Monday 30 August 2021

My August English Garden 2021

There's been a lot of planning in the garden and the house. We're getting a new kitchen, extending the back of the house, building new sheds and creating an allotment. It's a small patch of land and with our dining room already full to the brim with furniture, we're trying to work out in which order to do the jobs, so we can still function in and outside the house. 

We want to replace the conservatory, that's 24 years old, with one that covers the back of the house.

I think new shed first, then we can use the old one for storage.


In the meantime I've planted more crops, carrots, onions, potatoes and turnips. I've also sown some peas, beans and sweet peas to 'over winter into a tangled mess' as advised by Monty Don. I did it last year and it worked well.


Winter crops of potatoes and onions already poking through the soil.


Made a cloche to try and keep the cabbage white butterflies out the way. Next year I'll be planting sacrificial marigolds and nasturtiums. I've also been gifted beans, cauliflower and beetroot from a friend and the neighbour gave me some sweet blackberries.

It's great planting lettuce and watching it grow, literally over night. It would be nice to have a few more tomato plants but I was late getting them with not getting back from Dubai until mid June. 

I've bought plants now for my pots and hanging baskets that were on sale in the garden centre and DIY store and the cold frame has been reassembled so I can put them in there over winter.


I've finally realised that I really do need to label everything, more so because I've ventured into other parts of the garden and I caught Peter digging over an area where I'd planted carrots.

I'm still enjoying sitting out in the garden and in the shed if it's raining (although the cat has taken over that spot for now). And it's nice sitting out in the evenings with the garden lit up. The rose bush is in it's second bloom and there are still scented sweet peas to be picked.








Saturday 28 August 2021

August 2021 One Daily Positive, Project365. Getting pinged, fully unpacked and jelly shortage

I got my numbers out of sync, thankfully only from mid July so didn't take too long to rectify.
I've not been feeling the best emotionally for the past few months. It's been a huge lifestyle change adapting back to life in the UK full time and with Peter retired, it's taken some adjusting as we've spent so long living apart, not just due to covid but for the past 4 years as we've juggled two lives in different countries.

I feel I'm in a better place now, calmer, relaxed and actually enjoying a slower speed of life. I've picked up the blogging again and it's just so nice having everything in one place and at hand. Although sadly the migraines have returned. A whole week affected by them.

I don't miss travelling at all, but we've just passed the two year mark since I last saw child 3 who lives in Australia and it's been 4 years since my husband saw him. 

We've started to notice the food shortages (delivery drivers) but other than supermarkets the only other place we've been shopping has been in DIY shops and garden centres. Now we've got everything in one place our need to shop has reduced greatly, especially with clothes, toiletries and general household items.

We got pinged again, the same place in Gloucester as the last time a few weeks ago, I was asked a series of questions and told to go about my normal business, Peter was told to isolate for 5 days. We've both deleted the app now and LFT was negative.

Day 213 - 243
213 a lovely walk with a friends and the dogs

214 blackberry picking

215 chilling out in the garden

216 we got pinged

217 doesn't matter if it's raining, I just sit in my shed

218 LFT negative, but we continue to isolate

219 decided to sort out the dining room and kitchen boxes

220 another rainy day but the dog won't walk round to the kitchen door

221 ready for the charity shop

222 what is it with kids and sticks

223 there appears to be a jelly shortage

224 child 4 and his pregnant wife are visiting for the weekend, we walked the dog at Croome Park

225 child 2, his wife and our grandchild joined us for the afternoon and night. We went into Worcester in the day and had a BBQ in the evening.

226 a 5 mile walk after breakfast and a wedding do from June in the evening.

227 migraine, in bed all day

228 another PJ day, did some washing and ironing and made beds

229 went to look at kitchen, didn't see this sign until we were leaving the field

230 a trip to Gloucester to visit child 1

231 had enough of the butterfly/caterpillar damage

232 day spent with a friend, came home with these goodies and the blackberries were on the doorstep from the neighbour

233 long dog walk and a day in the garden, over night lettuce sprouting

234 a dog walk and a day at home, some gardening, a roast and a movie


235 car serviced, looked at sheds, afternoon spent sorting photos and reading gardening magazines


236 pirate pants, tea, chocolate, dog, tv and garden design


237 spent the day with Mary and son


238 garden visit with friends


239 collaged child 1's old school work to display


240 getting chilly in the mornings


241 Grandchild coming for the night and a roast dinner planned

242 weather dependent there is garden play planned

243 kitchen company came to measure 



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Friday 27 August 2021

27-30th August Post Comment Love. August Bank Holiday

Welcome back to #PoCoLo with Stephanie from Life at 139a and I.

Do you have any plans for this UK Bank Holiday Weekend?

We have lots of plans, that you can read about on the post I've linked up with, but none of them involve going out other than walking the dog. 

I can't be doing with people at the best of times, let alone during a pandemic. We've already been pinged twice after a trip to a coffee shop in Gloucester.

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Tuesday 24 August 2021

Things to do on August Bank Holiday Weekend in the UK

We certainly won't be going out this weekend, other than walking the dog and we'll even stay away from the Malvern Hills that are on our doorstep, as there are just too many people on them on weekends, let alone a bank holiday one.

We may see our grandchild, either at theirs in the Forest of Dean of they'll come here, but it'll be garden based weather permitting, if not, it'll be indoors where both houses have plenty of room to socially distance in, grandchild permitted.

So what else will we be doing to entertain ourselves?

  • BBQ regardless of the weather. We've got a large umbrella outside to BBQ under
  • Proper breakfast at the table (there's room for two inside, while we plan our new kitchen and use the dining room for storage)
  • Picnic lunches in the garden or conservatory
  • TV dinners
  • Movies
  • Pamper sessions (for me) 5 mins peace and quiet for Peter
  • DIY in the shed for Peter
  • There are photos and pictures to be hung on the wall
  • Hang curtain tracks in spare room and conservatory (Peter) Make curtains (Me)
  • Letter writing for Postcards of Kindness
  • Eating chocolate, cakes, biscuits, drinking alcohol
  • More TV and rest
Do you have any plans?

Saturday 21 August 2021

July 2021 One Daily Positive, Project 365. Northern Ireland, Unpacking and family.

We had a trip to Northern Ireland to collect the dog from child 4's house. They collected the dog in April to enable me to go back to Dubai for the last time. We explored the north coast, visited a lot of the tourist attractions and spent a couple of days on the beach. 

Our container arrived but not without hassle which you can read about here. The dining room is being used for storage, a sofa bed, fridge freezer, garden furniture and bedding is going to my mums for her new place in September, there are several boxes of kitchen items we won't need until we get a new kitchen and a dining room table and another sofa that are waiting for an extension to be built. We've no idea when any of that will happen as we're struggling to get hold of builders.

Other than that there have been lots of dog walks, good foods, baby cuddles (next door neighbour had a little girl also) and time with family and friends.

Day 182 -  212
182 crops are in. Rhubarb has been stewed and potatoes baked and in the freezer. The rhubarb is waiting for our DILs apples and will be made into crumble.

183 our grandchild decided the lawn needed mopping on their visit

184 a visit to our great nephew born in April and collect MIL who is house and cat sitting for a few weeks

185 on the ferry to Northern Ireland to collect Bob the dog from child 4s house where he's been since April when I went to Dubai for the last time

186 Bob the dog and his friend Molly

187 Football Euros

188 exploring the northern coast, Giant Causeway

189 more football

190 Crocs from child 4 for my birthday

191 I said 'go to bed' they have a bed each

192 Dog walking at Divis

193 12th July

194 another beach visit

195 Dark Hedges

196 on the ferry home

197 a walk round Malvern

198 sorting out the garden planting

199 driving into Wales after dropping MIL back home

200 these two are taking a while to settle back to being together

201 so in charge of this house

202 Container arrived

203 a swim in the Wye with a friend

204 Friday night chips in the garden with my friend and neighbour

205 BBQ in the garden

206 it's a dog's life

207 dining room being used as storage

208 meeting my great nephew for the first time

209 another spot the cat competition

210 a walk up the Malvern Hills

211 wetting the babies head

212 more cat sagas

I'll be back next week with a summary of August, then back to weekly posts.

 

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