March round-up

March is certainly bidding us a very windy farewell; it has been howling a veritable hoolie for the past few days.  Near gale-force winds (but thankfully no more rain) have made gardening a little tiresome, to say the least.  But we have battled away, determined to make progress each day.  At the moment there are half-full/empty bags of gravel, soil, compost and slate chippings (not to mention dug-up plants - oops!) all over the place, as we try to plan the removal and transplanting of various shrubs from one location in the garden to another.  I had a feeling the logistics of this scheme were going to be challenging and it is proving to be just that.  The wind doing it's best to blow us over - and actually nearly succeeding with me this morning - was not something we had factored in and it is almost getting the better of us; it is pretty tiring to work in these conditions.  Possibly we should wait for calmer weather but we are both keen to get this project sorted, and with it, hopefully, the builders-yard mess around the place.  

However, the plans for March were to get outside and begin on the garden, and we have certainly been able to do that.  Seeds have been sown, most have successfully germinated and are being planted on.  We are experimenting with a small heated propagator to nurture some seeds that have proved difficult in the past and making full use of every available window sill in the house.  We dug out and replanted the long side border and that has certainly tidied the back garden up.  

This small congested bed is providing plants for the new border and bed - inevitably some roots get left behind in the process, no matter how carefully I try to dig them out!

We haven't, as yet, had to buy any new plants, making do instead with what was here, what we brought with us and gratefully accepting a friend's gift of spare perennials.  I'm hoping to grow a few more annuals and perennials from seed to add to the planting.  We're trying to keep costs down (as always) whilst improving the overall look of the garden.  I think we're on target so far.

Apart from progress in the garden, March has brought both exciting news and some sad news.  We've managed a lovely family get-together at the top of The Shard, and also enjoyed spending time with N's dad for a week.  Looking back, March seems to have flown by rather too quickly =:o

As for April, there is a birthday (I have stopped counting!) and a holiday to look forward to.  We will finish the new borders this week, wind permitting, and get some order back into the garden.  Perhaps April should be a month to take stock of what we have done so far, and plan the next phase of (mainly outside) jobs that need to be done in the warmer months.  I am sure there will be some sewing, quilting or knitting - or perhaps a little of all three.  And we will continue to potter along, quietly and simply, just as we like it.

Lighter evenings

Welcome BST (British Summer Time) - the clocks went forward an hour in the early hours of this morning and we are now enjoying lighter evenings for longer.  The days of pulling the curtains at 4 o'clock to shut out the dark are just a fading memory!

Friday was warm and sunny and N spent the day working in the garden in shirt-sleeves.  Since then, however, we've been almost marooned indoors over the weekend, looking out at wet, wild and windy weather.  This morning the wind was really whipping the trees into a frenzy and whistling round the house in a way we've not experienced since moving here.  Hopefully things will calm down a little by tomorrow.

So, what's been happening?  We continue to make progress in the garden, stripping turf for another bed and trips to the tip to make contributions to the municipal compost heap.  More transplanting of seedlings, and we now have chilli seeds germinating in the airing cupboard (the central heating pipes there provide just sufficient heat to assist in germination). 

A spare moment?  I'll just alter some curtains, shall I?!

More sewing for me, and more curtains but this time I am actually being paid for the alterations - yay!  And I have to say they have been a joy to alter; it makes all the difference working with quality fabric (a linen/cotton blend).  I have had to commandeer the lounge floor on several occasions, to spread the curtains out flat, and I found myself yearning for a large table to avoid all the kneeling - there were a few creaking joints to be heard (that would be my knees, not the floorboards;-).  However, they are finished now and awaiting collection.  

I've got a couple of mending jobs out of the way today - a velcro fastening stitched back on, and a pocket in a pair of N's jeans.

I wonder how many pennies fell through this hole?

The pocket lining wasn't just thin, it was worn completely away (I'm always nagging him for carrying too much in his pockets!) so I cut the worn bit off and fashioned a new one using a bit of second-hand sheeting.  No-one will see it's a different colour and the jeans are now perfectly servicable for a long time to come.  The ability to 'make do and mend' has saved us so much over the years.

Almost at the end of March - another month that seems to have whizzed by.  But there's the promise of lighter days and, dare we hope, warmer weather.  It's just as well as there is a lot to do outside - gardening and outdoor maintenance.  It keeps us busy, fit and saves us money.  Sounds good to me.

A giant in the Solent

One of the things I like about living close to the sea is that there is always something to look at, even if it's just big waves!  Since Sunday, the American aircraft carrier, USS Theodore Roosevelt, has been moored in the Solent as it is simply too big to berth in Portsmouth Harbour.  It's pretty big, you really can't miss it.  I walked to the end of the pier for a good view.

The red and white tanker moored alongside is dwarfed in comparison

She is nearly 1100 feet long, weighs in at over 100,000 tons, has a crew of over 5500 and can accommodate 85 aircraft, some of which can be seen (binoculars were useful) on the flight deck.

The ship is currently on a round-the-world deployment and Portsmouth was her first port of call.  She is actually much closer to the mainland; the Ryde-Portsmouth car ferry looks a similar size in the photo above but the perspective makes it very deceptive.

A couple of nights ago we went to see the Roosevelt lit up - not quite as spectacular as I had hoped, and sadly my little camera wasn't quite up to the job - but the ship's identification number - 71 - was illuminated (the very bright 'blob' under the two rows of lights).

She leaves tomorrow.  It's been an interesting topic of conversation for a few days.  As I said, there's always something to look at on the water.

The signs are here

We continue to potter slowly and quietly for a few days, and taking out time has allowed us to appreciate the many signs of Spring all around us. 

Fresh green shoots in the hedgerow;

hawthorn blossom;

swathes of roadside daffodils;

little clumps of sweet violet;

an ornamental cherry in full blossom;

and a robin singing his heart out - it was as though he was giving a concert just for us!

And as for the much-talked about eclipse, sadly it was so cloudy here there was nothing to see, no spectacular 'smile' that many parts of the country witnessed.  Never mind, the photos online have been quite impressive, and I do remember the last one.

Patiently

It's been a bit of an odd sort of a week, one that seems to have flown by without seeming to have very much to show for it.  I can't recall sitting around doing nothing and no doubt if I put my mind to it I would realise that a lot has, as usual, been accomplished over the last few days.  Maybe it is because the week has been a bit 'bitty', routines chopped and changed, no 'to do' list to keep me focussed.  

We are enjoying and making the most of a welcome visitor for a few days, and reminding ourselves of the important of patience, a 'virtue' that perhaps we don't display as often as we should.  We are taking life slowly at present (and acknowledging that we need to be a little more patient in the process!) and it will do me no harm at all if I don't have projects lined up and lists to tick off.  This is a time to sit and talk, to potter and appreciate a helping hand, to listen and observe what is around us.  Life does not have to be taken at a rush; there is a danger of missing something quiet and good along the way.  So slow and patient is the way forward.

Under the mesh in the raised bed the spinach is sprouting

And all around us, life is moving on.  Seeds are germinating, plants are growing, plans are being made.  There's no need to rush, everything in it's own time.

Going up . . . .

We played at being tourists in the city yesterday when we met up with daughter, son and DIL in London.  We had arranged a birthday surprise for my son - tickets for The Shard!  Wow, it was awesome =:o

309m tall

 The lifts whizzed us up to the 33rd floor, then the 69th floor, and apart from my ears popping I was hardly aware of the ascent.  Stepping out onto the viewing floor we were all just stunned by the panorama below us.  Sightsee-ers heaven! 

St Paul's Cathedral

Tower of London - last time I visited in November, all the grassed areas were red with ceramic poppies

London Bridge

Thames Barriers in the distance

From the open-air platform on floor 72 looking up to the very top!

 So many famous landmarks to spot; I began to appreciate just what a rich history and heritage we have in London.  What I also found interesting was seeing the Thames winding its way through the city (thankfully we had someone with us who could name quite a few of the bridges to help us get our bearings) and seeing the historical wharves along the river.  And the railway lines . . . it really was quite amazing to be able to look down and see London from such a different perspective.  

It was a great day out with the family.

Progress and plans in the garden

The Long Border (which sounds rather grander than it is in reality) has at last been planted with an assortment of shrubs, perennials and cuttings we have either been given or have moved from other locations in the garden.  Clumps of grape hyacinths (muscari) have been dug up, split and redistributed - they are obliging bulbs and should be OK about being moved just as they are about to flower.  I've also got my fingers crossed over the shrubs we transplanted, they were well fed and watered in so I'm hoping for the best.  There are still gaps to be filled but at least it's a start.

New growth at the base of the climbing rose we pruned back recently

N has also dug out a new bed for the beans, and repaired the garden bench which has seen better days but with a little spruce-up will certainly do for another couple of years.  As we've been working in the garden, sizing up shrubs and discovering plants hidden by others, we have finally been able to see what to do with the front 'garden'.  It had been a real problem area for us and for a long time we just couldn't envisage any planting plan for it at all, but gradually over the last week or so ideas took shape and we now have come up with a solution which we think will be the compromise we have been looking for.  

There are seedlings germinating everywhere and N has been kept busy potting on - and checking we have sufficient larger pots for growing veggies outside and in the greenhouse.  

One of the charity shops in town had a £1 sale on this week and I managed to buy two jackets which I'm really pleased with.  A wash and iron, a couple of buttons re-sewn - they've come up well and will be very useful additions to the wardrobe.

We're off to London for the day tomorrow, meeting up with children, celebrating a birthday and hearing everyone's news.  And with a surprise in store for someone, there should be plenty of photo opportunities, too.  Looking forward to a great day out.

The Long Border - Part 2

We're making progress with the border make-over; a bit of digging and tidying up makes a big difference.

We have doubled the width of the original border, cutting a new edge using the old 'twine line' method:

Removed the turf:

The original edging was definitely worth salvaging and using again:

Not a bad straight line!

There was a bit of deliberation as to how we would deal with the corner area but the number of rope edges we had left decided it for us!

Hopefully tomorrow we will be able to finish the digging and constructing, and top the border up with compost as it's a little short on soil (but not worms - there were hundreds of them, which is good).  We'll give it a couple of days to settle and then we can begin moving some of the plants around to new positions.  It may not be the optimum time for transplanting shrubs but I shall just keep my fingers crossed.  There are some clumps of ornamental grasses that need lifting and splitting, and I know we still some packets of seeds for annuals and perennials which I shall sow a little later to add a splash of colour through the summer.  I'm looking forward to seeing how this border develops.

The Long Border - Part 1

Spring is here!  It's official; yesterday, on a walk into town, we spotted these little celandines positively shining in the undergrowth:

Every year I look out for my first celandine as a sign that Winter is ending and Spring is here.  Those gleaming little flowers always put a smile on my face.

The Long Border in it's original state

We have been in the garden today, working on the 'Long Border', which sounds rather grand and the truth is that this strip of garden by the fence is anything but.  Uninspiring is the word that best described it.  It is very narrow, for starters, has been planted up with an odd assortment of shrubs, and the soil has been covered over with weed-suppressant and finished of with mauve slate chippings.  The shrubs have been a bit neglected and were getting very straggly and the whole border was in desperate need of a radical overhaul.  

We've cleared the slate chippings (washed and bagged, to be used elsewhere in the garden) and got rid of the weed-suppressant.  As for the shrubs, well, I began with some judicious pruning, but it didn't take me long to realise that a slightly more drastic plan was called for.  

There's not a great deal left of the original planting; sometimes it's better to dig it all out and start afresh, rather than trying to salvage everything.  It had all got so overgrown I hadn't noticed some clumps of grape hyacinths which we've left for the moment and in due course they will be lifted, split and replanted.  The same goes for a black ornamental grass that has formed some dense tussocks.  One or two of the better shrubs have been given a temporary reprieve but that may change later.

We are trying not to spend more than absolutely necessary on the garden and hope to use what is already here, together with cuttings and seeds we had, to spruce things up.  Mostly it just needs a bit of TLC - and a bit of time and effort, both of which we have.  Hopefully, in a few months' time, the garden will have a whole new look. 

Outside and inside

Another productive morning in the garden, preparing beds, digging up borders and making more plans.  We've pruned and re-tied the climbing rose which had completely sprawled over the lawn and discussed the logistics involved in moving the shrubs that we intend keeping.  There are seedlings emerging all over the place - greenhouse, conservatory, window sills - and more packets of seeds waiting to be planted.  The weather is being kind at present, doors are left open to let fresh air in, and Spring is definitely hereabouts, full of promise.

The sewing room (aka The Den) has gone from being neat and tidy to a total mess, yet again.  And so much for my intention of only having one project under way at any one time - at the last count I have one wallhanging on the go, two garments being altered, one pattern waiting to be made up . . . 

The light on the sewing machine suddenly went out this afternoon and no amount of cajoling seems to make it come back on again (bulbs have been changed but to no avail).  There is an on-going issue with the foot pedal, too, and once again I find myself wondering if it is worth investing in a new machine.  It's such a big expense, and there is now such a huge choice available.  I don't want to rush and buy on a whim but I think it might be prudent to begin looking at options.  And I am tempted by an overlocker, too, especially if I am to return to the amount of dressmaking I used to do but all of this hardware has a serious price tag so requires some careful consideration.

Some news today has made me pause for reflection, to look back with gratitude and look forward with anticipation.  As I get older I sense I am seeing the 'bigger picture' rather more clearly and feeling more at ease with the progress of age.  Dare I hope, perhaps, that I am gaining a better perspective on life.
Remembering Margaret with fondness and appreciation.

Sowing - and sewing - in the garden

We're making progress in the garden (in between the rain and hail) but it's so exciting to see our plans becoming reality.  

Now we have a bigger plot, we felt it was worth the time and effort of making some covered growing beds; hopefully the butterflies won't make quite such a meal of our plants this year!  There was a bit of trial and error and a fair bit of head-scratching as we tried to work out the best way to cover the ends of the tunnel.  Finally I was dispatched to the sewing room for needle and thread:

Clearly there is a call for my sewing skills in the garden, too.  However, we now have a splendid covered raised bed:

So far we have sown spinach and carrots in the bed, although there was some animated discussion beforehand on what, exactly, is meant by the term ' sow sparsely' ;-).  We shall wait to see whether the seeds have indeed been sown thinly enough.

This morning we tackled another area of the garden requiring a make-over.

 

It has been a rather neglected corner, with some very uneven paving slabs.  We considered several ideas but in the end opted for a very simple solution.  We lifted the slabs

and gravelled the whole area, replacing a couple of slabs to put the wheelie bin on.

It's made such a difference.  We'll plant the terracotta pot up with bedding plants in a few weeks' time, to add a splash of colour.  Quick, simple and effective.