My UK Garden in November

So these were the UK Jobs for November. 

Turn the compost bin - ran out of time and the weather turned the last few days I had in the house, so I gave it a good poke with a stick and added several layers of newspaper on the top, the lid has also gone back on.

Build a bird box - I used the old shed panels and have put the box up on a fence post, it will now have time to weather into it's surroundings before spring.

Mow the lawn - I checked the weather forecast for a rain free day.

Clean garden tools - All done after the last mow. Good do with getting the gardening sheers sharpened, but that will have to wait till the spring.

Wash garden wheelie bin - done. It won't be used again until I get back in February and was starting to smell a little.

Plant blueberry plant, onions and garlic - done. 

Re seed patches on the lawn - didn't get the opportunity to do this due to covid, but spring seeding will have to do.

The sweet peas and peas I planted will be a stringy knot by February, but it will be worth it to have an early crop. The broad beans aren't fairing well, but I can do a spring sowing anyway and the cauliflowers will have to fend for themselves.

The weeds are all ready coming back through in the front so no doubt there will be a lot to work to do when I get back in February.

I've been making some Christmas decorations and rock painting for the front garden also, the local school kids will knock the door (with their parents) and ask if they can take the pebbles, which I say yes to.

I'm looking forward to my return in February to plan my spring garden and make some planters for growing more vegetables. I'm already working on the Spring section of my scrap book.

The garden in Dubai will be overgrown by now. I already rescued the lawn when I was back in September and cut back all the shrubs. I'm out there till February so have plenty of time to sort it all out, however we do have to remove the garden and fence and leave it as we 1st rented it 3 years ago. We were supposed to have moved to an apartment in May this year, thankfully that didn't happen otherwise it would've been left for Peter to sort.

If you're interested this is how I created a garden in the desert.

The Palm Jumeriah - Dubai

I guess one of the biggest construction projects in Dubai is building land in the sea to create more water front residences which are the greatest demand for people to live in. It created 78km of additional coast line.

Around 10,000 people live on the island.

Photo taken from Emirates flight.

New Housing Development, Malvern. QinetiQ Site. Construction photography.

Viewed from the Malvern Hills the old QinetiQ site, cleared for the development of 310 homes. 

Construction was stopped in October 2020 after a breach of a number of planning conditions covering a range of technical and environmental matters.

As and when constructions resumes I have found 3 view points where my view for photographing the development which shouldn't be interrupted by other developments. From the top of the Malvern Hills as long as it's a clear day, the main entrance from the road and the end of a public footpath, where I lifted my phone up over the wooden fence for the photo below.

All 3 photos taken from the same direction.

November 2020

I suspect it'll be quite some time before I am able to update this photography project while the dispute is ongoing and suspect it will take a lot longer than than they do in Dubai to finish and have clear 'before and after' photos.

There's quite a bit of activity going on over the past 4 months. I suspect my chosen points will be obscured soon, so I've choosen a new point, looking back up to the Malvern Hills and I'll get up on the hills soon to take another photo looking back down.

February 2021

My Garden in October and plans for November

I've had another busy month in the garden and I've really enjoyed it.

It's the first time I've ever done proper gardening, as in actually been in one place long enough to see the seasons through.

I've been getting creative in the garden with building a cold frame and re edging the border with next door as well as a few minor repairs to the shed.

Using up the old wood from the shed.

Old glass from the shed window

I've now painted it with the same paint I used on the shed.

The more vulnerable plants such as the herbs and fuchsia's have been put into the cold frame and green house and I've planted sweet peas, beans and peas for an early spring crop and some cauliflowers as well as some Holly Hocks seeds. I've also sorted the seeds for next year and planted some bulbs for spring.

I've been buying Gardeners World Magazine each month and I have made a scrap book with all the jobs, planting schedules etc and I've left the sunflowers for bird food, and cut back the geranium as instructed but left the hydrangea to protect new growth.

There's been some harvest left and I've enjoyed making puree with the tomatoes, next year I'll make some chutney also.

Winter bedding has gone into the pots for a bit of colour in the garden.

The bay and olive trees as well as the clay pots have been wrapped for winter to protect against the frost and the garden lights and ornaments have been put into the shed.

I also made a container for the leaves in the garden they'll be used for mulch this time next year and I had fun with the old tree stump turning it into a noughts and crosses board.

This is the current state of the garden back home in Dubai that I'll be turning my attention to next month also, we'll see how it goes but I'm planning tomatoes, peas and beans and bedding plants to be grown all from seed in the sand.

UK Jobs for November

Turn the compost bin

Build a bird box

Mow the lawn

Clean garden tools

Wash garden wheelie bin

Plant blueberry plant, onions and garlic.

Re seed patches on the lawn

The weeds are all ready coming back through in the front so no doubt there will be a lot to work to do when I get back in February.

I'm not bored, I'm lonely.

I'm thinking of leaving the curtains closed for a few days and see if any of my neighbours notice and knock on the door to see if I'm OK.

We're constantly being told through the media to check on those on their own, the vulnerable, the elderly. And yes, I'm doing that. I'm still doing mums online shopping for her and even sorted out her Christmas shopping and cards when I posted to her last week while they've been in lockdown in Wales and the presents are all with my DIL just over the border in England for her to drop off once England come out of lockdown in early December.

During Lockdown 1.0 I felt like I was in Groundhog day, but I had more than enough things to be getting on with renovating the house and garden and every Thursday for 9 weeks all the neighbours checked in on the street for Clap for Key workers, in between they seemed to be spending a lot of time at the front of their house, hanging around waiting for a door to open to grab a chance for a quick chat.

I then travelled to Dubai for 3 weeks, I let the neighbours know I was going, then I returned for two weeks to isolate and not one neighbour came round, asked if I needed anything, in fact some 4 weeks later I saw a neighbour who said 'oh you're back' and since then, not a peep from any of them.

Dealing with loneliness is something I've been doing now for 10 years, back home in Dubai, Peter is out at work everyday and although I get out the house most days for something to do, same as I'm doing here during covid, I'm on my own, filling up 10+ hours. There is only so much reading, drinking coffee, cleaning to do, writing letters, watching TV, but at least he would be home at the end of the day. In the UK there is even more time to fill. Thankfully I'm sleeping now for at least 8-10 hours a day. but if you take out prepping, cooking and meal times, a shower/bath, dog walk, coffee/tea, washing up, cleaning etc that still leaves 8+ hours a day to find something to do to relieve the boredom and loneliness.

I have been going out everyday for long walks with the dog, stopping for a coffee, sitting outside and I often find someone to chat with and once a week I've been going further afield to visit family and friends and my friend comes round every Friday night for chips and wine, but of course we're back in lockdown again so that all stops.

I'm sure there are many others like myself, on their own but not falling into the elderly or vulnerable category. I know there are many others that are craving some alone time whilst juggling work from home and home education, I see it on social media daily. I'm grateful not to have finances to worry about, that I have a garden to sit and work in and a car to get out further a field. I have hobbies, things to do to entertain myself, but nothing replaces the emptiness of the house, the silence that I'm living in for the majority of the time and its hard work.

The longer I'm not around people the more my anxiety builds when I do go out and the less I want to actually be around people, the thought of sitting on a plane for 7 hours soon, is creeping in, there's no one to just talk to when I need to, I have to wait till people have finished work, sorted the kids out and had 5 mins to breathe and rest before we can speak and then I don't want to off load, I want to hear about their day, talk about anything and feel grateful they've made the time for me to remember I'm on my own and I'm struggling.

Museum of the Future. 3D printed building in Dubai

Located by the World Trade Centre, off the Sheik Zayed Road in Dubai, stands the Museum of the Future designed by South African Architect Shaun Killa. A large part of the building is 3D printed.

I've been photographing the construction of many buildings in Dubai since we moved there in 2014. I find it fascinating watching them grow in such a short period of time. This is one of the few projects that is actually finished and not still being developed.

The Museum of the Future was due to open in September 2020 ready for Expo2020 which has now been delayed till next year, but was only completed last month.

April 2018

September 2018

June 2019

My husband sent me this photo earlier in the week. 

November 2020

For all the other construction photography photos I've been taking over the past few years, please click on the links below.

Week 158 Dubai Bluewater Islands and Dubai Eye. Man made island a 210m high Big Wheel
Week 159 Dubai Dubai Marina - Reflections
Week 160 Dubai Dubai Frame. A window between the Old and New Dubai and a 150m high glass floor.

Week 161 Dubai Dubai Marina 3 years apart.

Week 162 Dubai Dubai Water Canal Bridge Construction and reconfiguration of roads

Week 163 Dubai New Metro Line for Expo 2020
Week 164 Arizona and Nevada Hoover Dam 2002 - 2010
Week 165 Dubai Dubai Opera House What a difference a year makes
Week 166 Dubai Unfinished buildings. The Pentominium
Week 167 Coventry Mixing the old and the new. Coventry Catherdral
Week 168 Dubai New Dubai Metro Station 
Week 169 Dubai The new extension of the Dubai Mall and Burj Khalifa 
Week 170 Dubai Hotel fire After the Address fire 
Week 171 Dubai Unusual designs The Opus Building
Week 172 Dubai District Cooling. Keeping the desert cool.
Week 173 Dubai Can I visit the Burj Al Arab
Week 174 Dubai The Almas Tower
Week 175 Dubai The Cayan Tower
Week 176 Toronto The CN Tower
Week 177 Nevada The Paris Hotel 
Week 178 Dubai Ibn Battuta Gate
Week 179 A Wedding Our first child got married
Week 180 Dubai The World's Tallest Tower
Week 181 Dubai and Wales Al Fahidi Fort and Chepstow Castle 
Week 182 Dubai New Metro Station in Al Furjan 
Week 183 Dubai Ski Dubai
Week 184 Another Wedding
Week 185 South Africa Life in a township
Week 186 Austria Ski Jump 
Week 187 Dubai Green Plant Bio Dome 
Week 188 Dubai Update on the Metro Station
Week 189 Dubai My view from the balcony changed in 8 months
Week 190 Greece Just how instagramable is it?
Week 191-192 Dubai Before and After. 3 months out of Dubai
Week 193 Dubai Building a boat in the sky
Week 194 An African Sunset
Week 195 Building with boxes Charity work in South Africa
Week 196 UK wedding and a year of travel