Shh don't tell hubby

After chatting with my sister, I searched for table, dessert, hardy green grapevine, I found one with  5* reviews, so I ordered it, it has been grown in the UK and is already hardy, it won't be ready to fruit for two years, I can wait. She set the challenge with if I can grow them so can you, I have a perfect spot for it once the temperature drops, for now it can stay in it's pot.

I popped to look at the plants in our market, his plants are always sturdy, I'm not a dahlia lover, I do like red pompoms, mum always grew them in her garden, so this one followed me home, plus 6 begonia bedding plants for my big blue pot. I have taken 2 cuttings off the dahlia, they do root well in water, hopefully some extra free colour by next month. 

Kitchen window sill is a sunny spot, my spider plant loves it here, it looks good in my hand painted pot, in front our my latest cuttings, dahlias, white lavender and more gaura 

Foolishly I then saw Farmer Gracy had their tulips listed and went a bit mad, I am determined to have a good show next spring, I already have new pots, I think I had better stop looking and pack my bank card away. Last year the tulip bulbs I got from our favourite garden centre either had loads of bulbs failed or in a couple of cases the wrong colour. These will arrive September time.

To finish the deals, I got this gypsophila at Lidl, just £1.99, it's in my big blue pot with half of the begonia bedding plants. This one does not grow too high, not need, just another I saw it so I got it. I think it looks much better than just begonias, hubby took the other 3 for his front garden.

I used the poppies from my summer silk flowers here, so the arrangement looked a bit pale, I was looking for replacement red blooms, until these orange ones caught my eye. I'm happy it fills the small corner by the patio doors, bringing the garden inside.

It has been an expensive couple of weeks, I can always find nice plants and bulbs, I keep saying the garden is full, but I always find spaces, I happily pass on purchasing anything for the house or myself, I have been recently been good on our last trip to B&Q, I did not look at plants.

We are on our delayed couple of days in Oxford, the weather is cooler for us, it's a few years since we visited, I love all the old buildings, this being our last trip away until September when the children will be back at school, we will stay local for the summer holidays, we plan to pop to Somerset to visit family, the village and towns are not so full of people, our area is always very busy.

Last week

 I've  stitched on Mollys second swimming badge, she is doing well. I have also added stuffing to George's dog Henry, he was rather limp and would not stand up, I love being able to do these task for them.

We met daughter at Dunelm for a coffee and a cake, I saw these silk daisies which I love, I would have liked an old fashioned milk bottle, this Kilner jar looks almost as good. I already had the field poppies and cornflowers, these being a favourite bunch of flowers for me.

Hubby took George to the park and village on Saturday, he loved the park, at the village was the local craft market, so it was busy, they did not stay long, hubby said George went straight to the flowers and pointed to this bunch 'for nana'

Here's a memory jerker, always when George visits, the drawer handles have to put up, I have told him often it's not the right way, yesterday he had free reign to change them all.

Another good book, read on my kindle apt, your husband tricks you into moving out, you still love him, he's got a younger woman, it follows the wife's story, then the other woman's with a great twist at the end. Book 39 read this year.

It took until Saturday morning for George to be well again, most of Friday he refused to eat much I did not worry because he was sipping water all through the day, it was a dull day, so indoor playing suited him. Saturday he was with Grancha (hubby) all day, he was a great little boy, played outside in the sunshine, football and his balance bike being the favourites. Sadly I woke up in the early hours on Saturday and had George's bug, not at all nice, I did get up late on Saturday and just sat around, but I was so tired I went back to bed, George was OK with me being in bed, he kept coming to check on me, passing me my drink, much the same as I did to him on Thursday, plus lots of cuddles and him stroking my face.

We missed our Gala at the castle again this year, I do like to go, it's a proper family day, George has always loved to '999' section with fire engines and police cars, they always have so many children's rides, the adults rides are in a different field and only open later in the day. Hubby is out all day today, which is fine I can have a very lazy day, I might drive up to see daughter and little ones, to hear about thrie trip, much depends on how I feel. 

I almost forgot we missed a good local show a tribute to Robbie Williams, we passed our tickets on to friends who loved the show, hopefully we can catch it again. 

Adding colour

 I adore these spring blooms, all silk and years old, I only keep these out for a couple of months sat on kitchen window sill. There is a cracking this jug, so it can't hold water, I do love it, came from hubby's grandparents house.

This spider plant is growing well here, Lilly has not attacked it, the amaryllis bulbs are a disappointment, the back bulb is from last year and only leaves, the front bulb is new this season, no bud at all.

This is the second book from this author for me, it's as good as the first one, a murder in a small village, local DCI is in charge, he returned home to the village from London after a divorce, BBC news is there, his ex is leading their coverage, everyone knows each other. More murders, a very clever plot, the perpetrator hiding in plain site, I could not put this book down. Book 19 read this year.

At B&Q I got some coloured stone for my sink, it stops the squirrels digging. I also got 2 half price packs of smaller daffodils, just £8, I love to get them at this time of year, so I can fill any gaps. I put 6 sections in the daisy bed, 4 in square bed and 2 in fruit bed, plus the containers are great for seedlings. There is a nice mixture here, I'm not bothered if they die back, they will return next year.

I'm feeling so much better, a couple days of sunshine has lifted me, all black moods have gone, I do ache, from jobs done outside, nothing big, just the start of the growing season stuff. I have done more knitting, I am enjoying the design, it looks complicated but is actually very simple.

I was so pleased when outside to see so much wildlife, bee's, butterflies and small birds, we feed the birds all though out the year, I try and have as many open flowers, avoiding double blooms, which are not so bee friendly. Sadly we have lost many of the pink buds from our Magnolia tree, either the squirrels or pigeons have had a feast on them, I have picked up loads of damaged ones from our lawn, it's never happened before.

Thursday morning we went to B&Q, hubby wanted some slate for his front garden, it's cheaper there, then on to our favourite garden centre, we had coffee and cake. I was looking for a couple potato growing bags, in both stores the bags are much smaller, so I will look elsewhere. I did not look at plants, at this point there is little I want, I have loads of my own in pots. The daffodils were a bargain, with 3 bulbs in each section, 36 bulbs for £8, I still need a couple small pots of tete-a-tetes. 

I spent the afternoon knitting, I have finished another row of colours, this time speckled ones, I now need to find 9 balls of plain colours.

Nothing planed for today, it's wet after heavy rain last night, there is more rain expected, later I'm at daughters house for a sleepover,  Will's birthday treat is paintball in the woods on Saturday, he is very excited, its an early start, I will stay home with George and Molly. 

Blooming

My first amaryllis has two buds on, this will have bright red flowers, I can't wait for them to bloom. I have a second white one which has started to grow, and a couple more old bulbs which only have leaves so far.

I have left out my silk flowers from Christmas, 

I do love to see blooms, these all look real and add much needed colour to my room, tucked back far enough to look good.

I struggled with this book at the start, people on a aeroplane, lots of different characters, it felt very bitty, but it was worth sticking with it. This author has good and bad plots, I have before given up on her books. Would you want to know your future, when and how you will die, what will you do with this knowledge,  give in or fight it. Huge book 485 pages, book 2 read this year.

Hubby has been chasing the delivery of our new air-fryer, following the courier Evry, once the parcel arrived at the local hub, it sat there not moving, finally he contacted the seller, who did some checking and sent another parcel via DHL, which arrived the next day. Our plumber is due to replace the mixer bar on the shower next week. Wednesday hubby was using his desk top computer, it frozen and then shut down, it's too old to be repaired, so we have our local guy building at new model and retrieving as much data as he can. Hopefully that's the 3rd thing to break in the past two weeks. Pricy start to this year.

We are not doing much, my WI meeting was postponed last night because of the weather, I did pop outside earlier in the week and skidded all around the icy patio, it was pure luck I stayed on my feet. Even hubby has just hunkered down, it's warm here, we have everything we need. It rained most of Thursday not as hard as we expected, overnight the rain and wind was heavy. This morning is grey skies more rain and wind, but not so strong, our gardens are alright, no damage, I just hope where ever you are you are safe, dry and warm and have electricity. I've not spoken to my brother, I sent him a message, he has electricity and is home.

Thank you for all your comments regarding my printed blog books, just a couple things to think on, firstly you work at your own pace, the book remains on your computer until you upload it and then payment is required for the printing, secondly I always wait until there is a good offer, normally 50% off or a smaller discount with free shipping. the company send regular emails, not too many to be a nuisance, I always aim for November, at the moment there is a 40% off deal on offer. 

Read, new, done

 This is a brilliant book, english couple living in USA, difficult to say much about the plot, it could have made a great slap stick film in places, I really could not put this book down, I do like this author. Book 80 read this year.

I ordered a silk cyclamen, it was a toss up between red or white, I settled for white as it will blend in with my other Christmas silk plants, and still look good against our green walls. It won't arrive until after the holidays, my real plants are full of tiny flies which is driving us mad.

I got my pottery back, I'm so pleased with this plant pot, I tried to blend the leaves and add a colour wash blend on the main body. It will live on my kitchen window sill. 

Daughters plate is stunning, loads of lovely colours,

 should bring loads of pleasure in years to come.

I have been to town 3 times this week, Monday for our normal wander, Wednesday to get the camera lens cover replaced on my phone, today to get our pottery, each time I took the bus, we are extremely lucky to have a great service, which runs from Portsmouth to Southampton, and calling in at our small village and on to town, the buses are new electric models as both cities have emission charges.

Thursday was dire, heavy rain for most of the day, it did not stop, so I cleaned the house, making sure both bathrooms are shining, hubby was bored enough to help. We both were tired by early evening, happy to have it all done. We did pop to Lidl for a few bits, just the fresh veg to get next week.

Thank you for your understanding of my comments regarding my brother, he has changed he does not go many places and stays home alone. He does not see the need to interact with other people, he is lonely, but won't admit it, I worry for him, its the same path as our older brother, who is now in secure home unable to care for himself. I try speak to him a few times each week on a video call, we text most days, getting older is no fun. I don't want to inflict our lifestyle on him, that's not my role, but I do wish more for him.

I am feeling a bit better, these past few grey dull days have not helped, today is blue skies, sunny and mild. Daughter and the little ones are busy in their last few days at school, her cousin from Somerset on her dad's side is visiting her, so we won't see much of them, I am sleeping over on Monday, no reason, just time together.

Pagan

I love all the foliage at this time of year, mine is all silk and years old, I have always been Pagan in my decorations, add in candles to make brilliant displays, I also have my vase of poinsettia, seen here.  

Kitchen 

Shelves in  hall

Dining room

Sitting room, with my new Amaryllis. 

It's advent time again, it was my turn to full the tiny bags this year, I got a nice mixture, the unused chocolates will go into a bowl for over the holidays, these were made in 2022 always in first bag our favourite ones.

Daughter got her finger shut in a metal gate last week, nothing broken just badly brushed, I decided to slide down our stairs, jarred my back and a bruise on my bum and foot, we are walking wounded, told hubby to be very careful, its definitely not his turn.

Our quiet life was broken this week, we received a letter from Information Commission Office informing us how our CCTV should be set up, they received a complaint about our motion camera being able to record beyond our property, they state the letter will close the complaint. Firstly we only have static cameras, as checked by local council after next door complained about our rear camera, which she has previously stated she has seen moving towards her side. The cameras were set up years ago because of her unacceptable behaviour, we have filed the letter as another issue she refuses to believe the truth as proven by official's, more time wasting and silly allegations against us. 

I have a busy time until the middle of next week, all nice things, no doubt I will include them in future post, tonight we are out to our local live venue, we are both looking forward to it, hopefully the rain won't be so bad the car park is next to the venue. 

Real or fake

I got these 3 fake amaryllis blooms for my Christmas display, each year I purchase bulbs to grow, I have two this year, just waiting for the growth to start. These silk flowers will ensure my display looks good for the whole month, and I can keep them out in January. 

The frost has killed all my begonias, they were beautiful this summer, the lobelia at each end is fading, I have moved all the cyclamen in their own pots to the front of this huge tub, it can be seen from our sitting room, so adds colour, later I will add my spring pots as they flower. I sold my metal table and chairs in the summer so whilst the contents of this tub are in hibernation, it becomes my display area. 

I did an undercut of my fleabane daises, they were very heavy, I also cut back just a few of the french marigolds, I really did not want them all to self-seed. I am still picking up leaves mainly from the magnolia tree, they are all going into my black bins. It's looking bare now, I do like to see the branches on the trees, the magnolia trunk is a lovely colour

I do love this author, this book was a very different topic and no-one was murdered, it follows a family of a hoarder how their 'home' affects everyone, it was clever and thought provoking. Book 78 read this year.

Another great book, I do love this author, it follows a police woman on the trail of a serial killer, the plot is about her and her family with her work, it's not gruesome and very clever running three narratives, her another police officer and the killer. There is a huge twist in this plot, I never saw coming, I could not put it down. Book 79 read this year. 

George was poorly on Monday night, after a call to 111 he is now taking antibiotics, which means I am at daughters house every morning,  so he can stay in the warm for the school run, she manages the afternoon school run. I'm sure I have their bugs, daughter is unwell, so we are managing the best we can,  I'm really tired leaving the house at 7.45 am is a shock to me, at that time it takes 40 minutes to drive to her house. 

I have the Christmas tree down, I want to put it up with just the lights for a few days, so I can see how Lilly will behave, she loves to climb the magnolia tree outside, all my decorations are glass, we have a wooden floor, so if she climbs and knocks it over I would lose most of them. I intend to decorate the house over the weekend. 

Hubby made a small batch of mince pies, which were lovely, he is going to make sausage rolls this week, both will be made again a couple of times in December, we both enjoy them, plus lemon drizzle cake this week. We had a good sort out of the freezer, and have pulled out this weeks meals, it was long overdue, we will try and eat most of the bits and pieces in there, making space for the turkey. 

Show time

 I do love silk flowers, these poinsettias stems were purchased last year when I used them in a bigger pot to look like a plant, this year I have them out earlier, I got some silk honesty to break the solid red, I think they look better. This display gives colour to a dull corner, they will be moved in December as my tree is placed here. 

This is my glass cabinet, I made this display at the beginning of October, mainly pumpkins, I have decided it can stay longer, the tall vase has lights in, as does the glass mushroom and my hand painted mushroom, again light in a dull corner. 

I love this photo, daughter went to our favourite garden centre (without me) and snapped this photo, taken on 31st, so Molly had her costume on, she does love to dress up. George has a love for Crocs and wears them everywhere, again lovely colour. 

Sunday we went to our local venue to watch a show, I have always loves ELO from the very beginning back in 70's, both hubby and I loved everything about this show, they played and sung to match what we expected, there was enough humour in between songs, the laser light show was brilliant. We both agreed it's one of the best tribute bands we have seen. 

We are away, Lilly was not happy to go back to the cattery, she does not like to be inside, I think we need to rethink her care when we are next away, our previous cats always stayed at home, but they kept each other company, it's something we need to decide what's best for her. 

George had a very early birthday party, his best friend Dixie's birthday is close to his, sadly the venue they wanted was booked both weekend near their birthdays, they are in the same class so they knew everyone, plus all the siblings, it was a loud afternoon, we did not go. Dixie and her family are moving much closer to daughter, they will be able to walk to each others house, daughter does not normally allow George to houses on his own, but he has been to Dixies a few times. Children went back to school OK, daughter has a chance now to sort all their toys and pack up loads they don't play with anymore, she had a lazy Tuesday, the little ones had an inset day on Monday. 

Books and boats

This is the latest and 8th book in the Strike, private detective series, a huge book, 897 pages, she writes a really good plot, they are tasked with finding if a murdered man is their clients boyfriend, its a cold case and its complicated, as there are a few people who it could be, they already know it's not who the police decided it was. These books have been made into BBC series, so I already know the two main private detectives, to keep it real they also have other cases ongoing. This was one of the best stories, I really enjoyed joyed it, book 69 read this year.

I love this author, I have read most of her titles, this popped up on my kindle, its a great plot, two stories with a fantastic twist near the end and another later in the plot, I loved it. She does plan and draws out a deception, once revealed you immediately realise it was there in plain sight. Book 70 read this year.

My autumn display is out in my kitchen, I do love this little jug with seasonal displays, the colours are typical for this time of year, I did get just one new branch, with the smaller acorns on. There are conkers hubby picked for me for this little dish, the two china pumpkins are years old, I never aluminate them, they will be packed away in November, but the foliage will stay until I pop in Christmas themed bits.

Tuesday we met daughter at Gunwharf Quays in Portsmouth, it was another sunny bright day, she wanted to use her birthday money and used hubby's discount card to save a bit more. She helped us choose Will's Christmas gift from us, we got him new clothes, we had lunch together, a fresh baked Cornish pasty sat in a deck chair in the sunshine before we caught the bus home.

If you look past HMS Warrior, between the dockyard buildings you can see HMS Queen Elizabeth docked, its a huge aircraft carrier, the pale grey showing through. It's always fascinating being on The Hard, this is where the bus station is, so we often look out at Navy vessels along side historic and all the small private vessels. 

We are both loving these cold bright days, laundry has been dried outside, the garden task are being completed, housework has been done and time spent with our daughter, it's much easier to wrap up warm on dry days, our heating is not on yet, we have boosted a couple of times. 

Hubby has had his final results and they threw up a surprise for him, more hospital consultant appointments in the coming weeks, we will face them together, we have always had a united front on what life throws us, for now we are not saying much to our families, once the treatment is in place we will share it all.

We have both enjoyed getting out again, we never expected to get our first Christmas gift, but we did want to choose something special for Will. We did pop to the village yesterday, market day, I looked at plants and kept my purse in my bag, I really do have a full flower garden. Hubby wanted to pop to B&Q for some nice wire for the raspberries, I am banned from using chicken wire (which I already have), I'm going to wait until next spring in hope he forgets and I can use what I have.

Old and new.

I got my tulips out again and packed away the poinsettia, these were purchased in 2020 and 2021, made of a soft plastic, they feel almost real, the stems bend and droop, I always look forward to seeing them every year. I will probably keep them out for a couple of months. Over the year I have saved a small fortune on cut flowers.

I do like rusty ornaments in the garden, these are from Dunelm at £15 each not a bad price, once the weather is better these will be placed in my side bed.

I have wanted a couple cloches for my seedlings, I'm too tight to pay for expensive ones, I will remove the handles and use these for raising salad seeds, they are 7" high and metal mesh, which should be perfect for my needs. Their cost £12 each, again from Dunelm.

Molly and Lilly playing together, they both had loads of fun, playing nicely, we had Molly on a sleepover Saturday night, giving daughter a lazy Sunday morning, the boys both slept in until just after 8am, Molly woke at 7.30am, much later than her normal 6.00am. 

After having a good month in January with such a low spend, February is off to a different start, I never intended to purchase any of the above bits, I keep saying there is nothing I need, oh well. The start of the garden season is hard, so many new things to see, I could lie and promise to be good.

We walked Molly to our village on Saturday,  she then did some drawing to take home to mummy, we had homemade pizza for tea. Sunday was a later start, Molly got a sticker book out, we also popped into the garden to look at flowers and the wildlife pond. Later we read and relaxed, with an early night, it's amazing how one 3 year old can tire us both out.

Soft, bubbly and fresh

Lilly with her brothers and sisters, they are all active and starting to try weaning mousse, Lilly is in the middle, the light grey kitten, next to her is a biscuit coloured kitten called Freddie, daughter is keeping him, the others all have nice homes to go to. It's a case of waiting until they can feed themselves before bringing her home, sometime between 8 and 10 weeks, they are almost 5 weeks old now. 

Hubby has started his first sourdough, he's following Paul Hollywood's recipe, just something new to try, I have everything crossed this takes off, but we are aware often they just don't start to bubble.

This week we had leek and potato soup for lunch, the leeks came out of the ground and into the soup maker in less than an hour, I said my leeks were small, but that has not impacted on the taste. With a fresh baked roll, pure delight. 

I have used my poinsettia blooms and turned them into this plant, it's a great size and tucked back it looks real, which is brilliant as the leaves start to drop the moment a real one comes into our home. I just need to add fake soil.

 

Looking back on older post my decorations in recent years been up by now, I aim to have them sorted by Sunday, daughter and children are coming for a Sunday roast after going for a winter wonderland walk, so it would be nice for them to see our tree all lit up, it will also brighten our home. I have my Christmas music list ready on Alexa, the first play is always the day our tree goes up.

Nothing much is happening here, both hubby and I have coughs and a cold each, for once not from the little ones, I am reading and sorting the edging on my brothers blanket, and I've wrapped a few gifts. I only have to find something for daughter, we don't have many gifts to get, most of the grandsons like to have money. 

I am loving the blue skies again, dry days, laundry on the line (not fully drying), nothing to do outside, just occasionally watering the greenhouse, ensuring the bird feeders are full and the water spots are not frozen. We do wake up most mornings to our roofs being white, just an air frost, nothing on the ground.