Wintry Marshland

At the beginning of the year, Andy and I took Finn over the marshes - one of our favourite local walks - for some fresh air and exercise.  It was a beautiful clear day, but quite chilly.  Needless to say, it didn't stop Finn from having a swim!

It was pretty icy in places.

We really are so lucky to have this within walking distance of our home.

Folksy Sale #16

Between Christmas and New Year, we were contacted via our Folksy page by a lady in Cambridgeshire, desperate for a Minecraft inspired blanket for her four year old son.   They had looked high and low and been unable to find what they were after, so after scouring the internet and doing some research, she contacted us with some potential patterns and asked whether we'd be willing to take a commission to do this.  The two patterns she supplied us with were one crochet and one knit, so, after some backwards and forwards emailing, we waited for her to make her choice and she went with the knitted version.  So that was me!  With some help from Amanda who crocheted a border for me. 

The blanket was made up of one hundred squares, but I decided to make ten "scarves" of ten squares each which meant only ten seams to sew up, rather than a hundred squares!

William apparently (and his Mum!) are delighted with the blanket which makes us very happy indeed.  In fact, we are so pleased ourselves with the final product, that Amanda has been printing off charts - mainly Star Wars related - for more "squares" blankets, and is currently making one (and which I'm sewing up for her) which I can't really talk about here in case the recipient is reading this.  I expect a post will follow though once the all clear is given!

Seeds and Stuff - March 2017

I love March and April in the garden when everything starts bursting into bud and it's beginning to warm up enough to sow the first lot of seeds.  I have sown quite a lot already, but have forgotten to take any photos!  Mostly flowering plants so far - the dahlias are coming along nicely and the scabious aren't doing too badly.   But the morning glory and kniphofia (red hot pokers) are being a bit slow - it has turned cooler though so I will keep an eye on them for now.  I'm taking advantage of the heated glasshouses at college to try some chilis this year - and have been taught how to sow seeds correctly.  How I've managed to grow anything before now is beyond me - my technique was all wrong!  We will see if it makes any difference.  (Very perturbed to note that Monty Don on Gardeners World also sows seeds the way I used to - so he's wrong too.  My life has turned upside down!)

Back in November, on what would have been Auntie Joyce's 91st birthday, I planted some Iris reticulata 'Joyce' in her memory and they have performed beautifully this year.

I am thrilled with them, totally beautiful.

Andy has been busy in the garden also - hoping to encourage more wildlife to my garden this year, particularly birds to deal with our slug problem!   He spent a morning busily engaged in whittling out a log and has turned it into a nesting box which we're watching diligently to see if it's being used.  Nothing seen yet, but I've heard it takes a while for birds to realise it's there, so perhaps it'll reap rewards in a couple of years' time.

I wish I had taken a photo of something with it, to give a reference as to how big it is - it's enormous, a veritable bird penthouse! 

Odds and Sods - March 2017

March has rushed by in a blur of sunny but cool days, longer lighter evenings with the promise of firepits to come, the garden bursting into life and a general feeling of rejuvenation.  I've started some gardening work which I'm very excited about - I found myself talking to a new client this week saying we need to get cracking, although she, having an 85 year old's wisdom, said that we've got all summer to go and it's only the beginning of April yet!  Rush rush rush.  I need to slow down more. 

Although that has happened anyway this week - Amanda and I (and Sid and Finn of course) had a fab week in Borth, just north of Aberystwyth in West Wales last week, but during which I sustained quite a spectacular injury, requiring a visit to A&E to get a head injury stitched up.  Much less worrying at the time was the possible damage done to my leg - I think adrenaline was getting me through - but that has become apparent this week which has necessitated a week off work with my feet up, getting thoroughly fed up and frustrated.  Hey ho.  It will mend. The incident didn't spoil the holiday at all - we had a fab time and posts will follow in due course ...

While waiting for the garden to burst into life, I've been doing a LOT of knitting recently, mainly commissions for people, and have been planning a schedule of what to make and when.  I seem to be having a lot of dreams - and I'm not joking! - about patchwork.  Last night I spent all night at the sewing machine I think as I was turning out quilt after quilt after quilt.  All beautiful but clearly the work of someone more proficient than me!

I've finally finished Amanda's Christmas poncho which we took on holiday with us - in fact, on the morning I was supposed to be packing, I was running around the house like a crazy person looking for Christmas wrapping paper!   It looks fab but sadly I didn't get a photo of Amanda wearing it yet.

 Finn has spent a lot of time swimming - not just in the sea in Wales - this was taken after one of our frequent local walks over the marshes - I love these curls!

And here's a shot of the garden perking up and looking colourful -not just down to the washing on the line!

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!