So many blogs, so little time

Days seems to be skipping past rather too quickly just at the moment.  It's noticeably lighter in the mornings, so we're wide awake much earlier, and this evening we didn't close the curtains till 17.45, much to our surprise and delight - Spring really is coming!  But somehow I don't seem to be getting as much done in these longer days, which is a bit contrary to my thinking.  Pondering this over a cuppa this afternoon, N said he felt the same - no projects started or on the go (although, goodness do we have a few in the pipeline!) - it feels as though we are just waiting to start the next phase of work, and for that we need, or certainly would prefer (!) more settled weather.  I think we just need to get February over and done with; it's always such an unpredictable month.

I have a feeling that one of my problems is I'm spending far too much time on the iPad - really not good at all.  It is just so easy to drop in on favourite blogs, and follow links, and click on to other posts and suddenly a couple of hours has disappeared =:o.  It started with just a handful of 'simple living/frugal' blogs, then I dropped in on a few quilting/sewing/recycling ones and just recently I've been browsing through some helpful clothing sites with the intention of updating my wardrobe (previously documented).  Who knew there were so many blogs out there?  And all so interesting?  And it seems I need to read them all . . . .
I think a little more self-restraint is required on my part, perhaps a time limit per day wouldn't be a bad place to start.  

The final winter spinach crop

Thrifted and deconstructed fabric

Even though I feel as though I haven't achieved very much over the weekend, I've actually done far more that I thought - it's so often the way.  I finished going through the filing drawers (more shredding) and re-labelled them; I've sorted through another cupboard (a few more items to the charity shop pile); I cropped the last of the spinach and cleared the bed; made bread and rolls; spent the morning dusting and hoovering; clothes washing; changed the bed; updated online details for a couple of storecards; turned some old T-shirts into rags; unpicked another thrifted shirt and a dress to add to my fabric stash; started upcycling a shirt into a skirt; met up with a friend for a drink and had a lovely chat on the phone with my little girl.  That's quite a bit really, now I come to think about it! 

The rest of the week has a little more structure about it - places to go, people to see, shopping to do - and hopefully more planning for the garden.  Roll on Spring, we have lots to do outside!

Getting there

The painting is finished.  Phew!  For a brief moment I thought it might all get too much but all of a sudden we can see the end in sight, and with that we seem to have relaxed.  Today I tackled the ceiling - never my favourite decorating job.  Having used a brush on the other new plaster ceilings here, and not being at all satisfied with the finish I got, I decided to use a roller this time.  And I have to say it was actually much easier (paint splatters aside) coverage-wise, although my shoulder and elbow were complaining by the end.  One coat, then I shut the door and left it.  Later, on inspection, I decided that it would do.  Is it perfect?  No, but it is perfectly good enough.  And that will do.  I have learned not to beat myself up because I can't achieve a flawless finish; what I have done is more than acceptable.  And the odd blemish can stay.  That's it, painting finished.  It's all very white.

As I type I can hear fireworks going off, again.  Firework season now seems to start before the end of October and carry on till the money runs out mid-November.  Last night N and I watched a lovely display, about a mile away, from the warmth and comfort of our bedroom - being at the top of the hill means we have a good view over the surrounding area.  In my childhood (that's getting to be a long, long time ago), it was a packet of sparklers on Bonfire Night and sometimes a party at a friend's house - a few rockets, catherine-wheels nailed to a tree, and potatoes wrapped in foil and baked in the bonfire embers.  

I'm a bit worried about the apple seedling - it's not looking very happy at the moment :-(

With the painting completed, and a few hours of dry weather, I took the opportunity to walk into town.  I passed some trees in lovely autumn colours, but many of the leaves have now fallen, and are a soggy mass on the ground (or clogging up the drains).  I managed to get some embroidery threads for the wedding cushion, and then I had a quick browse around a couple of charity shops.  My lucky day - the Cancer Research shop was having another sale - all donated items £1 each.  The shop was packed and doing a roaring trade.  I picked up three men's shirts and a long Laura Ashley dress, all 100% cotton and ideal for patchwork.  (NB  When I got home and showed my haul to N, he took a fancy to one of the shirts and we now have a stand-off as to who wants/needs it most!)  I've also seen a pair of lined curtains which I think will do quite nicely for the new guest room so I'll pop back in on Monday to pick those up.  

The past week has found me avoiding the mirror too much - my grey hair had got too long and was making me look way too old for my liking.  There is a point at which even I can't ignore it any longer so I took the mirror outside and gave myself a much-needed haircut.  Short is so much better and I felt I was trimming a few years off my age, too ;-))  I must make the effort to keep it trimmed and not let it get out of hand again; it really doesn't take that long to do.

There's not much happening in the garden at the moment but in the greenhouse we have a few cuttings we're trying to nurture along.  We also have this plant:

Nicandra physalodes (shoo-fly plant).  A few years ago a colleague at work gave us a handful of seeds from a plant he had in his garden.  We duly planted them, and had a lovely show of these big, blousy annuals with blue flowers and interesting green papery pods.  It obligingly self-seeded, and we had another display the following year, then not much after.  Never mind, they were free.  So imagine our surprise when we were tidying up the garden at the flat, prior to our move here, to find a Nicandra seedling merrily growing away among the geraniums.  We re-potted it and brought it to the new garden, where it was abandoned outside to fend for itself.  It's now flowering it's little heart out, warm and cosy in the greenhouse.  A bit straggly, but clearly a survivor.  It has reminded me that all it takes is one little seed and the right conditions.  I am so looking forward to doing some planting next year.

And a brief mention that the blog has passed 10,000 page views, which seems quite a significant number.  Admittedly most of those are probably spam links to dubious sites but I know a few other bloggers do drop by from time to time, which is always appreciated.  If you are one of those welcome visitors, 'hello' and thanks for popping by.

And so to March . . .

The meteorologists tell me it's the first day of Spring today, but I don't think that's until March 21st.  Whichever, today we have no less than 5 glorious golden daffodils blooming in our garden.  Well, actually it's now only 4, as one had fallen over so I cut it and brought it indoors.  It is now a little splash of yellow to the beautiful bouquet we were sent earlier this week.

The garden is still so wet and every time we have a little more rain (none today but more forecast through the coming week) we end up with puddles that simply won't drain away.  The ground is just waterlogged; we need a long spell of continuous dry, and preferably slightly windy, weather to help dry things out.

It's been an eventful week.  Emotions all over the place, tiredness levels reaching new heights, relief at having made the right decision.  But for some reason, these past 36 hours or so have found me on a downer I couldn't understand.  This morning, as I was trying to explain my feelings to N, I realised, in a moment of rare cerebral clarity, that what I was feeling was a very real sense of disappointment - our plans, dreams, hopes and aspirations that we had channeled into the prospective new house weren't going to materialise.  At least, not yet.  We continue to strive for a move and we will be able to re-engage those dreams once more.  But just for a brief while, yes, there was disappointment.

Having worked my way through that particular blip, I am trying to use my time wisely.  I'm continuing to make progress through the craft project list (currently making fruit and veg produce bags so I don't have to use plastic bags at the supermarket).  I'm also finally succumbed to reading the Soulemama blog.  I came across it before I started blogging myself but never really felt the connection.  For some reason I returned to it a couple of weeks ago and seemed to appreciate it far more (although I tend to skip through the sponsorship side of things).  Amanda certainly has an arresting way with words - and photos.  But what I'm particularly interested in is her craft projects, and I have begun the task of reading her archives to get ideas and inspiration, which inevitably leads me to other crafty blogs, too.  Her 'just do it' attitude is very appealing and I really love the way she has involved and encouraged her children to accept crafting as part of everyday life.  The only small problem I foresee is not having sufficient time to try all these ideas for myself!

I also baked today, so things must be getting better!  I finally got around to trying Rhonda's scone recipe, adding some grated cheese for a savoury finish.  Wow, they were tasty - N deemed them 'excellent' - and very straightforward to make so they will become a regular lunch-time snack.  

My toppings - tomato and olive passata, onions, garlic, mushrooms, peppers, sweetcorn and cheese.  Also it looks bigger in the photo than it really was - honest!

For dinner tonight we had a collaboration, home-made pizzas - I made the pizza base dough and we both piled on our favourite toppings.  They were, of course, far superior to anything shop-bought and cost us a fraction of what we would have had to pay in a restaurant.  We have the time to make them ourselves - it's only laziness that finds us searching the freezer - and taste-wise there is no comparison.

I'm sorting through my household journal and have decided to create a new file for crafting-related info.  The 'Ideas to Try' list is getting out of hand already ;-))

First year celebrations!

Even on a cold winter's day this fuschia brighten up the garden

On January 14, 2013, I tentatively began typing my first post, venturing into the unknown realms of 'blogdom' and not really sure, to be honest, what I was doing.  By trial and error, reading books and other blogs, learning from mistakes, even asking questions on forums, I have muddled my way through a whole year of blogging.  What started out as uncertainty has developed into a space where I can bring my thoughts together - or sometimes just type very random thoughts and ideas! - and set down our small steps towards simplifying our lives.  Through the blog I have engaged with others around the world, frequently reading and just occasionally commenting.  A 'blogging' highlight of this first year was being mentioned on the Down to Earth blog (thank you, Rhonda, for continued inspiration), and receiving comments on this blog and seeing the page views shoot through the roof was very exciting.  I know  from the stats that one or two people continue to read some of my posts, and that is lovely - do please leave a comment if you have a moment or two; like any blogger, I have come to appreciate the value of a comment.

Leading on from yesterday's post about lists, I excelled myself today - 14 tasks/items (I was clearly optimitistic yesterday evening!) on the list, and no less than 13 have been ticked off :-))   Not sure I shall be able to keep up that level of attainment, but I am certainly going to enjoy the feeling of satisfaction at the moment.

One of those items was to contact the estate agent re the offer we made on the house, which we did.  A couple of hours later they phoned us to tell us that our offer has been accepted - lots of very happy dancing going on, and good reason to open a bottle of bubbly that we were given recently.  We are so excited!  Just think of all the lists I can make ;-D

We both feel so positive about this new phase of our lives that is just starting and I am looking forward to recording our progress here.  

Trying to stay organised

How strange that I should be thinking about lists and getting organised, when that was exactly what i read on Rhonda's Down to Earth blog!  

It's nearly half-way through January (how on earth did that happen?) and I am determined to maintain the 'glass half-full' attitude - full up to the top would be great, but I am realistic ;-)

Actually, so far I feel positive.  Each day I try to set aside a little time to sort paperwork, declutter, file, gather useful info and plan ahead.  I'm forever making notes on scraps of paper - recipes, blogs of interest, craft projects I want to try, simple living ideas etc etc.  Now I know that I need a much more organised system to actually do some of these things instead of simply jotting them down randomly.

Enter the household journal (ah, should have taken photo!)  Last year I downloaded several pages of the Down to Earth journal - daily/weekly/master to-do lists; menu planners; ideas to try; green cleaning recipes - and last week I ran off one or two more that I thought might be helpful.  I have laminated the daily to-do list (so I can wipe it off each day), and have it on a clipboard.  I am trying to get into the habit of using the weekly list to form a framework of appointments, meetings, deadlines, special dates/occasions, onto which I can add projects and/or tasks that are important or need to be completed.  It works if I stay committed to it and not allow myself to become distracted with other unimportant (or time-wasting) things.  I have found I can spend literally hours browsing through blogs, for instance, so I am trying to set myself a time limit if I want to look into something on the net.  I also know, from past experience, that I must make my daily to-do list achievable; there has to be a good chance I will be able to complete at least some of the items on the list.  It is very demoralising to reach the end of the day and find only one or two items from a list of 10 have been ticked off; better to have a realistic list of 6 attainable tasks instead.  It's far more encouraging.

Checking my list for today, I have managed seven out of nine tasks - the library was shut when I went to return my books (that would have made eight ticks), and the mending I need to do is a bit more problematic that I first thought, so I need to give that more time another day.  All in all, I'm pleased that I have achieved several things today, and more importantly, I feel I have put my time to good use.

Now to other things:

We are very hopeful we have bluetits nesting in the nest-box, which is great.  This morning we watched them paying a lot of attention to the box, and were delighted to see one inside while the other was at the hole.  N has a great photo which I must get uploaded.  

We have still not heard anything back from the estate agents re the offer we put in last Monday.  It's quite frustrating and we will call in tomorrow to try to get some clarification as to the situation.

Whilst browsing (time-limited, of course!) the DTE forum recently, I came across an idea by one of the moderators, littleshinigstar, as a way of recording her 'Simple Living Progress'.  I really liked the idea, and I think I will try to use it to chart my faltering steps towards a simpler lifestyle.  So here is my first effort:

My Simple Living Progress week ending 12/1/14

I made a great meal of (this is N's really, he's the chef): whole baked trout with freshly baked malty cob - I made the bread!
I baked - fairy cakes -
I preserved/fermented -
I stockpiled - baked beans on offer!
I handmade/started - I've added 2 borders to the quilt, and I altered a pair of curtains
I repurposed -
I saved money by - using home-made laundry liquid
I sowed seeds -
I harvested -
I tried something new - I'm sure I did, but can't think what!
I read/was inspired by - (not necessarily inspired by, but did manage to read
                                        Agatha Christie - The Mystery of the Blue Train
                                        Kate Atkinson - Case Histories
                                        Simon Brett - Death Under the Dryer
I finally tackled - downloading photos onto hard-drive
I really enjoyed - my son and his fiancee being here


Good grief, what a long post!

Photos between showers

I have learned how to transfer photos from my camera card to the hard-drive and finally onto the blog.  Yay!  I know it's simple, but I'm feeling pleased to have mastered another little technological step.

Now I can share some photos from the past few days.

Puddles everywhere

Typical view through a rainy window

Grey seas and skies along the Esplanade 

Still no trains running.  There's scaffolding at the entrance to the tunnel, and a huge mound of debris piled up, just out of sight.  I hadn't noticed before, but there are two plaques on the tunnel, one giving a date (of construction, I assume) of 1881, and the second states the tunnel is 396 feet in length.  

We've been doing our best to finish up all the Christmas eats and treats - then we can't be tempted any more, right?  The Christmas cake was truly delicious but rather calorific (thank goodness it's only once a year!) so that wasn't a hardship to have with a morning cuppa :-)

Still no news from the estate agents.  We've now convinced ourselves this one has slipped through our fingers. 

Glass half-full, not half-empty

I am very aware that I tend to pessimism.  I don't mean to, nor do I want to, but such is my character that I must constantly be on guard against negativity.  I have had times in my life where pessimism has taken hold and I have had to work very hard to pull myself out of despondency.

The coreopsis is still flowering away merrily.  They are such bright cheerful flowers and bring a smile to my face.

N and I were speaking about this just recently and he admitted he gets the same way on occasions.  He reminded me, if I needed to be reminded, that we actually have so much to be thankful for.  So much, but we don't always see it.  It's true.  I need to take time to be thankful and to acknowledge what has been achieved even (and especially) when things seem a little overwhelming, or just plain dull.

At the end of this week, I'm going to take stock of the positives.  

• The new raised bed has been built and planted up - it looks great.
• I have made some damson jam from fruit that was being sold from a garden we often walk past - we chatted to the owner about pruning fruit trees and jam-making.  The jam is delicious.

The jars are upside-down to seal them

• Yesterday N and I sorted through the home files and shredded a lot of out-of-date paperwork.  Then we had a clear-out of the bookcase and have two bags of paperbacks ready to go the the charity shops.  And now all the remaining books fit in the bookcase properly.
• We have had our friends round for lunch again - we enjoy their company and it makes us make an effort, although we have realised we only have 3 soup bowls and we could do with 4!

Walnuts we picked up off the ground during our walks in Thassos

• I have made bread, crunchy biscuits and a banana and walnut loaf.

• I have taken some lavender cuttings (admittedly a little late in the season) and will see if I can get them to root.

My glass is half-full (actually, sometimes it positively overflows!) and I intend to actively focus on the good, positive things rather than allowing the negativity gremlins to sneak in.

We have finally decided to do something to nudge us past this indecision about moving/staying put.  I have decided the carpet has to go!  It's dull, badly marked and faded in places, and it makes the flat quite dark and depressing.  I'm beginning to really dislike it.  N has decided that a couple of pieces of furniture in the flat are his 'bug-bears' so they will go, too.  Today we went looking at carpets and wallpaper and have come back quite excited at what we have found.  We have a few decorating ideas which we feel will lighten and brighten the rooms without breaking the bank, although we are prepared to spend some money on a decent carpet.  The kitchen may or may not have a revamp, we'll see how things go.  However, we both feel cheered up at the prospect of giving the flat a bit of a make-over.

Sunsets are getting earlier and earlier.  At the end of October the clocks go back an hour at the end of British Summer Time and we will have to get used to the short dark days of winter again.

I have returned to making lists again - they help me stay organised, focussed and provide good motivation through the week.  When I read through blogs or articles on the internet I jot down things that interest me or that I want to look into further, so there really is no reason at all for me to be bored, or at a loss for something to do.   And I always have sewing on the go - which reminds me that I will put up photos of the 'big project' tomorrow.

Writing this post has been good for me.  It's made me concentrate on the little successes that pepper our lives.  Sometimes it's just too easy to forget all the positives like good health, somewhere to live, food to eat, friends and family; the 'taken-for'granted' things that are just accepted as the norm.  It's sadly not the norm for many people, and I should not be casual in my attitude towards that.  

I shall make a point of being thankful for something everyday - look for the positives that make my glass half-full.

Preparing the garden for winter Part 2 - but not quite according to plan

We had a nasty surprise when we began clearing out the raised beds this week.  This is what we discovered:

ans a bit of digging revealed this:

Our raised beds are falling to pieces, quite simply rotting away.  :((

Serious and drastic action was required.  

The soil has all been dug out and bagged up.

There then followed a lot of standing around, hands on hips, surveying the garden.  Lots of "how about this?", and "what it we tried that?"; measuring out with tapes and garden canes; lots of grimacing and scratching of heads.  Finally, after much deliberation and scribbling of designs on a spare page of the puzzle book that lives in the shed, we arrived at a decision.  We are going to replace the two beds by the fence with three beds orientated the other way.  It will almost double our growing area and certainly make far better use of the space we have.  This was one of the things we were keen to do when we made the decision to take the flat off the market in early summer - optimise the space in the garden.  However, we have also realised that this revamp is not going to happen over-night, and we will be reconstructing the beds over the course of the winter.

Yesterday we had a mooch around a local demolition/salvage yard and found some wood which should be ideal for rebuilding the beds.  More measuring and calculating followed, but by using reclaimed timber rather than new, we should save ourselves about half the cost of new timber.  So that is the job for next week (among several other things, as usual), building the first of our new raised beds.

We are under a bit of pressure to get started with the garden as the seedlings we bought from the nursery before we went away are in our greenhouse and growing daily.  Two trays of winter greens (on the left), Brussels sprouts at the back and purple sprouting broccoli front right.  

We've managed to get a couple of sprouting apple pips to germinate and grow:

We noticed the sprouting pips in some apples we had before we went on holiday, and I was intrigued to see if they would actually continue to grow if they were planted - 2 out of the 6 did.  Not sure how they will fare over the winter, or if we can nurture them along, but it will be interesting to see.

We've noticed a big change in the weather since we came back from Greece.  The temperatures have dropped noticeably, and the evenings are pulling in - we're having to put a light on by 7 o'clock as dusk approaches.  We'll have to get used to shorter days again, and make plans to keep busy indoors as well as outside.  I have a long list of inside jobs that need to be tackled, so I think I shall probably be OK  ;)  N admits that he finds winter a difficult season.  He always thought it was the cold that he found hard to deal with, but he now feels that the problem is probably more to do with not being able to get outside so much.  We've both really enjoyed being in the garden and out walking so much this summer, and we need to look at ways of spending time in the open during the autumn and winter.  It takes a bit more effort when the weather isn't sunny and warm, but there's nothing to stop us going out for a walk if it's cold, although I'd probably think twice if it was pouring with rain!

Tomorrow is Sunday and I shall try to reinstate 'screen-free Sunday' - my resolve to avoid using the laptop one day a week slipped a little in the summer.  N and I are off on a major expedition tomorrow, all the way to the bright lights of London for a get-together with my children.  Maps at the ready; mobile numbers have been exchanged should we get lost!  Country bumpkins let loose in London, wish us luck!!

Digital detox

'Digital detox' has made it into the Oxford Dictionary, and is the term for a period of abstinance from computers and digital gadgets.  You can go on a digital detox camp, apparently, I suppose a bit like a boot camp :o)   

We are going away, and we have choosen not to take the iPad with us.  It will do us both good not to be linked to a computer for a while; I think we probably use it far more than we would like to admit to.  I know I feel a bit cut off if I can't check up on various blogs, or indeed be able to blog myself, and N reaches for the iPad to look up things all through the day.  Great for having information at your finger-tips, 24/7, but there's an inherent danger in relying on digital communication.  So for us it makes sense to have some 'down time' away from the keyboard, email and blogs.

We are going to Thassos, a little Greek island.  It's very green, very beautiful and very quiet!  Same size as our island but only about one fifth of the population.  Lovely beaches (and the swimming is safe and the water warm so we will spend a lot of time in the sea), good walking, quite a bit of history and very friendly people.  We will eat locally grown produce bought at the local shop - we don't mind mis-shapen fruit and veg, and the taste is far superior.  It's a very simple, traditional way of life and suits us well.

This is Gus, a little mouse who travels with us.   He is a well-travelled little chap and is very good at making friends in new countries.  He also has a wardrobe of clothes to reflect the places he has visited (maybe I shouldn't admit to making clothes for a six-inch toy mouse, but it's become a bit of a tradition, making Gus a new outfit if we go somewhere new), but this time, in the spirit of frugality, he is wearing a pair of shorts he had for a previous trip, a sun-visor made from a margarine tub lid, and a very nifty pair of sunglasses that N manufactured this morning from some garden wire and shiny black card.  On reflection, maybe we are taking this too far!!

I love this sling N has made to support the cucumber as it grows :)  When we return, we shall have plenty to keep us busy in the garden; we need to dig out a couple of the beds, lift and split the perennials, take cuttings and plant the brassica seedlings from the nursery.   Autumn will be upon us, and there's a lot to do.

Thanks for visiting.

Just to say thanks

I was all set to blog about the scooter rally today, but that can now wait until tomorrow.  Today I want to say 'thankyou' to everyone who has visited my blog over the past couple of days.   I have been gobsmacked, absolutely stunned by the impact of having my blog linked on Rhonda's Down to Earth blog.  My page views have doubled in 24 hours, and are still increasing.  Lovely readers have left comments!  

Why has this made me so ridiculously happy?

I started this blog at the beginning of the year, partly to see if I could fathom out Blogger, and actually create a blog myself (and that is still very much 'work in progress', as those of you who have far more knowledge of bloggy things will have noticed ;-)), and partly as a diary/journal of our daily potterings.  For me, it has been interesting looking back to see how our garden has grown, quite literally, and seeing the seasons change.  I have enjoyed sitting down most evenings to record our days, taking photos to look back on, and sometimes just jotting down my thoughts.  The only person I told was DH - I was far too timid and cautious to let anyone else know.  

I have gradually, and somewhat tentatively, ventured out into the big wide blogosphere, and discovered so many other people busy blogging away.  It's addictive, isn't it, this blogging lark?  I could spend all day reading about lives in other countries, so different from my own.  Those differences are interesting, yet maybe there are also similarities than link us together, each of us recording, musing and sharing in our own small ways.  I have been amazed by the wealth of wonderful writing I have found, and been awed by beautiful photographs.  But mostly I feel a sense of community through the keyboards of so many others around the world.

Have a great day!

Water, woods and a customised header

This was 'the swimming pool' (aka make-shift rain-catcher) after the rain on Saturday.  It rained again yesterday night, in fact it poured, and there was a rumble or two of thunder for good measure, so the garden is nicely soaked and there is now enough rain in the various water-butts to keep us going for a while.  The 'swimming pool' has now been dismantled, but it worked and gave us a bit of fun in the process.  Today it has been very windy and although the clouds have been out and about, no rain and a lot of sunshine.

So, that's the weather up-date.  

Yesterday, following on from my attempts to sort out the blog header, I had a bit of a mooch around the internet, hoping to find some advice and/or information that would help.  I needed something clear and written in language I could understand as I am something of a timid newbie blogger, and tend to get easily confused!  However, my search took me, yet again, to the Down to Earth forum where I found just what I needed, courtesy of a post by Nanna Chel.  With N beside me for moral support (and technical guidance), I downloaded Picasa and set to work designing my own header.  And there it is, at the top of the blog.  Yay for me!!  I am stupidly chuffed with myself, particularly for persevering when I was ready to give up.  And thanks to Nanna Chel, and of course to N.  Now I know what to do, I think the photos will change on a regular basis.  I've also started to label my posts, better late than never.

We put our walking shoes on again yesterday afternoon, and had a lovely walk of just over 7 miles, taking in Dame Anthony's Common, Firestone Copse, Fishbourne and Quarr, where we stopped for a refreshing pot of tea. 

These bullrushes, growing around a pond, were taller than me

A shady tunnel in the woods 

It was a great walk, and although we didn't see any squirrels, we did see a pair of green woodpeckers, but they flew off before I could take a photo.  However, I did manage a picture of one of the garden regulars over the weekend, a goldfinch on our neighbour's washing line.

The yellow flash on the wing is not so noticeable in this photo - I think it's shaded - but it's actually very bright and always catches the eye.  He and his mate have been in and around the garden for several days, and it is always a pleasure to watch them.

We have rain!

As I write this post, ladies and gentlemen, it is finally raining here.  After three or four days of being promised thunderstorms and torrential rainfall, it has quietly rained fairly steadily for the last couple of hours.  That's fine with us.  N has been out to the garden to check all our rain-harvesting equipment is functioning properly, and I'm pleased to report that all the guttering rig-ups are funneling water into their respective containers.  A day off from baling water from the bath ;-)

Cutting notches out of length of guttering to fit along side of greenhouse . . .

. . . so it fits snug against the glass to catch all the rainfall.

Another use for the top of a plastic milk bottle!

Yesterday we were very productive in the kitchen.  We had bought some lemons and limes and made some cordial and then used the peel to start some citrus cleaner, from the Down to Earth forum.

Lemon cordial and the beginnings of citrus cleaner - by today the vinegar had already started to take on the lemon colour

A quick bird up-date - we have added 'sparrowhawk' to our list, having seen it swooping across the gardens and into the nearby trees.  N tried to get a photo but it proved elusive.  However we did both see it and are happy with our identification.  It certainly has quite an impact on the other birds in the gardens who all flew off in a bit of a panic!  This morning I saw a juvenile rook on the fence.  It's huge powerful beak is a bit of a giveaway, but it was so obviously a youngster in it's rather scruffy plumage, looking for all the world like a gawky teenager yet to grow into it's body.  

Yesterday evening we treated ourselves to fish and chips (from our favourite chippy, Chipmonks) and drove to Brading Down for dinner outdoors.  Sitting on a bench, with our meal on plates, on a tray, with knives and forks and tomato ketchup!  This was the view as we ate.  And our meal tonight was 'gourmet burgers' - homemade turkey burgers in homemade soft wholemeal bread rolls with homegrown lettuce, tomato and cucumber fresh from the garden.  Delicious!

You may have noticed a photo on the blog header.  It took N and I the best part of an hour last night to manage that, and it's still not right.  However, blogging is a learning curve for me.  I bimble along, trying to learn as I go.  Several months ago, I bought a book on blogging to hopefully give me some advice but I suspect it is already out-of-date.  Never mind, I will persevere and no doubt the blog will change it's appearance several times before I get what I'm aiming for.  However I have sorted out labels, and will endeavour to label previous posts in due course.   In the meantime, please just bear with me :-)

Rain? What rain?

Whilst many parts of the country have finally had storms and rain after the very hot spell of weather, it seems to have passed us by.

The forecast yesterday suggested rain was highly likely, so N constructed this temporary reservoir on the decking to take advantage of what we anticipated was going to be a good downpour.  He also rigged up some piping to for a spout from the little garden shed into one of the water butts.  We were ready for the rain.

Today it was cooler, and breezier.  We had a quick walk into town and it started to rain!  It lasted for about a minute and we could almost count the number of rain drops that fell.  That was it.  Other parts of the country have had violent thunderstorms and rainfall but it's still dry as a bone here so we are still lugging buckets and trugs of grey water up and down to the garden.  

I finally took a better photo of a bee with its legs covered in pollen

We did manage a really lovely walk Sunday evening to Fishbourne and back.  We saw a baby robin and a red squirrel but the battery on my camera ran out  so no photos.  

We've been enjoying the fruits of N's labours in the garden recently - courgettes in a very tasty ratatouille, cucumbers, new potatoes (the taste is far superior to shop-bought) and our first tomato.

N took these photos - he was keen to show the size of the cucumbers!

It was very hot and muggy yesterday and neither of us felt like doing much at all.  Today was thankfully cooler, and for the first time in several days I made good progress with my list - we both felt we had achieved something at last.  

The next post will be my 100th.  I know some people (who have built up a following ;-) ) have give-aways to celebrate.  Maybe I'll try that on my 150th or 200th post, if I'm still blogging.  Updating this little blog has become part of my daily routine, and has been a wonderful way of recording progress in the garden and our potterings at home.  N and I have been so surprised at how we have changed over the months since we have settled into not working for a living, and this is something I hope to explore further over the coming weeks. 

In the meantime, we hope for some rain!