Garden update

I’m rather pleased with how pretty it’s looking. 

That pink in the middle on the left was from my last trip to Homebase’s reduced section. Deadheaded and planted it has flower again and cost me 50p. 

I call this new bed the Brexit bed. I dug it the day after the referendum. As I was a passionate remainer family think I’m being a bit odd, but it amuses me. My bench as a sunflower prop…

This evening I stopped by the reduced section in Homebase again. They have so many plants reduced because they need dead heading and also properly watering. I went a bit mad and spent £20 but that probably a quarter of what they would cost if properly looked after. I don’t understand how a business can afford to make such reductions. They just need a staff member to do rudimentary dead heading as they tidy the shelves up and to ensured they’re watered properly. I quite like the challenge of getting stuff in an unplanned way based on which ones I feel sorry for… 

Oh and I installed two bolts on the rabbit hutch with the help of my Mum. I’m a bit rubbish at DIY so I was pleased with myself!

Where did that week go?!

10 days ago I was coming back from Manchester, and since then I’ve been to a literary quiz (we came second last..), had a crazy week at work, been to my step brother’s wedding (my new sister in law was SUCH a beautiful bride) mowed the lawn several times, and discovered my wretched infection is back again. Which is why I’m sitting in my back garden like a limp rag having just surfaced rather than working. D is off to fetch my new antibiotics in an hour and that should perk me up. Anyway, some photos of my week – I’ve only worked on the second scrapalong hat…

Considering the colours for a third scrapalong hat – and this one for me 😊

Knitting in the garden is such bliss! 

Knitting on dog…

Dog wearing knitting (not impressed): 

A trip to see Independence Day 2 (I love Bill Pullman!) 

Mollie’s friend Bentley visited and D was very honoured to be asked to be one of his Dads’ bestman at their forthcoming wedding. 

Hat progress: 

Some photos of me, D and niece J from the wedding. I love that first one! 

The happy couple: 

Such a beautiful dress. They are both lovely people and we don’t see them as often as we’d like as they live in Abu Dhabi. 

The wedding was held at Hestercombe Gardens in Somerset and I took a few photos while walking round with D & J after dinner. Jess got in as many photos as possible!

An action packed week! 

More doilies & garden

I thought the addiction was waning. But it’s still strong… 

I’ve also continued to work on the garden… Damon swept the patios and put out the garden furniture on Thursday:

I had a day off work so I staked the sunflowers and filled some more pots: 

And decided I’d be spending a lot of time in this particular location this summer. 

Mollie has also outdone herself this week in providing her best ‘hard done by’ Lab face. This one because I wanted to sweep…

And this one because I wanted to seed the bare patch of lawn she was laying on. My garden is 80ft long. But she is invariably on the bit I want to work on! 

Slowly the garden develops

I’m finding that I do actually enjoy the time I spend in the garden. Small steps! I’ve got my flower beds how I want them (for now), my sunflowers are all growing and I’ve started planting things along the big wall that until now has been bare. I have lots and lots of plans for future planting, but for now I’m focussing on grass and acquiring a rhubarb plant.

As you can see our grass is patchy. It was weed and moss  infested but that’s now been killed off. Our garden is on clay, with rubble underneath that from cottages that were demolished when our estate was built we think (we’re on the edge in the old show home – hah!). It isn’t flat, and the turf we had laid four years ago just hasn’t lasted. My aim with gardening is to reduce the grass significantly with nice planting. 

As you can see our wall is cracked, badly built and looks like it could fall down at any minute.  It would fall outwards luckily! But this means we have to be careful what we put up against it. I’m enjoying thinking it through. 😊

Inspiration

Since I decided to stop forcing myself to do specific projects I’ve lost my crafting mojo. It’s coincided with me needing to get the garden sorted out and I’ve been really focussing on that, wanting somewhere nice to sit when I finally get it back! 

So on Friday I added to the border: 

And sanded the bench in preparation for a little make over… Sadly I didn’t take a before picture but as of last night: 
It took me all day to do this! Cuprinol Shades ‘Forget Me Not’. I’m delighted with it! While I was doing that Mum added some annuals to my beds and did my pots. She does them every year, I am grateful and lucky as they’re always fab! This year I’m going with fuschias, petunias and lobelia, both bush and trailing. As you can see we also dispensed with the scruffy rosemary bush and discovered a load of primroses growing underneath it!
As you can see from this pic, the lawn needs a lot of work which my lovely friend Sam has volunteered to do. 

Damon also insisted on buying two hanging baskets when we went to Homebase. This one is so glorious I didn’t want to hang it where I couldn’t see it. 

So today, I only mowed the bit that is still grass (!) and then was free to do this: 

I’ve settled on making a doily called ‘Flirty Fifties’ in the three colours right at the front and the violet and green just behind. They’re the colours I’ve chosen by and large for the garden so they should be fab on my outside dining table! 

I’m hoping they might work as placemats. I’ve still got lots to do in my garden but I’m really pleased with how far I’ve got and hopefully my doily/ mandala will inspire me! 

Stash diving…

…and finding a WIP…

I had almost forgotten this cardigan I started for my Mum. The back and half of one front are done, the sleeves are integral, so it makes sense to finish it for her birthday. 

I’m not sure that it’s even been featured on my blog I’ve had it so long! The colour is more accurate in the top photo. Posting this for the pattern. 

I’ve also found out what happened to my favourite project bag and first pair of KnitPro Symphonie 4mm needles…

It’s going to be a warm day in Somerset. Before I paint my garden bench blue, lay a few slabs and plant up my garden pots, I’m taking this young lady for a walk! Taken last night when she was giving her best Hard Done By Labrador impression!