August roundup

I popped in 3 yarn orders, I have a few projects in mind, not cheap, but keeps me out of trouble, unless I visit the yarn sites too often. I have sold my loom and have factored in the amount to reduce my spending, last year I added the cost into this list, so I feel it's right to show the selling price as a refund. Gardening is much better than recent months, I have got loads of spring bulbs for my pots. I am hoping my total spend is less than last year, so it gives me a base for reducing again next year. I still spent £166.72 this month, my list is not really about saving money, I do it so I can see where I am spending the most. 

I have purchased clothes twice this month, £82.00 spent on 2 pairs of knee length shorts and 2 pairs of cropped trousers. I have chucked out some shorts, they were very scruffy. I have spent about £130 on clothes and shoes so far this year, I should not need anything else, I still have plenty in my wardrobe. Most of the brands I love have loads on sale, so it is a good time to replace items. 

I have been sorting my sewing boxes in the attic and found one summer dress and 2 hubby shirts all packed away to use the fabrics, but now both of us being slimmer, they have been washed and are back in our wardrobes, nice bonus. We have also sold items stored in the attic and never used, a bonus income. I sold my dressmaking dummy, I have not used it in years, so a few more pounds towards my hobbies, I won't show it in this list, I was purchased years before I started recording my spending. 

Cat's finally got the check up and annual injections, £120 the vet prices never stop going up, and if we don't have this done our insurance is void. Pleasing to know both cats are well and Grace for her age (15) is brilliant. 

We only had one big Asda shop delivered here, I have popped to Lidl's a few times and we get fresh fruit and veg from our local Co-op, so still spending a fair amount on food. Our waste is almost nothing, any off cuts from veg goes to my worms, we are watching our use of water. 

Our electric bill is going to be higher, having fans working day and night for a week and the extra laundry, it all adds up, but for a decent style of living in the very hot days, these things need to be used. 

We had earth overshoot day this month, it's the day we note we have used the renewable resources of our planet, so anything we take from the earth for the rest of the year won't be renewed, Covid19 has pushed the date back a few days, but year on year we consume more. It should be top of every countries news, but it passes without many people knowing, our world is profit before health.

Late August garden

I love these 2 chimney pots, they are in the garden in front of the greenhouse, I swapped the right hand side one earlier this year, both now have begonia's flowering, it's a colourful use of these tall pots. I have also popped in some cyclamen for the cooler months once the begonia's die back.  

My clematis by our side door is in flower again, the plant dies back every year and the flowers only bloom at the top of the plant, so the base always looks bare. I do have a pot close to the base with my eucalyptus in. 

This bed created last year by our back door is again looking great, these begonia's are bedding plants and should have died last winter, but they are huge. I did plant a couple of coleus behind, they are still there but have not grown much. The geranium in the middle I cut back this spring, once the colder weather comes I have a cover for it.  

Storm Francis, did little damage in the garden, I did move the pots off the tables and we moved the olive trees along side the garage to shield from the wind. The old fence post nearer the house has been damaged, these fence panels have been here for over 11 years (our time in the house), so this winter I expect them to break. 

Rest of the garden is still looking good. 

 George had his 1st hair cut, daughter took him to the barbers in our village, he did Will's 1st haircut, she always uses him, he is so kind and gental with the boys. Will loves the man and always waves to him when we walk by. It's not the best cut but George wriggled all the way through. 

We spent time in the garden this week, just cutting back, picking soft fruit and tomatoes, on Saturday afternoon we had a small BBQ, it was SIL birthday, so he came with daughter, Will and George, plus his parents, my brother was here, we stayed outside as the sun shone, and kept distance from adults. It was great to have a normal gathering, just 7 adults, all of us have not been out much all of us feeling well. I keep saying normal life, simple things are the best, and they are, it was nice to keep our BBQ small, no friends or neighbours. 

I have done a bit of crafting, but most nights I have been tired, I did more to the second sock, but started making mistakes, so I packed it away. August is crochet Granny Square month? So it seamed a good point to start another blanket, I have a few large balls of Debbie Bliss 4ply cakes, which I got for my loom, I will crib them all into a bigger blanket, something simple in my hands at night. 

My brother is driving home today, hubby is out on his motorbike with mates, so I am going to get the sewing machine out, a nice day on my own, well both cats are curled up asleep, I can hear Purdy snoring. 

Shopping again

We popped into town quickly, we never wander around anymore, just to the shops we require and then back home, life for retail stores must be horrible, not much passing trade. Hubby needed to pop to Boots (chemist) so I went into Wilko's and got the rest of my bulbs plus one, I don't like Iris, never had, but Monty's bowl of small flowers looked lovely earlier in the year, so I decided it would be nice to add blue to my spring pots. Seeds were less then £1 each, bargain. 

My circular needles have arrived, I can't get this brand in local shops, I find them perfect to use. I do purchase Pony brand for straight needles from a local shop, I've never had an issue, but in truth most of the needles I knit with are years old, and marked with the old sizes not metric. 

This is the difference, I find the Pony ones have a bit of a lump at the base of the needle and the plastic whist soft often twist, I do have problems with the stitches bunching before the join, and difficult to get on the needles. The top set, Addi, is all metal and nickle free (I have an allergy to nickle), the points are nicer and I find them comfortable to hold if knitting for a long time. I have not been sponsored, just my views. The pony set is longer than the 2 new sets, so I will keep it just in case. 

These were on sale, the last 3 balls, they are brighter than this photo shows, they match in fiber and weight the Baby Merino I already have, so what to do with them.....

I saw this blanket on the internet, and I love it, ideas are forming in my head, shades of pink and white, and the yarn above, I will try and find the pattern, but in truth I can work it out.

I got a copy of this book second hand, I very rarely purchase new books these days, it's another gripping plot, a big read with 690 pages, the plot is extreme but enjoyable. This being my 59th book read this year. 

Thank you so much for your kind comments on my last post, family is everything, I love to be with our grandsons, sadly 4 live a few hours drive away and not in the same direction. We don't get to see them as often as we would like,  we are not fit enough to have them for longer stays without parents, older boys wear us out quickly. It is extremely rare to see all 8 of them together, as with larger families at gatherings, there will always be someone unable to attend. These days families are spread about the country and the world, it's great to see everyone doing so well, but as we get older the desire to drive longer journeys so often is on the wane. 

I have my brother staying for the rest of the week, he had driven up from Somerset, he stayed with his daughter for the 1st half of the week. We are hoping for a BBQ, with youngest daughter, her hubby, Will and George on Saturday, my brother does love a family gathering, sadly we do need to keep this one small. Will loves uncle Martin and is already excited to know he is visiting.

Have you noticed how quickly it gets dark, we are turning more lights on each evening, the cooler weather is getting closer. We are being promised another hot September, so I will keep everything crossed, it's far to early in the year to pack my sandals away.

Sleepover and birthdays

Nothing beats a Will sleepover, he is so full of energy and fun, here loving a new reading book. 

Making home made pizza with Grancha, licking the plastic spatula and feeling pleased with himself. 

Sunday the house looked like a toy shop, we watched Bob the builder Christmas special and had loads if fun. It was wet outside so no visit to the park. 

Loving his new toy, it's a car which transforms into a T Rex, he played with it loads, he played with a neighbours son in the week and loved his transformers, he was very careful and gave them back when asked, so Nanna thought he should have one of his own. 

Monday our oldest grandson Josh turned 15, how quickly the years pass, we met up with Josh, his younger brother Sam, and eldest daughter, plus younger daughter, Will and George for lunch at local cafe along the shoreline. 

 Sadly George was fast asleep, but I love this photo with 3 of my grandsons, Will loves being with his older cousins. 

Saturday was perfect for us, Will is such a good boy, not perfect, he can choose his moments, it's been 6 months since his last sleepover, we spent time in the garden, he does love to help me, all the soft fruit was picked and loads eaten, we looked in the greenhouse and watered plants, he also helped to fill the bird feeders a job he loves doing He was brilliant at bath time and bed time, he does go to bed a bit later, so both hubby and I were tired. We had a lazy evening, knowing it would be an early start on Sunday. 

Sunday was a very lazy day which started at 6.30am, and ended with an early night, it was a dull breezy day, with a few showers.Will stayed with us all morning but wanted lunch at home, so I got cuddles with George and time with daughter and SIL. Later I did manage to start my second sock, but did not touch the baby dress. 

Monday was a lazy morning, nothing much to do, sat on internet looking at a few knitting patterns, not purchased any, but gathering ideas. Did a bit of work keeping the garden tidy. I met my daughters for lunch at a local beach cafe, because it was a birthday we all had cake, Will sat between Josh and Sam, they all interact so well together. The sun came out so we could walk along the beach, the younger boys played on a wrecked boat for a while, it was pure heaven. Peaceful evening at home together, started a new book which  is already gripping.

Woke up the the expected very wet morning, it's so dark here we have lights on, so day inside, housework to be done. 

Crafting time

The skirt of the baby dress is done, I have decreased the stitches and now have to bodice to knit, but my circular needles are too big, I can't get the brand I love using locally so I am waiting for an order to come, hopefully today or Monday. 

The decrease section was done in one row followed by garter stitch with a row of loops holes in the middle, I now have more pattern to do. 

I have finished my 1st grey sock, I decided at the last moment to knit the toes in the pale grey, I had intended to knit them in the darker grey. I just have the toes to finish and a few ends to stitch in. 

This is the most amazing honest book I have ever read, a story of the preschool years of Oscar's life, making sense of everything Downs Syndrome can bring. What people (some professional), friends, strangers can utter is unbelievable. The thoughts of a mum on a long unknown journey. It's the feelings from a mum who has a son with a label, how she chooses to live her life. Full of love, fun and hope within a family. 

My daughter was passed this book from another mum, and my daughter suggested I should read it as well. It's not a suggestion of how our George will grow and behave, but it does give so many answers to thoughts swirling around my head. I did ask my daughter have I said anything stupid or thoughtless to her, or please let those thoughts have stayed in my head. She has a couple time corrected me, but I've not said anything to hurt her. The hardest word is 'normal' what is normal, no 2 children are the same, they develop within guidelines, it's a concept not spoken here.

 

George was 9 months old this week, we like every other family feel blessed to have a baby in our lives, already we can see differences, but he also has some strong determined actions, he will hold food and feed himself. When Will is playing he watches him and can roll around the floor to get to his toys, when sat on our lap he will rock until you sing row, row the boat, he will develop at his own pace, but already we can see his sweet personality shining through. 

We have done very little in the past few days, it has been so very windy here and with all the plants, trees in full leaf they have been thrashing about, it's still warm, we have had some rain most nights, so no watering duties. We are picking loads of blackberries, most are in the freezer to enjoy through the colder months. I did sow some more seeds, aquilegia and sweet peas, and I have found all the spring bulb pots and they have been cleaned, having the greenhouse to work in, is just brilliant.

We are picking Will up after lunch for a sleep over, just Will as we all feel it's important for him to have his time and space with us, last time he slept over was way back in February, he slept over with grandma and Grandpa last Saturday. We have promised to make pizza's so he can add his toppings. so it's going to be a toy day here, it's not nice enough to walk to the park. 

I have stopped watching the TV news again, I am really fed up with so many people complaining 'it's not fair' I have always grown up with the feeling life is not fair, we have to make the best and in these strange times, life is different, no government can save everything and everyone, we already have horrendous national debt. As my dear mum would always say, 'pull your socks up and get on with it' 

 

Loads of colour

This is the first thing we see from our sitting room windows, the red just zing, I do like to have a couple pots on my table, as you can see we have had more rain. 

This smaller table is hardly ever sat at, but it does brighten the corner of the decking, I have had the plant in the blue pots for years, The olive tree is a great back drop. 

Our olive tree is full of olives, we are hoping they all ripen, not sure what we would do with them, but I will check on internet and find suggestions. 

The passion flower I moved is racing ahead, along with my sweet peas, which as yet I had no flowers. There is some twisted willow in there as well, again I used a branch off our tree for supporting the sweet peas and it has rooted, so soon another plant I will pass on. 

Our blackberry harvest is brilliant this year, 

already we have a bag full in the freezer. 

I got 9 packs of spring bulbs for under £10, from Homebargains, we popped to B&Q, but they did not have any bulbs, so went next door. You don't get loads of bulbs in the packs, but for my pots it's better to have a few of more plants. I still need a few different ones, but for me it's a case of see them and get them.

 Wednesday it rained all day, any worries of how dry the ground is have gone, the water butts are all full, the balance in the garden is complete. I have more seeds to start for spring flowers, this is the 1st time I am sowing seeds at this time of year, normally I buy the plants, I won't sow the whole packets (you do get less seeds for your money these days), I am hoping to get a good mixture of plants. 

Wednesday morning we had George whilst Will went swimming, he is learning to swim, but mummy does have loads of issues getting him into the pool, Will loves water, so it's strange how he always refuses to get in the pool. Later we popped out for lunch, Will loves our local bistro, which was full as no one wanted to sit outside in the rain. Loads of cuddles with Will and George, and loads of quiet time after they went home. 

Next post will be a craft catch up, I am doing well on the babies dress, I have started another fine granny square blanket, and I have seen a lovely knitted square blanket, which would use loads of my baby merino wool left over from my lap blanket. 

Under glass

My forget-me-nots are doing well, I hope these will fill the garden with loads of tiny floating blue flowers next spring. 

My passion fruit plants and salvia hotlips are all growing well, I hope to get a couple salvia into the garden next month so they can settle in and regrow next summer. The passion fruits will all be given away. 

Violets and Violas starting to grow, 

these will fill my pots with winter colour.  

I have 5 pineapple plants around my home, this one in the greenhouse is the best looking, I have another one growing well in my office, the last 3 are all much smaller.

Succulents, some I have had for years and loads with tiny new growth. I do love my pots, the brown 'chamber pot' I have had since the 70's, I no longer own the onion pot which matched.

My hydrangea cuttings did well in the Perlite, and had lovely roots, so I planted them, but left them were the rain could water them, they have gotten too wet, so I am hoping they come back, if not, I will have to start again.  

 I also have a tomato and cucumber plant in the greenhouse, both are producing fruits, but not as many tomatoes as the outside plants and the cucumbers have stalled, there are a few starting to grow again, I think for a week it was just too hot in the greenhouse. My nasties and succulents both loved the hot days, every plant is looking good. 

My 1st task everyday is to walk down my tiny garden and check the greenhouse, open the door and ensure everything is as it should be. 

We have been having rain most nights, not storms, no thunder and lightening - very very frightening (sorry, sing along), and the days are now cloudy and dull, but it's perfect weather for the garden.

Yesterday Will and George came with mummy, for a couple of hours I also had a neighbour's children, so 3 of them ran around the garden playing, Will was the youngest, but he happily shared the toys we had. Later we popped to our neighbour's to see their new puppy, both of their children were so happy and excited. 

Busy at home

My babies knitted dress is growing, I am very pleased I am knitting it on the round, it looks better without the seams. The row markers are for the end of each row, I don't need them, but it helps me understand front and back. No shaping until just before the armholes. 

It's the simplest of designs, 1st row yarn forward and knit 2 together, 3rd row knit 2 tog yarn forward, rows 2 and 4 on pattern are purl, but on my circular needles are knit, the shades of the yarn does not show in my photo's but it's so pretty and it's very soft.

Just to prove nothing ever changes, Will loves a big box, daddy has made this one into a house, they had added a window, solar panels on the roof, he plays with boxes for hours, ignoring all his other toys, George rolls around the floor watching his brother. 

 We are having dull muggy days here, very over caste, but very little rain, so inside days, Sunday afternoon it rained, no storms or thunder, but enough to soak the garden. 

We have passed on and sold alot of the items from the attic, I sold my tailors dummy for a good price, it was in very good condition and also top of the range, the lady was very pleased. I have been so bored I have been sorting my stuff and I have listed a few other things, dressmaking patterns and knitting books, just items I know I won't use. 

Nothing much needs doing, I did clean the house, it does get very dusty, hubby did some ironing, so we had plenty of leisure time, I spent most of mine knitting. Nothing to watch on TV, so we are listening to more music than ever. 

I have been sorting my inside pot plants, I have cut the Christmas cacti from the bathroom in half and made two plants, I have re-potted my spider plant, it was not growing well in the bigger pot, everything else is looking good. I was cross with myself, whist placing my new cactus plant I knocked the flower tips off my Orchid, so no blooms coming soon, so easy to do, this Orchid is doomed not to flower any time soon. 

We have a busy week ahead, I have friends children for a couple of hours today, George on Tuesday, and we are out on Wednesday.

Third time lucky.

As the title says, it has taken a few tries to get this knitting sorted, the pattern shown in my last post for a baby dress, typical me I have changed how I am knitting this, instead of doing a front and a back and then sewing it together, I have knitted on the round, I checked the pattern and it worked without having to adjust the number of stitches. As for my issues, 1st attempt, I got to row 5 and realised I had a twist in the knitting, so unpick, 2nd attempt, I got to row 9, but it looked scruffy, I do knit loose if I am not concentrating, so unpick again, lesson learnt pay attention to my work.

Up close, the pattern is lacy and the yarn is flecked, 

so together they are creating a pretty design. 

I have done more on my socks, the grey colour is boring, 

but the person will love them, so I keep going.

I love this cotton yarn, the shade is to my taste, I have a lacy short sleeved jumper pattern for this. These were on a special offer and I made a great saving, yarn is not cheap, so I love it when I find something I like, because I knit in 4 ply I don't often find the best bargains. I can knit in other weights, but I love 4 ply, it drapes and always looks lighter. 

My yarn order has arrived, 8 balls of cotton and 4 balls of Drops baby Merino, as I said in my previous post I love this yarn, it is soft, and lower in Lanolin, which gives me problems. I'm not sure what I am going to use these for, but I got 10% off (1st order discount)  and the price was the same as on other sites, purchasing them put the value of my order to obtain free shipping. I am tight and never like to pay postage. 

 I have been impressed with Knitting Network, the parcel came quickly and was well packaged without using plastic, they have sent me another 10% off, which is dated the end of this month, so that won't be used. They also send emails with their deals on, which is OK, I only purchase when I need too, I am trying to keep my stash at a reasonable amount. 

Nothing much has been done, we have had a few dull and muggy days, still to hot to do anything, and with nowhere to go, we stay at home. We had another order from Asda, keeping our stocks up, I do feel OK popping to Lidl's every other week, and there is always our local Co-op. Last night was cooler and we both slept better, it's another dull day here.

We have a mouse problem in our attic (loft), which is next to our bedroom, previous owners built into the attic, so we only had a stud wall dividing both areas. Hubby sorted one end a couple of weeks ago, but mice are still getting into the attic, we have placed traps, but we need to find how they are getting in. So we emptied everything out, and found no nest, but signs of activity by the joining wall to next door, which is no surprise to us, we have added more traps, which hubby will check daily, we could not find any point of entry. On the plus side, we have listed loads on local selling pages and have already sold some stuff, I found a wool winder I forgot I had, and we have thrown stuff away. For now we have a tidy attic space. I have listed my tailor dummy and my loom and all the items to go with it, sadly I find problems with my back when weaving. 

New starts

I have eight lovely beautiful grandsons, oldest Josh is 15 this month, and Dominic is just a few months old,  I have not knitted much for any of them, clothes is so cheap and yarn so expensive, plus as babies they grow far to quickly. So why the pattern, well I have a desire to knit in pink, not a colour I wear much, this is beautiful so......

 A yarn order has been made, and it's just arrived, lovely shades of pink, I am using Sirdar Snuggly, Crofter, I have used this very soft yarn on a jumper for myself. 

The other items are all Drops Merino, 4 ply, shades of pink and a pale heather, I have loads of colours in this range left over from other projects, I am hoping to get some hand dyed yarn from Burrow and Soar, but the colour I wanted sold out before I could get it. 

I also purchased the yarn to make this jumper, I do love knitting lace patterns, I also want to do a design using cables, I have seen a pattern for a jacket for George, George is a long baby and it will help if I make him some warm tops which fit him, a nice design. I have ordered this yarn from a new to me company, so as yet it has not arrived. 

I have finished this book, my 57th read of this year, I could not put it down, I have read other books by this author, and she always delivers, a gripping plot with a great ending. 

We have spent most of our time inside, this heat is just too much for me, I give the garden a good water every other day when it’s dry, normally about 7ish in the evening, it’s a job I love, I take time to look at everything and plan any changes. Nothing much to do outside, everywhere is looking good, plenty of flowers around the beds, loads of fruits being picked and frozen, made another mixed fruit crumble for tea, my nasties and succulents in the greenhouse are all looking good. 

Sunday, about 3pm we drove to daughters for a BBQ, her garden has a lovely shady area, we sat outside, Will played in their hot tub, using it as a deep pool, he does love water, George rolled around on a big baby mat, he is moving about loads. We had a lazy evening at home, for me it’s just too hot.

I have done very little, we both are spending time inside, reading and a tiny bit of knitting on my socks. We have also been staying home, we have had travellers in a couple of local sites around the village, they have just been moved from our wreck, they have been very aggressive, and stealing from local shops and garages, and causing loads of issues with residents. Lots of damage is left, our local football club which was the closest buildings had to be closed as the safety issues grew. Now they are struggling with the damage and the theft of sporting equipment, the village is coming together to donate money to fix and replace everything, the football club was open through recent months providing cheap cooked meals for those at home. I do believe everyone should be able to live their lives as they wish, but with respect for those who are around you, sadly not everyone has this view. 

We did walk to the market on Wednesday, I looked at the plants but resisted everything, my garden is full until the summer flowers fade, I have pansies and viola seeds in the greenhouse, hopefully I will have enough plants for my pots. I am also looking at spring bulbs, I threw loads of mine away earlier this year, they don't last forever. 

Last night we had our first rain in ages, no thunder storm, just beautiful rain, it's not so muggy this morning, the sun is back out and it's getting hotter again. 

Bottom view

The back of our garden is my working area, the raised section was already done, hubby offered to dig it out when we moved in, but I decided to leave it as it was, the extra height makes it perfect for my greenhouse. All the planting I have added as I have said before the previous owners did not like gardening, the Magnolia tree was the only thing in the garden when we moved in. 

The garage door has always been blocked off, so I have this flat section by the steps, I have popped my succulent glass jar here for now, it's in part shade in the day, so not too hot. I do love my tall old chimney pot here and the baskets of pebbles.

I did some work in this area, adding more grit to the top of the big Acer pot, I love the look here, I have a few pebbles and a black iron candle holder, which looks like a tea room. It's not something many people notice, but I know it's there and it finishes the Oriental look. 

I have redone this sink, I have moved 2 Heuchera plants elsewhere in the garden, planted in the front they had become too huge for this spot. the variegated grass was lost at the back, again it was a case of wrongly planted spot for a small grass. I last planted this sink back in June 2019, seen here, I split my Japanese blood red grass from kirt, and the black grass from in front of my greenhouse. I have used the last of the mixed stones from my old raised bed. I also split the bright green grass, another plant for my sister. 

2 tomato plants, always place them in front of the greenhouse, they catch loads of sun to ripening them, we already have harvest loads. . 

My shed is tucked behind the garage, before this was a wasted space, I love having my gardening storage space so close to my greenhouse. I have trained my cultivated blackberries on an arch, I keep loads of pots in this area, my hosta's love the shade. 

This corner for a while was scruffy, now I have a few pots and it looks better, the back fence has a jasmine growing up it for extra colour.  My Acers are new this year, I have them here, I can see them from the garden, I just need to decide if I will keep them all together or separate them into 2 pots, but until I decide here is a good spot. 

The greenhouse is in a perfect spot, in full sun most of the day, higher than the rest of the garden, and full of lovely plants, cutting and seedlings. I have had my tower pots here outside the greenhouse for years and the Ivy beside it.

I have planted a small white daisy in this pot, I had loads of ideas, even thinking I could make a small water feature, but in the end planting won out, this daisy was in my side bed and not doing to well, so I hope, soon this pot will be full of flowers.

Every garden needs a working area, and I have slowly over the years changed mine to look nicer, I am making full use of every bit of space. Whilst the tomato plants are growing, the garden waste bag sits in front of my shed door, it can't be seen from the seating area, I would like a composter, there is just one spot but it would mean digging out the raised bed, twisting it around, cutting it smaller and refilling, but the top of the composer would be seen from the garden and it would be next to the fence and I already have issues with weeds coming through from next door. 

This year has been a perfect year for gardens, we all have had more time at home, and our summer has flipped from hot and sunny to wet, allowing all the plants to have great growing conditions. We have enjoyed a lovely few days mostly out of the sunshine, my cold is much better, I do love long relaxing days like these. 

I hope you enjoyed the close views from my working area.