The garden 2015

Yes, I need to record that too, as this year and it is only January I have already cleared the greenhouse and pruned the grape. The hens are pottering about.

And yes the fence at the back has blown down, next doors well the house over the back! Will prop it up later and the patio has a smothering of snow left from yesterday as it was the coldest night last night supposedly - I didn't notice, did not need the extra blanket on!

 I am going to add my garden photos here so I can see how well things grew this year.

January 2015 messy patio and lone hen!

This is actually april 2014, which is when I finally ventured into the garden. This year I have been inspired by Sarah Raven' s video on how to grow sweet peas and thus I went off to the green house and tidied and then ordered all my seeds just waiting for them to arrive!

Around the back door April 2014

My three raised beds alittle tidier. April 2014

The patio looking tidy and spruced up April 2014

Seeds all sown. April 2014

Yeh, my wasabi plant which I then spit off the babies, will need to show how they have faired over the last 9 months in a mo.

View from my deck chair in the green house. April 2014.

 

And below Sarah Raven's inspiring sweet peas. Today  -well from her web site.

May 2014

May 2014

May 2014

May 2014. The hen coop  looking tidy and non muddy as it is today with all this rain and snow! 

 May 2014 The lawn looking good when I bother to mow it. The rockery ha you can't tell, too much couch grass in there!

May 2014  the tidy back door.

Some pesky little mouse likes to collect the gravel stones and use them  as what?  Protection for front door ? Stopping intruders? Don't know but I do like the idea this mouse has got some brains? Saying that I don't like it when they, the mice sit and eat my grapes in an evening!

My 2014 the tidy patio.

 And below the beautiful sage and Rosemary in the herb  bed.

2015 an annual blog!

I have decided to try and write weekly and thought if I tried a new tack it would keep me going.
 I like trying new recipes, I like Nigel Slater's cooking. So what if I try to cook one new recipe of his a week and then  record it here as to whether I liked it etc.
 Well famous last words!

 The idea is I follow Nigel Slater's ' the kitchen diaries ' and try to record what I have actually done, then I can look back at the photos of what I have done!
 Because I need a catch up I am  looking at the recipes from January 1st to now January 19th. I have just seen the lamb stew  with pearl barley. So will try that in the week. But already I am faltering because I need to make a shopping list for Lamb etc. And cannot figure when to go to shops this week!
Mon - day out walk with OH need the exercise!
Tues - work
Wed- no work But alittle prep for Guides also got to go to my leaving party from Brownies a bit anxious about that!
Thurs - work and then off to the Midlands to see Sister until Monday!

 Don't think this is a good week to start.

Two months have passed. Haha ! Nearly 9 months actually as I forgot to post this!

Instead of two years passing I will endeavour to blog with only two months passing.

The nettles are still growing despite my trying to dig them up.

It is a lovely sunny( - it was when i started for 1 hour cloudy now) day today, cold but dry, soggy underfoot. i have dug a little more - well a lot more nettles up. then my back plays up and have to stop after 10 mins - BUT 10 mins less nettles!

Last year it was completely covered in nettles i am trying to reduce them. i think if i  i dig a little each dry day i may  over power them! 

As I step out the back door this was what  I saw, brambles on the back fence. i did get a large amount of blackberries last year but...........

  Now i have chopped the brambles all the way around the back of the greenhouse and now have a large  pile of brambles waiting for me to do something with!

 Ii had a good prune with the gooseberries and the apples.

Today it is showery by any one standards. just got a glimpse of blue and a ray of sunshine.

We are going to get lunch at Babaganoush cafe  and then go for a walk!

We have wet weather gear already, just need to get in the car.

The Garden

The garden has been neglected in the last year,but now being 2014 i am going to get it sorted, already cut the Blackberries down and started at the stinging nettles which i allowed to grow last year  in my wild life moment because the peacock butterfly lays it's eggs on the nettle - but also small tortoiseshell too.

 

 My hens  - which are Cuckoo Marans  i have had since 0ctober 2013  - they are very flighty and have been lost for the past 7 days - mainly taken to living in Next door's garden. it took us 3 days to get them back mainly by putting out food for them and cajouling them back in they are now on  day 4 of confinement in their hen house pen and i keep feeding them   a variety of food they are not used to - like apples, fish pie, corn ( they are used to that ) chocolate cake! and at present they are being friendly well they do not have any alternative.

Before their major disappearance next door.

 this is them confined in their pen,

 And then this morning they kindly laid me two eggs. Have they been laying in next door - who knows?

and so i ate them for lunch! very tasty.

A year ahead.

A year has passed since I actually blogged - don't think I will ever get  into this. I like facebook, instant information. But this is a nice record of things that have gone on.
 What has happened in year 2013? It has zipped by.
The main thing is my dear Dad passed away in  September. This is us  with our eyes being bigger than our stomachs at the local carvery to his house!

OD graduated from Lincoln uni with a first class honors well done, my dearest!

YD went to Mexico with GirlGuiding, after we  fundraised 2/3 rds of the amount and parents topped it up for her.

Work has had it's difficulties.Garden has been neglected and sewing has been bits  here and there.
 What a fortunate person i am to have such a lovely family.

Here is a picture of my lovely mum too, was thinking only the other day i do not have many photos but she always prefered to be behind the camera than being photo'd. I like this because it reminds me of the time when i was at home as a teenager with her.