On the move

I am very sorry for the inconvenience again, but I am moving blogs! I have explained why on the new blog.
I hope you will join me at
Woodlands World 2

and please don't forget to change your links etc!

In the Greenhouse & Mum

Update:- My mum was due to have a CT scan yesterday, or so we thought, anyway apparently it was only an appointment to see the specialist????? So the Ct scan is not for awhile as other tests have to be done first!!!
My sister left her today, mum has driven and done some cooking and C (sister) thinks she will be fine, with her partners help.
So I awoke this morning feeling like death warmed up, ear ache, sore throat etc. As hubby said, I am no longer on standby, so have switched off!!

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I am so behind in the gardening stakes I should be planting seeds galore, but to be honest all I want to do is 'sit'! So I have done that, although I pottered down the garden to take some pics to share with you...

Currently in flower in the greenhouse








so cheerful, its a shame they are shut away in the greenhouse!



I like the pink purply hues of this one.

Here is my Manihot Grahami



this is much sort of on the Hardy Tropicals forum. I am surprised it has survived as to be honest I am very neglectful of my greenhouse plants during the winter. All I do is make sure the temps do not fall below 5C other than that they are on there own!!!

Bromeliads


these where a bargain buy last autumn about 50p each. I saw them when I went to 'Will Giles' Tropical Garden in Norwich last year. Then when I saw them in the garden centre going cheap I grabbed them with both hands and brought them home. Only then did I read the label!!!! They need good light and quite a warm temp all winter, so I used my heat mat, popped it into my propagator then popped the plants on top and covered them with the lid. I made a concerted effort to water these as they like rain water in the centre of the plant. As you can see they survived!! Which is all very well for this year, I'm just not sure what to do with them next year as they will be quite large by then!!






They are going to be big this year Tropical Pete! I only popped some water on them for the first time this winter last week!!

My Bird of Paradise plants have really done well this winter



I am chuffed, as they are alot bigger than last year. Although I think I still have some wait before we see any flowers!!

Growing in the Garden at the Mo!!!

In no particular order

Pulmenaria, the bees love this and I have loads of it.



Helabores, I do love these and threaten to get more every year but have still to do so!



Winter Onions... doing well



3 tubs of tulips all doing well but at slightly differing stages, due to their placement...





Frogspawn




No comment about all the 'dead' plants in the greenhouses




Theres alot of work to be done this year, as last year we had sooooooooooooo much rain that alot was neglected!
Should keep me out of mischief though!!! lol!!

In the Garden

What a glorious day it has been, in fact what a glorious weekend it has been. Loads and loads of washing dried!

K came home for the weekend as she can't make it next weekend, so I had mothering Sunday today!

She enjoys gardening as much as I do, so we drew up a plan



this bed has never been very successful in the growing department, so it is going! The red bit will be slabbed, and the bar-b-que will be here! The blue bit will be a herb bed and the green bit 'maybe' a strawberry bed.



this is where the veg bed will move too.



and this is a new veg bed that we will be building opposite the last one. They will be a slightly odd shape so as to follow the path, rather than having to re-route it!

This is looking back up the garden so you can see how it will look.

Everyone has taken a week off at Easter to give me a hand with the hard work. In the mean time I will try and do alot of the preparation work.

Great Excitement

We have had Jake just over 6 months now. We got him on the 25th August 2008. Its as if he always lived here. Sassy and he really do not like one another. Tango just gives him a 'biff' if he gets out of line!!

So imagine my excitement yesterday when I saw him outside having a 'tiddle'!! I must admit I had been cleaning his litter tray twice daily, but just not registered how little was in there!



Mind you as soon as he finished he was back through the catflap like a bullet. Poor chap is so timid, I wonder if he will ever be able to stay outside long enough to do No 2's!!

And I have just bought a HUGE bag of cat litter!!!!

Next time I will definately do a garden post! Promise!!!!???? Well OK I will try!!

My Mum

Is improving daily although still has the most awful cough. It really tires her out and scares the living daylights out of me everytime she coughs!!

Funny how things turn out, she has been really lovely to look after, mum is a very strong person, she has had to be....


this was with her brother, her dad was a Chief Engineer and often went to America where he bought 'Shirley Temple' dresses for her as she was the spitting image of her in theose days!

Dad was a seafarer and was often away for 9 months plus each year, so she raised us more or less single handedly.


Mum and Dad on there Wedding Day

My sister and I where often puzzled by this strange man that used to come home and kiss mum!!!!


At my sisters first wedding in 1982, dad died a year later, he didn't look well!

So mum has been a widow for 26 years now and is used to doing and getting her own way, she is not good at sharing and to be honest can be quite difficult on occasions.


With her Great Granddaughter last year

This is a good photo of mum as she doesn't like having her pic taken. We have always disagreed quite strongly, as I won't stand any nonsense from her, well I did leave home at 17! I can't stand her rudeness!
Anyway, it has been rather lovely looking after her, chatting and laughing and generally getting on. I had over the years distanced myself from her, so could take or leave any of the nonsense she gave me. I did my duty as a daughter, nothing more, nothing less. I had no intention of feeling any guilt when she died. But that has changed and I am actually quite fond of her. So we shall see.

Home for a week!

Hi back for a week with my mum. She is very poorly but has improved enough to come away from her doctor for a short while.

Mum has Bronchiectasis, something she got due to having whooping cough as a child.

Something happened either before, during or just after the funeral and although she was not well when we left by the Thursday I knew I had to return. She had an X-Ray on the friday which shows a shadow on her lung, so we now have to wait for the CT scan which is on the 17th.

This illness means mum is coughing all the time. Its tiring to listen too so, I can't imagine how awful it must be to own it!! Being such a light sleeper, I wake through the night as well so am pretty bushed.

Anyway my sister is coming to collect her next Saturday and I will follow up on the Tuesday and will probably stay until the results or until she is well enough to drive and cook for herself again.

Just to let you know...

Hi, this is Libby's youngest daughter T. She has asked me to let you know that she hasn't given up blogging she just hasn't got access to a computer whilst she is up north looking after her mum who is rather poorly at the moment.

We'll keep you posted.

T

Pudding Club!

This is where I was taken for a 50th Birthday surprise by my friends C & P, if you remember hubby & I where bestman and bestlady at their wedding.





The Pudding Club was set up in 1985 to preserve the tradition of the 'Great British Pudding'.

They suggest you have a small main course, no starter.




The Menu



The Puddings



There are 7 puddings Syrup Sponge, Lord Randall's Pudding,( steamed pudding made with marmalade and Apricots)Sticky Toffee Pudding, Spotted Dick and Custard, Rhubarb Crumble, Squidgy Chocolate Pudding and Apple & Mincemeat Pudding, plus they make 8 gallons of custard!

You are expected to sample them all (if you can)and the rules are that you are not allowed to have two puddings in your bowl at one time so you must finish each one in turn! I though I was very clever and had very small portions of each pudding.

Yes I did manage all 7, I have a certificate to prove it! At the end of the evening we voted on the favourite pudding of the night...... Squidgy Chocolate Pudding won, followed by my particular favourite Apple & Mincemeat Pudding!

One gentleman had 8 helpings of Spotted Dick??? Which begs the question why go to a Pudding Evening and only have one pudding????

Our room...





The view from our room...



Would I recommend this, most definately, fantastic food, beautiful hotel, wonderful location and to die for puddings!! Well try it at least once!

I think I maybe 50 again next year and I'm sure with my bad memory I could convince evreyone that I had never had a birthday or any presents so they would have to do it all over again!!!!!!!!!!!

Growing!

I planted the Amaryllis on the 17th January expecting it to flower in March, it has exceeded my expectations and flowered now. I am going to have at least five big blooms on it!



Around the garden we have clumps of lovely snowdrops



I also have some lovely yellow crocus, but I didn't manage an 'infocus' photograph!
The Hellabores are coming through too...



and wherever I am in the garden Sassy comes too!



she is half burmese puss cat and great company!

Coming off a High!

What to do with oneself when you have had such a wonderful time!!!???

Head for the kitchen and make

Pickled Red Cabbage



such a lovely colour!

and Marmalade



All homemade, cabbage sliced and salted, rinsed, spun and packed into jars then pickled vinegar poured over!

Seville oranges halved, squeezed, membrane and pips into muslin, pith scrapped off, skins minced, put into pan with water and boiled fro 2 hours sugar added, boiled until setting point is reached!!!

Simple as that!!!

The Big Five Oh..... extended!!!

I had such a wonderful day yesterday, that I have decided to extend it! I don't know what all the fuss is about I mean 'five Oh' is just a number! Had I been having my party this would have been easy but instead I shall enjoy the party atmosphere in my house



with glittery things on the carpet



cards and gifts by the window




flowers




and beautiful balloons!!!



but best of all it means I can have birthday cake for breakfast