Ouch

 Another brilliant plot, what could go wrong, well everything, who do you trust, even those who have your best interest, lovely twist, this author produces fantastic different plots. Book 37 read this year

Starts with a wife murdering her husband, what should she do next, she runs, what will become of her, her family left behind and those who help her, another good twist, this author understands people. Book 38 read this year.

A very different plot, for a change it a man's story, if you love someone do you cross the line, should you rely on family, your dad is your rock. Lots of twist and turns, I really enjoyed this book, a new author for me. Book 39 read this year.

The plant in Betty was outgrowing her root space, I saw this new head pot in Pound saver for just £4, it has a huge pot and this plant should do really well, but what to do with Betty, I do love her so much, I have taken the cheats route, these string of pearls are fake, I got 2 plants for £8, hubby saved the nice pots for me, and Betty got new hair, I'm not sure if I love it. I took a ball of brown yarn and put in in the pot, I used Modge Podge over the yarn and pressed the frons in, it will take a while to dry.  

My pregnant onion flower is starting to open, it's on a very long stalk, pretty tiny white flowers. Sadly this morning the stalk broke, I have cut it and placed the flower in water.

I'm suffering from tooth ache, I have a huge back tooth which needs removing, my dentist has referred me to our dental hospital, my initial appointment is in a couple of weeks, I have antibiotics to take, which is helping. 

I'm spending less time inside, so not reading as much, we are watching Clarkson's farm, almost finished series two, and still enjoying it. It's been a quiet week, I passed on some of my zinnia seedlings, I had far too many. I also need to sort the flower plants I have extra, I am waiting until school is back, so I can chat to the new gardeners to see if they want flowers as well. If not I will offer them to the people who have created a garden in front of our library, I did ask our neighbour, but she did not collect any. 

We had George on Thursday, he was helpful as hubby finished our shower room, we got a few new bits which we like, just looking for a window blind. The colours are the same, we had plenty of paint,  so a cheaper project. George and I spent most of the day outside,  it was sunny and warm, I had to water my pots again, Will spent the day with Grandma and Molly was at preschool school, so daughter had time to herself. Daughter got the news Molly is going to the same school as George in September, it's always a relief to get the confirmation, she is already purchasing uniform, as things sell out quickly. The school has their own tops with logos, but the rest can be purchased anywhere.

We are at the start of Easter weekend, today we are all going to paint pottery, should be fun. The only plans is for an Easter egg hunt here on Sunday, Grandpa and Grandma are coming as well, if it's nice hubby will BBQ, if not a buffet lunch will  be served, the children prefer either rather than a roast dinner with vegetables. Sadly my brother is not with us this year, first time in years not to have him.

Inside out

 Way back in 2009 I first showed my red Acer on my blog here, I had purchased it the previous year as a tiny plant for 99p, the leaves had fallen off and the shop wanted to get rid of it. As it grew hubby made a lovely wooden container for it in 2019, I added to the base to give Japanese vibes. It was planted into the ground in 2021, at hubby's suggestion, I was not sure, I want to pass it on and replace it with a smaller one, in a small garden to have a second tree was not the best use of space. I do love it in the ground, it's in a perfect spot. It needs a trim at the base, and along the flower bed side, I snip at it as and when it needs it.

I did replace the acer with a triple acer, purchased in 2021, which sits along the wall of the garage, I pass them every time I go to my greenhouse, composter or water but. These I trim every year, I really don't want them to grow too large, they fill this space with colour, they only get sunshine in the mornings, and they are sheltered from the wind. I love the three shades together, they brighten this spot.

I have been given the most perfect gate to my veg plot, it's real life was a fire guard, I could have got a gate to match my fence, but it was a bit wide and would be obstacle and I could see me catching my clothes as I walked through. George understands if the gate is closed he can't through, and stays away, I don't close it when Molly is here, she knows the veg section is not a play area. 

When in town last week ,we popped to Pound Savers for a few Easter bits, I always look around the garden section, I picked up 2 packs of summer bulbs, just a pound per pack, which had 1 bulb in. I popped them straight into the ground, I was going to get two plants, using bulbs has worked out much cheaper, I've not grown them before.

We had been considering purchasing a dwarf apple tree, which would go with our other fruits, we even found a spot for it, but realistically we don't need one, I eat Braeburns, which can be used for cooking, so we always have them here. If we were successful in growing our own apples, we would then have to find storage space.

We had some rain on Saturday night, and again last night, I would have liked more, I think any rain in the coming days will miss our area, we might get just a couple of light showers.

Monday hubby decided it was time to decorate our bedroom and en-suite, we have been putting it off for months, he is starting in our shower room. I keep out of his way, he is a master of perfection, and I'm not required, he controls it all. On a trip to B&Q I got 4 bags of top soil, I had asked locally if anyone had any top soil I could have, just one reply which stated it was full of gravel, so I declined. I'm hoping to sort my 5 new growing bags in the coming days. 

More of the same

I have 2 huge pots of tulips in the garden, the pots are used for tomato plants, but have a secondary roll at this time of year for tulips, which won't grow in our clay soil. They are just coming into bloom, there is a good mixture of types and colours here.

These raspberries have been dug up from around the garden, they pop up in places where I don't want them, they are going to George's school, for their new garden.

This box of plants are all created by myself from cuttings and roots, as Northsider Dave would call them plants for free, I'm not as clever as he is, he makes and sells loads. I'm happy with these they will help fill gaps, any spare I will pass on.

Wednesday night George had a sleepover here, mummy wanted to take Will to the cinema on Thursday, so we made it easier for daughter, she took Molly to preschool and had a day with Will. George does not get up as early as Molly and he plays well, he's does chatter but not as much as Molly.

Friday hubby cooked our first BBQ of the year, daughter came with her three, George and Molly had their swimming lesson earlier, we ate at 3.30pm, and stayed outside for a couple of hours. A truly happy family time, George wanted to be in this photo.

Friday morning we had the brakes on our car checked, and replaced, expensive but I won't complain, our car has cost us almost nothing since we got it new. Later we had the family BBQ, afterwards we were both tired and spent the evening watching TV, we have started watching Clarkson Farm, which for me is surprising, as I really disliked Jeremy Clarkson in Top Gear. We have watched 5 episodes and I am enjoying it, he has not changed, still head strong, but he does bring to main media the struggles of modern farming, watching him with his ewes and lambing, showed a much nicer side to him.

Saturday I spent part of the day at daughters house, I should have been doing gardening, I was tired so I spent time watching George and Molly play outside, it was a noisy gentle time. Later back at home hubby and I plan another quiet evening and early night.

All our time is spent outside when it's so warm and sunny, I have purchased 5 round grow bags, 3 for vegetables and 2 for flowers which I can cut and use inside, I have loved having fresh tulips in our sitting room. I hope to have them sorted in the next few weeks, my flower seedings are doing well,  I have been regularly watering my pots, I'm hoping the promised rain arrives, the garden and my water buts need it.

Flower colours

 I spent £5 on these tulips, I rarely get cut flowers, I never cut flowers from my garden, these are colourful and brighten our sitting room. My two pots of tulips are starting to bloom, can't wait, I chose some bright colours this year. 

A few of my other flowers around the garden.

The big acer came to life in these warm sunny days, soon all the leaves will fill out. My trio kept at the back of the garden, 2 are coming back to full leaf, the red leaf is a bit behind.

The garden is already looking good, we sit outside most days, both hubby and I can find a few bits to do, before enjoying the sunny weather. Our magnolia tree is still barren, we haven't had many blooms, leaves are beginning to form, hopefully soon it will look less bare, we are not surprised, as it has been cut back hard before.

I love to see so many different colours in my flower beds, it does feel as if the growing season has arrived, but I'm wary as night time temperatures are still a bit low, my greenhouse is still full. I potted up my spare strawberry plants into a nice tall pot, I have put them in a sunny spot, these should give us a slightly earlier harvest. I have ordered some small bags to pop over the fruit as they form, rather than making a net frame for the strawberry tower, it should make harvesting much easier.

Monday after doing the downstairs housework, which was overdue, I spent the afternoon in the garden, Lilly was close by all day. On Sunday she got stuck in our nice neighbours garden, Pauline had a cuddle before handing her back, Lilly is climbing our magnolia tree all the time, a couple times she has landed awkward, I'm hoping she will learn a lesson and stop climbing, she is still not happy using the cat flap, so we are keeping her in over night.

Tuesday was a cloudy day, not so warm, I spent a good hour in the greenhouse, I also dug up two roots from flowering plants in my garden to make new plants, I have loads of new plants coming along. We popped to Lidl for a small shop, mainly salad, fresh fruit and veg, our bill just over £70, are prices ever going to settle down, everything has gone crazy. 

Sunny weekend

 Friday morning we took the express bus into Portsmouth going to the south of the city, here is Gunwharf Quays, it's a mixture of outlet stores and food venues, we have been here often before. Being on the waters edge on a hot day is perfection, you can see through the natural harbour mouth to Isle of Wright and beyond.

Sitting in the warm sun under The Spinnaker Tower looking out over the water was bliss, not too busy, just how we like it, hubby got his new trainers and used his Blue Light card for discount, we were told many shops there take the card, nice surprise. We do love wondering around these bigger shops.

Saturday I had George for a couple of hours, Molly had a party to attend, Will was with Grandma and Grandpa, after a couple of hours mummy and Molly came here, Molly stayed for a sleep over, giving mummy and George time together, they went to the beach. We spend most of the day outside in the beautiful sunshine, our second day at 20⁰, I even wore sandals and shorts, first time this year.

Sunday was an early start as expected, Molly never sleeps in late, the day was cooler, still perfect sunny day, we got the laundry done and dried, we ate lunch in the garden, listening to the birdsong and watching Lilly run around. After I took Molly home we had a quiet afternoon, Molly is a chatterbox, so it was quiet, relaxing time, listening to our neighbours music, they had a BBQ, we decided not to walk to their house.

Hubby was out all day Saturday, I choose not to go anywhere, on a sunny days there is no place better than my own garden, both children love playing outside, it's all now on one level, perfect for scooters and football. I did water everywhere again, this time using the hose, I did read our water levels are OK here in the south, after such a wet winter, we don't have a water meter, we looked into it and generally we would not save much, if I factor in watering the garden as well, I think we are better off with general bills.

We had rhubarb and apple crumble with custard, I pulled my first harvest on Saturday, I used some Braeburn apples we already had, hubby put oats in the crumble, it was lovely and worth the wait for our first harvest. We both had an early night on Sunday, grandchildren wear us out.

I had a sort out of my gardening bits over the weekend, George's school has just had raised beds made, they were asking for anything to help start a garden club, I had seed trays with clear covers, some plastic hand tools and more seeds. Daughter was happy to take them, I have asked for a contact number, I have some raspberry and strawberry plants they can have. It's so pleasing when schools create gardens, I love it here when the children pick my ripe fruit to eat.

Going green

 I have two huge pots of tulips, I watch them everyday as I'm in the garden, I have popped a support ring in the back pot, soon these lovelies will open. The large snowdrops in my cider pot have bloomed so well, the tulips came up blind, so I have cut back their leaves, I also have a fleabane daisy in this pot.

Sadly most of my spring bulbs have finished flowering, it's always a shame, this year the beds have been full, the narcissus are now blooming here. I don't grow tulips in the ground as those which are not dug up by squirrels and rats tend to rot in our clay soil. 

My side bed is just leaves, there are bluebells growing through the leaves, I don't mind this bed at this time of year, these leaves are storing all the goodness back into the bulbs for next year, I don't dig up my spring bulbs. I always cut off the dead heads so they won't make seeds, which can weaken the bulb.

I added two small pots of snakes-head fritillary, just to give the feel the pond has been here longer, I drained some of the water and cleared out some of the slimy weed, it's been topped back up with rainwater and looking much better. 

Just late spring bits coming through in the flower beds, I can see loads of plants purchased last year returning, which is brilliant, I can't see me having too many bare spots this summer, I am finding it hard as I see so many lovely plants and I really do not have room for them, I have promised hubby after reducing the number of pots I have I would not purchase anymore. 

The veg beds are doing well, I soaked my peas and have sown them into their final spot, for now I have popped a cover over them. We pulled our first harvest of rhubarb, which we added apple and made a crumble, served with custard.

I have watered my pots again and the veg beds, it's very dry here, sunny windy days steal moisture. My cucumber plants are huge, my tomato plants are smaller but strong, I have not lost too many, it's a much better start to the growing season.

Gone to seed

It's a busy time in the greenhouse, here I have loads of seedlings, mainly flowers, plus a few cucumber and tomatoes. I have started the task of potting induvial seedlings, I will only sort as many as I need, the rest I will spread out in the seed tray and once they have grown some more I will offer them to neighbours. 

On the small greenhouse shelves I have more plants in individual pots of various sizes, most of these are flowers, some are small purchased plants I have grown on, again I have more than I need, I'm aware I can easily loose a few at any point.

 

One side of my raised veg beds is now a cold frame, these plants don't need to be under glass, most of these I have raised myself from cuttings, under the plastic domes are my cabbage plants, I have 7, 3 did not make it, these are all looking good after moving them. They are under my netting.

This is my newly created salad bed, it has a cover to keep Lilly off, I have various seeds in here, there is also a perspex cover which I pop on over night. It's working well, the mixed leaf salad has healthy growth, I can also see spring onions and radishes coming up.

Each day this week I have spent an hour outside, getting little bits done, most of the time inside the greenhouse, I should have plenty of strong flower plants. Our local pet shop has their flower strips back in, 4 or 5 plants for £1.49, this year I only purchased 2 packs, I have most of what I require.

My greenhouse is a busy spot, it's always full at this time of year, I do love to spend time inside, the joy of seeds growing into healthy plants always gives me great pleasure, I have opened the door every day, my window has an automatic opener, it's in the sunniest spot in the garden. I have very little to do elsewhere in the garden, just a bit of weeding and dead heading my daffodils, I'm waiting for my tulips to open, in hope I have the blooms I'm expecting.

Lilly is very happy we took her onesie off on Thursday, in hope she would leave her wound alone, after a long session of grooming where I watched her, she is not bother by her scar, it's the next step in her recovery. If all goes well we are thinking of letting her outside on Saturday, after 14 days locked inside. 

We both had dentist this week, no problems for either of us, we then popped to B&Q, hubby had a few things to get, I got another calendula, I love the orange flowers, we got a few different bags of compost, all Westland brand, I don't ever purchase Verve as I have had poor results before.

It's a big one

This post is my 2500 post, I started back in February 2009, I'm in my 16th year of blogging, I have never posted everyday, on average every 2 or 3 days, I can't call many post exciting for anyone reading, some have been very exciting for me. I publish each year into a book, which I do love to look back on, with or without the grandchildren. Thank you for being here, remember as much as I love to post, I get so much enjoyment from popping over to visit each of you. 

This is our weather for this week, for the first week in April not unusual, it is wonderful to wake up with blue skies every morning, we have just had a very dry March, so I am worried, we do need rain, my garden water buts are all low, I am using them for my pots, I will run out of stored rainwater soon.

We got Lilly a small sized onesie and she is much happier, the vet is very pleased with her, all we have to do now is keep her inside for a week longer, which she is still not happy about.

 Not an original plot, which did not put me off, you wake up every morning with no memories, how can this be different, as usual a great twist near the end. Book 34 read this year.

Another new author to me, it's a modern style of book, these for me can be hit or miss, whilst the story was good, I did not fully enjoy this book, I knew it was going to be tongue in cheek, in this case a bit too far fetched for me. Book 35 read this year.

Another great read, this author knows how to twist a plot and throw in unexpected people, I did not see the end at all. Book 36 read this year.

Daughter went to parents evening at George's school, his teacher was very pleased with his progress, daughter saw his handwriting, and last week at home he read his first book to me. All much more than we expected, his teacher said he is determined to learn the same as his classmates, super news.

The sown flower seeds in my greenhouse are now tiny seedlings, I have far more than I need, it's a shame my sister lives so far away, I will pot on loads, but not all, so far I will have snapdragons, asters, zinnias and french marigolds, which should fill any gaps in our small flower beds.

I have been sorting my raised veg beds, when checking I realized it's not great to have runner beans next to onions as I had planned, the onions steal all the nutrients the beans require, so a quick rejig, I have transplanted the cabbage plants next to the onions, they had only been in the ground for a week and will work well together, there is enough room for me to place peas at the other end of the bed. Once the broads beans are finished I can plant the runner beans, which is not perfect, but I will add to the soil before putting the runner beans in. 

March round up

 Just a tiny craft spend, but it is the gardening season, I had not planned for the £30.99 spent on netting which hubby got me, I did add it to this list. March is always expensive, so many lovely plants, it's shocking how quickly these smallish amounts together become huge.

Nothing on clothes, I'm hoping for a nice low spend year. Hubby got me a jumper for Mothers day.

I have read 12 books this month.

Household spend was good, we already had all the outside paint left over from last time, expensive time at vets, Lilly is now sorted.

All's good in the kitchen no waste, watching what we eat, it's all normal for us. 

Weight, not shifting any pounds, I swing between I need to lose the pounds and at my age should I worry, I have lost a couple of pounds this week, I am going to try harder through April, in hope I can get back into more pairs of my trousers. 

Two mum's and three daughters

Today is Mothering Sunday, it's an important day here, not timed too well this year as we entered summertime and lost an hours sleep last night. Hubby got me a nice jumper, which I saw and loved. My mum is no longer with us, so I have my daughter and her daughter, plus her two boys here today.

Daughter and her three came for lunch, hubby cooked a roast. Will helped me put together an afternoon tea for them to take home for mummy, I struggle to purchase one as both George and Molly have to be dairy free. We went to our local park the children on their scooters, it was sunny, warm and full of families.

Daughter and Will on rope climbing frame.

 Another new author for me, it started slowly and very flat, I think it was supposed to build a tension, whilst the story did unfold and build, it was not the thriller promised on the cover. I did enjoy the ending as it was unexpected. Book 31 read this year.  

This is a brilliant read, one of her best books, gripping, interesting, with the most beautiful twist near the end, which I had no idea was coming. I could not put it down and feel really sad now it's finished. Book 32 read this year.

Another good book, I enjoyed it without knowing how it would end. I do love medical backgrounds, this was the same time frame told by different people. Book 33 read this year. 

We had a good start to Sunday, I woke up to hubby trying to sort his phone, it had not changed time, strange, Alexa who always displays a clock was an hour different, we checked loads before deciding Alexa was incorrect, everything else was right. a bit of fun on a sunny Sunday morning, she who must be obeyed was wrong, we had our electric shut off Saturday, as we had a new gas meter installed, we think it caused the upset. It's been a perfect day, we are now sat in the quiet, looking out on our sunny garden, another day making memories.

I have again picked up a sore throat and cough, which is no surprise as I always pick up these type of germs, so we have not been out and about anywhere, the irritating cough is driving me crazy. I'm not doing much outside, infact there is very little needs doing outside, I do walk around and check things most mornings, it a small walk which gives me huge pleasure. It's been really cloudy most days, and with Lilly stuck inside we have not sat outside much, the view from our sitting room is very enjoyable. 

We are in the final few days of March the weather has improved, but still swings back cold, no more night frost, I am looking forward to the garden season. Friday we had beautiful rain, much needed rain, enough to keep the garden and pots happy, but not enough to fill the water buts. I have not picked up my stitching, it has been consigned to the unfinished pile, every moment spent is outside, the dry days are a bonus and a worry, we still need more rain, it's been really dry here this month.

Lilly

Earlier this week Lilly went to the vets to be spayed, a necessary operation as we don't want her to have kittens, as cute as they would be, we would rather not. It might take a few days for her to forgive us, not sure she is happy in her onesie, it is better than the cone of shame.

Desperate to get outside to play, she sits here every morning and other times throughout the day, she can get very vocal, it's going to be a long 10 days.

Monday was a very long morning, we had been told she was first on the list, and not expect a call until 1pm ish, we collected her at 1.30pm, I drove to collect her, just to give her a smooth ride home. She hated the onesie and could wriggle out of it immediately, so a few adjustments were made, I managed to cut holes and slip her loosened collar into the neck band, which stopped her wriggling out, she also struggled with the front leg holes, for her they were in the wrong place, so I cut two new holes. Tuesday she was up and about, she has been sleeping most of the time, she is eating well and not trying to get at her wound, all is good.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . .

 Lilly loves to sit on the doorstep looking in, we had been propping open the cat flap everyday, closing it down overnight, it is operated by the chip inside her, as yet we don't want her to have complete freedom. She still is not happy to use it with the flap down.

This is going to be trouble, she climbs up to chase the small birds, she got stuck the first time, but since has worked a way down. She has also been on the garage roof a few times.

Lilly has started leaving the back garden, we had hoped she would be contented with our space, she was the smallest of the litter of kittens and afraid of everything, now she is brave and interested in everything, we do have foxes in local gardens two neighbours feed them, and one vixen has had litters in the garden close by a few times. Normally cats and foxes try not to fight, they could hurt each other, so they have learnt to howl and hiss rather then fighting.

We have no plans to go anywhere, preferring to be at home this week, we won't see the grandchildren until Sunday, so quiet reading time, Lilly for now is a lap cat, the vet bill was £174, which included an extra cost for the onesie, we will give her medication for 5 mornings, today we will send a photo of the wound to the vets, I don't think we will need to take her back, she is healing well.

Growing to eat

 This veg bed has a row of parsnips still in ground from last year, two rows of carrots, under the plastic covers are ten cabbage plants, broad beans are flowering at other end. My new netting cover is working, it's very easy to open for access.

This veg bed is not so full only onions, the bigger space will have runner beans. In the two pots are raspberry roots, in hope of new plants. I need to get two flexible pipes for the frame of this net cover, for now it works like this.

I have popped my seed potatoes in these two bags, they are placed in the same spot to grow as last year. The cover on top is an old greenhouse shelf, there to stop the cheeky squirrel. In the lower photo both containers have carrots in, the one on the right are heritage, I also had a few extra heritage carrots which I popped in the raised bed.

The handle broke on this tub, it is huge, in here I have cauliflower plants, I don't want them too big as only husband eats them, I have netted the top to keep cabbage whites out.

This is my raised bed, the mesh is to stop Lilly and pigeons, it also has a plastic cover, as well as the heritage carrots, I can see mixed salad leaves and some radishes. The marigold is thriving and the fushia in the front is budding.

This is the path in front of my greenhouse, I use it to get to my raised bed through the winter months it's clear, now the growing season is here, I use all the space I have, the huge pot in the foreground has tulips in, once they have finished I will plant a cucumber in the pot. At the very end is the small bed made for sweet-peas, which have settled in well. You can see my rhubarb is growing well, it's an early variety and in its second growing year, so we can pull some soon. The tower is full of strawberry plants.

It's been a fun few days, meeting Molly and daughter was good on Friday, we visited three shops before stopping for a drink, cake and a chat, we got two new scooters for the little ones to use in our garden, Molly understood we were taking them to our house and did not moan. Saturday we had Molly and Will, whilst daughter took George to his extra class, these are done through our local Downs Syndrome charity, George is doing well he is happier going since he started school, once home, the younger ones played on their scooters. We had hotdogs for lunch followed by cake, all ate outside, perfect family time.

Sunday I was really lazy, stayed in bed for ages, Lilly snuggled with me, later I spent time in our garden, mainly in veg section and greenhouse, I am starting now to get ahead, it's a risk because if the weather turns cold and frosty I could lose loads. My flower seeds are starting to show, they are undercover inside the greenhouse, the plants I potted up are all doing well. I planted another tub of sweet-peas outside,  hopefully I will have loads of flowers. Hubby sorted his side of the garage, I did mine last week, we both love tidy spaces, he has also been moving tubs for me and transplanted a big climbing rose from his front garden to behind the garage of the back garden.

We did not get any notable amounts of rain, which is a disappointment, two of my water butts are only half full, we do live in a drier part of the country, I will need to water again soon, it's a job I do enjoy. Everything at this time is about the garden, every hour worked now is rewarded throughout the coming summer.