Saturday 9 April 2022

Saturday 9th April

My job list for the week is only half done because the weather wasn't good until Friday and many of the things I wanted to do were outside. I just can't get up much enthusiasm for outside work when it's cold.

But I was out there long enough to spot these, which were a nice surprise. What a good thing I didn't do much weeding earlier because the leaves just look like  grass. They're Fritillaries and there are 5 flowers all together- very pretty and not something I've ever had in any of my umpteen gardens before.
Now need to get busy with the hoe as there's ground elder coming up again.

 


It was warm for long enough to get a few beetroot seeds in and I also spent a little while in the greenhouse so the tomatoes have all been pricked out even though they didn't yet have their seed leaves - or much root - they were getting too leggy- they are now on the living room window sill and hopefully will survive.I've sown some courgette and chard seeds too plus cucumber seeds, although I'm now thinking that the seeds I've sown are not what I ordered. Not all female which is a nuisance . I'll have to search for some more seeds.

The poor Magnolia (pictured Here in March) is a sad looking thing now, last week the windy weather was blowing the petals down and this week  one over night frost caught it and turned all the petals brown and nipped the tips of the Buddleia too. In theory my back garden should be sheltered but in practice it seems to be a place that gets gusts of wind and a bit of a frost pocket too.

The council grass cutter was round yesterday and cut the bit out the front which is between the footpath and the road - chopped some of the W.I daffodils, but cleverly managed to avoid three clumps which is good - I was afraid in the hurry to get done they would just run over the whole lot.

Because I don't do on-line selling anywhere I got Daughter in Law to take some photos of the 4 things in the garage that needed to go, and she did a brilliant job of advertising them on the local facebook page and 3 have gone, just the little fridge left and I am £60 better off!  
I'll need the space in the garage to store some things from the bedroom because I've definitely decided to go ahead with alterations that will see the very cold en-suite (with the silly Saniflow maceration toilet, shower and basin) turned into a storeroom with access from the back garden (for the freezer and tumble dryer) and a new en-suite made at the end of the bedroom with drains going directly into the mains sewer. It means I'll have to cope with builders sometime later this year but hopefully it will take less than a month to do.

 

  This week I am grateful for 

  • WI getting back to normal
  • Decision made 
  • So many good books to read 

Hope you all have a good weekend - I'm not doing much at all this weekend - just reading and a car boot sale of course. 

Back Monday
Sue


27 comments:

  1. Your planned alteration sounds well thought out - after a year living there, you have a better idea of how you want things to be. Selling online is a useful way to declutter and raise income. But it's a faff. I have to be in the right mood to do it. Have a good week!

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    1. The previous owners modernised the bungalow but in odd ways that I wouldn't have done!

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  2. I always found it exciting to see what came up in a new garden (and, as we moved house a lot, I've had quite a few). Those fritillary are gorgeous :)

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    1. A treat to have something I've not had anywhere before

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  3. I agree with Angela - you have to be in the right mood to sell on-line - Ebay is a faff. Glad you sold some things. In my gardening store (old tack room here) I have a chest freezer I need to sell, and Tam may have the dressing table her sister asked me to buy and paint up and then changed her mind. I could do with the room in there tbh.

    Nice to see the Fritilleries in your garden. I have tried growing them but they always seem to be nobbled.

    A good decision made by the sound of things. I hope you can find a reliable builder now. Any tradesmen worth their salt round here have such long lead times (and that's an expression I never came across before we moved here!)

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    1. Col used to do ebay but I don't have the patience! DiL does well with children's out grown things on Facebook

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  4. We have a wonderful patch of fritillaries, both the purple and white. If you don't mow them until they are completely died back then they should spread by seed.
    They can be hard to get going, but I'd started bulbs off in pots in the conservatory for their first season then planted them out 'in the green', like snowdrops, and they were away! I love them so much that if we ever sell this house, there will be a map of the garden and instructions of Do Not Mow for that area!

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    1. I didn't know there were white ones too - haven't seen any here

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  5. Useful information there - thanks! I've just bought a 2 pots of Fritillaries online and I've now had a re-think on where to plant them, thanks to your post.

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    1. Mine are right on the front edge of a border, There are all sorts of bits and bobs planted all over the place here

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  6. So you're doing alterations? I wondered if you would. We have the builder coming after Easter to replace our kitchen, can't wait, we've had him booked since November.
    It will be more convenient for you and will look lovely I'm sure.

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    1. The un-insulated - no heat, ensuite, made from the back part of a garage is freezing! Got to do something before next winter!

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  7. Your fritillaries are very lovely and such a nice surprise in the garden. It sounds like your veg seedlings are coming along nicely too. Your home renovations sound excellent. Knowing exactly what you want is perfect. Selling online worked well and making a profit makes the process even better. New space is always beneficial. Yesterday was 50 degrees and no rain so I spread lime throughout my property. It's nice to be in the garden.

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    1. Daughter in Law had things photographed and advertised in no time - I was so pleased.
      The Fritillaries were a lovely surprise

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  8. Those almost look like a checkerboard pattern, don't they?

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  9. I always think Fritillaries remind me of Art Deco lamp shades. It's great to see things happening in our gardens Sue.

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    1. Just wish it would warm up a bit, Getting frosts every night - brrrrr

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  10. You have great plans for changes in the house. A storeroom is so helpful in a home. I would love to have one if there was room. It is smart to get your home set the way you like it now while you are younger. A weekend of reading and a car boot sell sounds good to me!

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    1. I shall be able to move my freezer out of the garage which I have to access with the up and over door at the front of the house and access it from the back garden - much better

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  11. We planted the little checkerboard bulbs in the front garden. We called them checkerboard crocus. After the first year they always blooms many feet away, in different parts of the yard. We blamed it on squirrel landscaping.

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  12. Fritillaries are so lovely, aren't they?
    xx

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  13. They are the prettiest flower, and quit uncommon to find in a garden.

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    1. Bulbs must have been planted by the previous owners

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  14. Now you've lived there for a year you know exactly what works and what doesn't, and a icy cold en-suite with a macerating toilet is not a good idea at all if there is an alternative solution. It sounds like a very good plan, I can imagine nothing worse than an icy cold bathroom in Winter. :-)

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