Winter accommodation

I have been looking at hedgehog houses for our regular visitor, hubby said I can make that, and he did, using marine ply, so it's completely weatherproof. 

He put a hinged roof on so we can clean it, it has two chambers and a tunnel, all designed to keep predators out. It would have been cheaper to purchase one, I'm really pleased, as is hubby, we have placed it behind the big pot with my olive tree in, a spot the hedgehog often sniffs around. Inside for bedding we put barley hay.

My pond is looking good, the water is much clearer, I can see the tiny cyclamen are growing in the front. The grasses have looked good, this area is pleasing, I have not done anything to rectify the front corner being lower than it should, it does not effect the pond, just I can see more of the container. 

The garden is looking past its best, the recent rain has brought plants back to life, I can see a few have died and some needs cutting right back, the veg beds are still giving.

I have few plans for the winter months, I do have broad beans to go in, probably late November, most of the veg space will be empty, I have leaves to cover the soil, which should rot down and feed the soil.

Blogger is again playing up, I can now comment on your post, for a while I could not upload photo's, again that has been sorted. The final issue is still unresolved, my list of your post has not updated for a couple of days, before that some post were missing, now everything is stuck. 

25 years ago we were in rural Spain, as the news unfolded of the fate of the twin towers, we found a TV with BBC news and sat stunned, our daughter was home with the cats, she phoned us many times in tears. The flight home a few days later was very subdued. 

After the issues in Portsmouth from last Sunday, where the RNIL landed 120 people off a boat in the Channel, our local Facebook pages are scattered with ugly comments, there is going to be a rally this coming Sunday, the man behind the rally recently in Dover, lives locally, its doesn't feel a nice place to be at the moment. I do agree we have allowed too many people to stay who arrive illegally, who mainly appear to be young males, but, is this the way forward.

Back home

 We had a lazy Monday, popping to a garden centre local to where we were staying, we had the most amazing lunch, I got these plants, the begonia which is a houseplant was reduced to £3. The other 3 were on a get the 3rd plant free.

We did bring treats back with us. Bara Brith, the fruit is soaked in tea before baked into the cake, Welsh cakes which are dropped scones and apple crumble biscuits, which looked to good to leave behind.

I had loads to pick from the garden, tomatoes, a cucumber, runner-beans and carrots, 2 are huge, a nice harvest. We had 20 mm of rain whilst we were away, so my garden looks good.

We walked along the water edge a couple more times on Monday, by teatime the rain arrived, along with new neighbours next door, who had 2 small yappy dogs, they barked at everything, so we were ready to head for home on Tuesday morning. We consider ourselves very lucky to have warm sunny days, it rained overnight twice, each morning it dried up quickly.

Our car journey was mainly motorway, M4, A34, M3, M27 and a total nightmare, heavy rain and water everywhere, it was a slower journey that our trip out, very poor visibility the whole time, we were both glad to get home.

We had a few issues whilst away, I tripped over a rock on Friday, fell and banged my knees and ear, luckily I was carrying a soft bag with 2 fleeces in which broke my fall. Hubby was shut out of our bank account on Saturday, they informed him by text, our Halifax account is now Lloyds bank, hubby had to reset a transaction, which the bank stopped thinking it was fraud, it's sorted now, it took almost an hour, he had to repeat himself to 3 different departments. 

It's great to be back home, we did a shop at Lidls on Tuesday, this morning daughter had my car to do the school run, we then drove to the garage to collect her fixed car, rest of the day is at home with hubby relaxing.

Lazy weekend

 We have done very little whilst away, gental walks, meals out, here at Ogmore Castle about 30 minutes drive, a perfect hour out, no rain. I did get half way across these stones before losing my nerve.

Our accommodation is on the shore line, these huge beaches have rocks, rock pools and dunes, vast sandy beaches, loads of places to walk. Plenty of people watching, dog walkers, people swimming, loads of crafts of different types on the water, we are having long warm sunny days.

Plenty of time to read, I ensured I had my favourite authors to read, another taken from the David Raker PI series, his latest case to find a patient who has disappeared from a private clinic which becomes linked to another historic missing man case and the disappearance of 3 women a project covered by Raker when he was a journalist. Book 67 read this year.

My second book by Lindwood Barclay, a mother from New York takes her son away from the city for the summer, it also tells a back story, so you think you know what is going to happen, a new shop opens in towns selling train sets, strange things start happening.  Book 68 read this year.

We are staying in Trecco Bay, near Porthcawl, South Wales, it's  a huge holiday park, we are on the edge away from the centre and all the noise and people, our accommodation is beside a walkway and the beach, it's perfect for sunrises, we walk 20 minutes to see sunset. We are resting and reading alot, no cooking. 

Today is our last full day, we have no plans as yet, just having a lazy breakfast together, should be another dry day, 

Away from home

 

Today is our 40th wedding anniversary,  we became a couple in 1984, when hubby moved in with daughters and myself, we married in 1986.

We are away from home for a long weekend,

 relaxing and enjoying each other company.

A perfect sunrise this morning, seen from our accommodation, we can sit and watch everyone else enjoying the beach and water, it's a perfect spot for lovely walks.

September arrives

 It's a busy month, end of school holidays, so daughter came on bank holiday Monday with her 3, we had a simple BBQ which we ate inside as it was blustry, it was cooler after heavy rain in the night, the fake grass was dry, so the little ones could play. George has a new balance bike, he was unsure for the shortest time, he loves it.

I stitched George's swimming badge in his robe and did a small repair on Will's favourite T shirt. The badge needs to be very secure,  George will pick at any loose bits.

It was hubby's birthday this week, he's 77, we had a quiet day, the children came for birthday cake, this year a lemon drizzle one, again the children asked him to make one instead of purchasing one, he was happy to do, I did offer to bake one for him, a selection of cards including the 'joke' one.

After a chance meeting, she returns to her past, to make sense of the death of her boyfriend in a fire at a research centre, what she remembers is not the same as others, now she is trying to save her family.  Book 65 read this year

A sequel to the above book, it's a couple years later, she is asked to go to USA, a deadly virus is loose in LA, she can help, her family are in different locations and in danger. The plot was a bit farce, interesting enough. Book 66 read this year.

Daughter was here with children Monday and Tuesday, we both love the laughter they bring, both days they played outside, all three used the new balance bike, Molly and George are the same height, daughter is again often asked if they are twins. Monday was quiet later, sat reading, Tuesday they were home by lunchtime, with other commitments. Later a neighbour popped in for coffee and a chat and 8 lovely fresh eggs from her chickens, I sat reading for the rest of the time, my tummy issues are back, I have spoken to the doctor, I think I have more test coming, I'm feeling uncomfortable whilst taking tablets every day, it's good to know my doctor is keen to find out why.  

Wednesday was a day at home, Will went back to school, Molly and George go back on Thursday, we don't have my car, daughter is using it, her car is back in the garage for a couple of days. Later we packed our holiday bags for a short break together, staying in UK.

Today we have a 3 hour drive to hubbys sister, we are spending the night with her and driving to our home gor the following 5 days.

August round up

This month has been different for my crafting stash, I have given Molly a pile of A4 card, I have purchased nothing, hopefully Molly will want more. I have avoided any garden centres again this month, I read most garden centres were having a terrible year, visiting numbers were way down. I did get two blue lavenders from our market and a few small bulbs and bean and pea seeds from B&M.

12 Books read this month.

We required nothing big for the house or garden this month, most of our time was spend with the children, so we spent more on meals out, my holiday was saved for, hubby had a quiet time at home. I did get two pairs of sandals in the Clarks sale, I do love their style of shoes and find the fit perfect for my feet and a new watch, I do like to wear a watch, I can't wear the modern technology items, in the past every 'fitbit' I have worn has always stopped working, but will work when hubby wears them. 

We had our first meal of runner beans, we are eating tomatoes and cucumber, I dug up another bag of potatoes, and we pick raspberries most days, the raspberries and runner beans taste so good. No food waste, my garden composters are both doing a good job, our council bins are rarely full these days, our little food bin which is emptied every week has hardly anything in it, just bits I don't put into our composter. 

As for my weight, I am who I am.

Peanuts

I used a Westlands compost for my peanuts to grow in, it's obvious there were other seeds in the compost, these plants are very invasive, so I thought I would harvest one bag.

I was not expecting to find anything, I had done nothing other than water the bags, which sat in the greenhouse through the hot summer.

Not quite a sucess,

 the nuts are small and just a few.

I hulled one, it did not have the dark skin.

Friday was a sunny dry blustery day, no rain, we woke up on Saturday to steady rain, it had rained overnight, I don't think it stopped all day, just what the ground and garden needed. We had more rain on Saturday than from mid June to this week, with plenty of wet days to come.

I knew it was too early to harvest as the peanut plant was still green, the nut inside did not have its brown skin, I have left them to dry out in the garage, as per the instructions I found on the net. The second bag I will leave for a couple more weeks, I have cutback all the unwanted growth of the invasive plant, not wanting the heads to go to seed. The spent compost is going in our waste bin, not on my garden, I don't want to spend next summer pulling out invasive plants.

I also put my cranberry plant in the greenhouse at the begging of summer, and for the first year I have loads of new growth, in the past couple of years it was just surviving, I am going to add to the compost and try harder next year.

I have always loved growing from seeds and pips, loving the challenge, I still have a pomegranate plant in a pot, I've never had flowers or fruit, I love the plant. I will sow peanuts again next year, I can't eat them, but I would like hubby to try them.

Are you experimenting with new seeds and plants?

Quiet days

We are all so very pleased George got his first level swimming badge recently, when he started lessons he hated the pool, most of his time was spent clinging to his instructor, she had previously taught disabled children to swim so knew what to expect. He now loves the water, I will sew his badge on his robe.

 These two small books are the second and third in the Magpie series, with just over a 100 pages each, they are a quick read, I normally shy away from short stories, they complete the tale. Books 63 and 64 read this year.

I popped to B&M for a few bits, saw their seeds were 3 for price of two, these at £3.49 per packet, cost me £6.98, with good dates and ready for next season, I've used this brand before.

I am getting small harvest a couple times a week, the berries hubby and I enjoy, eating them just after picking, its far from a great year, I grow things for enjoyment, I do feel for farmers who grow for a living, this drought summer is unforgettable. 

The watch on the left I have owned for about 20 years, I've worn it almost every day, its started to run slow and the glass is scratched. I took it to a well known jeweller in town for a service and new glass, the quote was high. The watch on the right is new and £50 cheaper (sale price) than having my existing watch brought back to a wearable condition. When did our world get this crazy.

 

It's been a quiet week, not seen much of daughter and little ones, they are all tired, so they have been at home for days, we stayed away so they could relax together. I did sit with Molly and George whilst daughter took Will to see a film, they both played quietly, still loads of laughter.

We woke up on Thursday to rain, not very much just enough to wet the ground, no puddles, not enough to show in my rain measure, which is a shame as our soil is still very dry, the weather front moved north of our location.

Like almost everyone I was sad to hear the passing of Dolly Parton, I have never been a fan of country music, Dolly crossed over into her own style, the world will be a sadder place without people like her, who instead of living the high life on show to the world, she remembered her roots and took action to help so many people. 

More reading

I have not read this author before, I chose it because of its location in North Somerset, it was full of places I knew around Weston-super-mare, I worked out most of the plot, and became annoyed to all the references to previous books. Book 58 read this year. 

I tried the first book in the series, it had a better plot than the above book, again I was able to guess some of the back story before it was revealed, it was nice to know the area's located in the book, it helped bring the story to life. Book 59 read this year.

I love this author, always a great plot, living in London, Nell witness a woman's phone is snatched out of her hands, the woman gets into a car to chase the bike, then Nell reads headlines, the woman has been murdered. This one event resonates through Nell's life, still shaping the person she is today, I did not guess 'who' (as in the title). Book 60 read this year.

I have read all the Roy Grace books, this title is the latest, a train is derailed and a sniper kills one of the queens party, Roy and his team have to find evidence and work out who and why, another great plot with a lovely twist at the end. The final sentence leads to the next plot. Book 61 read this year.

Another thrilling book, a couple on a tour of Europe, whilst in Romania their passports, train tickets and money are stolen, they are removed from the train in a remote stop. Back home their lives are changed forever, their world has fallen apart and then weird things start happening, I could not put this book down, brilliant plot. Book 62 read this year.

There is very little to do in the garden, I still deadheading the flowers, everything is starting to go over, it has been a harsh summer. I am picking tomatoes, cucumbers and now raspberries, I dug out another bag of potatoes, I have one bag left. My runner-beans are starting to grow.

I have picked up my cross stitching again, now it's cooler, the heat made me feel tired most of the time, I make mistakes when I'm tired. I have been looking at my scrappy knitted blanket, hopefully I can do more, it's again too warm to knit.

I have been thinking about my 2025 blog book, I have just a few months of my post to import, I have plenty of time, the best discounts are always in November, I do enjoy the process of making my book.

We have watched a few programs on TV, we are enjoying The Great British Sewing Bee, hubby loves it as much as I do. We watched Ann Droid and loved it, I've not seen Diane Morgan before, with Sue Johnston, who I love, we both hope a second series will be made. We watched Murder 24/7, not our normal watch, we have gone back to series one. Ludwig is back on our screens, series two is as good as the first, what have you been watching.

More rain please

 I purchased two blue lavender plants for the front of this square bed, it will save me having to get bedding plants each year for the front. I have a white lavender in the middle and in each front corner there is a bleeding heat and hellebore. 

The back corners have a Chinese witch hazel and a Forsythia, in the middle is a variegated evergreen shrub, which I can't remember the name, I have gaura and astrantia  plants on both sides and an aster daisy in the middle space, I aim to fill this middle section with perennials. This bed does get sun from mid-afternoon onwards.

I popped a plastic liner in hubbies old biker boots, the plants did not survive this summer, but this pansy, which I did not plant did, very pretty. 

My pyracantha, which I planted along the back fence looks dead, it had been in the ground just a couple of years, I will leave it in hope it might come back, everything else is surviving, my white rose in the corner has not bloomed since early summer.

The ground is still very dry, digging the hole for the lavenders I quickly came to dry soil, they are planted in hope the rain due again in a few days will help them settle. For many years I mainly used bedding plants to bring colour into the gardens, I always said my flower beds were too small for all year interest. Since the garden refit 3 years ago, I have changed my planting, I still love to see blooms, I now enjoy the texture and form of plants as well, I have shrubs and perennials to ensure I have something to look at all year round.

My three flower beds are almost sorted, the heatwave has killed off a few plants, most things have survived, I'm sad I'm unable to keep the huge daisies I love alive, I have purchased many and been gifted many which have come from local gardens, none have survived.

Making...

 Wednesday morning was wet, afternoon was showers, one very heavy, later the sun came out, I enjoyed a much cooler day. As promised I'm going to bore you with my new rain measuring cup, we had 8mm, throughout the day.

Molly has been at ours on a double sleepover, she has been doing crafts, which she loves, I got some plastic shapes, which you insert bits, we used some pressed flowers I had previously made, we then collected more fresh flowers from the garden and put them in my flower press.

Pepper Pig money box, painted by Molly, I promise you there were other paint colours, not just black.

Having fun with a dolly bobbin.

Pom-poms and a friendship bracelet. 

Thursday evening  hubby was out so we had a girly evening, watching a couple of films, munching marshmallows, Molly is such good fun. Most of the yarn crafting was beyond Mollys little hands, she does love the finished items, it's enough for her to know there are many things we can make together.

I am really loving the cooler days, two days of showers has done so much for the whole garden, just steady rain, not too heavy. I got a couple blue lavender plants from our local market trader, and whilst in town I got 3 packs of small spring blooms, I resisted the tulips I have enough on order, just £15 spent, I'm having a very cheap month.

Finally

Runner beans, two are already huge, too big to eat, I will leave them to ripen for seeds, there are more on the plants and loads of flowers. 

Another cucumber ready for picking, I have one in the fridge so I will leave this one for a few days, there are loads more forming and still flowers.

Tomatoes, these from two plants, it's a poor year for them, along with home grown lettuce, we can have a salad.

Hubby took all the cuttings from the front to our local tip over the weekend, he just wanted it gone, next door did not appear, sadly she knows we will stand our ground and only verbally attacks anyone else on our property. Hubby also cleaned all the windows inside and out, nice to see them dust free, I think he was bored.

We finally have had proper rain, early this morning, it's a steady constant rain, perfect to soak into the parched soils, the last time we had rain like this was June 10th, I am hoping to see a fresh garden in the coming days.