Nothing doing

I got a few more packs of tulips bulbs, these 3 for £5 at B&M, I wanted the mixed pack of mini bulbs, hubby chose the other two packs. I do really have enough tulip bulbs for next spring, I won't plant them until next month, tulips should be planted in November, all mine will go in pots.

I have my early combined birthday and Christmas present, it's going to be handy on our forthcoming trip to Spain, the promise of an easy transfer of data from my phone to the tablet, was not as easy as they promised, the verification code was sent to our home phone but arrived after the time limit on the code. It's mostly set up now, just a few things for me to sort, hubby has some books to add from his family kindle apt for reading when away. 

My blanket is getting to a good size, I have the length I wanted, so it's just a cast of making squares until it's an oblong, then I shall make a small knitted boarder in a contrast colour. I am going to have some yarn left over, I am hoping maybe enough to make another, it's such an easy design to make. 

Daughter is now free of covid, she had a horrid time, Will was unwell Friday morning, Molly picked up a bug from pre-school and George had a bad cold and cough, so they all stayed home on Friday and Saturday, snuggled down together, because of covid we stayed away. Sunday they were all feeling much better so she took them to a local park to run around. Today the boys are back at school, Molly can't go back to pre-school until tomorrow. 

We popped to Aldi, it's not local to us, they had their wooden toy event and daughter hoped for a gift for Molly, apparently most of the toys sold out the morning before, when they were put on sale, we did get a few bits, but we don't think it's worth the extra drive to regularly shop there.

I managed to plant my over winter broad beans, all I have left to plant are tulips which will be done in a couple of weeks. I have also sorted all the ingredients to make my Christmas cakes, again in a couple of weeks, I am hinting at hubby, he should make another batch of mincepies, I am also thinking of making some eccles cakes,  hopefully my sister and her partner will visit in November, he loves them so I want to bake them for him as well. 

The heating as yet is not on, we have used the boost to warm the bathroom for evening showers, not used it yet in the mornings, our bungalow is warm, I've sorted my boots back out, sandals are not yet packed away, hopefully I can wear them again on our upcoming trip. We did not see the northern lights here, we did look.

Just another week

 This is just 30 minutes after another huge deluge, we had heavy rain all through Monday night, no thunder and lighting, which was promised, we had heavy rain storms Tuesday morning, they didn't last for too long, but they came one after the other. For the first time I can remember in 15 years living here, we had a huge puddle just outside our gates, it did drain, just the amount of rain falling so quickly. 

I have done more on this lap blanket, it's such a simple design, using just 7 shades makes it very uncomplicated, it grows quickly as the yarn is double knitting weight. It is now the width I want it to be, I just need to add length, I work on this most afternoons, as I want to get it finished.

I have ordered my blog book for 2022, as expected I got the discount I was waiting for, in fact I got a very good deal 50% off the book plus free shipping, so I saved £64.44, the book cost me £55.45, which is the cheapest I paid in years, normally with such a good discount you normally still have to pay postage. My 2023 book is no where near finished, so I can wait until next year to publish it. These books are only for me and my grandchildren, who love to see their photo's in a book. 

Hubby has done a good job on the stairs, it's not finished yet, just the gloss to do, we removed all the photo's of the grandchildren and I've packed them away, we have a few things to hang on the wall, our new light fittings are again very simple, it's going to look very uncluttered. 

Daughter came to visit on Wednesday with Molly, both boys were in school, Molly is so very different without George, she wants to know everything, and is non stop chatter. George has settled into school much better than we expected, he is talking and being understood more (mainly because Molly is not there to talk for him), and is already following set books and starting to write letters and numbers, when I visited on Tuesday evening, he got out his reading bag for us to look at his school books together. Daughter had a parents evening chat with Will's teacher, he has settled into his junior class and is doing well, so daughter is a happy mummy, who sadly is full of cold, now positive for covid. 

We have had rain every morning this week, happily there is nothing to do in the garden, hardly any leaves falling, we just sit inside and watch the tiny birds, our feeders are very busy. I'm not complaining as the events from Florida are shown on TV, we are so lucky not to have flooding issues.

With George at school and Molly enjoying pre-school 3 days a week, we don't see our little people enough, we are both very happy they are all enjoying their new lives, we have a hole to fill, we have a few things coming up, but for now it's home alone.

Autumn outside

 I do love to see a floral display on this bistro set, it can be seen from our sitting room, and fills us both with joy. I got cheap cyclamen plants from B&Q, these have grow bigger in the few weeks I have had them. Next spring I will get this set dipped and powder coated white, which was the colour when we got it, it will better against our grey fence panels.

I am not adding much to my flower beds for winter colour, I want to allow all the new plants space to grow and come back next year, having said that I do still have some colour, as well as loads of bare spots. I have popped in a few pansies for colour, in a small garden with narrow beds there is not enough room to grow for every season.

Having cut back (butchered according to hubby) our Olive tree back in the spring, I am so happy with how it now looks, I don't move it through the cooler months, our weather in the past few years have been very mild, if a hard frost is due, I double wrap it in fleece. This section looks bare, all I can do is dream of warmer dry weather next spring, it's our first year of looking like this. 

Friday was sunny and warm, I spent a couple hours outside, moving things into my shed, days like that I need to be outside. Later we went to our neighbours at the bottom of our garden for a drink and chat inside his garden pub, it's the building you can see over our back fence, sadly we had a bit of a walk to get there, he has offered to put a gate in our back fence, loads of laughter and brilliant music.

Saturday was another lovely day, I worked on finishing my bug house, hubby was finishing sorting the stairs for decorating. Later, we walked to the village for our Covid and flu jabs, hubby is fine I have a sore arm, I have to have both shots in one arm, which does make them ache. We are enjoying watching Strickly again, it always helps with the dark nights and the build up to Christmas. Sunday we had drizzle most of the day, hubby sorted ladders on our stairs and painted the ceiling, twice, it's a job I'm glad when it's finished, he's 75 and active, I worry when he's doing things at height, we did get quotes, all of £1000 or more for such a small area, which he refused.

Monday we popped into town, I had a prescription to get, my dentist is worried about a cracked tooth and we have a break in Spain coming, so I have 'just in case' antibiotics. We stayed for a hour, not many good shops left, I do like home section in TK Max, and B&M for a few bits.

Blogger is playing me up again, often it's not showing post on my reading list, and loads of comments are in spam, oh well at least I'm aware. 

Shed time

 My shed has arrived, we delayed the delivery until this week, I was expecting a tall box and was surprised on this shape, but as long as it's all there, hubby and I can get it put together so I can place it and fill it. Here I go again getting excited over a small shed, I forgot the word useful as I'm sure it's going to be.

I already had in my mind what was going in here, so it did not take long to sort, my tools stay in the garage and greenhouse, the bits stored in here are used in my veg and fruit sections, it's going to be handy to keep them all in one space close to where I work, mainly all my different poles and canes, the very tall ones don't fit in here. I'm sure the items on the shelf will swap about.

I think this space looks tidy again, it can be seen from the house, sitting on a paver to make it level, it does look wonky in the photo, but the concrete base is very uneven. I will store my various nets in the top section, the hatch is tiny. This area for me has to be pretty as well as hard working.

I have removed the runner beans, for now the bed is resting, soon half will have over wintering broad beans, I have heard of peas you can sow now, so I'm looking for them if not hopefully I can find some spring cabbages plants for the rest of the bed. I have netted the other bed which has leeks this end and Japanese onions in the back section, and one lone cabbage. For now on my back raised bed I have popped all the small pots with cuttings which are growing well, it's a perfect spot for them.

I have got some bulbs from Lidl and the Amaryllis from B&M at only £4.99 it's worth a go, both these packs are for inside, I will wait a while before starting them off, it's good to know I have them, plus pots and compost. I left all my Amaryllis bulbs outside this summer, a few have rotted, but I have 4 bulbs to try and grow again, I've never succeeded in getting flowers a second year, but I still try. 

Now is the time to review my veg section, it has been an expensive first year, I'm not concerned about getting my money back in harvest, that would take years, so we have spent what was needed to make it, and we can live with that. Also I need to consider the elements, the weather made it a cruel season, perfect for slugs and snails, we all fought a huge battle with them.

Overwinter broad beans were brilliant, lovely harvest and garden space cleared for a summer crop, runner beans had a slow start but romped away, I will have less plants next year, potatoes grown in bags worked for me as did carrots. Beetroot took far to long to get any size, so I won't grow them again, I tried courgettes in a bag, which did not do well, they take up to much space to go in a raised bed, parsnips also a slow grower, but I will grow them again as hubby loves them, so I only need a few. 

One main thing I am changing, I grew different veg in long rows, the full length of the beds, from now on I will grow short rows across the bed, the parsnips still in the ground are now in the wrong place, I can work around them, but it will be much easier if I make this one small change. 

I will be able to harvest rhubarb next year, my gooseberry bush is still small, it is looking healthy, all my soft fruits are in their permanent positions. We have been discussing a dwarf apple tree, which would need to go in a huge pot, the cost of a decent tree, pot and compost makes it not a cheap purchase, something we need to decide on.

I am completely happy with our garden, it is everything I wanted and hoped for, I get a buzz out of growing things, but it's not too hard work.