July roundup

I spent £49.60 on yarn, this will not arrive until later in the year, it's a yarn advent calander, I am making a scrap blanket with crochet granny squares, and I thought it would be nice to have a mixture of colours, not just the same shades I use for my socks. Garden was much lower, just a few plants to fill gaps and yesterday I got 4 packs of half price seed for next year.

I spent £57.99 on clothes this month, I needed a couple of bra's I always purchase from M&S, not the cheapest, but I love their quality and sizing. Plus a pair of shorts in the sale, I did need a good pair, mine are all looking past their best, and another pair of soft shorts for in the garden. . I have spent £155.89, my budget is £300 for the year.

Plastic free July was a disaster, it is almost impossible, everything you do, buy, see has plastic, I got 2 lamps for the garden, they were not wrapped, but the label was attached by the thin strand of plastic, we buy products to replace plastic, but often they come in a plastic bag. Plus of course often the items arrive at the shop protected by plastic, which is removed before going on sale, so at this point I do feel it is hard to go plastic free, BUT as I have read it is better 1 million people recycle and avoid plactic imperfectly, it's better than just a few living totally plastic free.

I hope to blog again this week, I have again had a tummy bug, much worse than before I spent almost 4 days in bed, and then our friends from Spain visited. We are now back with just hubby and I at home, it will take a few days to sort and pack things back into our spare room. I have done no crafting for almost 2 weeks, but it's OK.

Going dotty

It's great to be using silks (floss) again, I have a huge stash of colours so I should not need to purchase many for this project. The fabric was in my stash and left over from this project. I have used french knots before to colour a project bag I made. I do love the shades in this fabric, hence I purchased more than I required at the time. 

 The circle is the size of a small diner plate, the template on is the back, I will stitch each coloured dot inside the template, plus any part areas. The back ground will be left flat. I aim to use the large circle in the design of my finished bag. 

The stitching is so simple, I start in the middle of the dot and work outwards, just taking care along the edges, I don't want to lose the shape. I was going to stitch each colour in turn, but decided it was better to work from the top down, that way I should not flatten any of the stitches. 

 I have one spot so far I am not happy with, marked in photo below, when I matched the silk, it looked the correct colour, but once I stitched the whole area, I was unhappy it's the wrong shade, so I will remove the stitches and find the correct shade. I am going to use the unstitched fabric next to this panel I am making, so the colour matches have to be good. 

I have a large area to cover, but it is an easy project to pick up.

I have done a tiny bit more to my crochet dog, and some more weaving, not enough to show progress photo's, but it's good to be able to mix my crafting.
I am going to Hobbycraft on Sunday morning, so I will be able to get any silks for the above project I require, I normally get them off line, but this time I will pay the higher price and match the colours. 
We had heavy rain all last night, the water butts are full again, and everywhere is looking much better, give it a couple of days and the garden will be full of colour. We have friends visiting from Spain next week, and they love the garden, so I have been working to ensure it's full of colour.
We have a musical background today, our local park is hosting a Party in the Park, we will pop along this afternoon, but the music fills our garden, we can hear it in the house, it's just one day each year, so it does not bother us. We do have to pop out this morning, so we won't be listening to it all day.

Crafting

I can basic crochet, but I would like to make more items than just blankets, I do enjoy crocheting a ripple blanket, but there are only so many you can use. My daughter gave me this beautiful box kit to make a cockapoo, I have made the body, which was fiddly, I just have the smaller head and limbs to make. I hope to get this done quickly and try something a bit more challenging.

 I got my loom out, I am using a 3ply yarn, I was thinking to make a scarf for a Christmas gift, but I'm not sure I will have enough yarn to make a decent length, I have seen a bag design, which these shades would look good. I will work a bit more before deciding. 

I have been pulling out patterns,

 I like the small square box, 

I might make a couple. 

 These are all 4ply patterns, all very old, the cost printed on is shown as imperial, we went decimal in 1972, so they are really old. I have the Alpaca yarn, I do like the soft styles of these tops. I could make a couple of designs. 

Finally after over 4 dry weeks we have rain, it rained last night and it's due to rain most of tomorrow, perfect timing my water butts are almost empty. 

It's good to be doing craft again, Wimbledon is wonderful to watch, but it takes most afternoon and evenings for two weeks, matches are often tennis at it's best. 

I do have a book to read, but I want to finish my little crochet dog before I start to read, I also have some material out to make a couple of beanbags for a neighbour. I also have some spotty material, I want to enhance before sewing, so loads of plans. I can do which ever craft my mood takes me to, but I do want to bring on my crochet skills, which means getting to grips with pattern reading, my hope to make a couple of small things to boost my confidence.
At some point we should see Will today, he is unwell with a bug and will saty with us, whilst mummy gets a few jobs done. 

Sunday I am home alone, so I plan to get my sewing machine, and make a few items. 

What are you reading

My hallway book shelves. 

On this lower shelf,

I keep a book from authors I have enjoyed reading,
in each case it will be my favorite book if I have read more than one.

Craft books on my craft shelves. 

Books in the spare bedroom,

Ready to be taken home if not finished. 

Alistair McLean books,
I loved his stories, for years he was my favourite author.
I have had this set since the 70's

Loved this set of books, sadly Sue Grafton died before Z for Zero, was finished.
I keep both A and Y on my shelf.

This is the only book I have read twice, once when I was at school, my English teacher gave me a copy. I read it again last year, just to see if its impact on me had changed, which it did not. 

I have just finished this book,

 I guessed the plot early on, but it was still a good read. 

I have been asked, who is my favourite author, there are so many good authors around, we are so lucky to have so many good story lines to read. My fellow bloggers always list good books they have read, leading to me to new exciting books. I am a book worm always have been, my mum used to nag me to pack away the book and go to sleep, I always had a torch under my bed so I could read after lights out. I always have books, in this house I have less books, I decided not to keep every book I owned, I rarely read a book twice.

It's a question I can't answer, it would be like saying which is my favourite daughter.

Who do you love, what do you recommend I should be reading.

Mum's birthday.

Another year

Taken in 1999, myself, mum and my daughters.

All looking so very young.

Blooming July

New in the garden this year

Old friends returning

 Hubby got me flowers, because I have been unwell

I have done very little this week, I picked up a tummy bug on Tuesday. 

I managed to pack away all my fabrics tidy, but did not get rid of anything, I just need to get my machine out and use some. I have not thought about my yarn stash, so nothing new started. 

My daughter, Will's mum also had the bug which was worrying as she is pregnant, but like me she is on the mend, we speak every day, but I have not seen them since Tuesday. 

I have sat for 3 days watching the tennis, guilt free viewing, the matches have been brilliant this year, yesterday's gentleman's semi-finals were unmissable. Will settle later for the ladies final. 

Nothing has been done in the garden, hubby has been on watering duties, but as our water butts are really low again, we have been using the hosepipe on most of our plants. Our fake grass on the lawn, always comes into it's best at the driest times, it requires no water and staying perfectly green, keeps the garden looking good. 

I still have one bare spot in my side flower bed, which I will purchase a plant to fill the gap this week. I have also decided I will dig out my strawberry plants, whilst they look good, the bugs still get most of the fruit, I don't mind the bugs feeding on my fruit, I am happy to share, so far this summer we have only harvested one strawberry. I will dig out the gooseberries as well, the bushes were full of fruit, but the sawflies got to the leaves, and the birds had most of the fruit just before it was ready for picking. I will wait until all the fruit has finished and the bugs have had their feast, and then put flowers in the long pots in front of my raspberries, adding more colour to this spot, but we have not decided what to grow in the round fruit tub. 

I am pleased with the rest of my garden, it has taken 10 years, most of which I was planting things I loved but not necessary things which would grow a 2nd year, so now I have the full looking garden I want, it's never finished, but I can settle for it looking good. 

I did start reading Until I find You, John Irving, its a whopping 819 pages, and follows the life of Jack Burns from a child aged 4, I got to page 184, Jack was 8 years old, and found I was not interested in anything he got up too, not my normal reading, I had been given this book, and reading about a sexually active boy at 8 is not my cup of tea. I need a visit to our library. 

Sorting

I have 14 x 50grms of 4ply Alpaca yarn, plus another 200grms is part balls, I would like to use these, knitting I think rather than crochet, there is enough for a jumper or cardigan for me, I will have to look online for a pattern.

 I have 2+ balls of white and 3 balls of natural.

 Plus loads of Nord 4ply from my shawls.

 I have never followed a crochet pattern, so I am going to have a go at making this lion, the box has everything I require, my eldest daughter gave it to me. 

I have been sorting this morning in our spare room. 

I have always kept board games in the bottom draw, and Will's toddler books in the middle drawer, but the weight is too much for these drawers, so I have moved everything to the drawer under the spare bed. We have visitors soon, so these empty drawers will be useful.

All my fabrics from the bed drawer is now on our bed, I want to sort everything, having already pulled out the yarn above, I have far too many fabrics, I will have room to store them in my walk-in wardrobe in our room, it will be good to have it all in piles where I can see what I have.
I have a few items I want to make, but no desire to get my sewing machine out. I have plenty of time, but I am not crafting or reading much. I am watching tennis, the matches are brilliant, I don't find the doubles or mixed doubles interesting, the action is just too quick.
Yesterday I went out with daughter, to local out of town center, hubby met us for lunch in M&S, I did purchase some clothes, I needed 2 bra's and also picked up a tailored pair of shorts in M&S sale.
Soon I will start sorting the stuff from our bed, nothing else planned for today, it is market day in the village, but we have no plans to walk down.
It is very dull and overcast here, and horribly muggy, but I don't think we will have any rain, I would love some rain, my water butts are low again.
I am feeling a bit under the weather, outside suits my mood, I am hoping working to sort my fabrics will make me smile again.

Garden edibles

3 coleus plants, eaten to within a inch of their lives, 

I can see just a bit of new growth

Only 2 out of my 3 lupins survived the feast

 My bleeding heart regrowing. So many plants have not survived this summer, the bugs are muching through my garden, the above 3 photos I have dug them out and potted them up, in hope I can save them, they are all looking better, some I hope to replant later, once they are a good size. 

Another pair of socks finished, again these are mine. I have started another pair, but I am looking for something different to do. 

 Two more books finished, 

Last chance saloon, was a bit lite, I used to read Marion Keyes alot.

The Divide, I enjoyed, it was a different read for me, well written.

Both these images I took off the internet, and have different covers to the books I had, I forgot to take photo's before I passed the books on. 

We had a lazy weekend, Saturday afternoon watching tennis, Sunday just home alone, after a visit to see Will, mummy and daddy.
We had rain Saturday night, it showed on the fore caste, I was pleased, Sunday was a cooler day, so all good for the garden.
Today is Will's play day, we are going into town on the bus, we don't need anything, but Will loves to travel on a bus, we will have lunch out. We also hope he will allow the barber to cut his hair, he is scared of the clippers, we won't push to hard, his hair is not too messy at the mo, but mummy and daddy likes to keep it short.

Just a few jobs

I have planted my Kiwi, it was getting pot bound, this is not an ideal spot, but the best place I could find in my garden, this was grown from a seed taken from a kiwi fruit back in 2017. The greenhouse is on concrete, but there is soil, I am hoping the roots form into our neighbours garden, they have build a huge sun house about 5 foot from the fence, they have laid gravel in between, so it's an area they won't use. They are aware I have planted a tree here. 

There feels more space here in front of my greenhouse. This area has sun in the morning, but is in the shade all afternoon.

 I moved the lilies to the path, they fit better here.

 My half price fuchsia is in it's permanent home, in the Chimera I have common garden mint, I got a few cuttings, popped them into water until they rooted, safe here there are no holes in the bottom. 

 My pitcher plant has regrown, I love this trio of plants, 

they keep my greenhouse clear of bugs. 

 I have picked my 1st cucumber, there are loads on this plant. 

 Everything at the moment is about the garden, I am a tidy gardener, I do like things neat, our garden was established when we moved here 10 years ago, I did not want to change the layout, I worked with what we had, adding beds and loads of pots.

Most days the temperature is in the 20's, so too hot to garden, so most evenings I find time to do things, just for a short while, gardening at it's best. I am watering with the hose twice a week, using my water buts the rest of the time, pots always need far more water. I do have loads of plants which only like rain water, so I have to ensure my water buts don't dry up.
We have had a few breezy cloudy days, no hope of rain, once the sun goes behind a cloud it can be quite cool.
Saturday we spent at our daughters, they had returned from their holiday and purchased a pool for Will to play in, we enjoyed a day at theirs. Sunday was a lazy day at home, reading.
Monday Will came to ours for the day, most of the time spent outside, we have got him a pool but did not use it.
Tuesday was our last sign class until September, I will have to pratice often to ensure I don't forget anything. I would also like to learn a new poem myself to help remember signs.
Wednesday we had the day out at Amberley, fun, plenty of walking, I have already done a post on our visit.
Thursday lazy day at home, inside for ages, just too hot and of course Wimbledon is on!!
Friday, took a trip to Asda, got most of what was on our list, and just a couple of other items. We spent a wonderful afternoon and evening watching tennis on the TV, some brilliant matches.
No plans for the weekend, just the way we like it.