Showing posts with label charity. Show all posts
Showing posts with label charity. Show all posts

Tuesday, 30 April 2019

End of April garden watch.


Apparently it's National Gardening Week this week and this year is a celebration of growing your own produce so if you do and have photos the RHS want you to post pictures on social media using the #NationalGardeningWeek hashtag. We didn't know there was such a thing but let's face it, every week is gardening week in this house so I couldn't miss the opportunity to do a bit of an End-of-April round up of what's going on in our little patch.

J had a few extra days off this week so in addition to finally dropping a load of stuff off at our local charity shop (and acquiring a little table for the garden in the process), we've spent the last few days dead-heading and weeding, pricking out seedlings, potting on plantlets, shuffling spent bulb pots and watching to see if the dahlias would respond to being in the light. The achilleas, sweet peas, lettuce, rudbeckias and a few of the strawberries are all in new homes and the front grass paths have been mown. As the cowslips have taken over the back lawn that getting a couple of weeks reprieve and will be mown when they go over. The pots of scabious, strawberries, pansies, herbs and bulbs out the back have been weeded and the dead things have been emptied out ready for their pots to be re-used. The Babbington's Leeks that decided they'd rather be in the patio than in the pot have been cut ready for cooking with in the next couple of days. A couple of loads of washing have been dried on the line outside and J has spent some time in his shed working on a new bird table. And, in anticipation of a couple of wet days ahead a few of the prolific bluebells have been cut to fill a small jug in the living room. So how's your gardening week going?

After the weekend!

The achilleas germinated well
Now they have room to spread

First batch of sweet peas 

Dahlias emerging

Lettuces potted on
Peonies budding

Just the right height for a cuppa!

Thursday, 4 April 2019

Gently doing

Slowly getting back into a routine here and feeling well enough to start looking around for projects and pastimes for when Mum heads back home next week. The day I fell ill again the Hospice had a little pop up shop and so I couldn't resist a couple of new shawly scarves - lighter weight for the changing seasons and oh so pretty - a quick wash (thanks Mum) and they were ready to go. But that wasn't all...

Strands and swirls of green 
My eye was also caught by this pretty choker type pendant - it has a metal lobster claw clasp and cords and in it's present form I can't wear it - the metal will bring my skin out in a rash and the cords are too short and will catch on various scars. So I can hear the question - why on earth buy it then? Well, it has the loveliest disc pendant with peridot green coloured stones - one about 1cm diameter and the other really tiny, a couple of olive coloured patches, a tiny emerald coloured stone and a little patch of diamantés in a really pretty abstract "celestial" design. All for only £1.50.

Pretty, shiny and in my favourite shades of green
My current plan is to remove the cords and clasp and either find a longer, thicker cord that I can string the pendant onto but it will need to be fairly soft cord so it doesn't rub or use a ribbon instead so it becomes a lovely wearable piece. And as for the rest of it - well if I can find a way to remove the clasp without damaging it I'll see if the hospice can add it to their craft supplies and then there are several possible options kicking around my mind for the cords - plaited key ring cords, plant ties or maybe a twisted cord bracelet - but we'll see how far my skills match my imagination later on.

Sunday, 13 January 2019

Sorting and Saving continues

Old envelopes and used stamps were part of this week's sorting so I'll have a small package of stamps to send off to Macmillan Cancer Care for their fundraising efforts. One less thing for landfill and whilst I might not have many, if enough people save them and send them in then it will all add to their valuable work. For those of you interested stamps can be sent to:
Stamp Bureau in aid of Macmillan Cancer Support PO Box 469 
Leeds
LS17 1HX
Save your stamps