Garden Update

I am back on top of the laundry, the house, medication and appointments for everyone so I am enjoying pottering in the garden.  The sun has been shining brightly so the grass has dried out and been cut both the front and back lawns are looking quite good at the moment.  The only exception is a couple of holes that Mickey, the dog has dug up.  We have filled the holes up a few times and sown seeds but to no avail, he just digs them up again.  Mum and Dads neighbour now does their lawn when he does his so that is a great help, I only have their back lawn to do.  Mum is still able to manage the pots and she enjoys pottering around in the back.

We had an old dustbin which wasn't needed anymore so it has been repurposed and is now planted up with peas.

 

Better than going to landfill...

 

The pansies are in full bloom and are looking a real delight, they are such vibrant colours and make my heart sing.  My husband repurposed some old wood and made a trug for a planter, I really like the effect.

 

 

There are also pansies in the basket on the repainted table that look really effective on the base for the sun shade/umbrella.

 

 

The broad beans are starting to push through the soil and grow, this is a favourite of mine.  I love the sweet taste of summer.

 

 

French beans are also starting to sprout, I am just hoping they will be alright as we have been predicted with low temperatures for the next few days.

 

 

In the small greenhouse, the seasonal greenhouse I call it we are keeping some plants in a little longer until the temperatures warm up a little again.

 

 

We have lollo rosso, a variety of lettuce we have had success with in previous years.

 

 

Little gem another variety of lettuce is just starting to come through.  I am always fascinated by the journey of growth and the amazing miracle of germination.  All these wonderful plants from a seed, we have a lot to be thankful for.

 

 

We also have French marigolds growing in preparation for the tomato plants, apparently they are a deterrent for bugs.

 

 

I have just planted up the sweet pepper seeds bought from the car boot sale in readiness for some hanging baskets that have full sun on the shed.  What have you got growing in your garden?

 

See you soon.

 

Car Boot Treasure

We have just had the pleasure of a lovely walk and lovely company.  My husband and I have just had a stroll around the local car boot sale with my dear Mum.  It was quite large when you consider the weather forecast, it did predict rain and it had rained previously so the ground was quite wet.  Wellie boots were definitely the footwear of choice.  I am always fascinated by what other people consider good enough to sell and the prices they think things are worth.  Although I didn't buy a lot the sum total of £2.20 spent, I did have a lovely couple of hours out.

My husband treated me to a Call The Midwife CD with music from series 1, 2 and the Christmas special for the grand sum of £1.  I am looking forward to listening to it in my craft room.

 

I was a great fan of the series and loved the music, so I am looking forward to listening to it.

 

20p was spent on my next buy, 2 sheets of stickers for scrapbooking.

 

 

There was a whole box full that I did have a rummage through but they were not to my taste and I have stopped buying things that I wouldn't use.  The 2 sheets I did buy I loved both having a vintage feel, so very much to my taste and a real bargain.

 

Finally, a £1 was spent on 5 packets of seeds, all in date and another great bargain.

 

 

We picked out 2 packets of sunflower seeds, we thought these would be a little bit of fun for the grand children to measure, there original price was marked at £1.99.  We also chose a sweet pepper for hanging baskets, we have a couple of spare baskets so thought this would be a cheap alternative for filling them.  What was a surprise was the original price on the packet, a whopping £3.69.  We also picked out Land Cress, something we have never tried before so not a lot to lose if we are unsuccessful.  £1.89 was the original price.  Finally  a variety of Tom Thumb pea for container growing which we have had before, £3.89 was the original price.  All five packets for £1, now that is what I call a bargain.  What bargains did you pick up this weekend?

 

See you soon.

 

 

Five on Friday

I am still reflecting on my wonderful break away to Holland and some of the wonderful scenes I feel privileged to have seen.  Consequently my Five on Friday this week are five things that made my holiday extra special, five things that I want to record so that I don't forget. 

 

Tulips from Amsterdam.  A gift from my beautiful daughter.

 

 

A stroll around a market at Haarlem, browsing at the beautiful fabrics and haberdashery stalls.  A feast for the eyes and the beauty of some of the amazing ribbons and laces.  Yes I was tempted and despite my resolution not to yes I did pick up a few bits and pieces.  It would have been rude of me not to.

 

 

The hundreds of bikes everywhere never ceased to amaze me, they were indeed everywhere.  How on earth do you find yours?

 

 

The cakes and desserts were another temptation that we succumbed to regularly, our justification being very childlike we were on holiday...

 

 

Finally the deer and the ability we had to be so close, we were truly privileged.  My five on Friday, I hope you enjoy them as much as I did.

 

Linking with Amy over at lovemademyhome.blogspot.co.uk/.

 

See you soon.

 



Holiday Highlights

We are back to reality but have some wonderful memories to treasure and once I have a little more time will be recording the holiday in scrapbook form.  I have saved several leaflets and bought postcards to go along side photos.  But for now here are some of the highlights of our recent trip to Holland.

 

It started with a  7 hour trip on board the Stena Britannica from Harwich to Hook van Holland which holds 1200 passengers and 230 cars.  It is 240m long and 32m wide.  Wilbur loved it and thought he was the captain.

Centre Parks was a real delight the one we stayed at in Zandvoort has a bowling alley which we enjoyed.

 

Wilbur had his face painted like a tiger and really thought he was the bees knees.  Of course it wouldn't be a holiday without ice-cream.

 

 

We enjoyed several forms of bike, the photo I am showing you next is possibly the weirdest, but it had to be done.  You pedalled to get pictures up on a screen.  I think Wilbur had the best idea.

 

 

Just playing in the sand dunes was enough some days and of course a ball and bucket and spade were inevitable.  "Swing me Grandad, swing me".

 

 

We had a couple of wonderful hours at a conservation point where there were deer that roamed freely, it really was enchanting to see the deer in their natural habitat so close up.

 

Watching me, watching you!  Does it get any better?

 

Delft was another highlight of the holiday where we were fortunate to watch a lady painting the pottery.  Apparently it takes a minimum of 5 years to be trained in the art, she certainly was a very talented woman.

 

 

It wouldn't be Holland without a photo of the wooden clogs and Wilbur was certainly willing to oblige, bless him!

 

 

Wilbur can always find some form of animal to add to his repertoire, this time it was a lion guarding the entrance to a Restaurant in the main square.

 

 

There was some truly beautiful buildings with amazing architecture that I would love to revisit with more time and gain some more information on their history.  There were also some beautiful churches that I would love to have a tour of.  Its always so nice that a holiday leaves you wanting so much more, so to that end I think it is safe to say that we will be visiting again soon.

 

Finally, just because...

 

 

It made me smile...and we had to include a bike, I have never seen so many bikes in one place.

 

 

Before you ask, yes we did bring lots of food back.  Some of the cheeses were a delight and we loved some of the tins used for the biscuits so they made perfect token gifts.  A truly amazing holiday with lots of highlights.

 

See you soon.

 

 

 

 

 

 



A Blast From The Past - Efteling

 

I am back safe and sound from a wonderful holiday to Center Parks in Zandvoort Holland, a wonderful place, a wonderful Country and wonderful company.  It was a lovely location and with so many activities available not necessary to go off site.  We however wanted to re-live some of our youth and share with Wilbur some of the places we had taken his Mummy as a little girl.  We had stayed at the same site when it was owned by Gran Dorado at least 20 years ago perhaps longer so a day trip to Efteling Theme Park was arranged.  We were amazed how much we remembered, the essence of the park remaining the same around childhood story books.  A truly wonderful experience one that I would love to do with our other Grandchildren.

 

 

We were fortunate to watch the Raveleijn Park show which was amazing and included Ravens that were trained to food, a truly incredible experience that Wilbur is still talking about he enjoyed it so much.  A definite highlight of the holiday.

 

 

Some of the rides were a true blast from the past, the Carousels were a delight and brought back some lovely memories.

 

 

The toddler park was a feast for the eyes with the bright colours of the play equipment, Wilbur was enchanted by the strawberry.

 

 

Another old time favourite was the Carnival Festival ride which is a little like Its a Small World in Disney, a delight for young and old.

 

 

 The Efteling Museum was also a must see another blast from the past.

 Some of the artefacts did look familiar...

The Fairytale Forest remained the firm favourite with a lovely stroll, reflecting on times gone by and the stunning characters bringing the story to life.

 A truly memorable park to visit should you ever have the opportunity, a day that I will remember for a long time to come and I one that I feel honoured to have shared with my eldest daughter and her family.  Some beautiful memories to treasure.

As always thank you so much for all your lovely comments on my last post, sending me birthday and holiday wishes.  Also a warm welcome to new followers, I wish I could offer you a nice pot of tea and some cake.  I will catch up with everyone over the next few days.

See you soon.