A Brief Interlude

I am going to have a blogging break. I feel that my blog has become jaded and samey. I don't want my readers to think that I am two dimensional and all that I do is garden and bake cakes! Hopefully after some time out I will return to my blog with fresh eyes and be able to share some topics other than food and gardening (although they will feature from time to time.)

I will still pop in to read your blogs but may not comment as much as I usually do.

My watercolour paints are calling to me..........................enjoy the summer. x

Tuesday Garden Rake No.7

Hot pinks.

Vibrant oranges.

Sunny yellows.

Glorious shades of green.

A place to contemplate.

Friday Cake Bake No.13

Today's cake bake; a baked vanilla cheesecake was started off yesterday, baked in the oven and then chilled overnight.

I have added a strawberry garnish as a cream circle is quite uninspiring to look at!

A digestive biscuit crumb base always goes down a treat with my family.

On to other things - look who found the propagator lid!

After the Rain

Yesterday afternoon it rained incessantly. I collected 113 of the above from the garden.

Nunhead Cemetery Open Day

If you are in the London area on Saturday 15th May, I highly recommend that you go to the Friends of Nunhead Cemetery (F.O.N.C) Open Day. This is an annual event that takes place in one of the lesser known Victorian cemeteries, full of all kinds of interesting things to see and do.

Children can go on a bug hunt and have their bugs identified, there are tours of the cemetery and the crypt, there are all kinds of flora and fauna to see and there are wonderful home made cakes and refreshments. In years past the cakes have included, chocolate cake, slabs of ginger cake and gingerbread men and fresh cream or jam sponges. Included this year are my Mum's luxury brandy fruit cake and my Auntie's Whiskey and Sultana cake topped with flaked almonds and her rum fruit cakes. It is worth attending the event for the yummy home made food alone!

Nunhead Cemetery is an oasis of calm at the heart of an inner city. A place to see all kinds of wildlife and butterflies and fungi. I do believe that F.O.N.C keep beehives in the cemetery too. Now, I think that is something to be highly commended now that our bee population is on the decline. Other events take place throughout the year such as cemetery tours and night time bat hunts, so if you can't make it this Saturday then why not bookmark Nunhead Cemetery as place to visit in the future.

I am sure that followers of this blog would love the Open Day. There will be so much for you to photograph and blog about!

Tuesday Garden Rake No.6

I couldn't bear to part with my son's long outgrown pedal car so I decided to use it as a planter!

There is a shady spot at the back of the garden where it fits in very nicely.

I have filled it with shade loving plants including a Hosta and so far no slug/snail damage!

By the time summer comes (do you hear me summer?) , hopefully, the lobelia will be trailing out over the sides and filling the gaps with foliage and flower.

The greenhouse is overrun with tomato plants and there is still more to pot up!

The plants in the greenhouse are thriving.

The sweet peas have had a growth spurt!

The tomatoes in the grow bags are growing bushier. I must remember to feed them once the third truss has set.

A lone Tayberry plant in the garden is covered in buds.

Can you see the tiny blueberries forming at the base of the flowers?

The climbing French bean 'Cherokee' is growing vigorously now.

Acorn squash sit nicely next to the French Marigolds.

Rosie was asking what herbs do you like to use from your garden. I have plentiful supply of lavender and this year I am going to try and make lavender biscuits as shown on Alys Fowler's gardening programme.

I also have a large Rosemary bush in the garden so I make use of this when I roast potatoes and garlic for added flavour.

Flower buds already forming on my outdoor early tomato 'Latah'.

Fern growing up the side of an old tree trunk.

Peony tightly in bud.

A mystery self seeded flower. Any ideas what it is? I haven't got a clue!

Under the Weather

Today was not a good day. The whitish/grey cloud hung low all day and blocked out all sunlight. A misty, murky soul-less day. The pictures in this post show pink clouds against a blue sky just moments before sundown. Let's hope it is a sign of good weather to come.

I have been feeling very under the weather. One of my hens who we ironically named 'storm' is unwell. Truth is I do not know if she will still be with us by morning. I feel so helpless and hopeless and downright rotten.

There is supposed to be a silver lining behind every cloud. Lets wait and see.

Fox Cubs by Night

These pictures are not the best quality, I know. They were taken at night with a flash, through a very dusty window!

Here you can see how tiny the cubs are compared to the dustbin. There are two cubs fighting to the right and one cub to the left of the bin, and one on the top right of the picture.

Chasing each others tails.

I was caught in the act photographing this one! Say CHEESE little foxy!

One cub in the planter and one to the right.

Two little cubs sneaking out of the junk pile.

Trampling all over my lovely plants! I wondered why a lot of my pots are turned upside down by morning. Now I know why!

Three of the cubs having a jolly good muck about. I hope you have enjoyed looking at the fox cub posts. I have really enjoyed observing their antics.

Tuesday Garden Rake No.5

Cats always manage to find a sunny spot.

Gizmo is looking directly towards the area where the fox cubs are being reared.

Wisteria hangs down above him.

There is more leaf than flower but the wisteria is a pretty addition to the garden and so beautifully fragrant.

I have managed to get some of my tomatoes into grow bags. I have planted nine into 3 grow bags so far. To each bag I have added two plastic plant pots for ease of watering. I can water directly into the pots to prevent the soil spilling out if I was to water at the base of the plant.

The sweet peas are coming along nicely in the greenhouse too. I have pinched out the tips to produce bushier plants. Hopefully bushier plants will mean more flowers.

Yet more tomato plants! I had better start saving up tomato recipes!