May Spending

Low spend month

 These pale grey fabrics will become Will's cot quilt

nice quality cotton, perfect for quilting. 

Savings to come from the greenhouse 

 My few crops are coming along well

we have already had potatoes and lettuce

Lovely books, finished another Sue Grafton book

Just starting Jojo Moyes

I got just a few plants for the garden in May, the cost of the womery has not been added, I used the last of money I was given, so I decided it would not be added to my list.

The fabric spend was for Will's quilt, I will work with my daughter and let her choose what fabrics she likes, I have also been asked to make a reading wigwam for the nursery, having seen photo's should be an easy task, I have plenty of time as it won't be used until next year.
My sewing lessons are going slowly, my friend needs loads of help, I have a feeling I will be doing most of the sewing for the three cushions, I can see the look in her eyes and it's pure fear.
I think I divided you all with my last post, our lawn is brilliant, it does crunch as you walk on it, but that will settle, it does have the feel of grass, and close up it is very realist. Hubby has a huge smile on his face. I have the 3 pots by my back door to plant, which I will do tomorrow, the plants have been outside for a while. I do not have any space in the back garden, it's pleasing to be complete, it's never finished, never will be.

Spot the difference

This morning

 This evening

 I have been given a walnut sapling

something different for me to grow  

It's a spot the difference in the first two photo's, hubby had a big garden project, which took all day, and is very pleasing as we expected the task to take two days.
We now have a nice new lawn, the whole area has been leveled and raised slightly giving the garden a finished look. We have had the lawn turfed twice, both times took loads of hard work, but on our clay soil, even after we raised it with good top soil, the lawn never looked as good as hubby wanted.
BUT did you notice, it's really perfect as only artificial grass can be, yes we jumped ship and now we have the easiest lawn to care for.
The cost of keeping a natural lawn looking good is not cheap, each year it's weeded and moss removed, then we reseed sections, and feed through out the year. Decent mowers and Strimmer are not cheap, plus we really should add in the power cost for mowing each week.

At a close look it's fantastic, looks and feels like grass, in the beginning I was unsure, as a gardener I don't expect a growing lawn to look good all through the year, but hubby wanted perfection.
We are gifting our lawn mower and strimmer to our youngest daughter, our's is a better quality than theirs, they will pass theirs onto a friend who has just moved to a property with a garden, so everyone is winning.
Hubby is going to enjoy the next few years mower free. What do you think of artificial grass?

Sunday morning

My 1st pot of cut flowers

 Everything in my cut flower bed has been grown from seeds

most of them purchased last year at half price. 

 The strawberries in the pots are doing well, the fruits are hanging down and not touching the ground, so it has worked well, and the amount of berries there show they love the soil mixture. 

My blackberries have loads of flowers forming, so finally fruit this year.

My gooseberries have loads of green leaves, so I hope I have stopped the saw flies, can I ask, when does the flowers form, I can't remember if they fruit early or late. 

 The twisted willow is looking good in it's new home

loads of new growth.

 This is the same author as Apple Tree Yard

This book was OK, but I won't read any more by her. 

 I have had the foam heart for ages

I'm not so sure what I will do with it. 

My brother is visiting this bank holiday weekend, so we are away in the camper van next weekend, the change in the weather made us feel we had done the right thing. After the huge thunder storm early Saturday morning, we sat at 4.30am watching the skies, the rain was brilliant, very heavy and just what our ground needs.
Friday night we went for a meal with Su, David and Will, who was wide eyed the whole time, he did fall asleep after a while, which was good because we were in the family section and it was noisey.
Yesterday was dull, so hubby and I managed a couple of walks, and spent most of the day reading. We did pop to the huge Asda, we were looking for a microwave for the van, got one for £40, we also came home with loads of money off items. I also got their Shades toilet rolls, I think they are the best quality at a good price, plus they were on special as well. So we came home with teabags, fresh ground coffee both in our preferred brand.
Today we have no plans, family time with Martin. I think tomorrow hubby wants to look for plants for his front garden, later we will search the internet for ideas for him, he does not know much about plants so I would like him to research before he purchases anything.

Dish it up

I redid this pot last month

 This is one from last year

 Made two years ago 

 I love this simple pot

 Done last month 

I have had this pot since the 70's, it's called onion ware

Not alot doing here, enjoyed our first BBQ of the summer tonight, we have just come inside, it's been a lovely sunny hot day. The garden is looking good, my fruit bushes are full of swelling fruit, the gooseberry bushes are still green, I do hope I have killed off the saw flies.
We have loads of tomatoes on our two plants, and the cucumbers are growing tall. I cut lettuce with our tea, and hope to dig up the early potatoes on Saturday.
We have a big project happen in the garden, which starts on Tuesday, it's hubbies project, more on it next week.
My inside seed and seedlings are all doing well, I have been promised a walnut tree sapling, which is exciting.
Work is very slow, just not enough to go around, but two people have given in their notice, so the work load will improve, I hate being idle.
I have been following Chelsea Flower Show, I do enjoy watching Monty and Joe Swift on BBC2 each evening.   But I am reading so much, I have sewing to do this weekend, a project for a friend.

Outside in

It's getting dark outside and my lights are sparkling

most of them are solar

 Looking down the garden

I keep loads of lights in the greenhouse away from the wet weather, they light the greenhouse up each evening and when we have an evening in the garden I can bring them out all charged and ready for use. 

 Kiwi seedling

I am growing ever hopeful

  New reading glasses 

This is not sponsored, just something I wanted to share with you speckyfoureyes.com,  I got 3 pairs of glasses for just over £100, the reading/sunglasses are Bench, so not cheap, I could have got pairs from £9 each. There is a set of numbers on the arm of your glasses, mine is 51-17-136 this gives the details of your style of glasses, so if like me you want something similar, enter these numbers and frames the same are shown. The site is easy, my 1st order took just over 3 weeks, but the saving I made were great. 

I have done no craft, I have finished reading The State We're In by Adele Parks, the author was sending you to a good ending and then at the last moment she drops in a twist. I really did enjoy it. 

Into the Water by Paula Hawkins (Girl on the Train), is now out, reviews are looking good, another book to add to my list. 

I have really been lazy this evening, after having a near perfect weekend with Will, and Sunday lunch with mummy and Will, Sunday night was reading and an early night.
PS. One of our local's cat has been attacked, the vet thinks by a fox, hope the locals get the message about the fox population. 

Weekend so far in pictures

Hubby is away until Wednesday

on a biking trip with both his sons

touring his beloved Wales

 Lots of Will and Nanna time

mummy and daddy away Friday and Saturday nights

 Hubby feeling guilty, these came through the post today

he had ordered them before he left

 Popped to the library, got these two

and preordered loads of other titles

These rain clouds are keeping us inside

we would love a walk around the park this afternoon, if they clear

It's a stay at home weekend, Will and I are here in the day, and then I go for a sleep over at Will's house. Little man is down for a nap, so giving nanna time for an early lunch and a quick catch up. But as I was up at 5.30 this morning, it does feel like lunch time, it's great to have so much time with our youngest grand son, we have 5, all boys the oldest being 11 years old.
The weather is dry, but we have loads of huge black clouds, so far they have drifted by without any rain, but I am not risking talking Will out, neither of us want to get wet. There is nothing required to do in the garden, I managed to get the last couple of jobs done on Thursday afternoon.

Urban foxes

What's on top of your shed

 Well a neighbours shed, this fox stayed there for ages, 

we could not see what he was watching, no chickens in the garden, even when we made a noise he turned to watch us and then sat back down.

The local foxes are really very bold.

Urban foxes are every where.

We have loads around our estate, they are getting bolder, most nights we chase one out of our back garden as it tries to get next door, Purdy  our cat will chase the fox, which scares us because she could be hurt badly if they fight.
On Facebook our area has it's own local page, I love to keep in touch locally, it's used for so many great things, if we have stuff to get rid off, we always post here 1st, and often it goes. We also have picked up a few useful things from the page. It also keeps us up to date on local events.
It is very common for people to show photo's of them feeding the foxes in their garden, one person leaves chicken outside for them most nights, our mad cat lady next door feeds them dog food in the back lanes behind the houses. Everyone thinks a great idea to encourage them, the litters are cute.
BUT, these are wild animals, not cute and fluffy, they have flees and ticks, and you would not want your children too close to them. A few years ago, I kept chickens, we lived on the edge of a farm, their pen was was dug in and we thought protected, in one night we lost 15 of our girls, only one survived the fox attack.
I am concerned, if the foxes are being well fed their litters will be bigger, all will survive and we will be overrun with foxes, Where will they get their food from, their natural instant is to hunt, rabbits and other small animals in the garden.
I am not the only one is our area, who feels the same. If anyone voices their concern, they are kill joys, but still these are wild animals, what do you think.

Just a few things

I have been reusing some of the nicer jars we have, 

bringing some of my lovely beads and buttons on show.

The shelf is cut from a leftover piece from hubbies side of the office.

I have a second spare shelf if I want to add it later. 

I watched this series on TV and it was wonderful

I don't normally read a book after watching it on screen, BUT this book is brilliant, I knew what was coming but the book is written so well, and still it offered a twist and turn. 

 Pomegranate potted into a bigger clay pot

I am on a mission to get as many 2nd hand clay pots as I can

Plastic pots are on their way out of my garden. 

I have just ordered the wormery below, in green

It's back in stock in June, can't wait for it to come.

I don't like to touch worms, they are slimy, but I do know their worth. This model allows the worms to munch their way upwards, so when the top tray is full, the bottom layer can be removed, compost used in garden and then the empty tray is added to the top. So no worms will be touched at any point. It's a good size for us, and would ensure our waste from the kitchen is used in a positive way. Plus the tap at the bottom will drain and we will have liquid fertilizer. I will use the last of money gifted to me to purchase this.
I know I am a big girls blouse in the garden, I do not like to touch worms or slugs, worms are carefully tucked under the soil and slugs are removed on my trowel. My mum used to laugh at me, but it's just the way I am. 

We are still looking at waste, we throw away so little these days, as I have said before, if we don't purchase it, we don't have to get rid of it in the future.
Our food waste is almost zero, which is very pleasing.
We do not have plans to  renew anything, if it breaks, we will try and get it fixed, only replace where we have to. We pass on things we don't need, and happily take passed on items where we can use them. The only new things we regularly get are clothes and shoes, but we don't spend too often, I'm not ready to wear clothes that have been passed on.
A couple of points from my last post regarding the bird house, both really good points to point out, the paint used is nontoxic, and regarding the metal roof overheating the box, we already decided to place it in a shady spot, where the sun won't reach it after late morning.

Wet outside

Bird box before the varnish

 Simple decoration, using acrylic base coat and sharpies for the flower decoration. 

Once it is varnished, it will go in the garden.
I hope we can get birds to use it, if not it will look pretty.

I have had one pomegranate pip grow, just small beginnings

This is on my office desk, with a radiator below and loads of sunshine 

I will pop this into a larger pot this week.

 In the same box, kiwi's I have never got these seeds beyond this stage.
I will leave these in this tub with the clear plastic lid,
and hope they get to a size I can pot on.
I cut a thin slice of Kiwi and lay it on farmyard compost,
it went mouldy and then these tiny seedlings grew.

 I repotted my African Violet, and left in on the kitchen window sill, 

the leaves have burnt, but the plant is healthy. 

My cutting for my Coleus, each spring I start more plants from the mother plant I keep inside over the winter, so for the 3rd year, free plants. 

For the 4th day we have rain, today is over caste and we keep having light showers, every where is wet, much needed rain, so whilst we are inside we are pleased. This is perfect weather after all the work and planting I did in the garden on Saturday.
I am home today on sick leave, I have picked up a bug, and it's best to stay away from the office rather than spread it around, my boss is very understanding.
I have plans to do some sewing, I still have curtains to make for the van, our local shop was out of stock of 1" curtain tape, and I am happy to wait for them to restock. I do like to try and use local shops where possible. Later this week I am back on sewing instruction, helping Marie make cushions for her van.
We have also booked our 1st night away in the van on Bank holiday weekend, just a tester to ensure everything is working as we want.

Sunny time in the garden.

After more rain in the early morning, the sun came out

 So many lovely views in our garden

 Planted the marigolds around the lilies

All planted and netted to keep the cats away

 Pot's along the side of the house done

 Raised garden in greenhouse, all settled in and growing.

 Veg in the greenhouse, loads of promise.

It has been a warm sunny afternoon here in Hampshire, so both hubby and I worked in the garden, me in the back, hubby digging out the front corner plot. I have sorted most of my pots, loads of bedding plants to bring in the colour. I have also dug out the small back plot, and replanted, adding loads of topsoil, to help break the clay down. Everything was given a really good watering, so it's just a case of watching things grow.
In the greenhouse our early potatoes are almost ready for harvest, the cucumbers are both growing, and I have flowers on one tomato plant.
All the fruit bushes are heavy with swelling berries, I sprayed the gooseberries bushes again, they are both still full of leaf. Even my blackberry bush has loads of new growth, it has taken 3 years to get the plant growing.
Hubby has cleared the raised front bed, it's his spot to do what he wants, before he plants, he will dig it over again to ensure all the plants are gone.
We even had time to sit in the garden, enjoying all the work and watching the birds feed, a perfect day.
Did you notice I have a few new metal birds, I used some of the money gifted to me to add to my collection.
I have also redone my blog header, the subjects reflect all my interests.