Fairhaven Woodland and Water Garden

Between Christmas and New Year, I received my last Christmas present - a year's membership of the RHS from Mum and Dad, which gives me free garden access to the RHS four (soon to be five) gardens in the UK, plus 190 partner gardens around the UK. I also get monthly magazines, free offers and garden advice - if I ring a special number, I get free garden advice.  How cool is that?!  Having been in possession of my card for less than a week, I determined to visit as many gardens as I could within the year and so I started on 2 January! 

On a very cold, but beautifully clear and sunny, day, I headed to Fairhaven Woodland and Water Garden, located about five miles from my house, but which I'd never visited before.  Obviously, not a lot going on floral-wise, although there were plenty of buds on the rhododendron and azaleas, but it was still a beautiful place to visit, and of course I plan to go back later in the year when there'll be more going on.

This is where I had a lightbulb moment - and finally recognised the difference between apical and axillary buds!

Mousehold Heath

Things are not improving blog-wise.  It's the middle of March and I'm writing about New Year's Eve!  On a very cold and grey morning, Finn and I headed up to Mousehold Heath for a run about.

Finn, of course, jumped into the pond as he always done, but this time had a bit of a shock as he went through the ice.  I wasn't concerned as I know how shallow that pond is - otherwise there's no way I'd have let him go playing.

There was still a lot of colour on the heath - the bracken was beautiful in all its gold and red glory.

But of course the best thing about a cold, wet, grey walk is getting home for jimjams and cuddles with Finn on the sofa.

Seeds and Stuff - February 2017

I've started my seed sowing for the year, having been very lazy over the last few months in this regard.   I think college might have inspired me!  I've got dahlia, scabious and kniphofia (red hot poker) seeds popping up, and I've also sown broccoli, leek and morning glory, none of which are showing yet.   More to follow on these in future posts.

In the meantime, bulbs are popping up all over the garden - including snowdrops that I had totally forgotten about.

Not many of them, but less can be more when snowdrops are involved!   A lovely sign that the world is waking up.

Back in November, I planted some bulbs - Iris reticulata 'Joyce' - in memory of Auntie Joyce.  They were planted on 13 November, on what would have been her 91st birthday - coincidentally also Remembrance Day.  They have been beautiful.

This is a stray one that managed to work its way into a bed at the bottom of the garden.  (I suspect Finn!)

Odds and Sods - February 2017

February has gone by in a blur - it's been a very busy and sociable month and there are plenty of posts to follow covering the individual days.

In other news ..... Andy won a 32 inch TV for us in his works raffle which necessitated me spending practically a whole day moving furniture around to find room for it!

It's enormous, when you consider we had a 19 inch TV hidden in a cupboard before!

We had a magical day, sharing Emma and Joe's wedding in Thursford - post to follow - and, because people had travelled from all over the UK (actually some from Australia too!), Ed and Chris very kindly gave us all breakfast on Sunday morning to send us all off on our journeys home.  Andy decided he was too tired to go to Aylsham on the Sunday morning, so I left him and Finn in bed while I drove Mary up there, for a bacon roll or two and to meet Tim, Sara and Sam who were transporting her on the final leg of her journey!

I love this photo!  My boys!

Mary made friends with Wilson!

Sid's stayed with us this month ...

And Amanda gave us these lovely tulips as a thank you ...

I love tulips!

For Valentine's Day, Andy made a fabulous stew and served it up in a giant Yorkshire pud - lush!

And I made him a cake ...

Heart shaped of course!

And as another lovely surprise, Andy gave me a charm for my trollbead bracelet ...

A silver dragonfly, which I love.

So that's it for February.  The evenings are getting a wee bit brighter when I come home from work - still not light enough to get Finn over the park straight after work for a run off the lead, but it won't be long, thank goodness!

Folksy Sale #15

I'm always really surprised when anyone buys anything on Folksy, because I forget about the things I've made once I've photographed them and listed them.  They then get put in plastic bags and popped up in the loft in the plastic crates, sometimes never to be seen again!

This is actually a shawl, but I didn't get a very good photo of the whole thing, which is a shame.  Still, someone has a very lovely Christmas present!