and the back area is now tidy, it helped the day has been warm and sunny.  I have added nets to the two fruit areas, I would like to make cages, but I have no where to store them when not in use. It has gone dull now, light rain would be helpful, if not I will be out with the watering can.  I have placed my Lemon and Lime plants outside, I have a warm spot by the garage, where they will get warm sun the whole day ( well if it shines).
We had lunch outside, we scattered dried worms on the lawn and watched the starlings and their young squabble and feed, I love being so close to the birds. Since I have come in our squirrels have visited for their feast on the nuts.
Tonight we are home, hubby is cooking salmon for our meal, and a glass of wine. We are having a fruit salad as well, most of the soft fruits at our local Co-op was a £1 each plus discount, a nice treat.
Tomorrow I am working 8am to 2pm, long enough to get loads of work done, but home early enough to get the afternoon together. I do not plan to work next weekend.
I have planted my pepper seeds, and I am ready to send them on to the next person who will be Linda, please email me your address and I will get them into the post.
PS, Grace did get to the vets, she's OK and everyone loved her, helps she is so pretty.

Fruits

Oca planted in potato bags

the green pegs are around the edge, so I can balance a soil sifter on.

They stop the squirrels from digging.

Nice shoots and growth.

 Inside the greenhouse, just one level here

I have loads of bedding plants another 50 French Marigolds, 

some Salvia, purchased from Tesco £2

I hope to get these out this weekend

 Fruit garden

My gooseberry bush at the end is looking good

I hope this year I have stopped the saw fly

so far the leaves are clean

at the other end and out of shot, Blackcurrants are forming, 

won't get many but it's a start

 Raspberries and Strawberries

 I love my bee bell, it sits in a corner of the garden,

 under the roses, just in case

 Grace looks like an angel, who last night disappeared 

10 minutes before we had to get her to the vets for her check up

it's rebooked for tomorrow, if she chooses to hang around

 This is my next stitch along, it cost 5 euro's

the first part is out in 3 weeks. 

I am doing it in pale green and grey

I have not stitched all week, I have a sore spot and dried broken skin on my finger tip, and the sewing needle keeps catching it, so I have tried to let it heal.
Plus I have been watch Chelsea Flower Show, it's so inspiring, so much perfection. I love the gardens, each different and always each has something I love, I prefer my garden to have a rustic aged look, I am not into hard slick landscaping. Most of the gardens this year are more to my taste, plus we get to see Monty Don each evening!
My own garden is good, I have done some watering tonight, the fruits are forming well and my young veg is looking healthy. Something is attacking my roses, I have picked loads off, but I think I will need to spray them this weekend.
I still have the pepper seeds to give away from my last post, if you want to be in the draw leave a comment, I will sort it on Saturday.
We have another long weekend, with nothing planned. I hope the weather is warmer, it's June in 10 days and still cold every evening along the South Coast.

Flowers

A new colour for my Aquilegia collection

it looks very delicate

 these tiny daisies fascinate me as well

I love white and yellow flowers

 Blueberry flowers setting to fruit

 These flowers are growing fast

 I love the infill of these centre designs, they blend well.

For my next stitching, another SAL

I fancy almost no colour at all the design has only two colours,

I will add in a few shades, just green and grey.

 This give away has been on a few blogs, I won these from Kirsty I have taken my packet of seeds so it is time to pass them on, still another 4 packs left, originally from South Africa, if you want the chance to grow some, please leave a comment on this post. I will pull a name and post them this weekend.  Once you have the pack, you keep yours and then offer the rest on.

Work has been busy, we do not have enough time to do our tasks, and with three out of eight people not in the office, the work loads to huge. I am not stressing, we all work hard and feel the same way.
My walk around our little plot was wonderful this evening, I was pleased to see a different shade for my Aquilegia, I now have 4 different colours. The rain today has helped and followed by this lovely sunshine, plus the warmth, the plants are looking good.  I got my camera out to capture a robin at our back fence, but he disappeared once I returned with my camera.
We have another Bank holiday weekend, I hope to be able to put out some bedding plants, I have loads of French Marigolds (hubbies favourite flower) A couple of my spring pots are going over, so I can add colour in them. I want to purchase some red Salvia's a flower I love, just for one pot, I really do not have any more room anywhere!