Thursday

Morning, everyone.  It's bright and early, the sun is shining and it's going to be great! 

Thursday's garden happy - my cup definitely is full and running over and my tomato collection is complete.
Good old B&Q.

I bought three plants.  Really, I should have bought just two but - you know - sungolds!!
As you can see, I also got pots but there were no tomato collars so I have ordered some and they should arrive on Tuesday.  Until then, the Sungolds can just sit in that box.  They won't hurt.

What you can see to the right is some trailing lobelia that I got in the shop that is not Wyvale - Longacres, that's the name!  The trays were reduced but I can't see why, they look perfectly healthy.  I'll plant them out in various places in a short while and water them in.
I was impressed with Longacres.  The plants are obviously well watered, they've extended and built covers so one can meander in wet weather, etc, and it looked clean, neat, thriving and happy.  Excellent.

Yesterday went so well.  It started with a shop at Sainsbury's, moved on to B&Q and Longacres, then back home to an email that gave me a bit of work, followed by personal training and finally a pleasant evening with ironing, repair shop, between the covers and Sewing Bee.

The email was about a delivery.
For a while I have been waking up feeling a rather stiff and uncomfortable.  My mattress is pretty old now and I have been umming and ahing about replacing and doing a bit of research.  If I have learned anything about mattresses it's that you gets what you pays for (to a considerable degree).  When Mum and Dad stayed here often, they bought a couple of mattresses - beds, in fact, not just the mattresses, the price of which made my eyes water, but there's no doubt that they are a joy to sleep on.  And yes, I could have just swapped mattresses around but that didn't feel 'right'.  They were bought for the blue room and will stay in the blue room.
So I ordered a Hypnos mattress - they are the mattresses that the Premier Inn uses and they are so very comfortable.
The email was to say it was being delivered tomorrow (today now) so, as they are taking away my old mattress, I set to and stripped my bed, washed the valence and the mattress protector, etc, got the old mattress downstairs (and a right shabby old thing it is too) so now it's all ready for them to take the new mattress up and put it on the base and to take the old one away for proper disposal.
I slept in the blue room last night and had a wonderful sleep with no stiffness.
Does anyone else get excited at the thought of a new mattress or is it just me?

Today has turned from a day of leisure with coffee and chat segueing gently into a nice swim to a day when stuff is happening.

First up is the weekly chat with my lovely friend, Chris.  She's coming to me this week and I won't be ashamed to sit out in the garden with her, now it's been sorted out and is looking presentable.

I got another email yesterday, from Matt the Plumber - could he come at twelve to give my boiler, etc., its annual service?  I wasn't going to say no, was I?  It'll be good to get that done.

If the mattress men come early in the twelve to four time slot, I can pop off to the gym for a swim in the afternoon.  If they don't, I can't.  No problem.  There's stuff to do in the garden now I have the pots; Julia's tomatoes need potting up just a bit and the Salvia and three Sweet Williams (I love Sweet Williams, they remind me of my Mum and Dad) to get into the middle bed.

It's all just a bit vague but that's perfectly OK, I'm good at doing vague.  I've tidied up a few corners before Chris comes, I've done the food shopping, there's a bit of washing and ironing but not much and there's little point doing any cleaning because my lovely cleaners will be here tomorrow - no point creating work for myself!
I have Sewing Bee to catch up on as I just couldn't stay awake last night and there's always something to read in this house.  I won't be bored.

Hoping you are all well and enjoying this spell of fine weather.  Isn't it lovely?  Take care and have a very happy day.  xx

Wednesday

 Today's garden happy - I have just one of these on the fence at the moment.  I want to see how the container itself lasts.  It wasn't cheap and if it goes nasty and rusty quickly, I won't get any more.  If it stays good, I probably will - they do different colours but all that light, sort of dusty pastel type shade..

Morning, everyone.  Aren't we having some great weather at the moment?  It's so sunny and bright and warm.  Mind you, I gather Friday might be a bit too much (I think a dip in the nice cool pool at the gym might very well be on the list for Friday) but see how easily we complain!!  I think I need to change my duvet over today.

Yesterday was a busy but very satisfying day.

It started off with Groove at a local church hall.  As always, it was good fun - Lindsey is so energetic and enthusiastic.  It was her birthday so we all sang the necessary and someone brought a muffin with a candle stuck in it.  It was happy.

Then I popped round to Julia's to pick up the tomatoes.  She and her husband are extremely vulnerable so I didn't see her; the available tomatoes were out the front with envelopes (for payment, in aid of Cancer Research) and instructions.  I don't know the names but I came home with two 'on the vine oranges' (presumably all the fruit a truss ripen at much the same time), two red cherry plants that look as if they are bush so I'm going to treat them like that, and one that just says 'orange toms'.  They are in great condition and one has babies!!  How about that!
I'm not sure the pots are quite big enough so I will pot them on, I think, although the two bush tomatoes are together in a pot so will have to stay together as their roots will be proper tangled by now.
I'm very grateful for these additions to the summer harvest.  Now, if I can just find a sungold or two my cup will be full and running over.

After all that, I had a hasty breakfast and dashed into town for my audiology appointment.  I came away with slightly reprogrammed back-ups, minus the older rechargable ones that are getting a service and battery change before their warrantee runs out.
I know it sounds more than slightly neurotic, but one of my 'fears' is that I am left without workable hearing aids - they do develop problems now and again and I would be extremely isolated without them.  Now I have my new rechargables, my in the ear battery back-ups and the older rechargables which will be as good as new and will be re-programmed to my current levels when they come back.
Apart from the relief, my overwhelming feeling is one of gratitude that I can actually do this.

After finishing with the audiologist, I wandered into M&S and came out with a couple of pairs of shorts.  Nothing too short; I don't want to be arrested!  These were planned purchases and I'm also looking for a light weight summer jacket, cream or ivory sort of colour.  I'll take my time with that one though - it'll probably cost a lot more than most of my Matalan/Tu sort of stuff and will have to last longer.

And finally, I headed off for the gym and had a very refreshing swim.  I arrived just as an aqua class was finishing and had to wait for five minutes but it meant the pool was virtually empty and it was just lovely.

The rest of the day was much lazier.  A bit of sitting outside, sitting inside, some tidying up, a bit of washing (swimming stuff and random items) and a refreshing snooze.  Bliss.

Today isn't quite so bad.
First I am planning to do my weekly shop and I'm at Sainsbury's again because I want to go on to B&Q and then the shop-that-was-Wyvale which are not far down the road.  I need a few more larger pots for my new tomatoes, some tomato collars if they have any and a couple of taller perennials for a couple of gaps - here's the front gap and I think something blue would be nice there.

Then, of course, I will look for sungolds but I don't hold out much hope really, not by now.  After all, we are half way through June, aren't we?
(By the way and inevitably, as soon as I had bought new plant rings, guess what I found.  Yup)

Then I am home for several hours and in that time I will change sheets, do washing, change over my quilts, tidy the house and, with any luck, get some ironing done.  I'm expecting a parcel at some point too.

Finally, later afternoon, it's personal training with Lindsey.  I'm looking forward to that.

Actually, reading the above, it still sounds busy but it's certainly easier than yesterday.  And I'd better start the proceedings off by giving the garden its morning watering as soon as I've signed off.

Is the weather lovely where you are too?  xx

Tuesday

 Today's garden happy.

The pelargonium in the planter round the front.  So very pretty.

Morning, everyone

Lathcoats has started sending out messages about PYO.  They found that when people had to book, they were able to control the numbers and therefore the pressure on their parking, shop and coffee shop which used to get unmanageably busy at times.
As a result, yes, you have to book and pay for a voucher.  £2.10 pp which is refundable against what you pick, with the 10p being a booking fee.

OK, thought I, now to look up how to book so I know.

And then I spotted this.

Over 65s only and people with a disability and their family/carers can enter the fields between 9 and 10am without booking (weekdays only), as long as we are open.

Woo hoo.  Given that I am an early riser and weekdays are much better for me than weekends, I will *definitely* be taking advantage of this.
And then I can go into the shop and take advantage of their locally grown fruit and veg and other bits and bobs too.  Would you believe they have local-ish wine on tap - literally.  Bring Your Own Bottle.

After all that, I got a message yesterday evening saying that PYO was started today and - I can't go!!  All week I can't go.
Oh, well, next Monday . . .

Yesterday worked out well.  After a nice, gentle start to the day, I went to circuits, which was great, and then I went on into town for a swim - perfect for cooling and stretching (as well as burning more calories than you would think).
Then it was home for a very late lunch.
I picked up the eggs before I had dinner which was also correspondingly late.  She just had six and three of them were titchy . . .

. . . see!
I'm having the three little ones scrambled for breakfast.

On to today and it's really a rather busy one.
It starts with aerobics and then I'm going round to my lovely friend, Julia, to pick up some tomato plants - yes, more!  Jules has been growing them and selling them in aid of cancer research and, if I'd known earlier, I'd have bought more from her.  However, I must have missed her Facebook message.

I do this every year - worry that I won't have enough and then end up with loads.  Not too many though, you can never have too many fresh garden grown tomatoes and they are just about my favourite fruit/vegetable.  One of the best and simplest pleasures in my life is to pick some tomatoes, go in and fry them and have them on wholemeal toast for breakfast.  So, so good!

Then it's a quick breakfast and I'm off into town for another follow up with the audiologist.

After that, seeing as I am in town anyway, I'm thinking I will go for another swim - may as well - before coming home for a late lunch.  If it's hot in town, this will cool me down nicely.

Then the rest of the day is my own.  I won't plant out the tomatoes as I need more pots, I'll just pop them in a nice shady spot overnight.

So - a very full day which should keep me on the straight and narrow, shouldn't it?  Is your day busy too or is it a nice, easy one today?  xx

Monday

 Morning, everyone!  Another sunny start after another warm and sunny day yesterday.  Absolutely no complaints from me.

I had an early morning stroll around the garden and took some more photos.  I think I am going to have to copy Eileen and post one garden happy photo each day at the moment - starting tomorrow!

The tomatoes have all taken and are growing.  I'll have to do another tie up soon.

And it won't be long before the first babies appear - fingers crossed.

The Braeburn . . .

. . . and the Flamenco.

I've realised I totally forgot about the codling moth trap this year (ooops) and the flamenco shows signs of frost damage - a lot of the blossom died off and I've been brushing it down off the little branches.
The June drop has been and gone, I think, and I will be thinning out the apples soon.  

This week's big surprise.  These are definitely NOT the autumn fruiting kind I bought - or thought I bought.  Not to worry, any fruit is most welcome.

The 'dead' lavender.

The yellow courgette looks pretty happy and has started growing.  I've not decided whether to train it up or let it spread.  Google says both.  Sue made a good point that it fruits from the centre anyway so probably I will just let it go, tuck the leaves behind the pots as much as I can and step over the rest!

The clematis is still a picture, although I can't see it so well from the house now I've moved it.  The leaves aren't great and I'm going to do a bit of soil replacement top-up.  As my compost bin will need to be moved,  I'm using some of it up . . . which is what I should be doing anyway!  After all, what is the point otherwise?

Sorry about that - from now on, one a day!  Promise.   :-)

Yesterday turned out lovely.  I had my early swim, the first early swim I have had for ages.  The Gossip Girls were there as usual, slowly going up and down and talking nineteen to the dozen.  For those who don't remember, they are a group of friends who met and used to monopolise half the width of the pool as the chatted away and went slowly up and down, making it tricky for more 'serious' swimmers.  After lockdown, (when you had to go round and round singly once the gym opened again), they stopped that but now they are back.  I had to smile - they were in twos but the first two were facing the back two and going backwards!  They seem great buddies and are very pleasant ladies; they make me smile.
As for me, I was able to use one of the narrower lanes and managed 50 lengths - 1000m.  That'll do.

Then it was home to get on with the Sunday roast for me and Alex.  The pork was already in, doing slowly, so the house smelled fantastic!
Al and I enjoyed a very good old chat over lunch and into the afternoon.

And that was the day really.  Once Al left, I did a bit of ironing and folded the swimming stuff that I had washed and line dried.

Today will be a gentle start - no early swim!  Later on there's circuits at Lindsey's and after that I might swim or I might not.  I think that, after a rigorous circuits sessions in this warm weather, a nice cool swim would be just the ticket, but I'll take my kit with me and see how I feel.

I've found someone locally who is selling her rescue hen's eggs so I am going to pick some up this evening for the first time.  Nice!

And that is about it really.  I think it will be a nice day and I hope yours is too.  Have fun!  xx  

Sunday

 Good morning.  It was another lovely day yesterday with wall to wall sunshine and a real warmth in the air.  Lovely.
Today's forecast looks pretty good.  In fact, it looks great for the next fortnight although that can change, of course.  Still, good for the plants and good for us - no complaints.  
I treated myself to something I have wanted for decades - a max/min thermometer.  Now I am exercised as to where to put it - would you keep it more in the shade or in the sun?

I pootled off to Abercorn as planned and there was lots of good stuff there, including some tomatoes but, sadly, no sungolds.  I did get a couple of tomatoes though, a yellow Tumbling Tom and (hang on, I need to go and check) one called Shimmer which I've never heard of before.
I've grown Tumbling Toms before though; they're a bush tomato so no need to pinch out any side shoots.  Shimmer is a cordon variety, like all the others. I also got a lupin (I love lupins - shame the slugs and the blackfly like them too), a pelargonium, a nemesia Wisley vanilla which smells gorgeous, a filled planter and some yellow freesia which smell even lovelier!  Oh, and some parsley which is now sitting on my kitchen window sill.
There weren't any plant rings either - oh, Abercorn!

I went over the road to Lathcoats as planned and they had a few bedding plants including some trailing somethings which I got for a planter that hangs on the fence.  They also had some locally grown asparagus so that's a treat for next week.
The strawberry picking might start as early as the end of next week, depending on the weather.  Good oh - mine should just about have stopped by then.

I do need to plant rings so I decided to drive on to the Hanging Gardens nursery where I got the rings but no sungolds - no veg at all, in fact.  I forgot they don't do veg.  I was going to drive further out along the 141 to another garden centre but, annoyingly, there were 'road closed' signs but no indication as to where the road was closed.
I will try Longacres and B&Q next week.

I came home and got stuck into gardening again.  First the back and then the front.  The camellia is now in ericaceous soil and I used the rest of the bag to top up the blueberries (which are doing nothing at all this year - they do seem to be bi-annual).  
A few photos:

The lupin, nemesia and pelargonium planted in the middle bed.  They need to fill out and there's still one gap so I will need to look around and see what else I fancy.

This is the start of a new 'pot spot'.  Formerly the bags of potting compost were stacked next to the bamboo.  Now next to the bamboo is the camellia, hopefully much happier now, behind that I have put the tumbling Tom pot on top of another ceramic upturned pot to give it a bit of height - if it's going to trail, I want it to have some trailing space! - and beside that is the Shimmer with the freesia in front.  The Shimmer and the Tom should grow quite high and then, next to the Shimmer is the pot on the fence that should trail down - the contents, I mean..  I think it will look quite nice once everything gets going and fills up the space above (or below). 

Yes, I will deal with that weed!  Cheeky blighter!  :-)

Then I went round the front and worked on the front patch.  It now looks quite nice although there's not a lot of colour yet, and the planter is now looking pretty beside the front door.

MUST remember to water it!

After I'd finished, I did a little video clip - sorry, no voice over.

Once that was done, I got the egg chair out, mixed up a not-Pimms and relaxed in the warm sunshine.  Lovely!

I nearly forgot - in between all of that, I did some washing, dried it all on the line and got it all ironed in the evening.

All in all, a very satisfying day indeed.

Today starts with an early swim (the gym opens at eight) and then I need to get dinner sorted before Alex gets here.  Once he goes, I will take the rest of the day nice and easy, probably dozing off a few times.  It's Sunday, folks!!

Well, I'd better stop and get on with my Facebook admin duties.  Are you having a lovely weekend too?  I do hope so.

Take care and happy Sunday to you.  xx

Saturday

 Good morning, everyone.  Welcome to the weekend and a happy Saturday to you.  After that early morning cloud, yesterday turned out gorgeous and the sun is shining already so I'm looking forward to some good weather ahead.

Mind you, the hay fever has landed.  I thought I was getting away with it this year and, certainly, it is much lighter than it used to be but the last couple of weeks have been lightly sneezy while today I did an early morning watering and haven't stopped sneezing since.  I've taken a tablet so it should calm down soon.

I read somewhere that plants appreciate an early morning water, only water midday (in the height of the sun) in the direst emergency, and then water in the evening if it is needed.  So that is what I do, hay fever or no hay fever!

I was looking critically at my little front patch.  It doesn't get the same attention as the back, it's just a mish mash of this, that and the other, not exactly a wold garden (far from it, in fact), but not planned either.
It looks nice early spring when all the bulbs are up and then it looks a right mess while they are dying off and before the summer stuff comes up.
It's awfully weedy at the moment and I need to give it an hour or so today.

I took a few photos just now.

In the middle is this pink geranium.  It's been there for four years now and this is the first year it's actually earned its space.  The first year it had just a few leaves, as it was in the pot.  The next year, a few more leaves, last year quite a lot of leaves and this year it is beautiful.  The the right the lily of the valley is dying down and to the left is I know not what, perhaps self seeded but I don't think it is a weed.

To the right are various plants - a confused dahlia that produced pink and white petals on the same flower and these - I can't remember their name but they are nice in an understated way, more interesting leaf shape than bright flower.

Kindly ignore those weeds - their time is short!

To the left is some crocosmia lucifer that brighten up what is a very dark space and around that some poppies grow with happy abandon.  Last year Jeff weeded them by mistake, this year I just weeded some but left others to grow and I think they will look lovely.  There's some lovely fat buds there.

So, today I need to weed, remove died back bulb leaves and generally sort out.  I have to be careful how much compost I add as I don't want it to go above the damp course, but this year I think it will take some good stuff from my compost bin.

It's a shady spot, this front strip; the neighbours opposite see it a lot more than I do as the only window that looks out to the front is the kitchen window and I can't see the flowers from there but it's nice to see when I go out or come home.

I forgot to mention this yesterday.  When I stopped tuition in May, my student and family gave me a little camellia in a pot.  On Thursday, I potted it on (it had already grown half as much again) but, I'm afraid, I have committed a bit of a boo-boo.  I didn't realise it's an ericaceous plant and I put it in compost from my bin.
So today I will take it back out and repot in ericaceous compost from a bag I have.
The bin compost can be scattered around the front.

Poor little plant - it will have to take its chance with the tap water until I get my water butt.

Yesterday was such a happy day.

It started off at Slimming World where, despite my concerns about over-scoffing (and drinking), especially at the all-inclusive Potters, I had actually lost a pound and a half since the last time I weighed at my group.  Yes!!!!!

After breakfast and a bit of tidying up, I headed off for the Riverside shopping precinct where I nosed around HomeSense (two little bowls) and Matalan (T shirt, hoodie, little footsie sock things, cropped jean style leggings and pjs) before going into the gym for a swim.
It was lovely and two thirty in the afternoon is definitely a good time to go.  By the time I had finished just after three there was only me and one other swimmer.

I did thirty five lengths (700m) in the same number of minutes.  I'm not a strong or fast swimmer so that's OK by me, albeit quite feeble in the whole scheme of things.  I'm not aiming to beat any records, just enjoy my swimming, tone up a bit, burn some calories and raise some money for GOSH.
Now I know how many sessions I need to do, how long each session will take and it is perfectly achievable.  Later on today, I will look through my diary for July and write in the swimming times.  Then I'm all ready and only need to keep going through June to get into the habit.

Come the evening, I was fighting to stay awake and gave in around half past eight.  I woke after five so got nearly nine hours' sleep.  Fine by me!

Today I need to pop to Abercorn - well, not really need, but want to see if they have any sungolds (a bit of a faint hope but fingers crossed) and to get some wire circle thingies for tying up the tomatoes, cucumber, etc.  I have some, I know I do, but can I find them anywhere?  So frustrating! 
I'm going right across town because Abercorn is my best bet really.  If some bedding flowers just happen to fall into my trolley too, I won't be complaining.  It is possible that I will cross the road to Lathcoats to see if they know when their strawberry picking will start too.

Once home, I will tackle the front strip and hope to get that looking a bit better, pot or plant out whatever I happen to get, deal with the poor, misunderstood camellia and then, hopefully, sit out in my egg chair with a SW-not-Pimms and let the world pass me by.  Lovely!

I'm hoping for a very happy Saturday for you too - what are your plans?
Take care, enjoy the sunshine (assuming you have some) and stay safe.  xx

Friday

 Good morning.  No rain but it's very dull right now.  BBC weather is more optimistic and, indeed, in the time it has taken to type the above, the sun is peeking through!  

I must share this Little Pete photo - really, not-so-Little Pete now - needing some help to get down after being terribly brave at climbing up.

Thursday didn't quite go according to plan.  I had a really lovely chat with Chris.  It's been a while so we had loads to share and didn't really get through everything but there's always next week.  I walked back over the cul de sac clutching a couple of pots containing Alicante tomato plants which was very kind of her.

While I was making and having breakfast I dithered and waffled and wondered - should I go swimming or should I go to the garden centre and get whatever they had left to go with Chris' gift?  The problem was solved when I received an email saying a parcel was arriving in the afternoon and I needed to be there to take it in.  Garden centre it was.

They had plenty of tomatoes, loads, but some were not in great condition and some were big enough to need staking up and the stems were all bent - you know how they go.  Never mind, I had a good rootle through and got various kinds - a couple I'd never heard of, a couple of gardener's delight, another couple of Alicante (which are nice) and a mini one - I mean the tomatoes are mini.

I also got two cucumber plants that looked in reasonable state and, lucky me, they had just a few yellow courgettes too.  All these were £1.20 each or five for a fiver which is the same as last year and the year before so great value.

I also managed to find a tray of sweet corn and I fell for a pot of white campanula.

So I spent the late morning and afternoon getting everything into their 'forever' place in the garden.  

The tomatoes all went in pots with those 'collars' that act as a water reservoir as well as encouraging the roots to go deeper.  You can see the bendy stems but, apart from that, they are in pretty good nick and look happy enough this morning.

I have nine plants all together.  That's a lot less than last year but I haven't planted any on the usual raised bed because a couple of them last year got blight and I didn't want to risk the soil still being a bit infected.

I was fairly happy with the variety of tomatoes I've got but there were no Sungolds.  I really need Sungolds.  Now, I do happen to have a few more pots and collars so, if by any chance, I happened to be at another garden centre and saw some Sungolds - well, I couldn't say no really, could I?  Not that I'm going to look specifically, of course (cough, cough).

Here we are - future cucumbers.  Full sized ones this year, not mini ones.  Some of the lower leaves are a bit brown but I'll let the plants settle in before I deal with that.

Now, I do expect these babies will drop off with the re-potting stress but you never know.  They're still there this morning.

Spot the sweetcorn at one end of the strawberry bed.  I got a tray of ten so have planted them three, four, three which should work fine.  From experience, it won't take long for them to get going (unless they just fade and die).  I do hope they survive.  I love fresh corn and Dad always grew some.
I was going to plant them where the tomatoes used to go but all the strawberries have migrated that way so the other end it is!

nd the yellow courgette.  I've never planted courgette in a pot but people do and they are successful.  It's a big pot and I used one of the collars so here's hoping.

Would you let it trail or train up up a cane, like a cucumber?  I'm not sure which would be best really.  Advice gratefully received.

Just a few more photos - the lavender Chris gave me (I just love the colour and the scent)

The penstemon I planted last year has come up nicely.

And this is the campanula.  The camera has adjusted so it doesn't look as white as it really is.

It took pretty much all afternoon to get everything sorted, finishing off my bags of potting compost mixed with some lovely stuff from the bottom of my compost bin.  I just hope the plants appreciate the fine food I have given them!

When I had finished, I felt so much better, so much more relieved and with a sense of a job well done.  It now looks like a proper, potentially productive garden again and I know Dad would say 'Well done, love, well done.'

I left a bit of a soily mess and really should have swept it all up - but I didn't.  Not long after I'd finished and come in, we had some rain so I didn't fancy sweeping up mud!  I'll just tidy things up a bit more today.

Edited to add a little vid clip I've just made.  

And yes, the parcel did arrive.

Today starts with Slimming World after a couple of weeks missed because of holidays.  I'll see what the damage is and get back on the wagon again.  

And then I will probably go and have the swim I didn't have yesterday.  Nice. I might have a wander around Matalan too, you never know.  And maybe HomeSense . . .

Oh, dear!!

Have a lovely Friday, everyone, and be happy!  xx