May done

Opps, 

My spending is going up, I did say this year I would not make any savings, but so far on my garden I have doubled my normal spend, I have not purchased any wasteful stuff, it's all things helping me make the garden better. I have purchased loads of compost and manure, the soil has needed replenishment, and I have bark to go on top of the beds. The issues with the rats is still costing us money, we have three bait boxes on the go, our neighbours further down the street are also setting out poison, the cost on my list was replacing the plants they dug out. Plus a day out last weekend with my sister is always expensive.
It's been another month where I have not purchased any clothes, I am ignoring any sales and offers, and confident I can go a year without a huge spend on clothes.
My steps have been good again this month, I am pleased, still looking for the 10,000 steps each day, but happy with the progress.
I have missed my weight target for this month by 5lbs, with two bank holidays, a Royal Wedding and a trip home, maybe I was aiming a bit high. no problems I have the same target for the end of June. I am still happy to be wearing clothes which were too tight last year.
So for me May was mixed, but overall I am happy with all of the above. The only thing I am behind is my crafting, but this time of year is all about our garden. I really must get back to knitting my first pair of socks, but it's hard to think of warm things this time of year.

Growing things

I forgot to post a photo of these last week when I completed the orange, at the time I was not sure what colour to stitch the final berry, purple, green or blue.

I went with the shades of blue, soon be finished, I will then make my bag.

 Sorting through my seeds, 

I found these given to me as a gift brought back from a holiday

 I have also two packs of these

 This small dish had a lemon candle in,

 perfect for these, with loads of growing room. 

My Cacti and succulents are doing well in the greenhouse

so many lovely flowers. 

I have loads of seeds, a nice selection of herbs and loads, yes I mean loads of flower seeds, mostly free with magazines, I have been naughty this month on purchasing garden magazines. I want to try the seeds above, I like to try new things, if I start them now, they can winter the whole year in the greenhouse.
I had an email from Gardeners World (I am still on a discounted subscription from last year) I have won 6 packs of seeds for a cut flower garden, I'm waiting for them to arrive.
We had an enjoyable sign class yesterday, only four of us, so we all sat together and signed, which was good as Shelia could correct any slight hand mistakes.
Hubby was brilliant, he got the correct part to repair the disabled bike, they did the work at the side of a quiet road close to the ferry terminal, the owner of the bike was very pleased, he lives in Scotland and was planning riding home today. My brother Ivan came to visit, he was tired and after a cup of English tea, he rode home, it was sad he did not stay, but I fully understand the need to get home.
It's going to be a slow day, I did not sleep well last night, our room was cool, so I can't blame the heat, but I have very little to do today.

Inside

I have never grown an air plant before

 I was given the glass house as a Christmas present and nothing looked good in it, the small broken pot I already had, and I have rested the plant on top. It does look pretty. 

 This is my desk, these nasties are kept away from our grand sons,

 My huge spider plant with babies, 

I have just turned it as it was leaning towards the light.

 Always have a white Orchid, I've had this for three months. 

 I purchased these Sweet Williams,

 I have some in my garden, but they are still small

Apparently house plants are back in fashion, I have noticed there are more selection these days. I have house plants in most of my rooms, I do love to see something growing, and enjoy the nourishing of each one.
I got the plants into the garden yesterday, later we had a sharp storm, so the ground is now wet, I have potted on some trailing lobelia and daises, they will be ready in a few weeks and fill any gaps in the front of my beds. I put bark along my side garden, which now looks good, I hope we have stopped the animals digging there, just the back small garden to sort.
I have been thinking regarding my garden, I don't have room for much more, which is hard as I love to grow, so I have decided to use my greenhouse for cacti and succulents,  both of which I like to grow,  it will be a safe place for them from the grand sons. I hope to grow my collection and have bigger plants. I will keep going with seeds and pips, I do like the challenge of them.
Today sign class is only 5 people, so every one is coming to my house, just a change of location in the hope we will have different things to have a conversation about.
Hubby is driving to Brighton on a mercy dash, we had a phone call from my younger brother, who is on a ferry from France, with loads of biker friends. One bike has a snapped clutch cable, after a few phone calls, hubby has located a replacement in Brighton. The ferry docks later today, hubby will take tools to the terminal, where they will make the repairs, we are not sure if brother will stay with us for a couple of days as planned or ride with his mate to ensure he gets home OK.  Never a dull moment here.

Back home

My mum's garden bird bath

 My sister was getting rid of this bath as the dish was scruffy, it did have a sun dial in the middle, which she kept. I knew this was coming home with me, so I got a pot of Camomile  daises and separated them into a tray, they filled out and were ready to be planted here. I'm not sure if this is going to work, but it's worth the try. My herb garden looks good. 

I have planted my cucumbers in the raised bed in the greenhouse, I followed Julies advice, and planted a bottle beside them, last night I watered into the bottle. I have taken a couple forming cucumbers off the bottom of the plant, these would sit on the earth and they never grow well. 

 50p tomato has loads of little fruit, I have basil growing in the same pot, I have done it for years, the tomatoes taste better. 

I have a few plants to go into the garden today. 

We had a good couple of days away in Somerset, the drive down on Friday was a nightmare over 4 hours, the traffic was relentless, we chose to drive home yesterday, and had a perfect drive, no holdups along the A303, which in the summer is often a nightmare. The M3 was slow, but we only had a few junctions. Home mid afternoon, we relaxed in our garden, I pottered for a while, sorting the bird bath and greenhouse.

We had meals out, one in a posh pub, over priced food and not up to the standard it advertised, we played with our Somerset boys, Logan and Finn, the play area was good, it's nice to be able to spend time outside.
I spent the day with my sister on Saturday, we went to a Junk Yard, huge in a field, saw some lovely things, most too big for our garden, they had full size milk churns, but again over priced. We went to a nursery, which had lovely plants and then on to Monkton Elm garden center, which I love.
Later we had a meal in the village, with my sister and brother at the  Friendly Spirit, they had a reduced menu, we each had a good meal, better value and then later sat in the outside tent watching the thunder storm, we walked home in a break in the rain keeping nice and dry.
Today we are at home, we did have plans but they have been changed, the sun is shinning, we have our meals planned, no BBQ tonight, just resting, both hubby and I are home lovers.

Park by the beach

Will in a jeep this time

 He loves a steering wheel. 

Daughter took myself and Will To Royal Victoria Country Park for an afternoon's walk in the sun. the park is close to where we live, but I have not been there before. It's free to enter, but we did have to pay to park the car.
The grounds are beautiful, loads of lawns with plenty of trees for shade, nice paths through the trees for walking, and the grounds drop to the shore line, where at the entrance is Foley refinery, which you can see in some of my photo's, and further in, the port of Southampton.
We sat and watched all sizes of boats sail by, it was really peaceful, Will fast asleep in his pushchair, the play area was a perfect spot for him to run around and use the last of his energy.
Every where is lovely when the sun shines, but we agreed we should come back with a picnic, and more time to run about.
Hubby lit the BBQ and we ate outside, later watching Chelsea Flower Show, so much beautiful colour.
This morning we have a few errands to do, and then later rest at home, tomorrow we are driving to Somerset, family time and home again on Sunday.

Lovely bloggers

A beautiful hand made card

thank you Linda, you are very talented. 

 A book to read, when I asked for recommendations in a previous post, you had just finished this book and offered to send it to me. Often I have noticed we read the same authors, Edward Marston is new to me, so I am looking forward to another sunny afternoon to rest and read.  

I have done some crafting, not much,

 we stay in the garden until late most evenings.

All planted up, I used hanging basket liners for each level and filled with hubby's favorite flowers French Marigolds, grown from seeds. Just waiting for flowers to form. 

I am living most of the day in our garden,

 it's as good as being on holiday, just no pool. 

 We are loving this lovely weather, and spend so much time in our garden, after all our hard work I think it's important to relax and enjoy the changes appearing at this time of year.
Chelsea flower show is on TV again, I enjoy seeing all the plants and flowers, all perfect, it is also interesting to watch what the nurserymen/women have to do to ensure everything is ready on time, I could not over see such a huge project. As for the gardens, some are strange, others lovely, but all give inspiration.
We are making plans, we are going to replace the decking this summer, it's loose in places and also looking worn, so whilst we can still do the work ourselves, we think/hope the base is still secure, we removed some of the decking in 2013, and the base was perfect at that point.
Will was very tired yesterday, we slept from 10-12 and again 13.30-15-30, we did get a walk to the local park and a lovely play time, but it was a strange day toys everywhere but no little man playing.
Today is again sign class, I was asked if I had a need for learning sign, no it's just something I want to do, it's enjoyable.
I love blogging, it's a record of my tiny spot on this earth, I use my blog to check back on things, when something bloomed, when hubby did the decking. But the best bit of blogging is other bloggers, people we never meet, who are now in our lives, we share happiness and sadness together, and the kindness I see. Linda sending me a book to read, others posting about gifts received, the help given in comments. Our world is often portrayed in negative ways, bloggers are neighbours we would chose in our lives.

Glasshouse

All grown from seeds and pips

 Nasty corner

 Salad garden

 50p tomato plant

 Potting bench

Most of my plants are planted outside, the tender plants in pots are now permanent outside, I have a couple of displays I put out in the day, but come back in at night. It is really nice to have space in here again.
I have a few seeds and pips I have started, cherry pips, a plum pip, Braeburn apple seeds and a cape gooseberry, I do like a challenge, I will keep you informed of their progress.
Yesterday was a perfect day for a wedding, Meghan looked stunning, we thought her dress suited her figure perfectly and Queen Mary's Tiara finished the whole look. Perfect day to show England at it's best.
Today nothing to do, as with most days this week, we will spend loads of time resting in our garden, watching the wild birds at our feeders.

Sea of red

We visited Fort Nelson, just 10 mins drive from our house to see the Poppy Wave, the display is here until mid June, it's only a small part of the display from the Tower of London. The above photo's are just some of those I took, it is a stunning display.
We often visit here with our grandsons, who love all the guns and also the tunnels, it's a good rainy day out, as most of the site is under cover. There is no entry fee, but we always give a donation on the way out, it's so very interesting here on many different levels.

Is it me.....

These images are all taken from my Facebook pages, you either love it or hate it. 

I use Facebook to keep in touch with family, siblings, nieces and nephews and old friends, we are now spread around the globe. My facebook account is private so I'm not visible  unless we are friends, of which I only have 62. I do not click on quiz's and other items, I'm not interested on any of the frivolous stuff and adverts, in fact I would love to see them gone, but facebook has a cost to run.  

There is alot of rubbish on my feed,  I see it as a reflection of so our world today

 I follow a money saving group, which often has good offers shown, but I'm not one to rush to the shop for a good deal, often it's something I would not really want, but so often you see people buying to excess as shown in collage below. The flowers are a good deal, but how many bunches do you really need. Do you need three big packs of chocolate and how many lip sticks, even at 50p each.

 Things are so easy and cheap to buy, I often see offers like below, where items are being sold off cheap, purchased and then not used. So many people see a sale sign as a must have. 

I do like the local pages, I got this toy for Will, locally second hand and cheap, plus we often sell small items, or even give things away, I passed on my pot bound Christmas tree, which now is planted in a local garden. 

Often there are thought provocative images and video's.  

This morning my facebook feed was full of foolish people grabbing at bargains, and stocking up, but when is a bargain, a true bargain. Just because you save money on the purchase price, does not make the item a bargain, because if you are buying the item just to save money, that's wrong.
We don't often shop at Asda, but when we do I always check my receipt, just in case there are savings they are going to give back to us, we don't often have money back vouchers, and I don't mind, because if when we shop we are already picking up the items with the best prices, shows we are shopping smart.
In our small village we have 4 second hand (thrift) shops, which I love to pop into, I always take items to the Save the Children shop, and I try and purchase secondhand books, when I can't find books at our local library.
We now occasionally see garage sales, local homes with all the stuff from their garage out for sale, how many people use their garage for the vehicles.
Why do we need so much stuff, we decluttered when we moved here 9 years ago, and over the years got rid of loads, we have stopped buying so much, we are not interested in the latest trend or colour scheme, and we feel much better less time shopping makes more time relaxing together. Not having our house full of stuff (clutter), makes us relaxed, get the theme.
We have been checking our spending again, we have no issues on how much we spend, we worked hard to ensure we have enough income now we do not work. Just checking on what we buy, ensuring we do not fall back into old bad habits.