Cooker disaster...

Disaster struck this week when our cooker finally gave up the ghost (just after I'd agreed that Christmas would be at our house this year)...

It's served us well but over the past year the thermostat had started to play up and on Monday decided to call it quits completely. Something had popped the glass on the top which decommissioned one the rings but as the other four still worked we carried on regardless - but no oven or grill were the final straw. One trip to Currys (who were very helpful) later and our new one was bought, booked and delivered 5 minutes ago!

Here it is...

Now we just need the gas fitter to install it! I've had enough of electric hobs - I just prefer gas. It has electric ovens though so no fear of anything blowing out half way through a bake! I can't wait to unwrap it and play!

When courgettes go rogue...

One of our courgette plants showed no promise all summer. It flowered then the flowers would fall off and despite reguring checking not a single fruit was to be found. Until now....

Left entirely to its own devices, in the overgrown untended patch, the plant produced one solitary courgette, which grew and grew and..

...and I suspect wouldn't have stopped if I hadn't tripped over it whilst watering! Weighing in at 4.7kg, this hefty marrow is probably as woody as can be inside, but on the off chance it isn't....has anyone got a good marrow recipe that will convince my marrow phobic family that's its worth eating....suggestions please!!!!

Missing my spring garden...

I really have to do something about our borders, they look glorious in May but by August they're done for! I'm going to photograph them over the next couple of weeks as I plan for next year, but for now here are some of my favourite moments of early summer...

                                                         

                                                         

                                                         

How quickly it goes! I'm already writing myself reminders to plant more clematis and alliums but to leave some space for later flowering plants too. Already counting the days till next spring!

Beanbag for my boy...

So this started as a quilt...

                                                                               

That was the plan anyway, but between my boy and me we got a little impatient for something finished, something finally out of the project box and in use. 

So I made a back panel, 

                                 

I bought a zip and used up the leftover beans from the Honeybun Poufs and we transformed a never to be finished quilt into a beanbag.

It's great for chilling out on and boy hasn't been out off by the flowery fabric at (so far!). I'm especially pleased by these patches...

The campfire ones came from his favourite smart shirt, a gift from his godfather when he was just a wee one! 

Shabby days and autumn colours....

It's always the same at the end of summer, we get busy elsewhere and the garden is left to its own devices. The grass grows longer, the edges are blurred and the blooms that once stood proud and vibrant lean on their supports, signalling another summers end. 

                                      

                                         

I used to give myself such a hard time for runniing out of time and energy in the garden as autumn arrived. ' I should be extending the season' planting for winter, hoeing every weed. But the reality is that when you work and have a family something's got to give and for me that's manicured lawns and weed control! 

                                       

                         

I'm learning to let go and see the beauty in our garden as it is, shabby edges and all. The truth is something's have thrived without the high maintenance attention they got in spring and look better for it, alas something's haven't but there's always next year. For now I'm just enjoying the last hurrah of colour that its got to give us.....

From Best in Show to the Doghouse in a day...

See this guy...

He had his proud moment at the Thorpe Hall fun day, winning best in show! He stood to attention, paraded and trotted up and down like a good un and was rewarded for his gorgeousness. We couldn't be prouder....

Until 4 o clock this morning when the street was woken by a wailing that could wake the dead. We ran down stairs in panic expecting to find a dying dog but instead found Arthur and his sidekick Pearl   , our Jack Russell, in the middle of a stand off. He was limping and she had a nip on the top of her head. Thankfully no serious damage, but what had caused this tiff in the middle of the night we'll never know. But for now they're both looking pretty sorry for themselves...

 They've both been put to bed in different rooms tonight - what's the betting they're yowling to be together by 2am. 

Next time I'm putting doggy cam up to see who started it!

My Dahlia showgirls...

I guess the title says it all! We started last year with a few PomPoms and now I'm addicted.  I dug up the bulbs and put them in pots in the green house over winter. They loved the early start and by the time they went in the soil they were big healthy plants.

 

                                   

I planted some new varieties but lost the names of them (apart from Fire Cracker which was one of my favourites. 

                                       

                                   

                                   

                                   

I planted them in the veg patch to make up for our crops being decimated by rabbits this year. If we're feeling grand we call it 'the Cutting Garden'! In reality its been the saviour of an otherwise disappointing year in the garden but rabbit news is for another day...

                                   

We've had an endless supply of flowers for the house and with a bit of deadheading they've had the longest season of anything in the garden. I was lucky enough to receive some gardening vouchers for my birthday and I'm already planning on blowing the lot on bulbs for a colourfest next year!

 

Honeybun Poufs (of course!)

With a name like HoneyBun Poufs I couldn't resist trying this Amy Butler pattern. I'm not an accomplished seamstress by any stretch of the imagination but what I lack in skill I make up for in determination and the ability to find a good YouTube tutorial!

I wanted a gift for my friend - well my friends cat to be honest. She's a very pampered cat as you may summise by her name 'Peanut Buttercup'. She's gorgeous! And I'm not even a cat person so that tells you something!

My initial thought was 'how hard can a cushion be?' - well when I was still cutting out pieces of batting and backing long after the third or was it fourth episode of Law and Order, I started to realise it wasn't going to be a walk I'm the park - and when my quick assembly the next day started before breakfast and ended after lunch I had my answer. Thank goodness my children can feed themselves! 

        

        

I learned a lot along the way though - topstitching is cool and makes dodgy sewing look quite smart, concealed zips are the stuff of nightmares and the fun kids have filling a cushion with polystyrene beads more than makes up for the fact you'll be finding them in the Hoover for years!

        

         

And Peanut Buttercup liked it too...(I have it on good authority she won't nap anywhere else!)

One year (and a bit) on...

Finally, some time to myself when the stars have aligned and the broadband is working, the jobs are all done (or at least out of sight!) and the technology is all in the right place to sit down to and write. Its been over a year since my last post and I think that's the way my blogging goes - feast or famine. Sometimes I run out of things to post and sometimes I run out of time to post them but either way it feels nice to be back.

Its been a busy year, the buildings finished, the kids are growing too quickly and the garden has grown out of control. Here are a few of the highlights...

delivering Russian Giant Sunflowers to the Village Plant Fair,

 

hatching Hen Solo, our new addition to the flock,

 

my new shed...ta dah!!!

 

and making a start on landscaping the side of the house that has been a building site for the past 3 years...

 

 

this looked like this for approximately 4 days before BH realised the benefits of putting a liner down first and now needs redoing to tackle the weeds, but that's another story...

 

 

Just in case I'm tending towards a rose tinted view of our rural idyll lets be clear, there's also been a nasty brush with hogweed, a lot of rain, several bad backs and a longstanding battle with nettles that still rages on.

 

 

This autumn we're determined to finish the interior of the house, move a green house, plant a lot of bulbs and put a liner on that patio. There's also the matter of roof repairs to tackle - oh joy! Thats it for now but by the time I press post the list is sure to have grown....

 

Pompom dahlias

We've just cut our first dahlia...


We've never grown the pompous before only admired them at flower shows. Admittedly a bouquet of them would be nice but one will do for now...



We need a bit of colour to see us through the grimness that appears to be our summertime...



At least we don't have to do any watering...

It's a family affair....

We have so many building projects on the go, it's been all hands to the drill!



The free rangers were busy building new compost bins at the weekend. I'm not sure where the fine line is between helping out and child labour but there was no stopping my girl once she got hold of the power tools!

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