A Different View of the Garden

Today started with some seriously heavy rain. Our plans for the garden were on hold all morning but thankfully the clouds passed, the sky turned blue and the sun shone.

Our plans for today included de-spidering the summer house!

Something HG does every year for me :-)

The summer house is at the bottom of the garden, (or should that be the top). I never really know whether the path goes up or down the garden.

The fact is that from the summer house you see the garden from a different angle and it always surprises me.

And you find things you hadn't noticed before. Here, some of last strawberries have self seeded in the gravel - may be from a BBQ eaten there last year.

I have to find out the name of this shrub but I like to think of it as Pink Cloud :-)
The last of our day lilies - this orange one gives a splash of colour.
And this shrub is almost hidden from the house but from the either end is on full view
The Yellow Globe Buddleia is in full flower alongside the washing line.
The washing line is almost inaccessible.
I had wanted to remove this path at one time but it defeated me! Instead I let the plants cover it - much to the annoyance of younger family members :-) I love the smell of the lavender though as you brush through it.

A glimpse of the summer house.

Mid vacuuming stage!

And ready for occupation!

The final stage will involve relaxation: soft lights, a bottle of red, and perhaps a large amount of chocolate!

Hydrangeas Come Into Bloom

Our good news is that HG has a job :-) After the shock of being made redundant and feeling thrown on the scrapheap he has something completely different! And he loves it!

No more sleepless nights! No more 12 hour days!. No more days without seeing daylight :-) No more hassle about alarms and call outs in the night! And now no more job application forms for jobs that he knew weren't suitable for him! Life begins again!

I know I posted a bee last time but couldn't resist this one :-) This lavender is so beautiful too. Some of our lavenders are not yet in flower - I hadn't noticed before that they flower separately. I am pleased that they do; it will lengthen the flowering time. This Yellow Loosestrife can be invasive but we simply pull it up if it seeds where we don't want it. It can be quite impressive when left in a clump. This very pale Hydrangea is not my favourite but I am hoping that as it matures the flowers will become larger. The lily beetles continue to attack! I keep removing them but clearly I need to find out more about their habits! Our lilies are being devastated! This shrub attracts insects but they don't seem to eat it! I really should do more with the Lavender. I have read other blogs about drying it but haven't really had any success. I have also ready about eating it, but haven't tried that yet. Our Little Christmas Tree continues to grow. We will have to relocate the bird bath soon!And here is my favourite flower of the moment - I don't know the name of this Hydrangea but suspect it might have something to do with electric blue :-)
As this is supposed to be my gardening journal I should mention that the slugs have stripped the Cosmea back to the stems, the rocket has seeded before we got around to picking it, the Erigeron has not seeded in the gravel at all and has been moved onto the terrace. :-)

Pond Life, & Bees

We managed to spend some time in the garden today. The pond is brimming with life. The wire netting at the edge has worked so far and our much of the frogspawn survived. In previous years we lost most of it to other wildlife - unbelievably we learnt that foxes eat frogspawn as do herons!

Look at this beautiful little newt. Our first froglet :-)

(Well the first one seen anyway)

And the bees are everywhere!

Quite frankly I find this one a little bit freaky but I do like them in the garden :-)

Tomorrow I have to get down to the weeding!

Thanks to HG for the pond dipping :-)

Geraniums and Peonies

Earlier in the year I moved our peonies. I had originally planted them at the bottom of the garden and so we rarely enjoyed them at their best. I decided to move them nearer to the house. This year, as I expected, they have not flowered so well but I am confident they will recover and flower again next year.

This is the only peony flower in our garden this year. The geraniums, however, are flowering profusely and are attracting a mass of bees!
I am trying to make a collection of geraniums but naming the varieties is difficult :-)
I am hopeless with Latin names (I didn't learn Latin at school).
Any advice on remembering Latin names will be gratefully received :-)

An English Summer

They say that an English summer is three sunny days and a thunder storm. Perhaps that's not quite true but its typical that after working in an office Monday to Friday it rains on Saturday! And we had a huge rumble of thunder this morning! Its been an eventful week and I had plans for this morning. I had hoped to visit an Open Gardens Event but it wasn't to be. It must be a huge disappointment for all those gardeners who have spent so many many hours preparing their own gardens only to have this amount of rain today. It is coming down in stair rods!
We managed to sit in the garden for a short while on a couple of days after work. I am pleased to say the birds are much tamer this year! One blackbird especially comes almost right up to us and I had planned to catch him on camera this weekend :-) Maybe tomorrow!

Scarlet Lily Beetles

Not all is rosy in our garden.

This morning I noticed that our lilies, one in particular, has been attacked. This is the culprit - A Scarlet Lily Beetle
In fact there was more than one.
I found these two and then two more doing their best to multiply!

It is difficult to know what to do when you have made a decision never to use poisons in the garden.

They have been removed and I will have to keep a close eye for the next generation. With so many birds I wonder if they have a natural predator?

Scarlet Lily Beetles

200th Post - Royal Bath & West Show

I can hardly believe this is my 200th post! It seems quite important that I should have something worth showing or some momentous occasion in my life :-)

So here goes! I spent yesterday at the Royal Bath & West Show, a first for me and probably something I won't forget. It was certainly an experience and I have learnt a lot!

I am grateful to the EPA and the staff from Supporting Somerset for the opportunity they gave me.

I left home at 6am to arrive in time for the opening.

I took so many photos that it is difficult to pick just a few out but these are some of the images that at least made me think and some that made me smile.

Are we over cautious about lean meat?

Was this sign really necessary next to the judging enclosure? Should I be vegetarian?
Will some people do anything to earn a living? :-)

How many people has Prince Charles shaken hands with? :-)

[This is cropped quite a bit, I didn't get to shake hands :-)]

And how many images of PC are there on the net? :-)

The EPA, Bath & West Show and Glastonbury 2009

Finally, after months and weeks of planning, (and years of wishing on my part) I am exhibiting my products at the Bath & West Show.

One of the great things about being in a co-operative is that we have a rota for the show. We don't all have to be there everyday and so I am there, but then again I'm not :-). It is ideal for me. I am sharing a card stand and a unit with another EPA member, not all these items are mine, but the greeting cards on view in the stand, plus the place mats, coasters and prep boards are. If you are visiting the show look out for the Exmoor Producers Association stand and say hello.

Royal Bath & West Show 2009

Unlike those members who have stayed over we were able to travel home again today. We have had a long and eventful day but decided to walk up to Glastonbury Tor on the way back to blow some cobwebs away. It felt like hurricane force up at the top. Anyone who visited today will know exactly how strong the wind was. We had trouble standing up!

Looking through the arches.

A more traditional view of Glastonbury Tor

Me taking a rest. Not the best pic of me, the wind played havoc with my hair! :-)

This is more like me, sheltering from the wind, and head in the bag from the bakery :-)

Wishing everyone at the Bath & West Show a really great week!

A Flower Celebration

Azalea

It was good to be in the garden today. I have aching bones after bending and weeding but it was a job well done. Bird seed may seem a good idea in January but in May, when it shoots up through your flower borders, it is not so good!

Now it's time to sit down with a bar of chocolate and a glass of wine!

Up The Garden Path

It's May already and the garden continues to develop.

This is not an instant garden, it has taken years to get this far, and there are still plans to move the shed and make changes.

This path runs below the washing line and I walk it at least twice daily in dry weather :-)

But the flower beds are full and that's what I had always hoped for.

Colour, variety, and no soil on view :-)
The Geraniums are filling out.
The Azaleas are in flower.
London Pride is sending shoots into the air.

And the Forget Me Nots are filling in the gaps.

Some may consider them a weed, but they have their uses.

And they are free! Once you have them they will seed for years.

They are aptly named :-)

Last year the frogspawn was stolen from the wildlife pond, this year the simple plastic netting barrier has saved it.It is teeming with tadpoles.Lastly, our allotment has been taken over by someone else. Despite what I was told, allotments are a lot of work; ours proved too much last year and we gave it back. This year we are growing our salad in containers on the patio.

We are grateful to have one garden :-)

Shopping Locally

A couple of years ago I decided to start my own very small business making, and selling, greeting cards with original photographs. I joined the Exmoor Producers Association and as part of that association sell my products in their shop in Friday Street, Minehead. My own business is not on a grand scale by any means but I am pleased to say that I have received many great comments from customers and they come back for more :-). I am really pleased with the amount of support I have received.

As HG is forced to continue as a house husband (we don't like the word redundant!), I have decided to up the anti a little with my own business and have made some plans which will hopefully prove successful. Framed photographs are now on display in the shop along with coasters, place mats, and kitchen prep boards, made to a high quality by another locally run business, all displaying some of my own favourite photographs.

I will also have framed photographs and greeting cards on sale in Cream, in The Parade, Minehead, from 6th May for one month and, with the EPA, I will be taking my products to the Bath & West Show for the first time this year! Its is really exciting and just a little bit scary :-). If you are around pop in take a look.

Please remember, there are a whole host of independent traders around wherever you live so please give them support. I am not ruling a website out but if we want our local high streets to survive we must use them. Woolworths is proof of that and no one more than HG and I understand the need for customers to walk through the door.

On line shopping is fine but we all need to get out of our little boxes and away from our screens occasionally :-)

If you are interested in becoming a member of the Exmoor Producers Association please visit their website or call in to the shop for an information pack.

Primroses and Forget Me Nots

Spring is my favourite time of year. The weather is improving and it is warm in the sun if not in the shade. Sometimes I have to remind myself it is only April :-)

The Primroses have seeded even more this year and are growing in the flower beds, the lawn and the gravel. The Magnolia is in full flower.
The Forget Me Nots are flowering even though they are still not very tall.

And there are two mounds of Pink Primroses amongst the Bluebell leaves.

The only downside is the bindweed has already started to shoot up and will need dealing with this weekend, plus our perennial problem with slugs and birds eating our daffodils. This has happened year after year now and I give up trying to stop it. Last year some one kindly commented and said that birds do peck yellow flowers and offer them as part of the mating game. How can I begrudge a petal or two :-)

Wishing you all a happy gardening weekend!

Snow, Daffs & Frogspawn

The little Tete A Tetes that I bought last year have sprung up again. They seem to have come up almost overnight despite the changeable weather we are having. The Tete A Tetes planted in the ground are doing just as well but I think this is the first year I have photographed daffodils in the snow (well wet slush really!)
The picnic table had a dusting of snow this morning. We have never put our wooden garden furniture away in the winter, it has never seemed necessary, but it is a very good job that HG treated it last year!

The frogs have done their business and the little pond is full of spawn. We have placed some plastic netting over it for the time being to try to protect it from predators.

I can't wait for spring to come properly :-) I love the time of year when you can come home from work and sit or work for just half an hour in the garden :-) We have some yellow primulas out, but they have already been attacked by birds - a small price to pay.

Frogspawn Appears Feb 2009

We have frogs in this pond this week. They seemed to take a little while to party this year, hanging around before spawning.

Looking back at last year we first saw frogspawn on 26th January (2008)

The frogs are almost a month later this year.

The cold weather really has made a difference. But they are making up for lost time:-)
The pond is almost full.
Its time to make our little wildlife pond heron proof!

January 2008 - Frogs Appear

January 2007 - Frogs Appear

Last Snow, First Frogs

Could you guess where this is? How about this?
Amazing, a week after the snow vanished from our garden .....
there is still snow on Dunkery.
But its melting fast in the sunshine today.
The pathway is becoming a stream.
The view was worth the wet feet.
But we didn't make it right to the top. I trod in a dug out rain gulley and the cold water filled my boots :-)

Who would believe, on the same day, we saw the first frogs in the pond back at home!

Spring really is on the way :-)

Hopcott or Narnia

Me and my trusty tripod:-)

You may be fed up with the snow but it's still a novelty for us HG and I walked up the hill today as school was closed.
It was incredibly beautiful.

Who says it never snows in Minehead :-)
Well, it might have been me :-)
But I have been proved wrong :-)

Snow Proof

At last we had a little bit of snow in our garden. HG took these pics, the snow came thick and fast for a very short while.
The ground was cold and the snow settled.

Just a sprinkling in our garden.

And then the sun came out and melted it all away.

This is the most snow we have had for years!

Snow ploughs need not apply :-)

Deer On The Way To Dulverton

The temperature is actually freezing today although it has been bright and sunny.

The forecast is for snow but none here. I had hoped to get a few snowy scenes but no luck.

We did come across deer very close to the edge of the road. They moved down the hill as we drew near and by the time we had stopped and grabbed the camera they had all but vanished :-)

I wish I had taken a zoom lens but if you click to enlarge you might just find a deer :-)

Horner Water

When HG was made redundant we made a list of good and bad points.

One of the good points is that he has more time to walk in our beautiful countryside.

On Sunday we walked along Horner Water.

The trees may be bare but notice how green the rocks and fallen trees are, covered in moss and lichen.

January 09

It has been an eventful month to say the least. HG has been made redundant after working for Woolworths for 37 years!
Who ever thought it would come to this!
No more Woolies! Can you believe it!
Our sympathies go to everyone who has lost their job in this crazy credit crunch! May you find new jobs and maybe a change of career. Hold your heads high!
Over 800 Woolies stores closed, 27,000 + made redundant! They are not alone!
Many Woolies staff have compared the company to a family and it is true.
For many it was their life.
Life long friendships were formed over the years.
I met HG when I was a Saturday girl all those years ago :-) and we have many friends who met their partners there too. The phone rings daily :-)

They are concerned for each other.
An end of an era. Time to try to understand what went wrong.
And then the start of something new :-)

(This pheasant has visited our garden several times over the last few days. He has found the seed put out for our wild birds.)

December - Frost on Grass

We woke to the first severe frost this morning.The lawn is still white at midday and the pond and bird bath were frozen - we have replaced the water in the bird bath and made a made a hole in the ice on the pond.

Left in the cold :-)

Christmas Candlelight

I've been asked by a few of my blogging friends about how my little business is going, and so I have decided to share :-) It is ticking along nicely. Nothing to rival Hallmark or John Lewis but I am enjoying myself and having some fun. I like to be creative and this satisfies a sort of need in my soul :-)

I have been busy preparing for a Christmas Show

This year the theme of my Christmas cards is 'Candle Light'

There will also be framed photographs, table mats and coasters. Wish me luck :-)

Dulverton Guildhall Arts & Heritage Centre ~ Free Entry ~ Fri 21st Nov - Sun 7th Oct.

Bonfire Night

This year Butlins arranged a firework display for locals Do you prefer colours? Or black and white? :-)
It was a shame there was so much smoke :-)

Feed the Birds

With the abundance of fruit growing wild our little birds disappeared for months this year. Now the weather has grown colder, and I guess the fruit is almost finished, these little Blue Tits found their way back to the garden.

First Frost 2008

First frost - 29th October 2008
We had hail storms and cold winds yesterday, but a beautiful orange dawn. I wish I had been out somewhere to catch it :-)

Pink Petals

For years I have admired these in other people's gardens and now, at last, I have some in my own. They have 'clumped' beautifully and I have enough to split this year. If only I could remember what they are called :-)

Thank you to Karen and Zoe for naming the Kaffir Lily

October - Mornings of Mists and Cobwebs

Our little Christmas tree is decorated already :-)

best viewed large!

Pink 2008

Post a pink photo on Flickr in October 2008Follow the link below

For each pink photo you add to www.flickr.com/groups/pink2008, Yahoo! for Good will donate €1, up to a maximum of €30,000.