A Work in Progress (Part One)

We've been making the most of the dry weather this week out in our garden, which is in the process of a major makeover.

It all started when we decided that we would have to replace our tatty old garage, which just can't be patched up any more. The heavy rain throughout the last few years have taken their toll, and last winter the floor was flooded out several times.

While we are at it, we thought we would finally treat ourselves to a garden shed. I'm so excited about this, sad I know, but I've wanted a shed for ages.

So, we've had a huge monstrous tree removed to make room for the shed.

Then a tree we quite liked had to go too, because we discovered it was  more than fifty per cent dead, but had been hidden by the horrible tree.

Utter chaos ensued, because now, it seems every part of our fairly small garden has been affected, and we've been cutting back, clearing, chopping and digging for ages now.

It must be said that we are not gardeners, never having had the time nor inclination to be honest. I start out with good intentions, but lose interest, and for the past few years I really haven't had much energy to cope with anything more than plants in pots. Mr B. keeps the lawns tidy, but he's much happier out in the mountains than in the garden. And we do a fair bit of gadding about in the caravan I suppose. Our dog, Inca, likes to help, but she digs holes in all the wrong places, and we recently filled in our little pond because she kept jumping in!

The result is a space that is completely neglected, overgrown, and tangled. However, with retirement on the horizon, the plan is to make the garden into somewhere nice to sit with a cuppa on those rare sunny days.


I've been daydreaming on Pinterest .....

It's going to be a long work in progress!!!

Clinging on to summer ...

After moaning about the sad demise of summer in yesterday's post, today, here on the Paradise Peninsula, we had the brightest, warmest, blue sky sort of day you could imagine. It was just perfect.

Summer flowers are clinging on ....

Across our field the apples are just about clinging on to the branches too, after the recent windy weather

We've got more apples than we know what to do with, and I'm hunting out recipes for apple jelly and the like.

Inca spent the whole day in the garden, playing with her favourite pig, and just enjoying the sunshine.

It was so nice, I got my sun lounger out, and joined her for an hour.... finishing off my latest book in the warmth. 

I'm getting used to relaxing and pleasing myself.... so more days like this please! What are the chances?

A favourite piece of art

Radiotherapy ~ Day 16 (9:15)

For sheer impact I have chosen Les Nympheas ~ Monet's Water Lilies which fill the stunning oval room at the Musee de l'Orangerie in Paris. Their scale is simply breathtaking.

On our very first trip here when our daughter was small, we bought a lovely little book in the gift shop. It tells the story of a little girl who is taken to visit Monet's garden in Giverney.

Up until then, I hadn't realised the garden was still there. We put it on our list of places to visit. We finally got there on a visit to Paris to celebrate my 50th birthday!

We spent a whole day in this magical garden ....which has been beautifully preserved and is faithfully planted according to Monet's plans. There are wonderful plants to see in every month of the year. We went in August!

The big pink house has been meticulously restored and you can have a glimpse into the rooms once occupied by Monet and his family ... the yellow kitchen is fabulous!

And best of all, we got to stand on the famous green bridge!

A Blue Sky Day ....

Today the weather on the Paradise Peninsular was just glorious .... and I spent some time in my garden checking out the flowers that are blooming in the warm sunshine

            

.... they certainly helped to lift my spirits.

Also enjoying the sunshine ..... a certain young black labrador.

Inca spends her nap times outdoors now these days.

To be honest, most of her days are spent napping ...

interspersed with bouts of chasing birds off her lawn

...it's a dog's life!

.

In praise of three day weekends!

Regular readers may know that I'm very happy when I'm pottering around at home - and that's exactly how I spent this weekend.

I haven't been out of the house, apart from walking Inca and a quick Supermarket Sweep this afternoon.

The weather here on the Paradise Peninsular has been lovely - still a bit chilly - but bright and dry!

So.... it was time I got into our poor neglected garden ...

Our old shabby bench now looks like this ....

Isn't it amazing what a coat of paint can do?

I've now got a respectable home for my herbs and I'm thrilled with the result!

Sadly, it makes an old picnic bench look extra shabby - so that's a job for half term!

Elsewhere in the garden, I've planted a lovely new clematis to replace one lost over winter, and put in some geranium cuttings ... I know it's probably still a bit early, but hey ho! We'll see what happens!

On Saturday, I tidied my craft room and now have space on the work surfaces to actually craft in there - Inspired, I finally started my heritage scrapbook which I've been meaning to do for ages ....

There's no journalling yet - I need to speak to my Mum and her sister together to get some of their stories written down ...

I realised that these were the first layouts I've done all year - and I didn't need to buy new stash ... I actually had everything I wanted to hand - that's a first!

Obviously, as it's a weekend I've also done lots of washing and ironing,

but spread over a few days it didn't seem so bad.

Of course, now Monday night feels like Sunday night, but we've got a day off on Thursday to

look forward to .....  (we've got something very special planned for Thursday!)

Thank the Lord for the health and safety lobby who close schools on election days!

Now, if a political party has "three day weekends for ageing teachers" in their party manifesto"

they'll get my vote - whoever they are!!!

Spring plans....

Today is the first day of the Easter hols... hooray!!!!

and I will have two glorious work-free weeks to do as I please....

I have a mental list of all the things I would like to do ....

I need to get into my much neglected garden ....

We have a tatty, old bench which has seen better days and I plan to transform it with a lick of paint ...

I want to cover it with herbs in pots.

I've just bought a cupcake stand ... don't ask why .... so I will have to bake some cupcakes to fill it.
I can guarantee mine won't look like these treasures!

I need to do a lot of preparations for our stall at the Hobbycrafts show at the end of April.

I would like to sort out my wardrobe....and tidy my drawers

I must get my hair cut.

I need to catch up with some sleep.....

I want to start my heritage scrapbook with my Mum's lovely old family photographs ... I've just purchased  the set of Tim Holt's products to create aged and distressed techniques on the pages ( from a well known shopping channel). I've never really tried this before so it should be fun, getting messy with distressing inks.

Maybe if I write all my plans down here ... I will actually get some things done instead of time just slipping away through my fingers!

In the second week we are going away to the Lake District in our touring caravan - our first outing this year!

Fingers crossed for good weather!!!

All is well ...

Today we had blue skies....

We had buttermilk pancakes for breakfast ....

Flowers are blooming at last in my garden ....

We visited my Mum bearing pretty things ....

My children gave pretty things to me ....

My lovely girl saw this card and thought of me ...

 ... it could be my kitchen!

Best of all ... I had news that my lovely girl and the lovely Mr.B. who both had to travel long distances today  reached their destinations safely ....

All is well on the Paradise Peninsular!