All is well!

It's me again. 

Bobbing back and forth. 

Determined to get back into the swing of writing something interesting but continually getting distracted.

And I'm sure you know what with.

(Did I mention we have an allotment?)

So here, in a five minute nutshell, is what I've been up to.

Other things have been afoot of course.

There's a blanket in the making.

And a hat.

A tunic is being stitched.

And of course plenty of pickling and jamming.

And soon, very soon, I will get around to sharing.

Meanwhile I'm still here. 

Still enjoying popping over to your place and seeing what you've been up to.

Just keeping a little bit quiet. 

Which is not like me at all!

But all is well.

And I hope you are too!

Jane

xxx

I'm still here - it's just that I'm over there!

Truth is I've been distracted. 

Completely and utterly distracted. 

And for the last few weeks I've been spending the majority of my spare time over at the allotment. 

I know. 

I've kept it very quiet! 

I don't want to bore you with all of the details but if you do want to pop over and take a peek you can see me here.

Meanwhile I've been enjoying my own garden. 

What a fantastic time of year it is out there. 

So here's a few of my favourites.

Meanwhile I'm off to don a wet suit and lash some poles together ....

Hope you are enjoying the flowers wherever you are.

Jane

xxx

(All will be revealed soon!)

This was the weekend that was ...

It started with this.

The annual Floating Market was back!

A whole array of different traders turn up once a year to sell their wares - and of course look very pretty!

Of course Mike soon found his favourite.

And me!

Peek inside.

Of course one of the hidden treats is sitting in our garden listening to the conversations of people going by. No - it's not in the least bit nosey it's - errrr - ummmmm - being interested.

Closer to home we've had the robins nesting in the ivy. They are now so used to us that they are almost eating out of my hand. Not sure what the people walking by would think of me though - hand full of dried mealworms outstretched as I cheerily quip 'come on little fella.' I don't know how or when this actually happened but that seems to be my default response to any creature I now come across. 

Not sure what would happen if one of them answered me back. 

Here he is posing on the bird feeder (he's that tiny dot).

As for our poor old blackbird chick - sigh - he was doing very well until last Friday when we found him lying in the path. Not a scratch on him. So much so that Mike even tried to do a mini resuscitation. 

It didn't work :( 

Here he is in happier times (the chick not Mike).

Mike's a bit taller.

With a bit of a beard.

And trousers.

Mostly.

I've starting knitting a sock! Winwick Mum is hosting a wonderful sockalong - do pop over and see what she has posted so far. But in typical impatient fashion I wanted to get started. 

So I have. 

Feeling positive so far but haven't 'turned the heel' yet.

 Wish me luck.

And the 'eyelash from Oswestry' fabric has been cut out to make a simple skirt. Now I'm concerned it's more of a craft cotton, without much give, and I - erm - need a bit of give! I've decided I'm going to stitch very narrow seams in a bid to convince myself that my size hasn't gone up.

Other than that we've been spending a fair old chunk of time at the allotment. 

'The WHAT? You kept that quiet!'

We've even started to pick a few lettuce! I foresee a future where I develop a serious lettuce aversion in an attempt to not have to eat it three times a day.

And other than daily doings that's about the weekend summed up.

Hope you've had a good one.

Jane

xxx

Allotment Update!

The evenings have been too lovely to stay indoors so we've been creating mischief at the plot!

What's going up in your garden?

Jane

xxx

A Rare Review

Some time ago I wrote a post called Brightening Up about taking on our new allotment (did I mention we have an allotment ;)) In the comments section the lovely Frances from City Views, Country Dreams asked if I had read a book called Four Hedges. I immediately looked it up and was blown over by the cover alone. A few days later I was happily ensconced in what I consider to be one of the most enjoyable pieces of writing I've read.  

Written in the 1930's, Clare Leighton - renowned wood engraver - told of her experience of creating a garden in the Chiltern Hills. Alongside her partner, Henry Noel Brailsford, she fought against the not too ideal location to develop a garden that provided both visual and spiritual pleasure.

Divided into sections - one for each month - she not only observes the plants and wildlife but also the weather, social etiquette and the symbiotic nature of gardening.

Even if you're not a gardening nut such as myself you would find it difficult not to be moved by her deep understanding and appreciation of the senses.

To quote from 'January':

There is nothing more satisfying than to lie in bed at night, secure and warm,with a whistling wind outside. Windows creak and flap and grumble; one's senses are limited by the dark to hearing, and so the moan of the wind lifts and falls, strengthens and diminishes with a range of sound that is unimagined during the daytime, when hearing is tempered and distracted by sight, and wind means the racing of clouds across the sky.

In the introduction Carol Klein tells us

As you read each word, as you study each line, you smile. Yes, you want to say, yes, yes, you want to shout, that's it!

Not only battling with the plot and the weather, they also have another battle on their hands. That with their gardener - someone for whom they have the utmost respect but are too intimidated by to disagree with. This leads to often subversive methods in order to try and garden 'their' way. The local villagers also enrich their gardening knowledge with local lore.When their housekeeper Annie turns up with the phrase 'Coo! There's thunder about' they are confident that rain will soon appear to end a prolonged period of dry weather.

Clare urges us to look at things from a different view. When all seems grey and stark in the middle of Winter she notices the brightness of the birds plumage, and furnishes us with a beautiful account of watching the first iris open.

Throughout the book there is an air of appreciation and optimism. She manages to put into words what so many of us might feel but would find difficult to express. The eloquence of her writing is enhanced by the intensity of her engravings.

 A truly beautiful read.

So - how to follow up such a book?

Recently another blogger (I'm sorry I can't remember who - please put me right if you know!) put up a book for a giveaway. This one was called Allotted Time and with the strapline 'two blokes' one shed, no idea' I knew it would make a perfect gift for Mr K. Very loosely linked, in that it is about developing a garden, it provides a light hearted recount of the trials and tribulations of starting an allotment with - in their words - no idea. The writing may not be as lyrical, but the events are just as recognisable - with battles against the similar obstacles of land, weather and locals. 

Good fun.

So there we go. Two books - similar themes but very different tones. Both perfect for snuggling up with on these dark January days when all we can do is dream about what the year ahead will bring.

I'd love to hear if you've read either of these - or if you have any recommendations yourself.

Keep warm

Jane

xxx

Looking forward to ...

Seeing my socks continue!

Can you believe I managed to detangle that mess that I showed you in my last post? I'm loving the roundy round knitty knit thing at the moment. Of course it might all turn sour when I hit the heels ...

Seeing some of these start to pop up in the garden. I couldn't resist treating myself when I saw them at the supermarket for £1. I keep having a good old sniff whenever I walk by.

But what I'm so so so looking forward to this year is seeing our newly acquired plot develop.

It was bitterly cold today but Mr K and I spent a really happy couple of hours planning and planting. The beauty of having been granted the allotment during what is essentially the 'dormant' season is that we've been able to get to grips with the essentials. Shed, greenhouse, paths and beds are all ready and waiting for the fun to begin.

 The shed has even had the seal of approval from H.R.H. mum when she visited at Christmas! 

Today I transferred a whole bunch of herbs from my poor overburdened back garden to their new luxury pad.

Am I alone, when transferring plants from pots to fine soil, in going - there you go, that's good isn't it etc? It's the same when I put petrol in the car. Just me?

I know. This looks more like a patch of mud than plant heaven but I'm seeing thriving herb plants attracting bees and butterflies galore. Of course this has left a few gaps at home which means I'm going to HAVE to look out for some replacements. 

The fruit patch (yes - those twigs) is now full of raspberries, blackcurrants, blueberries and gooseberries. Oh to pick our own soft fruit. 

And of course we got the chance to try out Mr K's favourite Christmas present. 

A storm kettle!

I remember watching a clip of gardening guru Alys Fowler visiting her allotment in January and making a cuppa using this fantastic device and thinking it looked like such fun.

And it was!

So much to come - fruit, flowers and socks!

Oh and well done to those of you who guessed what the wire thingummyjig was.

It was - and still is - a duck.

Although Brownie points to Angel Jem for her imaginative suggestions - sadly 'tis not a false bust, a pasta drier or - my favourite - a lamp shade for a submersible caravan!

Mum and dad found it inside a tree at the back of their garden. I think it was originally meant to be 'topiarised' but instead was unceremoniously hanging from a twig by it's beak. 

Not quite sure what to do with him yet - any suggestions?

I hope you all have something to look forward to this week.

Jane

xxx

Up and Down at the Weekend

No, no not me - if anything I was fairly up both days. But, my dear friends, the place that has stolen the majority of my daylight hours over the last week or two.

Oh yes. It's time to talk allotment. 

Again.

After more or less completing our new fancy nancy shed it was time to dismantle the old one.

Mr K was at his happiest wielding a mallet.

And soon the base was clear and ready for our greenhouse.

Sadly the marker pen that Mr K had used to label the order of the base was not waterproof so friends were called upon to ponder the puzzle.

And marvel at the old nest of a snail loving mouse.

By the evening - or in this case about four o'clock - the frame was up and lack of light forced us home.

The sunshine that we had been promised for Sunday failed to appear but we carried on with our hair raising, nerve racking insertion of greenhouse glass regardless.

Perhaps my little homilies such as 'you live by the greenhouse, you die by the greenhouse' would have been best kept under wraps, but trying to manoeuvre slippy glass to head height did smack of a scene from  'Final Destination'.

Limbs intact we persevered.

Pausing only to take a  shot across the other rooftops before the last pane went in.

Then down went a path.

And up came a parsnip from a fellow allotmenteer!

A brief period of contemplation for Mr K before the best 'up' of all.

After a quick phone around we managed to gather a few chums together to watch the old shed going up in flames.

We watched and chatted and laughed and generally shared that wonderful feeling that comes with sitting around a bonfire with friends.

From the new shed window the scene looked almost Dickensian.

And so the flames went down and home we went. A busy weekend. Lots of playing around with soil, wood and hammers. But that night I went to bed happy.

If slightly singed!

Jane

xxx

P.S. I promise that next time I will include some pretty pictures . The secret squirrels are quite busy around these parts at the moment so it's difficult to share, but things are certainly afoot!