Word of the Week 30/9/2022 Getting Things Done #WotW

This week has been about getting things done. I admit it wasn’t intentional but I am happy with the way things are going.

I gave the downstairs bathroom a really good clean on Monday, on Tuesday I had my food delivery and coffee with my friend in the afternoon. She’d been without her phone for a couple of days and couldn’t get over how “free” she felt and how much stuff she’d got done. Now I have my phone in working order but I decided to put it down and follow my friend’s lead!

Yesterday I took Sir to the dentist, which I wasn’t looking forward to as it’s someone new. He was very well behaved as it happens! Proud Mum here! But because I wasn’t Doomscrolling on my phone when I got back home I got a fair amount done. Ironing, washing, putting clothes away. I had more time in the morning because I did the washing up the night before instead of leaving it in favour of my phone.

Today (Thursday) I’m writing this whilst waiting for the gas engineer to service the boiler. I’m going to work in about fifteen minutes so if he doesn’t hurry up Hubby will have to deal with him. Slightly annoyed as I could have got a lot more done this morning but I didn’t want to miss him. Since I’ve been away from my blog a while – unintentionally, I just haven’t had time- it’s a good day to get this done at least.

Tomorrow I’m expecting a delivery but they’ve told me it’ll come in the afternoon so I can go do my shopping with a clear conscience. I’ve even brought a shopping trolley or Old Fart Cart as my daughter calls it so I don’t have to carry heavy bags. It’s brilliant! I can get so much more done because I’m not weighed down.

We’ve also been looking at getting the stair carpet replaced, hopefully that will be sorted soon and done before Christmas.

With a bit of luck I will be back to contributing more regularly.

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Word of the Week 2/9/2022 Long Hot Summer #WotW

This year summer seems to have gone on forever doesn’t it? My kids six weeks holiday will actually have been SEVEN by the time they go back next week Seven weeks is an awfully long time. Not helped by the fact that we didn’t go on holiday – we’re away in November instead- and the fact it’s been one of the hottest on record. It’s all been far too long for both me and them.

Don’t get me wrong, it’s nice to actually have a summer with decent weather but for us it was a little too much. Too hot to sit out, too hot to go anywhere, plus when we do go places, for example a nature reserve just across the road from our house, after ten minutes both kids had had enough. We have Drayton Manor about five minutes drive away but it’s expensive and again we’d not be there long enough to justify the cost. In some respects I’m lucky, my two are happy going to the garden centre or retail park. As long as there’s somewhere selling bubble mix!

I’ve been able to do lots in the garden and it looks completely different from the start of the year. It’s also been nice to hang the washing outside and save a little on the electric bill.

Now September has arrived and brought cooler autumn weather with it. Only Monday and Tuesday next week to go and the kids will back at school – Hooray! I realise that also means I’m back in work but I shall be going there for a rest LOL!

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August 2022

I think August is more a month for sitting back and enjoying the garden rather than beavering away in it everyday. That is not to say I haven’t done anything though!

The flower chair is more or less complete with the addition of winter flowering pansies, which together with the apple tree, fuchsias, the completed section of wall and the little fox water bowl is probably my favourite corner of the garden.

The tomatoes are ripening slowly.. one by one….

My cuttings rooted and now living happily in pots on my windowsill, along with the best herbs I’ve managed this year. Plants do like my windowsill!

Finally put the last piece of edging on the border so it reaches the wall at the top of the garden. Just need to back fill with compost.

Today I bought some crocus and daffodil bulbs. Just one pack of each, enough to fill a couple of pots. I also got some cyclamen, not sure where those are going yet.

My autumn potatoes are doing really well.

The continued lack of rain dried my lawn out, however regular watering courtesy of my son’s water table means the collection of weeds that forms it are now green again! I don’t use a hosepipe, there’s no need. A watering can does the job just as well.

All my containers, the borders, the pots with trees in are all filled with peat free compost. Now I won’t lie, I’ve had problems with growing some things this year but that was due to my own mistakes, plants in the wrong place and exceptional weather. Not the compost. Peat free compost can be variable, I get a mid priced one, well under £10 and I have no issues with it. In fact the compost I used for the border was less than a fiver. The reason I use compost is because there isn’t any soil in my garden. The lawn was laid on builders waste, and it’s basically field grass. Excellent for pollinators though!

Word of the Week 27/08/2022 Bubbles #WotW

Sir has suddenly developed a keen interest in going shopping, mainly “to town” as he puts it. Now I should explain that “town” in his case can mean the actual town center or it can mean the local retail park. Heaven forbid I should go to the wrong one..

His desire for shopping is fueled by the fact he wants to buy bubble mix. He has bottles of the stuff but he wants more. So he pays for it himself, happily beeping his card at the checkout.

He has also decided that I should spend half an hour of evening outside with him sending “big circles” of bubbles floating around the neighbourhood.

I complain a little but I don’t really mind. It gets him out of his room and away from screens – likewise for me too! He rarely spends his money so if it’s something he really wants it’s good for him to practice paying for things.

I think at the moment with all the doom and gloom in the world I’d quite like to float off in a bubble!

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Word of the Week 19/08/2022 Birthdays #WotW

August is a big month for birthdays in our family, this week there are three!

Last Sunday saw Sir turn 18… How did that happen????? We went out for a family meal on the Saturday and on the actual day my parents came over for some fizz 🙂 He enjoyed his birthday. We got him clothes – he likes clothes and his wardrobe needed an update anyway, Then his beloved water table broke. So a new one was ordered and it ended up being a bleated birthday present, after all they’re only 18 once.

My brother had his birthday too, the kids got him a solar powered garden light that looks like a Westie – he has two Westies so that was appropriate we thought 😀

Tomorrow is Hubby’s birthday and we are off out for a meal again! Then my In Laws are coming over for Sunday lunch.

Hope you’ve all had a good week

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Word of the Week 12/08/2022 Garden #WotW

I’ve been out in the garden a lot this week, although only when it’s shady! Too hot out there otherwise.

I’d seen a lot of gardens on TV or wherever that have chairs with plants on them and in them. I really liked the idea and as it happens I have a chair! It’s part of a set that broke recently. Rather than throw it away I’ve used various pieces of it to stand fruit plants on and veg bags with spuds in. I decided to get some bedding plants and set to.

I’ve got some Winter flowering pansies coming and I shall put them on there too. Not sure if this is where it’s staying but it’ll do for now.

Have taken advantage of the weather and dried all my washing outside too. In this heat it doesn’t take too long!

Of an evening Sir has taken to going in the garden to blow bubbles or play with his water table. He helps me water the plants as well. I go out there with him a) to keep him out of trouble and b) because it’s been more pleasant out there.

As much as I love my garden and being outside in it, I will be very glad to see some rain. Next week apparently.

I also came across a photo of my garden from 2012

That corner looks so different now

And it’s changed again since that photo!

Might take a drink out there now and take advantage of the shade!

Word of the Week 5/8/2022 Family #WotW

This week has been all about seeing and spending time with family.

It was Madam’s birthday on Monday so on Saturday we went out for lunch to celebrate and Sunday my Mum invited us over for food.

We didn’t do a lot on the actual day, Hubby was working, but her BFF did pop by with a card and present so that made her happy.

The kids and I popped to Mum’s on Wednesday afternoon, mainly to get them out of the house… We sat in the garden and had a G&T – not the kids obviously! it made a nice change.

Today Hubby’s car is in for it’s MOT so he has the day off work. We went to the local retail park for a nose about, considered going for a coffee whilst we were there but decided the coffee is cheaper at home!

We received Sir’s assessment from the Social Worker, which is very detailed and describes our family life very well.

I know Sir particularly has been getting a bit bored lately so I’ve been thinking of ways to keep him entertained, maybe spend a little more time doing family things. There’s a nature reserve literally on our doorstep so may go a wander over there.

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July 2022

Two of the hottest days ever put paid to quite a few of my plants. The greenhouse was a disaster zone. I now only have two chilli/pepper/whatever they are plants left, both are now inside the house on the kitchen windowsill and looking better for it. All my seedlings and cuttings shrivelled to nothing. All that survived were the two big tomato plants and the strawberries.

On a brighter note my potatoes were very successful. I harvested enough to not have to buy any for a month! So I have planted more for autumn/Christmas. This is the first lot.

I made a second sowing of carrots… something ate them.. I give up with carrots! I have also made last ditched attempts at lettuce, radish and herbs. The previous crop succumbed to the very hot weather too.

I’ve been taking a few cuttings, a bit of an experiment to see if it works. According to the internet it’s a simple process, and if I get a couple of “free” plants at the end of it even better!

I do have some very pretty flowers in the garden, especially the Fuchsias. I do like those.

The weather is still very dry. We’ve had a little bit of rain but nowhere near enough and nothing forecast.

Word of the Week 29/7/2022 Books #WotW

I love reading but I don’t get the opportunity to do so as often as I’d like. However, over the past couple of weeks I’ve managed to make my way through quite a few books, some on my e reader and some actual books too!

When I went to Gardener’s World Live I was given a goody bag and amongst other things this included a bottle of wine and a book. I chose a book about houseplants. A couple of days ago I decided to have a read of it. Not only is it informative but it have lovely illustrations too. A pretty book.

Browsing my e reader’s site a week or so ago (it’s not a Kindle) I found a couple of Monty Don’s books that I hadn’t read for a very reasonable price, The Jewel Garden and Japanese Gardens. Read Jewel Garden in a weekend and am about to finish Japanese Gardens. The other day I brought some fiction books for the grand total of about £3 for all of them.

Took the kids into town and popped into The Works – which generally results in the outlay of money, this time was no exception! Two notebooks (one for me one for Madam) two tubes of bubble stuff (Sir) and a book called Lunar Living which I have been curious about for a while. I started reading the same evening. I am not disappointed, it is resonating with me.

I also have Monty Don’s The Complete Gardener which is a massive book and am slowly making my way through it. It’s heavy so I either need to put it on a table or read in short bursts!

And then there’s a book I started last Christmas… it’s a good book! I just don’t get the chance to read that one very often. Hopefully now reading is becoming more of a habit it might actually get finished!

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Word of the Week 22/07/2022 Weather #WotW

Had to weather related didn’t it? After all we’ve had so much weather this week it’s overshadowed everything that’s happened.

Would it really get that hot I wondered on Saturday? We ate outside over the weekend it was lovely.

Yes, it turned out it could get that hot.

We kept the Little Dears inside on Monday and Tuesday, armed with water bottles and Julia Donaldson films on Youtube the weather didn’t bother us to that degree. Sir had a school trip cancelled due to the weather, however Madam went on a trip to Llandudno on Tuesday. The weather was much cooler there she informs me and a great time was had by everyone.

The weather has wreaked havoc in my greenhouses though. Cuttings and seedlings shrivelled up to nothing. Tomato plant that looked like it had spent a week in the Sahara. I lost a pepper plant today. Not good at all.

Tuesday night was ridiculous. I have never sweated so much in my life. TMI I know. I was so relieved when the weather turned back to normal!

I hope you were all okay in the heat. Now we’ve broke up for the holidays I hope the nice pleasant weather continues!

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