Pootling About

Its been a funny couple of days, lots of jobs getting done but nothing really to show for the hours spent pootling about.  The weather has stopped a lot of the jobs getting done outside but I am hopeful we might get out this weekend, the forecast looks promising.  We have my daughter, her husband and Bertie for the weekend and he loves to play outside.  They are arriving tomorrow lunchtime so I intend to do the bulk of the baking in the morning and make extra for the freezer.  My sister is visiting Mum and Dad which enables me to get out and about a little more.  We have had a trip to town and a trip to Boston so that I could get the wadding for Wilbur's quilt and picked up some pansies to give the garden a lift.

The seeds and trays are all over the house on window sills and are just starting to sprout, a little later than normal but we were still having frosts.

 

Slow but steady, the shoots are starting to push through the soil.  Isn't Mother Nature amazing?  Soon these tiny shoots will become, lettuce, tomatoes or a variety of herbs.

 

I have managed to fit in a little crafting and made the girls Lily and Daisy a headband.  It took a while but now they love to have things in their hair.

 

I am looking forward to seeing them on their sweet little heads.

 

I have also managed to make a scarf that I want as a gift.

 

I am rather pleased with the end result. I used some vintage lace that I found at a craft fair some time ago on a whim with no specific project in mind.  There is enough left for another one which makes me smile, I have another gift.  I like to have a few gifts in my cupboard ready, made with love.

 

See you soon.

Garden Update

There was a break in the weather yesterday for a short while so I was able to get out into the garden and get some jobs done.  My husband is well at the moment after an infusion for treatment for his rheumatoid arthritis so he was able to chop and stack the logs after a recent delivery.  A job well done and a lovely feeling knowing that you can light the stove at any time.  The weather is so changeable at the moment we have found we hardly need it on at all.

I have managed to harvest some of the leeks which are amazing, they have a real taste to them and of course the satisfaction of knowing we grew tem ourselves.

They are taking a little bit of a battering from the wind so I may pull them and put them in the freezer before we lose them all together.  The beetroot is still going strong but not quite ready to harvest.

The clematis has been cut back hard to enhance next seasons growth.

The fruit bushes have also been cut back well.

The hanging baskets are now filled with spring flowering bulbs ready for a beautiful show next Apr/May time.

The empty beds have been raked over ready for spring planting.

All the pots have been gathered together to shelter them from the wind, we haven't enough storage space in the sheds.  Apart from raking up the leaves which are dropping continually, all our outside jobs have now been done for the moment anyway...

 

Have you prepared your garden for the season, or do you just leave it to chance?

 

See you soon.

Autumn Preperations

Autumn is upon us, the nights and the mornings are getting colder.  The light is starting to fade earlier each evening so time I think to prepare for Autumn.

First thing that needs to be done is make a list using the list note book, a gift from one of my daughters.

The mini green house needs to be emptied, folded down and stored ready for Spring.

The barbeque needs to be cleaned and put away, but I still have the wonderful memories of some lovely meals shared with family and friends.

The garden furniture needs to be folded and stored.

 

We live on the East Coast of England about half a mile from the beach and the North Sea, which makes for a very blustery season.  Everything needs to be tied down or put away otherwise you will be chasing it across the fields.  The children's toys need to be stored also.

This temporary bed has been amazing for the wonderful lettuce grown and enjoyed everyday, a must for next year.  It now needs emptying and storing away.

The logs need ordering and chopped ready for the multi fuel stove.  It makes for a cosy evening toasting your toes in front of it, the most wonderful feeling ever.  Even better when sipping on hot chocolate on those cold blustery days.

 

Several bushes need to be cut back and some plants stored over the winter.

 

We are blessed in that we still have some produce to harvest, leeks and beetroot, so that bed cannot be cleared but the rest can.

So that's the list for Autumn for outside I now need to make a list for inside, but that's another post.  Have you done your Autumn preparation?

 

See you soon

Garden Update

The courgettes have now finished but we had a good crop and really enjoyed them.  The last of the cabbage has been eaten by creatures unknown but probably slugs so the bed has been cleared.  They really have been brilliant a very tasty variety that I would be happy to have again.  The lettuce has been brilliant and had a lengthy harvest.  The leaves now are getting taller and producing leaves on long stalks, they are showing the classic signs of bolting.  It is still edible at the moment so we are picking some everyday for either lunch or dinner.

The beetroot continues to flourish and we have had several lots with salad.  The last of the harvest I intend to pickle ready to go with cold cuts over the Christmas period.

I have already frozen several portions of the dwarf green beans and there is still enough for several more.  They have been a real delight easy to keep tied up in the winds we have on this blustery coast.

The runner beans have also been a good crop but a nightmare to keep up because of bad weather, a good crop none the less and tasty.

The tomatoes have been amazing, we are now eating them on a daily basis either at lunch or dinner.  I intend to make a couple of jars of chutney in preparation for Christmas.

The chillies have been slow but continue to grow and the peppers have been amazing.

Leeks have been transplanted into a cleared bed from the mini greenhouse.

Finally the turnips are ready to be thinned out.

A rather pleasing set of crops from the garden thus far this year.  The hard work making and putting in the raised beds has been worth it as my husband can do so much more in the garden at this height.  It has become a lovely shared hobby with wonderful edible rewards.  Not enough for self sufficiency as is our dream but a pleasing first step. 

 

See you soon.

 

 

Garden Review

Since arriving back from holiday apart from a trip  to buy a new washing machine and a trip to the hospital for my husbands treatment, we have spent our time in the garden.  My husband has just started a new treatment for stills disease running along side rheumatoid arthritis which involves quite a lengthy infusion, we are hoping that this will make him feel more comfortable, but time will tell.  I digress, the garden was in quite a state, the lawn was at least 9" high so was quite the task to cut and the weeds had taken over.  It really was hard work getting it back into shape.

 

The cabbage has been wonderful, I think it will become gifts for friends and neighbours there is such an abundance.  Does cabbage freeze?

The beetroot continues to grow well but very slowly, worth it in the end when we have pickled beetroot for over the winter months.

Sprouting purple broccoli is a delight, maybe we should plant more for another year but successional so we have it for longer.

The cauliflower is coming along nicely.

We had our first crop of broad beans yesterday in a salad, I can not tell you how satisfying it is to eat something you have grown.

The lettuce is sheer pleasure but another year we would like rocket in the same bed.

We were hoping for strawberry jam, but alas we have 2 greedy, naughty poodles who eat them as soon as they ripen, nothing stops them.  Or it could be that I have a greedy husband who blames the dogs!!!!!!

 

The garden is bursting with colour at the moment, so despite a lot of weeds is looking quite nice.  I am hoping for some nice weather next week so that I can treat the shed and the fences.

 

The front garden is not looking as good it is a definite work in progress, having a holiday really does have knock on effects to the garden.  Tomorrow is another day.