~Garden peek~

It's raining, thundering and lightening quite heavily here tonight, so I'm glad I took some photos yesterday before all my plants get flattened...I love May and June in the garden before floppage and crispyness occur...
My back garden is a teensy small space as with most newer houses  (I wish housebuilders were forced to include allotment-sized plots) with poor soil and poor drainage, so most plants are in a built up bed at the back. I've been here 8 years now. The backgarden had the ambience of being on a ship's deck when we moved in - all badly-done decking and rope handrails - really awful.

A little look around then...

I love alliums, I had some at the old house too.

 They're planted with a large fatsia, a standard holly, aquilegias, geraniums,

sisyrinchium and euphorbias

I do like the combination of purple and lime green

 

 

 This is my secret corner behind the garage...

 This potted clematis is the best it's ever been this year

 I like mirrors in the garden and a few mosaics, tiles and statues...

 ...and old rusty fireplaces with mirrors behind them.

 Cut and come again salad leaves in a sunny spot...

 And my lovely fragranced 'Life Begins at Forty' Rose by the back door...

Then my picnic table (cheap ebay buy 4 years ago) painted willow green along with a metal bench and scrollwork green chair for sitting out in the warmer weather.

 

 

I hope you enjoyed that little look at my garden.

See you soon xx

~Simple Pleasures of the week~

A few things from my week...
A cup of Earl Grey - particularly liking the taste of this brand at the moment (Waitrose £1.99)

A few flowers from the garden in a jug - chive flowers, alliums and mint and the first bloom of this year from my 'Life Begins at Forty' Rose...

Reading the latest issue of Coast in the garden.

I love the cover of this month's issue.

Sorry I've been scarce around these parts; hopefully back soon x

~Gardening Giveaway~

I got a tiny bit of my gardening mojo back yesterday and today. Though windy and bitterly cold out of the sun, yes, actual sun,  it was lovely to potter about and see that things were starting to grow.  New green shoots on my clematis; it's the small things that cheer me up...

Tete-a-tete daffodils in a shady corner

Primroses (they must have liked the cold) and pulmonaria

Now that Spring is coming I'm wondering what the year has in store weather wise.  Last year was a dead loss for tomatoes and fruit in my garden. Today I sowed some tomato seeds in trays and have them indoors on a sunny windowsill to germinate - but normally I would have done this already.  I sowed 2 cherry types as I eventually grow them outdoors in wall-mounted troughs. First one were some new seeds I bought  'F1 Sweet 'n' Neat Cherry' from Suttons seeds.  8 seeds for blooming £1.99! Apart from that I decided to be frugal and have a forage for seeds in the garage In my seed tin I found some free seeds from a magazine last year - 'Red Cherry' by Fothergills seeds. I've also sown some seed trays with Cosmos 'Purity',  marigolds and Borage.

Time for a Spring gardening giveaway!

The giveaway consists of; gardening gloves, handmade Rosemary & Marjoram soap, an RHS Gardening Techniques book and some seeds from my tin (Marigolds, Foxgloves and Sweet Williams) - just leave me comment for a chance to enter.  (UK entrants only please)

For an extra entry please link back to me on your blog and let me know you've done this in a second comment. Closing date  12 midday Sunday 14th April.

Good luck!

~Simple Pleasures~

We caught up with the gardening and did some tidying and 'putting the garden to bed' at half-term. I love watching and understanding how different weather and temperatures affects the plants in the garden. The ivy has gone mad this year, the damson yield was poor and the tomatoes didn't ripen.
My simple pleasure this week has been looking at this plant in my garden which I can see from the kitchen...

...an 8 year old Fatsia japonica.  It's an easygoing evergreen but not completely hardy, in fact 2 Winters ago it was very poorly after being frozen for such a long period.  Anyway, it recovered, and this Autumn it has been covered with flowers; these perfect little globes (or compound umbels as it says in my gardening book) which older plants tend to produce. I think it's a gorgeous statement plant with its large glossy leaves and flowers, followed by purply black seedheads.
Hope everyone has had a lovely Autumnal weekend x

~Vintage Fair at Rivers Meet Craft Cafe~

Bbbrrr, it's been a cold weekend here in Yorkshire, the snow has lingered due to the low temperatures.  It was minus 5 on my garden thermometer yesterday morning - and I have to confess I stayed in my PJs and watched a dramatisation of Daphne Du Maurier's Rebecca starring Charles Dance & Emilia Fox.  I hardly ever do that, so it was a nice treat.
 I loved the feathery ice pattern on the conservatory window on Saturday morning...

Today I went along with Anne from Marmalade & Catmint, and my lovely Mum,  to a Valentine Craft & Vintage Fair here...

Rivers Meet Craft Cafe in Methley, near Leeds.   I remember this building as a pub a few years ago - it was given a new lease of life as a craft and foodie haven when it was reopened by Joanne and Richard as Rivers Meet in Autumn 2011.  It's open 7 days a week for food, and the in-house craft shop has some fantastic fabrics and beads too. There are also sewing, quilting and other craft classes, along with a book group. See other blogs here and here for foodie reviews and more lovely photos of this unique place, which, judging by today's busy cafe, is obviously a very popular hub of the community.

I caught up with Margaret again from Ready Planted  (@MaggyAnne on Twitter) whose stall looked very pretty and Spring-like.  I bought some Hellebores and Mum treated me to my first daffodils of the year at 50p a bunch.

Margaret's son paints the bespoke signs, they really are the nicest I've come across - his contact details are on the sign on the right under 'For Quotes and Orders' ...I'm looking forward to welcoming Margaret to my March afternoon tea event too.

A cup of tea and a slice of cake on pretty vintage china in the cafe ...

Now to more purchases...

Some East of India ribbon and labels from Chicken Shed Gifts who also have an online shop. 

  Some more ribbons and a handmade ditsy corsage from Twisted Vintage, who open their shop in Whitwood, Castleford, next month.

This cute wooden mini bunting from Twisted Vintage...

A couple of fat quarters of this pretty faux patchwork cotton lawn.  I might recover my piano (sewing) stool with this during half-term...Anne bought some fat quarters too, I'm sure she will post about them too - we both had cameras in-hand to take some snaps!

I may be back there for a half-term breakfast treat with the kids this week!

~Teapot and Teacup gardening~

Succulent plants, such as sempervivums ('houseleeks') are ideal for container planting in
vintage crockery odds and ends.  I have a stone trough outside planted up with succulents and alpines, but they are also ideal plants for sunny indoor windowsills - mine are happy in an unheated conservatory in Winter, and spend June to October outdoors in a sunny spot. 
From one of our 'miscellaneous boxes' from a local auction (£1 for a box of random old pots and kitchenalia) came this gorgeous old teapot, missing it's lid. It's a beautiful Gibson's Staffordshire pottery teapot in an unusual hexagonal shape. I used a well-draining planting mix of 50/50 horticultural grit and compost, and just repotted the offsets that my other sempervivums have grown.  They root easily and soon grow over the container sides.  This one flowered beautifully in the summer...

If you look closely you can see the spindly roots that the baby plants are sending out.

I do the same with pretty teacups...

...dressing the tops with grit for drainage. I don't drill holes in the china - just make sure you hardly water them - do not overwater them or they will rot. They make lovely home-made presents too, or for a fund-raising plant stall. Does anyone else plant up bric-a-brac odds and ends?

~Hopes and Aims for 2012~

Sorry before I start, but I have the feeling that my January blog posts will all be a bit all over the place and scatty; as that's how I feel as I settle into the new year ahead of me, and try to resist the temptation to make huge unsurmountable 'to do' lists...
Some of my hopes and aims then for 2012...

• that I see the 'to do' list as 'Sally will try to do' not 'Sally must do'  - as there are only so many hours in the day and only one of me (thank goodness!)
• To carry on growing veg, especially my beloved tomatoes - would love a small greenhouse this year if I can manage it, must get looking on eBay and local notice boards. We even had fresh parsley and rocket out of the garden on Christmas Day this year...

Bonkers weather though...not sure it feels right that calendula and rhododendrons are blooming in early Jan here in North Yorkshire...

Ah well, their poor petals will be scattered by morning with these 70mph gusts again.

• To continue to spend less on food, use leftovers, minimise wastage and shop around for value.  I don't profess to be the most frugal of shoppers all of the time, but I do try.  I followed the reduced-sticker staff round the supermarket tonight and got some bargains for the freezer! And I did a big freezer cook-a-thon with leftover cooked meat and veggies yesterday.
• To not buy any clothes for myself this year. This is one for me and my husband too, not the kids - as we have enough clothes and do not need anything.  Oh, the only thing I do need is to lose half a stone so the lovely clothes look okay on me! - I'm trying with the eat less move more too.
• Contine to thrift, car boot and recycle, including with my crafting and sewing this year.  I have a massive fabric stash that needs using, not admiring. No more fabric purchases.
• Lastly, I will get a caravan.  Main hope for family getaways and jollies this year. No big pipe dreams  just a little second-hand tourer that I can fix up with Cath Kidston loveliness, blankets and vintage treasures.



And lots of bunting of course!

What are your hopes and aims this year?

~Christmas Wreath~

The Christmas wreaths I fancy for the door are always too expensive.  If I spent a lot of money I'm afraid I'd be too worried it might get half-inched (sad but true).
So I've done what I've done before....
I bought the cheapest wreath of fresh greenery from the local greengrocers (£7.50), then removed the unwanted paper bow and fake poinsettias (yuk). Added a gingham fabric bow (last year's recycled ribbon). I then used craft wire to add 3 fresh red chillis plus greenery and berries from the garden.  I've used orange pyracanthus berries, variegated holly and fatsia japonica flower heads.

I wonder if people will think of their fuel bills and the credit crunch this year and think twice about putting their outdoor decorations and fairy lights up? I've just strung some battery operated LED lights on the box trees outside the front door, whereas in years past we would have had icicle lights and illuminated snowflakes a-plenty.  

~Autumn Harvest~

Is it Autumn? Or Summer? Or Sprautumn? (My primroses are flowering again!) I like things to stick to the rules sometimes, so I am out of kilter with this warm weather. And it makes me grumpy because I don't like being too hot whilst working and commuting. One of my clematis has flowered consistently and confusedly since June; and looks as knackered as I feel at the moment! Have had a sort out in the garden this week and not done too badly considering my plot is tiny. Small vegetables are the order of the day when you've got lots of containers, pots and troughs.

Day off Thursday may involve a bit of chutney making!

Thanks for your lovely comments about my Macmillan tea party, I appreciate your kind words x

~Simple pleasures - Flowers~

Flowers 1....We had a family afternoon out in Ryedale at Yorkshire Lavender yesterday - what can I say, I looooove lavender, so it was a treat. The weather was a bit blustery and spitting with rain, but we still managed to get a few nice photos. I wanted a lavender photo for my blog header that was taken by me; so now I'm happy!

Plants were reasonably priced, every type of Lavender imaginable, plus herbs and some unusual perennials grouped in colours, which was great.  I bought a variegated applemint,  culinary mint called 'Bowes' and a lavender 'Pinnata'. It's free entry to look round the lavender and garden centre. Lots of bees, obviously which my son is wary of - so he refused to go into the lavender maze. The aroma was divine and I was very relaxed and calm until I saw the rather pricey menu in the tearoom! In my opinion the tearoom was not as pretty, quaint or smart as I'd hoped, given it comes highly recommended.

Flowers 2... Other than out of the garden, I rarely get fresh flowers, but these gladioli were both half-price and 50% extra at Co-op, so 9 longlasting blooms for £1.50.

The pink ruffles and lilac stamens are very gorgeous in my world, but announced to be 'hideous' according to L...Maybe it's an age thing?!?

~Garlic harvest and alien alliums~

It is so hot here today! I've been pottering in the garden and I decided to dig up my garlic as all the tops had turned yellow and flopped over. I got a decent crop bearing in mind they were grown in a raised bed and not in full sun. I planted them late October, and I was frugal and used shop-bought garlic instead of expensive seed garlic as a trial just to see how it went. Gardening books advise against this and say the crop is likely to be inferior and more prone to disease, but I am impressed with the results. It's drying out in the sun now, and I'll keep some to sow again in autumn.

I've kept the scapes (the twisty garlic flower stalks that hard-necked varieties produce) and I'm going to make garlic scape pesto for the first time. My leeks have also bolted, but I'm loving the flower heads, just like alliums, and I have some unopened ones in a vase in the kitchen just becuse they're so weird and

alien-looking. The bees love them too!

Yes, I think I love the allium family... This is one of my favourite pictures - I bought this limited edition linocut print by Selby-based artist Helen Roddie at an art show a few years ago - it's called 'Onion Watch' .