Potager update

Last weekend had the most delicious sunshine which made for an amazing change from the usual weekend weather.

So in between ferrying various sons here, there and everywhere, Himself and I continued to work in the garden. The large potager now has a number of the new beds filled with the most yumpcious home grown compost - as a result of more luck than good garden husbandry I have to add.

The smaller potager - which I have ear marked as the 'Saladary' is now in action as Youngest and I have sown radish and various salad crops (hence the name).

As usual the weekend evaporated with indecent haste - and as I have twisted my knee - gardening has been put on hold (temporarily) while my knee starts to feel well again. Any hoo - that's what happens when you are a stampcrab*!

*Isn't that a wonderful word? I learnt it on Monday and it means heavy footed or clumsy.

Post script...
A day or two has passed since I wrote this post and my knee is behaving surprisingly well, well enough to do a little bit of tentative gardening and to be able to return to volunteering at the walled garden on Thursday - I am so looking forward to being out there again :)

Add caption

I am keeping a record of all the goings on in the two Potagers  on The Potager gardens 2017 page.

Round up :)

Happy Monday!

Morning :) What a difference a few days of sunshine makes to a northern dwelling southerner!

Woah! What beautiful photographs and excellent stories were shared in our Scavenger Photo Hunt - well done, there was so many lovely little vignettes and memories from everyone. Definitely worth visiting if you missed reading them.

Lovely Lady certainly had a crafting and chickens theme running through her photos, while Jak of Jak's Tales had lovely memories and stories from Africa.

Susan of GRANNY SMITH'S QUILTING, despite mentioning she thought that this month's selection was hard, came up with a lovely narrative of home and outings both here in the UK and Australia. Jill at the Land of the Big Sky did her best to join in but was too poorly - hope you feel better soon Jill :)

Julie - from Julie's Scrapbook hosts a link-up of her own every December which Jak, Susan and I joined in - they are good incentive to see things differently. You should check out her first and last photos (of a jug of flowers).

Lisa N, from Needles and Wool joined us for the first time and cleverly used the list of words to introduce herself, while Jules from  A Hidden Jem used the list to create an entire story of a walk with her daughter - I think she did this incredibly well and really enjoyed reading her post.

Wildaboutworld, who has joined in before (sporadically! - I know she won't mind me saying that!!) came back with a flourish and shared some excellent photos, in particular the most beautiful scarecrow I have ever seen.

Last but certainly not least - J from Simple Natural Handmade displayed her photos in a montage using her new macro lens and a new app on her iPad and I think she nailed it! Nice one.

Things that I have learnt this month - blue seems to be a favourite colour, The dancing scarecrow proved to be very popular and we all have family favourite recipes that are worth sharing.

Thank you everyone who was involved, I shall  be posting April's list soon - until then...

...have a lovely week!

March 2017 Link up Party

If you have joined in with my

Scavenger hunt, please link

with me on your blog :)

Please add your name to the

link up tool below,

just follow the easy instructions,

don't worry - if I can do it so can you!

Please just add your Name or Blog Name in the 'Link Title',

Now, let the Link-up Party begin!

Don't forget to leave a comment when you visit :)

March Scavenger photo hunt

 Flowers 

A beautiful vibrant bunch from my dear Himself for Valentine's day.

He has never missed a year since we first met.

Never, ever.

Baking or cooking

Leek and Potato Soup - thick rings of freshly washed leeks.

My favourite recipe at the end of the post***.

Reading

Wigtown Book Festival

A couple of years ago, I bravely set off sans Himself

and took the boys to Galloway for a week.

We visited Wigtown, sadly not during the book festival

which had concluded the day before we arrived.

However, we feasted our eyes and senses by visiting all the bookshops

carefully lifting, sniffing, feeling the books.

Delighting in the quotes and the quirks

finally retiring in a bookshop that served delicious hot chocolate

with a side dish of the written word,

wonderful.

Comfortable

We have two cats, each a 'little purrson' in their own right.

Pepper is effusive, enthusiastic, a bossy team player,

a leader, a supervisor, is vocal, demanding and insistent.

And then there is Pan.

A quiet, determined, independent and shy princess.

We hold our breath if she chooses to sit on our lap,

we tell each other if we've been allowed to stroke her,

so when, be still my beating heart,

my dear Pan decides to sleep near my desk while I paint,

I take a photo - because I don't know when 

I will next be blessed by her company.

Favourite Colour

...Is not pink...

Candle/s

Eldest reached his 19th milestone in March,

19. 

19 years ago we lived in Africa,

19 years ago, we lived on an avocado and guava farm,

19 years ago I gardened carefully to avoid snakes,

19 years ago I had a small blonde baby

who now is tall and serious and amazing.

Hat

You know when you are out and about, 

looking out of the car window,

rain streaked and misty.

Your eyes drag across the passing scenery,

seeing yet not seeing.

Then suddenly something catches your gaze,

grabs your attention,

forces you to screech 

and demand a stop.

(This usually startles Himself to do the perfect emergency stop ...)

Then, a sweet smile and an innocent request

to reverse .....

so you can take a photograph

of a pig with a hat......

Walk

Our walks, pre-dog, usually had some mud involved.

Now, with dog, mud is guaranteed.

Even a simple constitutional walk

now has mud as an integral ingredient....

Favourite mug or cup and saucer

Not one that I use often during winter,

it tends not to keep my drink warm.

I prefer using it in summer when herbal infusions

are fine

hot or cold

and look a lot prettier

in this.

No, during winter,

give me chunky thick mugs

built to last

built to hold gallons

of steaming hot tea!

My own choice

In the small town of Coldstream, Scotland,

 we had driven around the back of the town centre,

looking for parking. 

Having found a quiet little road, lined by quaint shops, 

we chose to potter around this un-touristy area

rather than the more populated and visitor-centric main street.

We visited a lovely little museum,

topsy-turvy charity shops,

a dusty bookshop,

walked passed traditional houses

and a vernacular pub.

A little further along, we discovered a small park 

with a narrow but vigorous stream gurgling through it.

On the bridge, this sign.

Not 100 metres from said pub!

***Leek and Potato Soup

Gently heat oil in heavy based pan, add a chopped onion, 225gms of chopped potatoes, I leave the skins on and  3 medium leeks - washed and chopped.

Cook for 3 - 4 minutes until everything starts to soften and look glossy.

Add about a litre of vegetable stock and bring to the boil.

Season and simmer until all the vegetables are tender.

Removed from heat, cool slightly and whizzzzzzz until as smooth as you like, gently re-warm. Check seasoning and add if you need to.

Serve in warmed bowls with crusty bread and a flourish of coarsely ground black pepper - yum yum yum.

DON'T LOOK AT THE LIGHT! Aaaaaaargh!

I was just going to post a quick reminder about the Scavenger Photo Hunt, 

just a quick post 

- you know the type - 

 Five minutes at the very most....

When - blogger pulled a fast one! They have added all sorts of new and shiny looking templates and with an invitation to .......

'come and have a look'

 and a promise of 

'you can return to your original layout at any time'

 All I had to do was to save my template and I could revert back if I wished.

I was well and truly hooked.

It took me about five minutes to choose a new theme, one minute to realise that, once I'd set it up I could not alter the heading photo - I had to use the one they supplied which was ...

A cat.

 I like cats, 

I own cats,

my cats own me 

but this..was..not..my..cat!

It took a further five minutes to realise that although I 'can return to your original layout' that it was not the same - lots of pop-ups kept popping up (as they do) saying that this widget or that option was no longer visible or had moved or had been deleted all together! The layout no longer fitted the screen and all the text was over the images. The colour had changed and so had the font .... What?!?

Finally, THIRTY MINUTES LATER, I have managed to replace my layout back to a similar format I had before ... minus some things that have 'got lost' - 

Blogger..you.are.not.liked.very.much.at.this.moment - grrrrr

Now where was I, ah yes, deep breath, brush myself down, look out the window and see the snow has finally stopped, and ....

Don't forget that this Friday - 

24th March, 

is our big reveal of our photos for the Scavenger Photo Hunt.

As usual I will post a page where we can put all our links, please put your name or your blog's name and not the title of your post in the link. Til then!

PS think I need a lie down after that nonsense with blogger - sigh!

Six things that made me smile this Saturday

 Six things that made me smile this Saturday

1. An unexpected egg from an mature hen, who retired herself last year and retrained as a bug and weed inspector - a job she has done exceedingly well.

2. Hand writing a slate for the larger potager and symbolically hanging it on the nervous tree - it can relax for a bit longer, it has two important roles this year - sweetpea support and slate sign holder. It's position will be reassessed at the end of the year.

3. A dilly dog sitting still long enough to be in my picture

4. Being able to make a start on the lay out of the brick edges for the potager beds before it got too wet.

5. Sowing seeds while the hen takes a well earned dust bath beneath my potting tray as the rain hammered on the greenhouse roof

6. Watching as Himself places the 'birthday bench' (a gift from my folks) into pride of place 

Then, due to the inclement weather we had to reluctantly declare defeat and retreat to the house where I made leek and potato soup and 'Betty Ferrie's Shetland Oatcakes. 

A gentle day, filled with quiet smiles and muddy puddles. But, if it was an indication of what was to come - spring is definitely on her way :)

And you - what made you smile today?

Where you defeated by the rain?

How is your garden growing ?

There will be consequences ...

Wednesday turned out to be sublime. Gentle sunshine and warm air. Clear views and out of the blue and most welcome - a walk with friends. Moss could not wait and as soon as her lead made an appearance, she shuffled her bottom closer and closer until she practically sat on my feet. Her eyes glued steadfastly on her lead.

We set off, our walking pack a few houses up the hill were waiting for us. Moss - who if left to her own devices will pull like a steam train - was made to heel and she, despite her obvious pique soon trotted nicely and stopped trying to dislocate my left shoulder!

My friend and I chatted, her daughter coming a short way before returning to continue with her crochet, while the dogs flew around the fields. Three border collies pretended to be rockets accelerating with ease -three black and white cannonballs fly by.

We crossed up the hill, found a deep track loved by walkers, cyclists and horse riders alike and followed it back down to farmland. In places there were deep ruts filled with the most*delicious*deep*thick*chocolate*coloured*mud*. Moss was in her element. Although I had taken my camera, I completely forgot to take evidence of the bog monster which squelched out of the sludge..... My friend was amused if not a little taken aback at Moss' delight at wallowing and dredging at every opportunity. Her two dogs skipped and flew over mud and were as clean at the end of our walk as they were when we started....Not Moss. Happy muddy dog. We did manage to find a clean stream half way back which Moss leapt in with such a silly grin. Happy slightly less muddy dog.

There is a downside to this story.... the inevitable shower when we returned.... made all the more humiliating by the intervention and involvement by the cat. Pepper not only supervised but got in on the act. 

There was so much head bopping and butting. Pepper purred and bripped while Moss sat in the shower. The supervisor kept walking along the bath edge with paw extended to tap the dog on her head or nose.

The attention did not end when the water was switched off, no, with a towel wrapped dog out of the bath, Pepper could now get closer and even more involved. Poor Moss - she did not know what to do and kept giving me ' help me' eyes! I did what any self respecting dog loving owner did ... I took photos!

 Now, squeaky clean, exhausted by her play out and her bath and recovered from the over enthusiastic attention of a loving cat, Moss sleeps and dreams of being a rocket and crash landing in mud.....

A gentle reminder that March's Photo Hunt is coming up,

pictures to be posted on Friday the 24th.

The list of words is at the top right beneath my banner picture.

Don't forget to use the linky-tool once you have posted

so we can all come and find you and see your photos!

Looking forward to the 24th :)

Belated Ta-Da! and Hap update

Finished my blanket

Although laid out on the bed

it is destined for the settee.

143 rows of lazy ripple

in 21 shades of Stylecraft.

Three edging rows, two of single crochet,

the final edging in 'bunting' stitch.** 

Crocheted by me,

test driven by cats,

loved by us.

Yay!

The feather and fan pattern 

has started to really develop,

loving the process of the undulating rows.

Slow going compared to crochet

but

it is good to 'slow'

Feeling 'Hap'py :)

**I modified the bunting stitch from HERE

How are your wips doing?

Anything on the needles or hook?

What slow crafting are you doing?

Keep us in the loop (hehehe) I love to hear what you get up to :)

Lets get down and dirty!

Walled garden last year, crop rotation plans, lifting and moving path and plants, garden plans

Despite the present rather driech weather I am looking at outside of my window - it does actually feel a little (shhhhh going to say it quietly) a little *spring-like*.

There, I've done it, I have probably jinxed it and the tentative steps towards a bit of a growing season will be called to a shuddering halt!

I suspect what is helping this delicate spring-like feel is planning the larger of two new potager gardens as well as a meeting this afternoon with the National Trust Rangers to discuss the oncoming year for the walled garden (I am really really looking forward to returning to dibbling in the soil on the side of a high and windy hill - it cleanses the soul!)

Sunday, Himself and I with the help of the boys, cleared an area that has had to wait for winter to pass. Last autumn we removed an ENORMOUS leylandii as well as a small ratty wooden shed. We also lifted plants, cleared branches and trees from the end of our garden. Now the sunlight floods in - something that has not done so for a very long time.  We do still have a large conifer in situ and for the time being it will stay (although I have narrowed my eyes at it several times .... it feels nervous) So in order that the tree feels useful, I have now wrapped it in netting and sweetpeas will climb up and beautify that rather gnarly tree trunk.

Brick path and Moss demonstrating where she is allowed to trot ....

Another new area (the second smaller potager) is nearer the house and is a raised walled bed - I am going to use this as a salad area with quick crops such as radish and cut and come again salad leaves - can't wait!

Second, smaller potager, rosemary cuttings, spinach seedlings

The rudiments of the larger potager garden has been laid out, complete with brick pathway and central seating area. I had planned to lay out the bed shapes with string but we ran out of time and light. Never mind, time flies when you are having fun :)

Yup - all good positive growing stuff!

And you? How was your weekend?

Did you get anything done or did the weather thwart you?

Did you get any seeds sown?

Did you get mud under your nails and twigs in your hair?

Go one, spill the beans (or plant them!) and share what you got up  too - I love to hear about your day too :)

Monday morning ramblings with coffee

Sitting squinting with the sun blazing into my left eye and warming my left cheek - I am gently procrastinating. You see, I have three more paintings to complete for an order and one more waiting to be started. So what do I do? I sip coffee as I quietly sit and revel in the most delicious sunlight surrounded by two cats and sleeping dog.

I feel to have been starved of sunlight the last few months, winter has been a rather drab and dreary affair slipping for the most part from one grey day to another. Occasionally there has been a brief but delightful flash of a watery sun however as soon as it appeared, it faded and hid.

My crochet blanket has it's border, a different style for me and it (after a few false starts and a bit of crochet themed cussing) looks rather good - so I am happy :) I have no photos yet hence the distinctly low key ta da moment - that will have to wait. Eldest has both my camera lenses for the week for a uni-jolly-out that required a bit more than a cellphone camera.

I did however take some 'tablet-snaps' last night and again this morning in this most glorious of sunny mornings of my latest wip. After the methodical rhythmic and simple delight of crochet I have opted for a slightly more 'thinking' project. A feather and fan hap - in (according to the details on the label) 100% British Falkland Merino. I am not sure how 'local' Falkland wool is, certainly it has a great number of air miles attached to it, history confirms the 'Britishness' of the Falklanders and the purchase of it helps support a small island community.  Here lies in the rub - it is less expensive than purchasing a similar hank from a genuinely local supplier ....  After a little bit of research it seems that due to the climate, Falkland sheep don't have the same problems of fly strike, the fleeces are therefore in better condition and the animals are consequently not subjected to external pesticides.

Any hoo, this weekend has been a milestone in many ways, Eldest officially turned 19 last week and due to logistics of family, friends and university - this particular birthday lasted over 9 days! Two weekends of family celebrations and during the week at uni there seemed an awful lot of jollity and visiting eateries of one sort or another. My brother and fave sis-in-law moved further north, chasing jobs and although not that far away - they could be on the other side of the world, bit too far just to pop over for a brew and a quick chat, thank goodness for the internet. And I have gently returned to painting watercolours- something I am finding is not as 'flexible' as painting on slate. They are very tentative steps and I should have something to show by next week - hopefully by then I will have got back into the swing of things.

So, now,  as my wonderful wonderful (but distracting) sunshine has moved across my window and I can now finally stop squinting - I must get on and paint. Post weekend housework can wait!

Oh, before I go, I discovered a brilliant new phrase and it's meaning - 'Wool-gathering'  - the indulgence in aimless thought or dreamy imagining; absent mindedness. A vacant daze that leads to formless wool-gathering' Yup perfect.

(Thanks to J from SIMPLENATURALHANDMADE for sharing a word/phrase that I think fits me like a woolen knitted glove!)

Have a lovely and Happy Monday!

The music and magic of knit and natter

There is something satisfying about the sound of the gentle clack of knitting needles as they provide the background rhythm to our conversation. The rasp of the tapestry thread as it pulls through the canvas.

Even quieter is the fluid swish of the crochet hook, which requires you to listen very carefully, providing a graceful base note.

Tuesday is our knit and natter day, where we meet and chat and although I suspect we craft less and chat more. It is not so much the creating of wips but more the creating and strengthening of bonds.
We swap stories, we sympathise and we interject our 'two pence worth'. It is our way of keeping connected not only with each other and our lives but keeping us connected with the greater world.

We hear of village news..... did you hear so-in-so's funeral was last week?, we share family anecdotes ..... The fish tank has settled down and the new blue light at night looks good,  we keep each other up to date with local politics ..... that ridiculous ruling the council was trying to slip in has been dropped! ... and so on.

In between the weaving of conversations and the looping of yarn, we drink tea or coffee, hot lemon water and hot chocolate accompanied by frequently passed around treats. Each week we celebrate a goodly selection of calorific naughties, essential and forbidden in the same breath! Fruit and nutty crunchy oat biscuits, chocolate coated digestives, heart shaped lemon shortbread,  freshly made still slightly warm biscuits, fruit cake, lemon drizzle, Viennese whirls, wicked millionaire shortbread ... the list goes on, the selection only limited by our own imagination.

 Some weeks we resort to hastily purchased treats in the haze of a busy day and others we are swamped by frenzied baking which produces tasty delights, demoting the knitting and crochet to forgotten wips on our laps as we chat and chew and connect.

We are an eclectic mix, students, housewives, retired, grannies, mothers, self employed. We are who we are and we should be proud of the magic we can weave, our knitting pins and our crochet hooks are our wands and the yarn is the spell. I look forward to our circle of friendship and the magic we bind.

Now, much later, in the evening quiet of my home, I pick up my hook to continue the undulating pattern of my blanket. I am on my last row. Time to think of a border, time to think of a new project. My blanket on my lap has been privy to many conversations and is already a guardian of memories and secrets. Soon it will be ready to keep us warm and cozy.

And I find that so very very satisfying.

Gentle reminder that the Scavenger Photo Hunt is on for March,

The list of words is at the top right of my page.

Don't forget to grab your cameras,

write your words

and post your pictures

Friday 24th March!

❤❤❤❤❤❤❤

❤❤❤❤❤❤❤Happy TUESDAY to you all❤❤❤❤❤❤❤