General Chat

Mandy some of my geraniums have gone a bit 'leggy, so I thought if I cut them down a bit and used bits from the tops as cuttings the main plant would bush out with new shoots. Rudbeckias are nice and I like Echinaceas too, but have neither. I have to stop myself getting carried away as I only have room for a few perennials among the evergreens. That's good your son is doing an after school gardening club. It's the age to get them interested. I remember watching my dad grow veg and mum always had a few bedding plants. My grandparents were gardeners and first OH's parents were very keen gardeners who sold bedding plants, Chrysanths and tomatoes as well as veg. OH's parents never grew anything to eat, but his mum managed a Co-op so probably got food discounts.

As long as you enjoy our photos that is all that matters Island. Sometimes in the past I have been concerned that I may be be sending them to someone and they didn't really want to see them anymore, but didn't like to say.

I tried some peat free compost a few years ago and vowed never to use it again AnnG. It had stringy, clumpy threads in it and seemed to dry out very quickly so seeds didn't germinate well at all. In the end I mixed it in with other compost and soil to use it up in my pots. It might be better by now though or maybe some brands are better than others.

Well Asda dropped the food off and went without ringing the doorbell again! I thought they were still unloading so It was a good job OH noticed the van had gone. I'm not popular as somehow I managed to put on and remove OH's bread! He got the seeded one but not the one he likes for sandwiches.:-S Only a couple of subs and 2 out of stock this time so better than usual.

Doesn't Lewis look great?

Our local Primary School has an Easter Bonnet parade.

Many boys and girls take part and there is a prize for best efforts in I think 3 age categories, but all children who take part receive a small token prize.
Consideration is given to reward work obviously done by the pupils.

At least, this is what has happened in recent years.

Sometimes parents help them to make the actual hat.
Tall top hats and one shaped like a large Creme Egg have featured in the past.

Mel I didn’t have a choice most garden centres seem to be going pest free now.

Mandy It will be interesting to know if there is a prize for the best hat. Years gone by there would have been however these days maybe it would be frowned on.

Island always good to see you on here <3

I'm not sure if they having competition Anng dil just said he needs a easter hat so I said I'd help him to decorate it .
I ordered some Redbeckia Autumn Forest in my seed order .

This week son is doing an after school gardening club with some of the children
Lewis is doing it and I think son said he would have 10 children altogether.

Ann I'm just going to repot my Geraniums I never thought about taking some cuttings from them ,I'll have to see if there any bits I can get off them .

Just started raining here now.

I have never tried the peat free compost either. Its a case of getting it where you can and Mole Valley don't do it and niether does the shop up the road.

Lewis's hat is fabulous Mandy. I hope there is room for my couple of bits but quite understand if there is'nt.

Nice to see Island pop in, sending love <3

Spent most of the morning trying to clean something up and then got lunch and now I have to wsh up before going back to myraft. I also want to have a go with my birthday present and see if I can make some silicone moulds, bet I mess it up.

Folks, I have said before that I have eye sight issues so reading long posts is not easy and takes too long. I have enjoyed your photos but perhaps don't respond as often as would be liked. If anyone doesn't want to share photos - sorry I have nothing to share - just say so please.

I meant to say Ann. I was thinking just that about Monyy when I was planting my seeds just now. He has a potting shed and can have his seed compost in a big open tray, I have to work taking the compost from the bag. Although this time I did put it into an old washing up bowl as I had to work it until it was fine enough as in the bag it was compacted until it was flat and solid. I am not sure I like the peat free stuff, it seems to have a lot of bits of straw like stuff in it. It will be interesting to see what the seeds grow like in this stuff.

Ann I would normally just plant them as they are but mine are very old now and not looking very food so, being I don;t want extra work if things are not going to be any good I may throw them and buy some new. I did have one cutting that has grown OK but that is an Ivy geranium from T's old plants. Mine that are not surviving well are a butterfly pelargonium and a scented leaf one. Neither are that easy to over winter but have done so for 3 or 4 years until now. I think, this year they have dried out too much, still I will leave them in their pots and see what happens by June.

Mandy I did say in my email return to yours how impressive Lewis's hat is Do they have a competition with them, I am sure he would win if they do.

Afternoon Everyone,

We just had rain for a while so OH is muttering it always rains when the food drop is due!

Nice to see you Island........I thought it might be the same company you said were good for seeds. While tidying up in here yesterday I came across a little Spring catalogue for www.dtbrownseeds.co.uk and they seem quite good and have some dwarf runner beans you can grow in pots like french beans.

Mandy doesn't Lewis look great in his Easter hat. It's just the right size and looks perfect with the colours. As I said in my reply to you I love how the feathers intertwine too. Thank you for getting a photo!

Oh Vera it sounds like the gin didn't help you sleep, unless as Mandy said, you needed another glass! lol I didn't sleep quite as well either so must be getting less tired. OH has hoovered the bungalow this morning, but like you with the dusting, I can see bits he's missed, but at least it does look better so I'm not saying anything either.

I saw Monty last night and his seed planting AnnG. I was surprised he wasn't using something recycled like supermarket food containers for his seed trays. One thing he has that most of us don't have is loads of space to do things and places to store things. Mind you we only see what the camera shows us!

On the subject of gardening ladies, about the Geraniums. Do you plant them up as they are, or do you use the old plants to take cuttings from instead? I have some cuttings that are doing well that I must see if they need repotting soon.

Better get the kitchen ready for the food that needs wiping down next and sort the freezer.

I have just planted some for indoor windowsills. Maskotka cherry tomatoes, I thin the Makotka I had last year were bigger than cherry but couldn't find those on line. Also planted a few Rudbeckia. didn't plant the whole packey of 500 seeds!!!!

Sorry Island Sent now .

Looks more like rain so just got the washing in and we've now lit the fire going to sit and watch a bit of midsummer at 2 o'clock and make another little pig ,Lewis went home with the tiny one yesterday .

Anng, I bought my seeds in January from Premier seeds direct as per - good value and quick to arrive. Won't be sowing just yet but made a start on clearing last years debris from the raised beds - a little each day.

I think my little piggie went to market. :-(

O Mandy I thought you wouldhave had the parcel by now as I sent it first class. What a nuisance. I hope they are not too big to fit on the hat as there are three things and some coloured daisys you can cut apart and stick on.

Its just rained quite heavily here and the sky out to the north is grey, I can't see what its like out the back as I am in the kitchen. Pc says rain to stop.

Vera maybe it wa the unaccustomed gin that kept you awake. I slept well until 5.30 but woke myself up from s frightening dream, although I can't remember what it was except some members of my family had not tuned up for something and we didn't know where they were. I then went back to sleep and woke at 8, dozed until 7 and then it was 8 o'clock and I assume I went back to sleep. waiting for Tesco now.

Ann I look foward to seeing more of your paintings, I am sure the rest will have done you good.

Mandy, looking forward toi viewing 'the hat'.

Mel it was dry here yesterday but must have rained heavily overnight as there are puddles everywhere. sunny at the moment and windy but the wind is not cold.

Morning all,

Very cloudy here but there quite a good blow out so I have washed towels and tea towels and they are blowing well on the line ,I think we might get rain later so will have to keep an eye out .

Yesterday Lewis was here and he did his hat all I did was put the glue on from the hot glue gun and he stuck all the bits on , as usual we were all worn out after we took him home , I got a photo of him in his hat so will send it later.
Mel when your parcel comes I'm sure we can find a space for your little bit for the hat .

Oh Ann it will be nice to see more of your paintings again and the new matallic paints sound interesting looking forward to seeing how you use them in your pictures.


Vera we like our Roys shop they have lots of nice bits and pieces, we got a couple of new brackets for hanging baskets the other day from there ,only went in for a couple of packs of screws but came home with all sorts .
So the gin didn't work in helping you sleep maybe the one glass wasn't enough :-)
I watched the Tourist first one I thought was good then it gets very violent in some of the next ones and the last one was so strange with the flash backs I lost track of it a bit .

Morning Anng Vera and all,

Suns shineing so a nice bright morning but still a bit windy as I can see the trees moving. Not been out yet so don't know if the winds cold or not. Pc says rain coming and 8 degrees.

Sorry you had a bad night Vera and you thought you were gong to have a good one with that glass of sloe gin.

If its not too windy today I have to clean the big girls out but if it is windy I shall just do a quicky and give them more shavings and not worry about cleaning in the corners just shovel out the dirty shavings first.

Good morning AnnG and all

9 degrees here but very overcast and still breezy with rain expected this afternoon. I had one of those nights when I just couldn’t sleep so ended up reading from 1.30 to 3.30 and still took another hour to doze off. I wouldn’t mind if I then slept later in the morning but I still wake by 7.30 so I am a bit heavy headed today.

I’ve no real plans for the day so will just take it as it comes.

Good morning all. currently 8 degrees and bright here. Not sure if we are due rain today, hopefully not as I would like to get out in the garden and do a bit more. Other than that just a Tesco delivery this morning. One sun (2 one pint skimmed milk instead of one s pint. and that is Tesco instead of Cravendale so hope it is a longer date than the Tesco ones usually are, mus check when they arrive . And one not available which is annoying. Sea Bass fillets, which I saw in M&S yesterday and discounted because they were on the order and never been unavailable before.

Fingers crossed that you will be negative tomorrow Ann. I’ve missed seeing your lovely pictures so I’m glad you are thinking of painting again.

Yes, AnnG, you did tell me not to overdo it but you know how it is when you are used to being active. OH is very good about helping but sometimes his idea of clean isn’t quite the same as mine. I could see dust where there shouldn’t be dust. I mustn’t complain as he is good and this morning he hoovered the rooms I hadn’t managed to do yesterday.

This afternoon I mentioned I wanted to go into town to Roy’s and OH said he would like to give the car a good run to stop the battery going flat again. He suggested that after I’d been to Roy’s we could have a run out to Dobbies at Bury St Edmunds, so that’s what we did. In Roy’s I got one of those window sill propagators made from recycled plastic bottles. I didn’t get much in Dobbies, just some birthday cards and a packet of parsley seeds and I picked up a plant for my neighbour that she asked me to get. It was very windy in the outside plant area and a couple of big plants blew over while we were there. I enjoyed going out as I am not getting out in the fresh air much. My back is easier than yesterday though still very sore. I’m hoping to start going for more walks soon. I’ve lost confidence a bit since Christmas but I’m sure it will come back once I start walking more.

I haven’t seen “Our House” yet though I have it recorded so I might get around to watching it sometime. I’ve just watched the first episode of The Tourist which was on TV on 1st January so I’m a bit behind with my viewing. At the moment I am typing this with headphones on to block out the noisy film OH is watching. It seems to consist of a lot of shouting and swearing, a lot of shooting and squealing tyres. I suppose I should be thankful that there doesn’t seem to be a lot of explicit sex.

I’m rabbiting on again aren’t I? Put it down to the glass of my son’s home made sloe gin that I am drinking. I’m not really a gin drinker and, gosh, this is strong. Well, with luck I shall sleep well tonight. I hope you all do too.