Photo a day…..1st September

 I have not been well. Vertigo problems. I have not felt like taking photos or gardening. I have however been able to sit and finish my Quilt. This is for a friend who got married in January 2006, so it is long overdue.
I collected the fabrics for her over many years, ready for when she got married, then she upped and married a bit quick so I wasn’t able to finish the most ambitious one I have done yet in time for her wedding.
I’ll be taking it to her next week. It is a surprise (she knows it’s coming but not what it looks like) so please all those of you who know her don’t let her see this. I know she won’t find it on her own as she doesn’t surf!
I enjoyed every minute of the time it has taken, and it goes to her with all my love and best wishes for a long and happy marriage.

I hope my balance problems will soon let me get back to my gardening. All I can manage at the moment is a bit of harvesting of crops. And I can’t drive either…..what a pain!

Photo a day….27th August

Here is another photo from my Saturday jaunt. This was my view of the stage at The Globe Theatre in London. We weren’t allowed to take photos during the play so this was the intermission.

On Sunday and today I have had a funny migraine. One where there is no headache just flashing lights, nausea and vertigo. I’m not sure what brought it on, but suspect it might be the “dope” from the 7000 Scooters we have had buzzing round the roads here on the Island this weekend. The smell was horrible. I had to follow a load of them on Sunday afternoon and ended up in bed really dizzy.

I had planned a full day of gardening but honestly couldn’t face it. Hope I can do it tomorrow….! Lots to do!

Photo a day….25th August.

 I’m back from the big City…totally wiped out! But I need to do a photo a day so here is one I took in London.

We had lunch at the very quiet cafe at Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre before the play. This was the flower decoration on the table. The flowers were real, held in a sort of golden wire spiral thing in the bottom of the goldfish bowl, with pebbles in the bottom and water. It was very effective but very simple.

No gardening done today, but I did look out for allotments from the train. I saw two lots on the route from Portsmouth Harbour to Waterloo.

Blogging!

No photo…sorry. I meant to photograph the path we’ve worked so hard on but I forgot and it’s dark now. I was so busy today in the back garden. Then I walked the dogs through the allotments and got up a row of carrots, which we needed for dinner.
I’ve cooked a large batch of courgettes with onions, garlic and chopped tomatoes. I’ll freeze it tomorrow when it’s cool.
Tomorrow I’m away to London from quite early. We’re going to see “The Merchant of Venice” at the Globe Theatre. i won’t be standing….we shelled out £19 for seats way up high. I went once before to see Midsummer Night’s dream there and it was magical. I hope tomorrow is as good.
I won’t be blogging tomorrow…see you Sunday.

Photo a day…..23rd August

 This week is Regatta Week here in Seaview, and tonight was the fireworks display. I didn’t go down to watch as it means a walk back uphill in the dark, and DH isn’t fit to do it at the moment (knee problems) and I didn’t fancy it on my own. So I watched from our back bedroom window. This poor shot is handheld and therefore rather shaky….but I like it.

I got to the plot to harvest some veg today and pick the raspberries. I have a stack of courgettes to freeze for soup, and some cabbage to make into freezer coleslaw. Also we brought home a half sack of Desiree as the earlies are now finished.

I noticed that I have a beautiful spaghetti squash nearly ready for picking. I managed to track one down last year to try and it was over £2…so I am chuffed!

I pickled 4 jars of red cabbage today as well. Tomorrow I must do another lot. I get 4 jars from one head.

Water Butt Saga….update

Also today….I started to install the replacement water butts from Blackwall. I reported the problems we had with the bases collapsing a few weeks ago. They have sent me new ones as there is a 5 year guarantee on them.

Unfortunately one of them had a crushed bottom! I could go ahead and install it, but am loth to do all that work in case it does what the old buckled one does when it is full….see next picture.

So….I phoned their Freephone number and explained and a new one will soon be on it’s way to me.

Thank goodness I have that skip in the drive…..I’d have a number of trips to the tip otherwise with the two old buckled ones and the new buckled one.

I have a feeling this saga could go on and on and on!

The second picture shows the full old buckled butt leaning precariously, supported by a stick. I have my Hoselok water pump working to empty it before installing the new one. That pump was a wonderful buy and enables me to move water all over the garden….and if we have a drought it will enable me to re-use the bath water too.

 

Photo a day…..22nd August

 Here is why I haven’t been very busy blogging….or at the plot. We have a skip for 10 days and I’m working like mad to make sure I fill it before it goes away.

We have had a strong young man in doing the paths….gravel and paving slabs over terram, and so a lot of this was filled by him; but I’ve done a fair bit too. I moved a heap of soil (about 12 barrow loads) from a flower bed I’m converting to a shrub bed and which was the dumping ground for a lot of sub-soil for a few weeks. I have also cut down loads of branches and dug up some old rose roots and piles of bindweed roots from the bed too.

We are also taking the opportunity to clear away lots of rubbish we had accumulated. I expect we could really do with another skip…..but I’ll have a rest first I think. I hope!

Come the Autumn we’ll be re-doing the front garden too…..so another skip will be coming then presumably.

Tomorrow and Friday I plan to carry on with the soil shifting….back permitting. The bed we’re converting to shrubs is rather mounded up the fence at the moment. It was like that when we moved here. It isn’t our fence to replace but I still feel it would last longer without the soil heaped up. There is a lot to move as well as weed out so I’ll be busy….!

No photo a day….20th August

Sorry ….no photo today. I am run off my feet with busyness!

We have a skip on the drive and DH assures me they collect it after 10 days. He ordered the huge one…! I am run ragged trying to fill it up in that short space of time.

We are doing new paths around the house, gravel over Terram with some slabs as well, and they take a lot of effort. I have help for the heavy stuff but I’m still doing a lot of physical work and am tired and forgetful. Hence no photo, and no blog reading today.

I’ll catch up tomorrow…..!

Photo a day…..19th August

 Guess what the name of this quilt was…….! I was delighted to see that one of the quilts at the Festival of Quilts at Birmingham NEC combined my two main hobbies. It was entitled “The Allotment”!

It was about 3 ft square. Made by Margaret McClory, of Newtownlands, Northern Ireland.

The blurb said….”Design based on a shed, plants and objects found at my daughter’s allotment. Also contains writings related to nature and growing things.”

In the lower picture you can see a close-up, which shows the detail in the quilting.

My sister and I had a wonderful two days at the show and feel we could still have done with more time. Perhaps we’ll do three days next year!!!

Now that my visitors are gone, and the weather is supposed to improve this week, I’ll be able to catch up with the mountain of work I have to do here in my Kitchen Garden and at the plot. I also have huge quantities of vegetables to be frozen…..!

NB Lucky-1 has nominated me for a Blog Award. Thanks Lucky-1.!!!

Photo a day…..16th August

As promised….a picture of my old plot. I got this to a clean, weed free state last year, and was sort of pushed off by the plotholder who wanted to come back and do it on her own again….with another friend. This is the state of it now…..!

I am rather disappointed, but glad to have my own plot where I am boss and not subject to the whims and fancies of someone else….!

No posting now until Sunday as I will be away…..Birmingham….The Festival of Quilts. My sister and I are going for two days this year…there is sooooo much to see!