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.   

Housework, house-keeping - and itching to get stitching

 Monday morning = cleaning the house.  I have got this down to a fine art now; one room at a time, dusting first (damp cloth/dry cloth), putting things away (although in reality we're pretty good at tidying as we go) and then vacuuming.  Close door, move onto to next room.  We don't have a lot of 'clutter' and it makes for streamlined cleaning which I'm all in favour of.  I take my time, don't cut corners and there is the satisfaction at the end of having a clean and tidy home.  I also managed to get a load of washing on the line and dry before the rain started (bonus), bake a lemon cake and make a veggie quiche for dinner.  I've make a start on the next quilting project (the pile is definitely going down at last); hopefully once I get going it shouldn't take too long to complete.

For quite some time, I have kept a note of the money we spend on food - it's just a little notebook in which I jot down the figures and at the end of the month I total it up.  In January we spent just over £100, and last month it was not quite £160.  We made a point of running the freezer down through January and using up what we had in the store cupboards; this month we have restocked and done a meat shop.  We were both pretty surprised at how little we have spent.  But - we cook from scratch, we meal-plan, we shop around, we aren't brand-led, hardly anything gets thrown away and we eat very well indeed.  It is possible to eat well and not spend a fortune.

Those sewing blogs I mentioned previously - I think I'm addicted!  So many lovely fabrics, clothes, buttons and trimmings.  So many beautiful patterns just waiting to be bought.  So many ideas - now all I need is to make the time.  I'm in serious need of a dressmaking 'fix' and the fact that I have cleared out half my wardrobe is obviously enough reason to getting sewing.  However, I am being sensible and clearing the work-table of other projects before I get too carried away, and in the meantime I am planning on what I'll make first.  Will it be a blouse, or a skirt, or a pair of trousers?  Colour?  Design?  When I used to make clothes many years ago there were only a handful of pattern companies - Simplicity, Butterick, New Look, Burda, McCalls - but now there is so much more choice with lots of small independent designers producing great patterns for the new generation of home sewers.  There are a few patterns I may treat myself to, and I think a quick trawl of the charity shops is in order, too; some of the older patterns (does '70s/'80s fashion count as 'vintage'?) seem to be having a bit of a revival, and a vintage pattern collection is a pre-requisite for any serious dressmaker.  Reading through these blogs has also made me realise that I could do with brushing up on some of my sewing skills and techniques, and I have always wanted to learn more about pattern alteration and making toiles.  

Hmm, I think I may need to start a new list.  Most definitely.

Anyone else planning some dressmaking?

Farewell February; looking forward to March

A new shopping bag - fully co-ordinated this time!  Another 'tick'.

A damp and grey end to the month but I am optimistic we have hopefully had the worst of the winter weather now.  Actually, this far south, we've really not had a harsh winter at all; no snow (boo hoo!) and rarely have the temperatures dipped below freezing, although it's certainly hovered around 0 degrees for a while.  There are plenty of floral signs of Spring - crocus, daffodils, snowdrops - and we have so much more daylight, so lots to be grateful for.

My main goal for February was to begin a sort out of my wardrobe, and I have tackled it with enthusiasm, although there have been moments when I have been quite disheartened by the process.  It's actually been quite an eye-opening project, and I have found myself pondering over more than just my clothes.  I have come to realise that there are some underlying factors involved that I perhaps hadn't wanted to acknowledge and deal with, but hiding them away isn't the most helpful approach; the problems need to be tackled.  And that is what I intend to do, gradually, one step at a time.  The inter-connectedness of these issues is, on some levels, quite interesting to someone who has studied sociology - the expectations society puts on us, and indeed we put on ourselves, the media imagery that has become part of everyday life, the way we see ourselves and the way others see us - it's a fascinating subject.  However, I think I need to spend a little time thinking about me, perhaps not something I tend to do very often, and sorting through my clothes has been a thought-provoking place to start.  

This is obviously going to be a long-term, on-going project, but I am becoming quite excited about it because I have now discovered the world of sewing blogs.  Why have I not come across these gems before?  I am in heaven.  Falling nicely in line with a simple life, what better way to create clothes that fit me than to make them myself, stepping away as much as possible from consumerism and clothes shopping.  I love sewing, and I am suddenly filled with eagerness for dressmaking all over again.  It seems like an unexpected but very welcome gift and I can't wait to get started.

And March?  Well, out in the garden at every opportunity, planting seeds, tending crops and looking forward to our own veggies in a few months' time -  there is nothing to compare to the taste of home-grown produce.  So much goodness all around, so much to be thankful for.