Brrr - it's Bank holiday weekend

Bank holiday weekend, so it goes without saying the weather is cold, wet and windy.  Actually, it's really cold, or certainly feels it, we even joked (I think) about putting the heating back on.  We didn't - phew! - just dug out an extra layer or two instead.  The rain has, of course, been great for the garden and replenished the water-butts again, so I shouldn't complain too loudly.

Unpacking the shopping bag (home-made) after walking into town and back (saving petrol), fruit in home-made produce bags (so no plastic bags) and yes, it was cold enough for gloves (handmade) in May!

It's been a weekend for pottering about the house and keeping an eye on progress in the garden.  I have some knitting on the go, a small sewing project cut out and pinned, and a quilting project being calculated on the back of a used envelope (where else?)  I've also spent some time altering a pair of walking trousers, and by the time I had finished it might have been easier to make a new pair from scratch.  The waistband came off, two pockets removed, another pocket replaced, side seams taken in and waistband lowered and replaced.  All in all, a lot of unpicking and fiddling about but the end result is a pair of trousers that fit better and doesn't look two sizes too big.  And it hasn't cost me a bean.

And now it's May

May.  One third of the way through the year - good grief!  

I had a lovely walk yesterday, clocking up about 8 1/2 miles in just under 2 1/2 hours; the pace was a bit fast and as it was all along pavements and tarmac surfaces, my feet did complain a little by the end.  I think I should slow down a bit next time.  A good walk, nevertheless, there's so much greenery about now and everything just looks fresh and new.  

At the end of each month I've got into the habit of looking back over the month and looking forward to the next, and it's been quite an interesting exercise.  Unlike the first three months, April didn't really have a focus or particular project, and that may be why it has seemed a bitty sort of month.  It was a time to take stock, I guess, and see where we were heading next.  Lots of odd bits were sorted out and we finished off most of the garden projects we had planned and the veg planting is well under way. We had a lovely holiday in Spain which we made the most of.  There have been some things that have required our attention and made us stop and consider, and that has been quite thought-provoking.

So if April was a stock-taking month, then May is time to move forward again, and to that end I have a list again.  One project remains in the garden and that will be done this month.  I have a long-outstanding task (which has been cropping up on lists now for several months to no avail) which I will do this month.  I have some sewing projects that have reached the top of my craft list and I intend to at least start those this month, too.  And there is a personal challenge I have set myself this month.  Quite a few other bits and pieces besides, but I shall be more than happy to achieve these specific items.  And along the way, stuff appears that wasn't expected or planned for, and that needs to be factored in, sometimes at the expense of something else.  That's how it goes.  That's life.  It's all about the balance.

Disorder

It's been a few days since we returned from Spain, and I am struggling to get back into my normal routines.  Usually, once I've cleared the inevitable washing piles, I find I'm back into gear but for some reason, this time it doesn't seem to have happened quite so readily.  One or two unexpected bits of news have thrown me a little, but enough, it seems, to cause disruption to my ordered days.  Apparently it doesn't take much.  A stern talking-to last night, and I am ready to gets to grips again with all those plates that are spinning!

The weather since our return has been decidedly wintery - really cold and windy, and plenty of heavy rain, great for watering the garden and replenishing the water butts, but not so conducive to much walking, but checking out some favourite north American blogs I see the snow there is only just melting, so I really shouldn't whinge about a bit of rain!

I have a few knitting and sewing projects I am trying to get started on, but in the meantime there was a rather pressing mending task required, and N now has matching patched pockets on his jeans:

 This morning is bright and sunny, still breezy but at least it's not raining.  I think I may go for a long walk, clear my head and make the most of some time outside.  It seems like a plan.  I shall take my camera and see what's about.

Back from our hols

We had a lovely few days in Spain, enjoying the sun, sea and strolling along the prom.  We take the opportunity to chill out, relax and just slow down, making the most of much warmer weather and some excellent food - fresh from the sea and simply prepared, yum!  

Now, back home, and it's all go in the garden (and the washing machine's been quite busy, too!)

Before weeding and cropping . . .

. . . and after.

Despite our best efforts beforehand, there were one or two issues with watering whilst we were away - lessons learned along the way - and not all the seeds we sowed have survived, some drying out and some rotting in situ.  We thankfully have time for another sowing and we're now on hand to monitor watering.  N has been thinning out and potting on over the weekend, and all the raised beds are now full, in fact we did consider the possibility of another bed for veggies as we seem to have run out of space!  And someone is wishing for a bigger greenhouse, too.  I've taken on the role of chief weeder; even after those mammoth weeding sessions last year we are finding ourselves with a major battle against the little blighters but I am absolutely determined to get on top of the problem.  There is a perverse satisfaction to clearing a bed of weeds and it's simply a case of 'little and often' to keep ahead.

We've begun cropping the spinach, it is such an easy and obliging crop, and tastes delicious raw or cooked.  Plus it's very good for you.  What's not to love?

Weekend round-up

Another year older (way past counting!); an excuse for some age-related cards:

We've had a good weekend pottering in the garden, and doing a spot of packing for our hols.  Oh, and an emergency repair to one of our bags - the zip had pulled away from the fabric, and yet again I was thankful that I had some strong thread (and needle and thimble) to effect a more than satisfactory repair.  Phew, emergency averted!  I've also finally managed to finish a project that got put on hold for a while, so the kitchen walls look a bit brighter at last.  It's surprising what a splash of colour does to life some plain walls.

Although we've had bright blue skies and sunshine where we are, the foghorns have been sounding out over the weekend and today, and on our walk into town this morning we understood why - the sea was completely blanketed with sea-mist/fog (I think it's due to an inversion of cold air over hot air - or is it the other way around?, I'm never quite sure!)  Either way, today it had cleared by the afternoon but as I'm typing this evening I can hear the foghorns blaring away again so I guess the visibility over the water is bad again.  It is a timely reminder that if you live on an island, weather conditions do have to be factored in to any travel arrangements getting on and off the island, especially if there are further connections to be made with trains etc.  A delayed sea crossing can mess travel plans up completely!

Everything in the garden, and indeed the hedgerows, suddenly seems to have taken off.  

Tomatoes and squashes

Trees that just a week ago had the merest suggestion of colour are now bursting with fresh green-ness; the fruit trees have blossom and the lawn is covered with bright yellow dandelions - I must try to pick the flower heads off before they set seed and go everywhere.  Every day there are new seeds emerging in the greenhouse and propagator, it's such an exciting time.  The promise of all that wonderful homegrown goodness to come . . . mmmm!

With the heating now firmly off for the summer, our gas consumption has dropped right down (always so satisfying!).  We continue to record the weekly figures and whilst the gas is down, the electric usage is only slightly down.  Cooking, laundry etc still have to be done.  Perhaps it will reduce a little in the summer.

The list of projects I began at the start of the year now has lots of very satisfying ticks alongside the items and I think the time has come to begin a new one for the next two or three months.  Having this checklist to work to has kept me focussed over the winter and some projects that have been outstanding for several months have at last been finished.  I am now mentally compiling my new list and already it's getting quite long ;-)  

Back after our hols . . .

Saving money

The pieris with it's wonderful flames of new growth

Herb seedlings

When we had finished digging over the side border on Wednesday, we absolutely decided that we would wait until we came back from our holiday before we completed it.  Yes, well, that didn't quite happen ;)

All neat and tidy, just waiting for some plants

First thing yesterday morning, we were up and about, just trying out a few paving stones . . . and then a few more . . . no way were we going to wait another couple of weeks to get this border finished.  Once we had the paving stones in place we began to think we might be able to scoop enough gravel from elsewhere not to have to buy any more.  Always up for a challenge like that (no way were we going to spend a penny more than necessary!) I began racking off surplus gravel from pathways, and it was very satisfying to find we had more than enough.  We are really pleased with the end result; the whole area has been opened up and tidied up and now looks as if it has some purpose.  A few big plant pots and perhaps a climber, and we'll have a very pleasant area to sit in summer evenings.

In between gardening I've been trying to fit in a bit of pre-holiday sewing - or more precisely, altering - a couple of pairs of summer trousers desperately needed taking in (I don't mind loose-fit, but two whole sizes too big is too baggy for my liking).  Alterations now completed and the trousers are good to go and no cost except my time.  And even more money saved today - I had relented and decided to have a 'proper' haircut, to restyle more than anything else, and I even got as far as booking an appointment when I sensibly enquired about the cost of a dry cut.  Gosh, I knew I was saving money cutting my own hair, but I had no idea I was saving that much.  Oh my goodness!  I couldn't bring myself to spend that amount of money on a dry trim so tomorrow I shall be cutting my hair myself.  

Garden design, of sorts

We both really enjoy gardening, but when it comes to designing a garden border or bed it all gets a bit random.  In this garden we have been guided very much by what was already here and what we could re-use in a different way or location, as we were keen to make do with what we had.  

N tends to leave the flowers/plants to me - he is i/c vegetables - and he has pretty much given me a free rein with the borders that needed revamping.  I had a general idea of how I hoped the end product would look but we have found that it has been a very fluid process this time around, and each time we potter in the garden, a little more falls into place.

However, like all good plans, my ideas usually start with a scrap of paper or the good old stand-by, the back of an envelope!  Nothing wasted here ;)

The conversation tends to go along the lines of:  'So we could use the paving slabs we lifted from that bit by the kitchen, and there are some more around the shed if we run short, and those big pots that we didn't know what to do with would work well in this area if they were planted up with the annuals I'm going to sow today.  Can you make some trellis, please?'  

So this is the last bit of garden design to tackle.  It has provided all the plants for the front garden and one or two for the back, in fact, I think every single plant has been used somewhere else and quite a few have been divided or split to stretch just that bit further.  This morning, in sunshine and bright blue sky, we weeded this patch (oh, the roots!) and levelled it in readiness for the afore-mentioned paving slabs.  We considered one or two alternative ideas as we worked - putting the theory into reality often throws up something that hadn't been considered - but in general it'll be the sketch on the back of the envelope.

Simple, really.