Saturday 18 May 2019

Saturday Round-up Again

It's been so good this week to have a few warmer days, Wednesday was the best as the East wind dropped away making it warm enough to sit out a while in between gardening and grass cutting. My gardening mojo came back with the sun - thank goodness and I spent a while clearing a huge patch of hooligan "foreign" bluebells out of the oval rose garden. What started as one small clump two years ago had got to an area nearly a metre round. They are pretty but just so invasive. I've replaced them with the rose "Thinking of You" that friends had sent last year when Colin died. Also started the big job of edging round that bed...........it has two rows of bricks, laying flat set into the ground that grass and weeds grow through........ and I'm also weeding in the quarter circle muddle - it's full of aquilegia again, they are invasive too but in a nicer way.

 My shabby-chic ladder isn't so shabby this year as I gave it a coat of paint before putting it away in the autumn.


 It's almost planted up, I managed to drill holes in the clay flower pots (which were here when we moved in) to thread a wire through so I could wire them onto the ladder sides, that saved me spending more money on things to stand on the ladder. Just 50p spent on the two little square baskets from a boot sale. Must find something for the bottom rung -  perhaps 3 pots wired together.
To the right of the ladder (dreadful photo - I was in a hurry) are my two small Blueberry bushes that came with the bargain offer from T&M earlier in the year. One is looking better than the other but both are much healthier and bigger than when they arrived. Above are the two flat backed baskets waiting for Tomato Cascade to be planted. I'll need to put something else in to hold compost as the Poundland coir liners aren't big enough. Some plastic at the back and sides should do it.
 I was pleased to see a frog return to the mini pond, hadn't seen one in there since I hauled out lots of oxygenating plant last autumn

It's only a tiny pond but keeps a couple of frogs happy.


 Swimming early for the last few weeks  at a general swim-for-all session is working well, aiming to leave home by 7.45am, in the pool by 8.15 and out before 9,  home by 9.30. With plenty of morning still left to get some housework done. Such a good way to start the day, if I lived within walking distance I'd go every day............maybe.

It was nice to catch up with friends for coffee during the week, they are off out to the States in June for 4 weeks to Pittsburgh where their eldest son, wife and two grandsons live. They go out every year if they can. Their eldest is the same age as my eldest daughter and while living next door to them in 1981 we both had our second child within a day of each other! and they became godparents to our son.  I'm so glad I kept in touch through the years we were across the other side of the county.

I finished reading the excellent "The American Agent" crime fiction by Jacqueline Winspear. Such a good series, the first pubished in 2003 and set in 1929. This new book - the 15th - takes the story through the 1940 London Blitz. It re-introduced a character from three books past, which I now need to re-read because that was back in 2016 and I've forgot the circumstances in which Maisie first met the American of the title. I really recommend these books if you haven't come across them but it's best to start at the beginning with the first..... "Maisie Dobbs".


Thank you to everyone for comments about the photos of the houses we rescued. I'm sure everyone thought we were mad to keep moving but we were young, had no money but plenty of energy and didn't stop to think of the problems, we just wanted to own some land and be as self-sufficient as we could. All the house restoration programmes that are on TV now weren't thought of back then so there was nothing to put us off!


This week I'm grateful for
  • A few warmer days
  • The garden to keep me busy 
  • Coffee with friends 

And finally........
Hands up if you have ever got up one morning, gone in the kitchen and found a mole limping across the floor toward you?
T'was  a bit of a surprise,  Polly cat must have brought it in, makes a change from mice.
I won't tell you what I did with it as that would upset animal lovers!

Have a super-duper weekend wherever you are and whatever you are doing.

Back Monday
Sue



30 comments:

  1. What a surprise! We've had voles a few times, but never a mole! Your ladder plant stand looks lovely. Have a good weekend, Sue.

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    1. I first did it years ago at the smallholding when Col built me a new garden shed, with a covered porch/patio bit

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  2. A very busy week, full of good things. I know what you mean about aquilegias - I love them - but my little English bluebell which comes up faithfully each year shows no signs of wanting to spread much. I wish it would.
    xx

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    1. My aquilegias are now all the same colour too. I pull up lots every autumn but they are all back next year

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  3. The ladder looks stunning, such a lovely idea to showcase plants. One I may use once we have finished the roof on our garden room. Have a good weekend.

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    1. The ladder has moved house with us from the smallholding

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  4. An enjoyable productive week for you, they will only get better as the weather improves. I love bluebells, but how do you know 'home' grown from 'foreign'?

    I am an animal lover, but if the mole was limping it may not have survived in the 'wild', so it may have been the kindest thing to do.

    All of my activities are sedentary and I managed to get on with a few craft things this week - lots more to do and my daughter has plans for a project she wants me to undertake. She likes to keep me busy, lol.

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    1. The Spanish(?)invasive bluebells have flowers all around the stalk and spread too easily. Proper native bluebells only have flowers on one side of the stem and take years to spread.

      Yes the mole was definitely injured due to Polly carrying it in through the cat flap and probably playing with it until she got bored with.

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  5. I love your ladder Sue an idea I might do. Well it has been very cold the last few days so I have not done so much in the garden.
    It was nice you had coffee with your friend and caught up with your news. Unfortunately I have not got anybody to go our with apart from my daughter and the Knit and Knatter group I don't mind for I still have several long term friend plus my brothers and sisters that we chat on the phone with.
    It is my 60 year sons birthday tomorrow and we are having a lunch out (8 of us) and coming back for cake which will be nice.

    Have a nice weekend Sue.
    Hazel c uk

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    1. I hope you have a lovely lunch out with your son and family

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  6. I rescued one of those step ladders a few weeks ago when one of my neighbours were moving.I have some lavender paint that I bought in the Wilkinsons sale at the end of last Summer,so you have given me the kick up the backside to get on and paint mine.Yours looks lovely!xx

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    1. I had the idea years ago, it adds a bit of height to the patio

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  7. Funny you should mention Winspear's Maisie Dobbs series as I have lately been (binge) listening to the audiobooks read by the excellent Orlagh Cassidy. I am able to download them to my tablet from my library system. It is so enjoyable to listen to these books while doing other mundane tasks. I've gone through about half the books at this point, though not necessarily in order.

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    1. I've enjoyed them all, hope she keeps writing

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  8. Can't say I've ever had a mole visit. When I say the Winspear book on your stack I put a hold on it. I'll be waiting awhile; it's popular. I have read them all. The earlier ones were better than some of the later ones. I hope this one will be better than I remember the last ones to be.

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  9. I'm glad you can get them to enjoy.
    I've borrowed Journey to Munich to re-read so I can remember how she first meets "The American" in the title

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  10. The previous cat we owned loved bringing voles back as gifts. Have not had any moles around though.

    You had a busy week. Enjoy the rest of your weekend.

    God bless.

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    1. It was a surprise as I've seen no sign of molehills anywhere round

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  11. Won't enquire about the mole but understand that moleskin purses are quite pretty.

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  12. Cats are cruel with Moles as they never eat them just play with them for as long as they can. I hope you bandaged it's sore foot and tucked it up in bed until it was fully healed and ready to be released back into the wild .... but somehow I doubt it ;-)

    Ginger had a baby rabbit this morning but we managed to get it off him, check it over and put it back in the woodlands.

    Your ladder looks lovely.

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    1. I got out the sticking plasters and paracetamol!!

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    2. Haha ... I thought you would :-)

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  13. I love the Maisie Dobbs books and am on the wait list at the library for The American Agent. Can't wait to read it! Hope you have a good weekend.

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    1. I enjoyed it, looked online to see if any local library had a copy of Journey to Munich sitting on their shelves which is the one where Maisie meets The American for the first time and now have it to re-read

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  14. I love your ladder with plants. It is a wonderful way to decorate with plants. We have a small deck but doing something like that would be a great way to have plants in a small space.

    I always enjoy your "week in review" posts. I especially like how you list all you are grateful for in the week. A wonderful way to approach life!

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    1. It stops me feeling sorry for myself if I have to concentrate on being grateful for happy things

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  15. Oh, those bluebells are so pretty but so super invasive. My neighbour thinks they are wonderful, so we are stuck. I wonder where my Daddy's ladder got to, seeing yours reminds me. Well, the mole stopped me in my tracks too!

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    1. I'm glad finding a mole in my kitchen isn't an everyday occurrence!

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  16. I've listened to a few Maisie Dobbs books through the library audible app. I've thoroughly enjoyed them. I started in the middle with book 8 - A Lesson in Secrets, went back to book 7 The Mapping of Love and Death and will now be reading or listening from there onwards. I probably won't start at the beginning though. Cathy x

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