Seeds and Stuff - May 2018

Everything in the garden is blooming lovely - May is fabulous for all the lushness and everything waking up and general hope and happiness in the garden.

May is generally when I get cracking with the seeds as the soil will have warmed up a bit more and we've also got longer daylight hours.

May also is the month when we have World Naked Gardening Day - I can't believe anyone goes in for this stuff, but I did get my legs out for the occasion!

The Cercis siliquastrum is going great guns this year but as the weeks have gone on, I realise I need to thin it out a bit for next year as it's way too leafy for my liking - it's not letting any light in to anything underneath it which is restricting growth of the ground level stuff. On my to do list!

This year, at least, it has some of its "pea pods" on it, so I'm hopeful of collecting seed later in the year.

The tamarisk is in real danger of taking over the front garden, so I have given it a good old chop and will try and sort out the shaping before next spring.

The azalea has been wonderful this year.

One thing that has become apparent this year is that there is an awful lot of pink in my garden and I need to add in some more colours to zhuzh it up a bit, I think.  The yellow rose is trying its hardest to add some zing - it's certainly adding lots of beautiful fragrance - but I just need to work out what else I'm missing.   

I have my exam coming up imminently so have been spending quite a bit of time in the garden, reading and studying, rather than working.  

And I've been enjoying all the wildlife too.

Odds and Sods - May 2018

I didn't realise I had such a random assortment of photos for May!  It's clearly been a bit of a random old month.

Finn playing with my slippers which he seems to think are toys - in fact, I've had to hide one down the back of the tv for now to try and save it.

My daily commute to work is so much more interesting now that everything is greening up and there are plenty of flowers.

Finn is becoming more and more cuddly - even to the point of sitting on my lap while I'm trying to study.   I don't know if it's just him getting older and more clingy, but I don't mind a bit - I can waste hours just sitting on the sofa having a cuddle with him.

My prowess at taking selfies is clearly not improving.  I've had a few nights out in May - come the summer and the lighter evenings and I really don't feel I can hibernate in my jimjams any longer.

The weight loss is carrying on very well - I've now (as I type this) lost 25.5 pounds and have been making all sorts of new recipes including the asparagus houmous above.  It was delicious but I have to admit I was getting a bit bored of it after a week - next time I will halve the quantities!

With two bank holidays in May, it's also been plant and book fair time!  Mum even got her photo in the Dereham Times looking through the gardening books!

In between studying, I've been keeping up with the woolly stuff - to calm my nerves more than anything.  I had no idea that I'd get so stressed about these last two exams - I guess that, having passed the previous six, I really don't want to stuff up now.

Finn got some post!  A shiny new name tag.

Mum and I bagged quite an impressive haul at Creake Abbey plant fair - very few plants featured on our shopping lists though!

And I've borrowed this photo from Lisa who I go to college with - she was working with her nursery on the Saturday at the plant fair and got this photo before all the hordes appeared.  It was very busy and we ended up in the car park overflow's overflow!

May has been very warm so Finn and I are tending to have our walks quite late in the evening or early in the mornings - although he always insists on a swim, whatever time of day it is!

Made or Grown - May 2018

Oh dear, I had no idea I'd been so rubbish in May!  I'm hoping that everything foodie takes off soon in the garden so I have something to show for this project.

1 May 2018 - it was clearly still quite parky at the beginning of May as I'm wrapped up in scarf and jacket.

2 May 2018 - here I am feeling (and looking!) a bit giddy with excitement at the thought of all the tools we got to use at college.  Sadly with the exception of the tractor though.

3 May 2018 - and back to the office.  We've had issues with our heating - it never works! - so this lovely shawl is the perfect cover up.

4 May 2018 - looking a bit gormless on my walk to work - I think I'm trying to capture the lilac in the background.

15 May 2018 - looking gormless again at work!

18 May 2018 - back to my old favourite poncho.  And the weight loss is becoming evident.

21 May 2018 - I need to iron this dress more and not accentuate the dart (home made with the brooch) so much as it makes my boobs look enormous!

Hey ho, that's May - must try harder going forward!