Tuesday, April 28

busy, busy, busy ...

well, i've been busy shopping and now have lots of new fibre to play with thanks to a visit to twist fibres, if you are within 100 miles of this shop you should pay a visit - it's an aladdin's cave full of temptation and peter and laura are really lovely and helpful, as is everyone who works here :)

while i was there i also picked up some natural dyes so, thanks to some help from this great book, i'm going to start experimenting.

and then there's the falkland wool which i'll be trying for the first time, instead of the merino i usually use. oh and also some yarns to practise weaving.

so, i think i'll be busy for a while but will hopefully return with lots of pics of new work to share!

a celebration of tulips

even more flowers but i just couldn't resist ...






Saturday, April 25

garden update iii

loads more pics from our little haven, for which i make no apology! the garden is looking so beautiful just now that i want to capture every single moment of it, every time i open the door my heart just sings at the joy and beauty of our plant life. and the birds are in full song at the moment. it's like a little refuge from the hustle and bustle that exists outside our harmonious bubble :) and then there's the hayfever which is also in full swing - don't you think that gardeners should be exempt from hayfever?!

speedwell in the lawn
rosemary happy to be in the new herb garden
can't wait for that first taste of our new season potatoes!
potatoes ready for planting
every day i check for plums, perhaps i'm too impatient :)
the plum gage is slowwwwwly starting off
yaaaaaaaaaaay, two of the parsnip seeds have germinated
lovely narcissus


london pride about to flower
the lavender has really taken off after we trimmed them the other week
not too sure if this golden thyme is going to revive but it's in our new herb bed in the hope it will
the gladioli are keen to get going this year!
funnily enough i'm not so bothered about the dandelions in the lawn now that i know i can dye with them!
daff and narcissus still in bloom
we still haven't given our front lawn it's first cut (much to the annoyance of our bowling-lawn type loving neighbours!) as it's full of these lovely cuckoo flowers
this comfrey was intended as garden fertiliser, until i learned it can also be used in the dye pot!
our bargain cherry tree going from strength to strength, i check every day for the start of blossom!
when we moved in the californian poppies were about the only flower in the garden, these yellow ones first appeared last year
more californian poppies to come
orange californian poppies
border at the side of our path
an artichoke just starting to peek out from the soil

Thursday, April 23

atlt 44 of 365

our new stove

atlt 43 of 365

fresh bread rolls - straight out of the oven, so warm that the butter melts

atlt 42 of 365

a gift of jelly

Wednesday, April 22

garden update, part ii

pics from mar/apr ...

first set of seeds all tucked up in the greenhouse
strawberry plants coming on
dafflidill
our new comfrey which is going to feed our veg, thanks to m, a fellow freecycler
morning glory, sweet peas, parsnip and sea holly seeds chitting
dafflidill
mini iris and lilac cutting from nan's garden
mini iris
pots of herbs, garlic and bay trees

atlt 41 of 365

blue skies

atlt 40 of 365

goodies from the garden

atlt 39 of 365

birdsong

atlt 38 of 365

hawthorn leaves

garden update

so, as time is short - here's some more pics!

garden progress as of feb / mar ...

cutting from the swedish whitebeam that my brother planted in my nan's garden when he was about seven
strawberry plant grown from a tiny cutting taken from a plant sprouting from a wall on the way to work
this year's potato crop waiting to sprout
oregano, sweetpeas and honesty from seed
cutting taken from the lilac tree in my nan's garden
lavender and london pride just starting to grow again in the new border
our bargain dogwood shrub from lidl
another bargain from lidl, cherry tree just starting into leaf