Garden 2013 no 7 ( forgot to post it earlier)

Looks like I forgot to post number 7 so here it is

Garden 2013  no 7
It’s been a while since I posted on my garden. This summer has flown by; retirement is a very busy time of life for me. Like I said last time, I spent May in France and when I came home the garden was overgrown thanks to the deluge of rain that fell while I was away. 

The mini monsoons have been followed by six weeks of 30 + degrees, I’ve been hose piping the garden every night after the sun dies down.  These are temperatures virtually unknown in Scotland. Although I have to say this heqt wave is coming to an end, we have had thunder storms and today we are back to heavy rains. 

This bizarre combination of rain and extreme heat has made a noticeable difference to the garden. The soft fruit all yielded bumper crops and I have a freezer full ready for jams and preserves when I get back.

The only problem with the fruit was the birds, I think they ate as much as I picked; (mental note to self, buy fruit nets before next year). I even had 6 delicious red cherries from my young cherry tree. Not exactly a bumper crop, but it’s a young tree and this is the first year it has produced. I’m hoping this is a good omen for years to come.
The vegetables didn’t do so well. The beetroot looked as if it was flourishing, but under all those leaves leaves, were tough, woody baby beetroots hardly the size of walnuts.

I couldn’t leave them in the ground any longer because they started to go to seed, most of them didn’t even make it into the kitchen; they went straight into the compost. 

 I had more shallots than ever before. I’ve just lifted them out of the ground because I’m off to France again next week and I want to get them into jars of spiced vinegar before I go away. I’m struggling to find enough space to dry them all.

The garlic looks OK, not quite ready to lift yet so I’m hoping it doesn’t go to seed while I’m away. I need it to make my herb oil. I planted sets of red onions and the leaves grew tall but the onions themselves didn’t grow. I’ve pulled them from the ground because they started to flower, I’ll use the couple that grew to a decent size but the bulk of my red onions are destined for the compost pile. Salad has been strange, I’ve had a constant supple of huge radishes and spring onions, I pulled the last today because I want to use them before going away. That’s it for this year; I’ll not be putting in any more seeds in now, it’s too late in the season.

I’ve also had a never ending supply of cress growing in the window but; none of the lettuce, rocket or salad leaves survived. Despite my daily hose pipe watering, they died off as fast as I could plant them. In the end I gave up and concentrated on the things that grew. The oddest thing of all this year is the non show of the nasturtium flower. Every year I grow lots and lots of nasturtiums and they’ve always flowered profusely. 

This year I’ve had the usual abundance of good strong healthy looking plants, they are a great addition to the salad bowl, but not a single flower, and I’ve no idea why. My lavender liked the hot weather, I have lots drying ready to make little lavender sachets.
Talking of flowers, this year I have really enjoyed my flowers. I’ve spent the last few years transforming my garden from the traditional lawn and flower borders into a food producing plot. 

 

 

The plan was to have a fairly productive and established food growing garden by the time I retired so that I could indulge my love of the garden in all that extra time I was going to have. This is my first summer of retirement and so far things haven’t exactly panned out the way I planned. Rather than having extra time for the garden, I’ve ended up with a lot less. I’ve come to realise that retirement is exactly the same as any other time of your life in as much as there is a finite amount of time and usually an infinite amount of things you want to do. 

 

I’ve spent very little time here in the last few months because I’ve been trying to cram so much in. I’ve spent a long time in France, I’ve spent more time than usual enjoying the company of my grandchildren, I have my painting to find time for plus I now like to go out taking photographs AND, I like to walk every day. I have signed up for photographic competitions AND a painting competition. I can walk much further now than I used to. I’m determined to keep up with the walking, I want my retirement to be long, happy and healthy, and to do that I need to keep fit and walking every day is my chosen method.

 

So now I’m thinking maybe my garden would be better used as a quiet restful place where I can sit and relax occasionally rather than a place that needs time and effort. I guess its all about priorities; no one can do every thing. I’m considering grassing back over the vegetable plot and just keeping the soft fruit, they mostly look after themselves any way and I do quite like making jam. No firm decisions yet but I’m ‘considering my options’ as they say. I’ll miss the shallots, they always do well and I like to have pickles but I’ve come to realise, I can’t have every thing.
I’ve already made a quiet area at the top of my garden where I can sit and enjoy the sun and I’m still thinking about putting the grass back. 
 

These are just random photos taken over the last month or so. Like I said, I’m enjoying getting back into sitting watching the flowers. It’s been hectic, but it’s been fun.  

When I get back from France this time my priority will be to paint the garden walls, fences and gates. It’s a big job and should have been done this summer but now I’ll have to find time to for it in between this trip to France and my next one which will probably be in October. I hope the weather lasts because I can’t paint in the rain.
The grandchildren go home on Tuesday and I leave again for France on Thursday. It’s my sisters 60th birthday and we are having a garden party. I doubt I will post again before I leave although I will do my best to visit sites and posts I’ve missed.

 

 

By the time I come home in the middle of August, the children will be back at school, the evenings will be getting shorter and the best of the summer will be gone. Summer in Scotland never lasts much past the end of August, maybe, just maybe, some sort of normality will return to my life. 

Garden 2013 no 1

Garden 3013 no 1

It feels so good to write that…. GARDEN 2013 NO 1 

This will be brief, obviously there is not a lot to do or to see in a garden in January but the there are two things I find worth celebrating. The first is that I was well enough to brave the January cold for about an hour and go outside to the garden. The second is that once out there, I saw tiny signs of new growth. My fruit bushes are in bud. It’s early, and spring is still a long way off but it’s reassuring to see the bushes in bud ready for the spring. I did very little, I picked up some rubbish that had blown into the garden, clipped a few blackberry runners off before they embedded themselves into the ground, raked over the soil to level it off after the recent rain and wind, threw some spring bulbs into the ground and then threw handfuls of soil on top. (I’m not sure they will actually do any thing but I had forgotten about them and they spent the winter in a bucket in the shed). I’ve nothing to lose, the bulbs weren’t going to do any thing in the shed and even if they do nothing this year, they will be nicely buried into the ground by next year.

On the plus side, I’ve caught a lot of the water that’s been falling from the sky. My water butt is full to overflowing and the various buckets and bins around the garden are also rapidly filling. I’m thinking of using the wormery I bought a couple of years ago as a second water butt. I didn’t have much luck using it as a wormery because all the worms died.  I think it’s too cold here to keep worms outside and the bin has been cleaned and stored in the shed, it's ideal because it has a tap on the bottom.  I think I’m going to adapt it and use it as a second water butt, seems a shame to throw all this water away when it could be used to water the garden s next summer.

But for now, it was so nice to spend an hour outside.

Aug 3 2012, the garden and other bits

My mouse broke during the week and I’ve not been able to get on the computer for a few days, it makes you realise what a big part of your life the computer is when its not there. Anyway……………..I have a new mouse now and every thing is back to normal. We have had some fantastic weather here this week; in fact it’s probably the best weather we’ve had so far this year, which is not surprising because school holidays finish in other 10 days which means kids, teachers and I, will be cooped up indoors while the sun shines outside. At least I have the satisfaction of knowing this will be the last school holiday for me……..I shall be retired before the summer holidays start next year I will be free to enjoy the sunshine when ever it comes.

I’ve spent a few days in the garden enjoying the summer colours and continuing to harvest what I can.

As well as the fruit, salad and a little veg I’m working my way through the herb garden. I freeze all my herbs now; I think they retain their taste better than dried herbs. This was one days harvest, more broad beans, rhubarb, spring onions and radish, plus a little fruit and some herbs. From left to right the herbs are Fennel, Lovage and Chives.  I’m freezing the fruit as I collect it and eventually I will have a jam making weekend.
And some flowers, I like flowers indoors but prefer ones  a little on the wild side, especially if they were grown in my garden.

Friday was my big day out to St Andrews with a friend. The sun brought the sailing boats out and I just loved sitting watching, it was a riot of colour.

The little sailing boats were so many different colours and to add to the scene, the families of those sailing protected themselves from the wind on the beach by big, multi coloured, canvas wind breakers.
To finish off the perfect day, we went to the St Andrews Museum and saw the Samuel John Peploe art exhibition, what a great painter he was.

To round up the week there was a family BBQ at my daughters house to celebrate her birthday. I just loved her chicken cake, it had little chicken candles and pictures of her chickens inside the chicken house. This is another cake made by my friend, her business is blooming now she is really busy and becoming quite well known around the town.

And when we came home, a perfect sunset through the trees.

Prev: Sometimes life in my head is not easy.............muddled thoughts for today.
Next: Art Sunday; Samuel John Poploe

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delete reply artprevails wrote on Aug 5 Your blog is so pleasant...a day in the life of Loretta. That cake is amazing! The bouquet of flowers is so lovely, could you lend them to me for my table? *grin* What do you do to the herbs to prepare them for freezing? Do you just put them into the freezer in an airtight bag as they are?

delete reply nemo4sun wrote on Aug 5 love the chicken cake :)

delete reply pestep55 wrote on Aug 5 The garden is looking beautiful, sounds like you've had a full week. Happy b-day to your daughter. That cake is fantastic, no surprise that business is doing well, wow! Your herb and sail boat pictures are great /:-)

edit delete reply forgetmenot525 wrote on Aug 5 starfishred said all lovely loretta our weather has been good to-- love the cake the sail boats wonderful Hi Heidi, and thanks, yes its great to finally get some decent weather and be able to have proper summer days out.

delete reply starfishred wrote on Aug 5 all lovely loretta our weather has been good to-- love the cake the sail boats wonderful

edit delete reply forgetmenot525 wrote on Aug 5 mitchylr said Glad to hear you've had a good week. You've done better with the weather than me, I've had rain several days this week. Great harvest from the garden. Are you going to use any of the sailing photos as the basis for a painting or two? Hi Mitch,, yes we have had a really good week, but its overcast again today so don't go getting too jealous. Ans yes..........I took the sailing pictures as inspiration for paintings. I wish I had more with the colourful wind breakers in because those on the beach next to the bright sails was a fantastic sight.

edit delete reply forgetmenot525 wrote on Aug 5 brendainmad said Hope you continue to have good weather for the rest of your holidays. thanks, I'm hoping so too, but like I said, its usually really nice in June before the schools finish, and then nice for a couple of weeks once the school goes back. Guess its sods law. :-))

edit delete reply forgetmenot525 wrote on Aug 5 sunny21144 said very nice pictures Hi, and thanks

edit delete reply forgetmenot525 wrote on Aug 5 hedgewitch9 said That was a tremendous day!! I LOVE the cake!!!! :)))) Thanks Emma, yep I've had a really good couple of days

edit delete reply forgetmenot525 wrote on Aug 5 remixedphoenix said Bought a fishing rod, hope that helps. lol................sounds like you need one of those little notebook thingies...........can take them and the internet anywhere

delete reply remixedphoenix wrote on Aug 5 forgetmenot525 said it makes you realise what a big part of your life the computer is when its not there Feeling that... keeping the laptop off a day or two is almost as hard as giving up smoking! Bought a fishing rod, hope that helps. All I need is some decent weather lol

delete reply brendainmad wrote on Aug 5 Hope you continue to have good weather for the rest of your holidays.

delete reply sunny21144 wrote on Aug 5 very nice pictures

delete reply hedgewitch9 wrote on Aug 5 That was a tremendous day!! I LOVE the cake!!!! :))))

delete reply mitchylr wrote on Aug 5 Glad to hear you've had a good week. You've done better with the weather than me, I've had rain several days this week. Great harvest from the garden. Are you going to use any of the sailing photos as the basis for a painting or two?