December tulips and daffodils???

I have a pot by my back door and I planted it up with tulips and daffodils in October the same time I planted out the rest of the bulbs into the garden. I noticed this morning that the ones in the pot have started to come up. Does this seems way too early??
I have checked the rest of the garden and they doesn't seem to be any sign of the other bulbs growing. Though I know the squirrel has managed to kyfe a few of them he can't have got them all. So.... has anyone else got bulbs coming up? Do i cover them over with more soil or do I leave them?

magical muck

Because this is the first time i have had a garden, it is also my first time composting and i can't wait to see how it turns out. I got the bin free from the council and i gotta say i love the whole composting idea, helping the environment and hopefully getting rich sweet smelling compost for the plants next season.
The bin is three quarters full but I'm not sure if i should be turning the contents as yet?
I'm thinking i might just lift the bin and mix the stuff up a little, i have seen compost activator on sale, does anyone use it? I read on this site the best thing to do is pee on it, i aint done that yet but thinking of giving it a go,has anyone else? I'll see how it looks after its been turned!

sugar frosted pansies

The icy fingers of jack frost had traced its way around pansies in the hanging baskets.
The garden is looking pretty miserable today all grey and gloomy, I checked on the plants overwintering in the green house and the geraniums are still flowering. I'm not sure if i should be cutting them back ready for spring, but I think I'll just enjoy the last flush of colour.

here's a fun quiz to test your knowledge on eating flowers

http://my.funtrivia.com/playquiz/quiz193667162d270.html

I got 9 out of 15 so it looks like I need to do my homework!

Let me know your score.

Magpie

I would really like a better camera, that can zoom and take clearer photo's, or it could be my tecnique, so we will move on!

This magpie looked so cute sitting on the T.V. aerial surveying its territory, probably keeping its eye open for sparkly jewels to snatch and decorate the nest with. Hey, I can relate to that, i also like bits of bling to hang in my nest and garden!

One for sorrow,

Two for joy,

Three for a girl,

Four for a boy,

Five for silver,

Six for gold,

Seven for a secret

Never to be told

Eight for a wish

nine for a kiss

Ten for a bird

You must not miss

oooooo

As kids we used to sing this rhyme whenever we saw a Magpie, as back in the 70's there was a children's programme on called Magpie, whose mascot was a Magpie called "Murgatroyd". At the end of the show they put the above words to music as the credits rolled. Remembering back to those halcyon days, you were either a Magpie fan or Blue Peter fan. For the record, I was a hip Magpie fan!

update on ladybird problem (Harmonia axyridis)

OK the ladybird problem we had in my daughters bedroom is still happening. We are still finding them nearly every day but nowhere near as many. It got ridiculous, they were appearing as quick as we was getting rid of them. They release this stuff called reflex blood when you try to pick them up and it stains yellow and smells unpleasant, and it was driving us all mad! In a week of us having the problem it had gone from "oh look at the cute ladybird," to "arrrggghhh get rid of the bug!"

The update is, we found a hole outside in the brickwork and cemented it up so I'm hoping that was their point of entry, and I'm thinking that although we are still finding them, they might have got in before we filled in the hole so hopefully it will dwindle.

If anyone else is having a problem this year or has had one in the past, I'd be interested to know how you dealt with it.

Bulb Thief

For the past few days i have been seeing the earth disturbed in the flower beds where i recently planted the bulbs. I thought it was the local neighbourhood cats having a scratch around. Then i caught this squirrel red handed digging away, and here is his mugshot. He definitely has balls of steel and attitude, he just ran up the fence and sat looking while the dog was barking herself into a frenzy. he then flicked his tail ( i think i know what that means in squirrel language!) and slowly skipped off, no doubt laughing to himself!

My bargain plants.

Yesterday i went with DH to the local DIY shed, while he was mooching around the tool section, i took myself outside to look at the plants and stuff. I'm so glad i did as they were selling off a selection of houseplants, so this is my bargain find...the small Creeping Fig was 50p, the Boston Fern £2 including the ceramic plant pot it came in, and the spider plant was £1. Then just as i was thinking how well i had done, i looked down and spied this cute little bonsai tree a snip at £2. I'm not sure what the tree is so if anyone knows please tell me.

Dad's Sky

Looking out of the loft window at sunset, over the field that backs on to my house.

The camera really doesn't captivate the full beauty of the colours but it is still a beautiful sight.
My dad was a deep sea fisherman originally from Aberdeen in Scotland but made his home here in Hull, and he used to say " a red sky at night sailors delight, a red sky in morning, sailors warning."

Beanz meanz Heinz

I took this pic while rummaging in the garage and was amazed by how fat it was. I googled to find out more and found it is a common British garden spider called Araneus diadematus or as my daughter calls it "the bean with legs." i just hope there ain't another 57 varieties lodging in there.

Extreme Makeover

Jack was an only vine fruit, no siblings and as you can see a little on the plain side.
He decided on an extreme makeover to help make him shine
after intricate surgery and hours of planning,
he was ready to unveil his new look
HAPPY HALLOWEEN

The bulbs are in!

Got the bulbs in and used one of those bulb planter tools, wow was i impressed i got the job done in half the time. I have put the red hot pokers at the bottom of the garden in the hope they will grow but because it is north facing i think maybe I'm hoping too much as i think they prefer a bit more sun, but I'll see how they get on. Apart from the bulbs in the picture, i got hold of some beautiful Fritillaria Meleagris I have always admired these when I've seen them in other gardens. I got a real bargain as well £2 for 15 bulbs. I also bought some dwarf mixture tulips and daffodils and have planted them up in clumps here and there as well as in a planter box by my back door.

Finished clearing one of my vegetable beds and I've covered it over with old carpet, hope fully stopping any weeds from seeding in it. Then i went back out and guess what? Gypsy (my dog) had been right in there and re dug and uplifted the bits of carpet i had laid down. Yup gardening must run in the family! Needless to say i wasn't very happy at the mess she had caused but i had to laugh at her muddy face and i got my own back by giving her a bath!

I also emptied the hanging baskets and replanted them up with ivy and winter pansies.

Problem with Harmonia axyridis (Harlequin Ladybird)

For the last few weeks i have been having a problem with harlequin ladybirds in my daughters bedroom. They just seem to appear on the ceiling and window, even though the window has not been open in a while. They have appeared in numbers ranging from one to nine at the moment. I have tried looking for their point of entry but had no joy in finding it. I know they must be getting in somewhere but i haven't a clue!

Although my daughter isn't keen on creepy crawlies in general she used to love ladybirds. The problem is when she is going to bed on an night, any that are in her room seem to take to flying around when the light goes on and they seem to crash land. The thought of them crash landing on her bed is enough to put her off sleeping in there. It just seems odd that they are congregating in her room, when we used to see the odd ones in the garden it was a case of "ah how cute is that ladybird" but it is a whole new ballgame now they are squatting in the bedroom!

I have checked the seal around the window and it seems secure but i know i am obviously missing something as they are getting in somewhere.

Has anyone else had this problem and if so how did you get rid of the infestation. My daughter has taken to sleeping downstairs on some occasions because of this and i really would appreciate any advice.

The louder you scream the faster you go...

Last week the annual Hull Fair arrived. It is the largest travelling fair in Europe and it has become a tradition in Hull. http://www.hullfair.net/ui/historyhome.htm this site has some great facts.

I remember going to Hull Fair when i was a small girl and the magic and excitement as October drew closer was all me and my friends could talk about. Daring each other to go on the biggest ride and winning a goldfish in a plastic bag full of water on the side shows. The latter got banned as it was cruel, many of the fish ended up dumped because there was nowhere to put them while the kids still wanted to ride the roundabouts.

My favourite rides were the Speedway, standing up against the bar as it sped around and around, The Waltzers spinning cars till you was dizzy and sick, and with no safety restraints! Health and Safety was not as keen in the 1970's as they are today!

This year when i went i thought how i had changed, instead of getting excited to be going on the rides i was more excited to be taking the pictures, jeez i suppose that tells me I'm getting old and boring!

autuminal colours

American Style

I think one of the major jobs next year is to create some kind of porch back way in the garden. We have got decking laid as ya walk out but I would like some sort of roof/cover so that i can enjoy being out there sheltered doing stuff in the winter months. Some of the American houses with their porches look fab, in fact i like the traditional American style of housing full stop.

Oysters for tea.

I inoculated two logs with mycelium dowels last September/October time, one was shitake and the other Oyster mushroom. I put them behind some bushes at the back of the garden so they would stay damp and cool and this morning this was the site that greeted me.

Autumn Clean up

I took this photo this morning, looking through the dying foliage of a hanging basket, the colours look beautiful and it gives a great frame to the garden.

I have decided to turf out the contents of the green house today and give it a good clean. The majority of stuff in there which is still thriving seem to be the spiders that have spun webs all over the place and hang menacingly waiting for their next meal. The webs are going up at an alarming rate, maybe they are getting the green house dressed for Halloween!

finger lickin good

Had the first of my sweetcorn last night, wow it was so sweet and succulent. The photo looks boring, thinking i should have waited till it was cooked and glistening in butter!

Come into my parlour said the spider...

Dad

My dad is on the left.
yup that's my Dad in the middle.

hey that's my Dad in the dodgy cap on the right!

In his younger days before he retired my dad was Bosun on deep sea sidewinder fishing trawlers, although he did many a trip on Freezers. ( deep sea trawlers that processed the catch while away, thus allowing them to fish for longer periods.)

Okay why am I talking about all this on a gardening blog?

Well its been a while since I have posted, as my Dad passed away on 12Th September, and I haven't really been in the right frame of mind as you can probably imagine.

He was 83years had been ill for a while but it still came as a shock, and it's getting used to the reality of me not having my Dad any more. I feel like a part of me has been ripped away, we were like peas in a pod. Same humour, same outlook on life and always ready for a cuddle from those we love. No matter how old he was he never lost that spark, that cheeky spirit it was like he was still a young man inside.

I need to say at this point, I am so proud of my Mum and how much i love her too, she has shown so much strength though inside i know she feels lonely and vulnerable, they were together 63 years, I can only try to imagine what she is going through and I don't suppose that is even close.

I gave my Mum some vegetables from the garden today and I remembered how proud my Dad was of my achievements however small and i felt warm inside.

I want to say how privileged I am that he was my Dad and I loved him so very much.

Mildew

I have sprayed the plants that have mildew, twice and to be honest it doesn't seem to be making much of a difference. I changed the ratio to 1 milk 9 water after reading up on it. I will persevere with the treatment as i really don't want to lose the squash but any advice on how to prevent it in the future would be gladly welcomed.

I had the first of the carrots yesterday and they were lovely and sweet and I'm sure pleased that the carrot fly did not find them! They were only small so I will leave the rest of them a bit longer.

The beetroot is looking good but still a little small.

I was late with the peas but they are flowering now, and the beans are still climbing but no flowers as yet so i don't know if i was too late with them.

Dawg Tired

Here's Gypsy hitching a lift in the wheelbarrow.

The squash pants are still looking sorry for themselves, I think I'll give them another spray tomorrow. Does anyone one know how to tell when spaghetti squash is ready to harvest?

I've been looking around on other blogs and as I'm pretty new to this blogging I'm a little unsure of the protocol if any when adding them to my links list. Any help on this would be appreciated.

Cleopatra

I have nicknamed her Cleopatra and OK here she is bathed in milk (hence the name!), I only had skimmed milk so I hope that works and I used a ratio of 1milk 3 water. It now smells like a dairy down my garden. I just hope it works !

Problem

The sunflowers are starting to bow there heads and sway drunkenly in the breeze as they begin to go to seed.

The rest of the veg garden is doing OK though i got a problem, leaves on my squashes have developed powdery mildew so I'm going to try spraying with bicarbonate of soda to see if it makes any difference.

I hope this mould doesn't affect the squash, it doesn't appear to be on the actual fruit, just the leaves. I feel disappointed because I really thought i had looked after them well. Has anyone else got this problem? I would really appreciate any tips or advice.

Just googled and have decided to use milk to try and eradicate it as I ain't no baking soda.

Mary Poppins

I nearly had to do my Mary Poppins impressionit's so windy out side and my patio umbrella had started to take off, I just to got it in time. My kids laugh at me because I already have the big bag like Mary Poppins, the only difference being is that things go into the bag and are never to be seen again, it has that many different compartments!

Dusk

I love the way the night sky is closing in on the last of the daylight.

Although the pic doesn't show it clearly (as it was taken on my camera phone) shafts of light where shining down and it was a really beautiful back drop for the silhouetted trees.

Baked Beetroot

This is the first time I had baked beetroot in the oven instead of boiling and it was absolutely delicious. I am now converted I won't boil again! I am going to try a recipe off a friend for beetroot in blackcurrant jelly, it sounds an odd combination but I'm going to give it a go.

Having a moan!

Its August 18th and already i can feel Autumn in the air. We have had no real summer to talk of, we had it hot for a few weeks in April, then grey clouds and rain on and off (mostly on!) throughout May, June,July and a few hot (ish) days in the beginning of August. This morning is grey, cool and damp! Last year we had a glorious summer, we had just bought this house and it was blazing sunshine throughout June, July August, which was great for us all as it was the first time we' d had a garden and we made the most of it. Anyway enough of me moaning!

Went to see my Dad yesterday, he is still in hospital where the the docs are treating him for a chest infection rather than pneumonia. He is still very poorly and the doc told us that if there has been no improvement by today they will change his antibiotics in the hope that he will respond better. We just want him to get better its awful seeing him in so poorly, he never usually suffers with his chest and to see him struggling when he is breathing is terrible.

Dad

Had a crap day yesterday... my dad has got suspected pneumonia and had to be admitted to hospital. They have got him on antibiotics so the sooner they kick in the better as he is 83 years old and pretty weak, he has been bed bound for 3 years. On a positive note he still managed to have a joke with me and mum, he has a wicked sense of humour which I love.

The best laid plans...

Today I was up at 6:30 and my plan was to get on with sorting out the loft and get stuff bagged up ready for the skip. Anyway after doing the necessary jobs around here, i decided to come online and check e-mail, update blog have a surf around etc.

It is now 3:30pm and I'm still procrastinating and at this rate nothing will get done so instead of stressing it i have decided "I'll do the loft tomorrow!"

I'm posting some new garden photo's today, I'm new to blogging and i really need to find out how to add albums and other bits and pieces to add interest.

How dya want ya spuds? Fried, mashed or boiled??

I harvested the last of my potatoes yesterday evening, so gonna rack my brains as what to cook with them today for dinner. If anyone got any ideas let me know.

We got a busy weekend planned yet again, we will be working on the house tomorrow, hoping to get some of the flooring ripped up and put aside ready for the skip. I also want to look for paint/ emulsion for the living room. I'm thinking of keeping it neutral and using warm creams as we will be having an harvest oak floor and the furniture is waxed pine and suite is brown leather so i think it should go together pretty well. I will post photo's of the before and after in a few weeks when it will hopefully be done.

The kitchen is still a work in progress, but we have to wait for the cabinet doors to be delivered so that project is on hold for the time being.

oh wot a day!

oh wot a day i can't believe that i turned up bright and early with my daughter for her appointment at the the orthodontist to be told "yes you are on time but a day late" arrghhh i have so much on my mind just lately i completely confused the days. The best of it is though... when i looked at the calendar this morning to check the appointment time i didn't register that i was looking at yesterday D'oh!!


This year i grew cucumbers, a variety called Styx and they have been fat and juicy though I've only had two off up to now. I was hoping it would be a bit more productive, but having never grown them before maybe i am expecting too much. they are well tasty though and far superior to shop bought.

My sweetcorn is looking good and i think i will be running down the garden with a pan of boiling water pretty soon. I hear its best to cook it as soon as picked to get the utmost flavour and before it turns starchy, so pans at the ready!

House

It's been a hectic couple of days and I didn't manage to get on yesterday to update :-(

I have been busy getting the inside of the house ready for decorating, we bought it last year and it needed quite a bit of work doing. We have managed to get my daughters bedroom finished. My partner built a fitted wardrobe and laid new flooring and i decorated. We have also decorated our bedroom but still not got round to the flooring as yet. The stairway is now stripped and ready to decorate and the kitchen is in the middle of a refurb. It all seems to be taking a sooooo long to do but I'm learning to be patient! It was a novelty at first, living rough but now we've done it for over a year, I I've forgot how it feels to be organinsed. Have i ever been organised?? lol

Anyway there is alot of rubbish and old junky cupboards from the kitchen starting to litter the garden and so we are gonna have to hire a skip pretty soon. The third one since we've been here!

The sun is shining

The sun is shining this morning and it looks like its gonna be a warm day, fingers crossed!

I had the first of my potatoes yesterday, i grew them in old compost bags and i am really pleased with the result. I haven't really got enough space to plant them out in the garden, so I'm never gonna be self sufficient in them, but i will enjoy the treat of home grown from my few bags. I will post some pics of them later today when i go foraging for some more for dinner! The variety are Desiree, a main crop potato.

I have been out this morning and done all the watering and given everything in the greenhouse a feed. I must get the grass cut later this evening if it stays dry as its looking a bit wild and weedy.

havin a flippin time downside up!

˙ʎɐʍ ʇɥƃıɹ ǝɥʇ ʞɔɐq dılɟ ɹǝʇʇǝq ı os pɐǝɥ ʎɯ oʇ ƃuıɥsnɹ ʍou sı poolq ǝɥʇ ʎɐʞo ˙ǝzǝǝɹq ǝɥʇ uı ʎlʇuǝƃ ƃuıʎɐʍs punoɹɐ ƃuıƃuɐɥ ǝɹɐ sɹǝʍolɟ ʎɯ ˙ǝnlq sʞool punoɹƃ ǝɥʇ puɐ uǝǝɹƃ sʞool ʍou ʎʞs ǝɥʇ llǝʍ dnʎ ˙ƃuıuɹoɯ sıɥʇ ǝlƃuɐ ʇuǝɹǝɟɟıp ɐ ɯoɹɟ plɹoʍ ǝɥʇ ʇɐ ʞool plnoʍ ı ʇɥƃnoɥʇ ı

Phew, thats better!!

If you didn't manage to figure out my ramblings above, I found this great little programme whilst browsing around take a look http://www.revfad.com/flip.html

Sunflower

I got up this morning to this beautiful sunflower
unfurling its petals to greet the morning sun, everything in the garden is lush with all the rain we have had but lets hope the sunshine stays a while.

As soon as the grass as dried out it will be getting a cut and tidy. My greenhouse is getting productive with tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers and my cape gooseberry is setting fruit well. The strawberries are nearly at the end of their season but I'm still getting the odd two or three off them.

Next year i plan to grow something a bit more adventurous, I did have a water melon but lost it in the flood which saw my garden under water for three days. I also unfortunately lost shrubs and flowers so my garden is looking a little bit sorry for itself, but the plants that have survived are doing well.

In some areas people have lost their lives due to the flooding and complete homes have been destroyed so losing a few plants in the garden is nothing in comparison. My thoughts are with those people and in retrospect we have been very lucky considering...

Beetroot, spring onions,carrots under fleece.

Rain Rain Rain

We have had such wet weather, it has rained every day since around May time. My plants are loving it, I just wish I could say the same. It would be nice to sit out and enjoy my garden from the deck with abit of sun but I am getting used to sitting under a brolly with a beer in hand, while i survey my small but loved sanctuary. It's my place that i can go to and unwind and forget the stresses of the day and just chill.