Highs and lows

I have been in Bristol for the last couple of days and it has had it moments of highs and lows!

Firstly the lows;-  I stayed in a different Hotel this time around,  the office has moved from one side of the city to the other - it   seemed to make sense to stay in a hotel nearer to the office and not have to do the cross city drive in the morning.   As you know from previous posts I stay almost weekly in a hotel and it is tiresome.   Well this one was certainly different!  The first room I was put in was dirty - yuk, yuk and more yuk, I definately wasn't going to be sleeping in this one for the night.   Reception soon sorted me another room and fortunately this one was clean.  And that is about its only virtue!

From the window I could see a car park and that was it,  the bed and pillows were like sleeping on a brick,   I could hear the air conditioning unit, toilet flushing and mobile phone ringing in rooms around me,  I made a cup of tea -  2 tea bags were needed to get a decent colour,  running cold water smelt of stagnant water,  the air con unit in my room didn't work properly,  the bathroom was a drop in modular affair that was like a porta-cabin -generally it was not a good experience.  My Milly's comments when I showed him the photos was 'it looks like a squat'!   What do you think??

Soulless and uninviting room.

At first glance this looks like a Fridge Door

Hiding behind the fridge door was the even more uninviting
plastic bathroom

I was up, showered, dressed and in the office by 7.45 this morning - a terrible night's sleep and I couldn't wait to get out!  I'll put that night down to experience and will be seeking a different hotel for my next visit.

The Highs - Bristol is a fascinating City,  it is lively, buzzy and interesting.  Generally I don't like Cities, but this one I do like.   I had company for dinner, we sat alongside the water at Harbourside, had our meal and watched the world go by.

From my seat

Looking out across the water this suddenly appeared;

It peacefully drifted across the harbour and over the buildings

Then another appeared from a different direction;-

And drifted away

Then another one

And another - closely followed by yet another one.
You can just make our the moon high in the clear blue sky

I was like a little child in a sweet shop and just didn't know where to look next and if any more would appear.  Living very close to a major airport this is something we never ever see and I was beside myself.  It just seemed very fitting for the setting and the beautiful late spring evening,  how lovely to drift over the water and the city.    Steph thought I was really funny - but of course living in Bristol she is used to seeing the hot air balloons,  whereas for me it is giant aeroplanes that fill my sky.  Give me Hot air balloons any day!!

Hello Weekend!

Star has had her final check-up at the vets today,  they were very pleased with her and she doesn't need to go again! Woohoo!

Millie is doing very well for a little new puppy in her brand new forever home.   My sister-in-law is worrying about her like a new baby!   But she is such a good little thing,  even in the first couple of days she is going to the door to be let out to do her business,  amazing really in such a short space of time,  the boys of course are loving her and no doubt will have a lot of fun with her in the years to come.

My week has been dull, dull, dull....   I was away Wednesday and Thursday and came home to almost frazzled seedlings in the little plastic greenhouse in the garden,  I think I have managed to save most of them, but did loose some of the salad leaves - not too great a disaster as I have 2 other pots on the go.  We use a lot of salad leaves during the summer, but it does bolt and go to seed quickly.  I am hoping that by having a few big pots, sown at 3-4 weekly intervals this should keep us going all summer and should help with the bolting problems.

Anyway - after the near disaster at home I was worried about the newly planted beans, squash and courgettes at the Lottie - they do need a fair bit of water when newly planted, so I decided a quick watering trip to the Lottie was needed.  It was 8.15pm before I left home and really wasn't that bothered about going after a full day at work and then a 100  mile drive home - but I have been growing bits and pieces since February and didn't want to loose them at the very first hurdle!  I needn't have worried though - one of my kind Lottie neighbours had watered them for me - isn't that  lovely and thoughtful!  I suspect it was Barney - he knows I work away a couple of days a week and is a very frequent visitor to my plot - I think he is teaching me quietly as he passes on bits and pieces of information, knowledge and little tips frequently, he was one of the first allotment holders at our site and has had his Lottie for about 20 years.   We have now fallen into a bit of a pattern and whenever I make coffee at the Lottie and Barney is around I make one for him too - he pops over to my plot and we sit at the table, natter and drink coffee!   I have no doubt that he would have spotted the new planting on the lottie and watered for me!     An extra special coffee is in order this weekend!

As usual the list of jobs to do this weekend is much longer that the hours available - but the number one priority is weeding - they are growing extremely well at the moment.  Next on the list is to net the strawberries and blueberries - I would be extremely unhappy if the birds got them before me!  Lots more planned and lots of pictures to come over the weekend hopefully!

I hope you have a lovely weekend!
Alison x

Millie

My sister-in-law and her family have a new baby!  Well actually it's a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel and her name is Millie.  She is now 8 weeks old and yesterday she came home with them.   The 2 little boys are already in love,  Millie is a Blenheim Cavalier which is a lovely tan and white colour.   We popped over yesterday to see her and she is tiny!

Millie

I was determined to have a cuddle!

The littlest nephew cuddling his puppy.

In comparison to Millie,  our Star looks like an absolute giant!   Star is doing really well after her operation,  the vet was really pleased with her on Friday,  she looks like she has a black eye now - which is very strange on a dog!  We are really pleased she is on the mend as we did have a couple of anxious days with her.

I've spoken to my sister in law this morning and they had a bit of a disturbed night,  Millie cried most of the night!  It must be very scary for the little one,  leaving her mum and litter mates and sleeping alone for the first time.  We remember that well  from went we brought Star home all of those years ago.   Fortunately it doesn't last long - that's what I keep telling them anyway!

Alison

Update on Star

Star appears to be a little better today,  she is not limping as heavily now and the constant whimpering has stopped,  just the occasional little whimper to let us know she is still feeling poorly!  She has been very quiet all day with lots of laying about sleeping.   I did manage to get a reasonable night's sleep - thank goodness!  Star slept in our room but on her own bed, which in itself is highly unusual for her!

Off to the vets tomorrow for a check up so fingers crossed she will get a good report.

Alison

Poor Star

Star our lovely Weimaraner  is poorly today.  She had to go to the vets on Monday as she had a little growth appearing on her eye lid - the vet didn't like the look of it and today Star spent the day with the vet and under the knife.

She has had the growth on her eyelid removed and the vet found another starting on her other eye which has also been removed.  She also had some skin tags the vet was concerned with and these have been removed along with the very big fatty lump growing on her leg.   Star is 12 years old, we have had her since she was 12 weeks old and she truly is Mr Milly's baby,  unfortunately time is catching her up and she is beginning now to show her age.

My Boy and Mr Milly collected her from the Vet tonight as I was travelling home from Colchester,  I phoned Mr Milly on my way home to see how Star was doing and Mr Milly said she was feeling very sorry for herself and was very tearful!   That is a very strange thing to say about a dog,  but I understood what he meant!

Oh my,  I was shocked when I arrived home!  Star limped heavily to the door to see me and stood and whimpered like a little baby - she really is a very sorry sight tonight.  We are keeping her quiet and wrapped in a blanket to keep warm,  every now and again she gets up and has a little limp around and most of the time she is whimpering - it is heartbreaking!

Tonight she will spend the night in with us,  so I don't expect I will get much sleep - she is a big dog and when she is in the bed it is like having another adult in the bed!  Not particularly comfortable,  but tonight I think it will be needed.

A couple of pictures of the very sorry looking Star -

You can just see her weeping eye in this photo

She just looks sad and unhappy

Nasty operation site

Two cuts on one leg

I'll let you know tomorrow how she is doing and how much sleep I managed to get!

Alison

x

Hi Monica - thank you for your lovely comment,  I have lots of Hosepipe left over - let me know if you want any!

Crafting

The Lottie is keeping me busy at the moment as we start to gear up for the busy summer growing season.   I think I have pretty much completed all of the hard tasks for now and it is just maintenance - which is lovely to be at that point.

I have been crafting too,  some knitting,  some sewing and some crochet.

The Peg Bag love continues and I have 3 more to add to the ever growing collection.  I have added some flower embellishments to a couple of them and I think I quite like this - what do you think?

A blue Peg bag

Yellow Peg Bag

Jubilee Peg Bag

I found some new and slightly cheaper scarf wool when I was in Wales and one has been knitted up,  this one will either be kept for a Christmas present or could be put up for sale.  I like the colours of this one,  slightly different from the colours I usually work with.

Knitted Scarf

I also have a new quilt on the go,  I do like quilting and would probably do more of it,  but currently the sewing machine lives in the living room and it is not fair on Mr Milly to be sewing when he is trying to relax,  so I grab a few minutes here and there and slowly slowly the little stash of pin wheel squares are growing.  It will take a fair few to make the quilt, so I expect this one will be a few months in the making.

Pin Wheel squares

Crocheting of course is my preferred craft of choice,  I like to sit, relax and watch the TV keep my hands busy. I am positively twitchy if I don't have something to be working on.   Mr Milly likes this craft too - it is quiet,  unlike sewing and the rattling of the machine and me backwards and forwards to the sewing machine - it positively drives him nuts!  Then there is knitting - it is OK and the first craft I learnt as a child.  I am OK at it,  but not great and the click clicking of the knitting needles really does irritate my poor long suffering husband!  But with crochet the single hook makes no noise and I sit still to work.

The downside of crochet - what do I make.   There is only so many hats we can all wear and during the summer months, no one wants them.  I have tried my hand at baby cardigans and hats,  but I'm not keen on all of the little bits and pieces needed for a baby cardigan, so I dabble occasionally with with little enthusiasm.

Baby Cardie

 My latest little projects have been tea cozies - we now have a little collection and I use the one which suits my mood.   I do get to choose which one we are using as Mr Milly would probably choose not to have one at all!!

An elaborate Tea Cosy

Stripy cup matching Tea Cosy

Patriotic Tea Cosy

Pink Tea Cosy

This weekend I  decided that I need a longer project to sit and work quietly on for a while,  a blanket for our bed seems in order - it will fill the gap until the blue quilt is finished.

The start of the double bed size blanket

That should keep my twitchy hands busy for a while!

Alison x

Sunny Saturday

Today has been a lovely day - sunshine all day.  Mr Milly came to the lottie with me today, due to the terrible weather he hasn't been to the plot for a while and I think he was quite pleased!  I have had a bit of doubting Thomas moment in the last couple of days - and felt that I had lost my way a little,  so Mr Millly's company, reassurance and a bit of guidance was really needed!

We did make the most of the sunshine and spent most of the day at the plot - tonight we both have beetroot red faces, it must have been hotter than we realised!

We made a start with the grass and with my new grass strimmer/brush cutter I cut all the borders and edges of the overgrown grass - immediately that made the plots looks much tidier.   Then we set about the brassica cage.  I had decided earlier in the week that I didn't like the one I had put up - too tall, too untidy, too unstable,  just too not right for me!  Yesterday I had deconstructed it giving us a clear run at it today.   Last year I had picked up some hosepipe from Freecycle,  at the time I didn't really know what what I was going to do with it, but convinced both of us that we would eventually find a use for it.   Today the use was found,  and we have made 3 brassica cages, 2 short ones for cabbages, kale, and lettuces and one taller one for sprouts and broccolli.   We used bamboo canes connected with short pieces of hosepipe,  debris netting to cover them and all neatly pegged down.   I was on a roll then and used the off cut pieces of cane and more hosepipe over the strawberry bed ready for their protection netting to be placed.

New brassica cages

Strawberry bed ready for netting

The next job was the potatoes - again they had appeared above the soil, Mr Milly made a start and was able to cover one line of the tatties,  and of course he covered them differently to me.   A bit of tuition and a lot of supervision followed and the rest of the tatties were covered in the same way.   I think one more earthing up only will be possible as the earthings are now quite tall and we are running out of soil.   Hopefully we won't be seeing any more frost now and one more earthing up should be Ok to protect the potatoes and give us a good crop.

Across the middle of the plots - all the potatoes nicely earthed up.

Talking about crops - we had a little harvest today;-

Spinach from the front of the plot,  a few rhubarb sticks,  four lovely leeks and a couple of spring greens.  The trug was quite full and considering it is not quite the middle of May a pretty good harvest we thought!

Tidy plots.  The Bunting seems to have multiplied!

A few more jobs are planned for tomorrow,  the weather forecast is good so hopefully all the planned jobs can be completed and we are nearly ready for mass planting!!

At the Plot

This wet weather is slowing things down a tad at the moment,  the weeds of course are loving it!  I spent a few hours at the weekend just weeding.  It was quite satisfying when I had finished as everywhere looks tider and a little more loved.  

Nicely weeded onion, shallots and garlic bed

The potatoes just keep appearing about the soil and with this constant threat of a late frost earthing them up is required.   I'm really not sure if I am earthing them high enough each time as they appear again a couple of days after earthing up.  I think some Googling is required to check I am doing it right.

Potatoes appearing again

I have now put together the brassica cage - no high tech affair here though - bamboo canes topped with tennis balls from Poundland and covered with debris netting.   It feels secure enough, although probably wouldn't withstand any snow!!  It has not been planted as yet as currently I have started the hardening off process for the sprouts, Kale, Cabbage and Brocolli they should be ready in a week or so to face the big wide world.

Brassica cage

In the poly cloche

The little poly cloche is proving a god send - seedlings are protected and the direct sown beetroot, radish and lettuce are beginning to appear.  I have already harvested some radish which were yummy!

Peas

The peas are growing well and the protection nets seems to be doing the job.  The runner bean frame has now had it strings attached and is ready for planting.   The runner and french beans have just been sown and are in the warm at home to get them going.

Runner Bean Frame

And as this is the year of the Jubilee - I thought I would join in the red, white and blue theme.  I'm sure some of the older plot holders will think I am quite mad - but it cheers me up!

Bunting on the plot

Bunting fluttering away

Final Wales Update

My Mad Welsh Auntie has 2 staffs,  Tess and Tyson.  These are not generally one of my favourite breed of dogs,  however these 2 are adorable,  completely spoilt and very very loving.

Tyson's second favourite place

Tess and Tyson in their favourite spot,  looking out of the window

Tess snuggled up for a cuddle

How cute Tess is with her head between her paws.  She sits like this often

We spent quite a few days driving around inland - the sights and scenery are completely different from the coast but with their own charm.   Mountains are everywhere, there is the Rhigos, the Bwlch, Craig y llyn  to name a few and we practised saying them too!

We travelled high and low at times right into the very low clouds which is always thrilling!

Villages nestled in the mountains

Turn a corner and a waterfall appears

Very low clouds over the mountains

Looking across to the Brecon Beacons

Well that's it a little visual tour of a little of the South of Wales,  we really did have a lovely time!  So much so we think another short weekend away is called for probably before the end of May,  which is something for us to look forward to.

Finally - both of my cameras are broken  aaaarrrgghh!!  One has a little black spot on the photos and is unfocussed to one side of the photos,  you can probably see this in some of these pics, fortunately this camera is still under guarantee.  My other camera the DSLR is not focussing at all!   This one is now a couple of years old, so I expect it will cost a bit to have it fixed.   Both now have to go in for repair - fortunately I still have my old Pentax camera and although it is a little slow the photos are reasonable.  

Lottie update tomorrow.

Alison x

I'm Back

Back from my little blogging break.  And I have so much to tell!

We spent a lovely couple of days in Wales,  we drove for miles and miles and miles all around South Wales, this was a real treat for me as My Mad Welsh Auntie (I have always called her this!) drove and I was a passenger - how lovely to be able to sit and look out of the window and take in all the sights.

Countryside views on the way to the Gower Coast

Coastal Villages

Village Greens

 Reading the street names was interesting!  All signs in Wales are written in both English and Welsh and depending on which part of Wales you are in sometimes English comes first and other times Welsh is first.

We visited Port Talbot, Swansea, Bridgend, Ammanford,  Porthcawl and Rhosilli, many of these places I have never visited and others are well known from when I was a child.

The Gower Coast was beautiful,  we visited on a day of no rain and some sunshine although it was very very windy!

That's us braving the elements!

We stopped at Rhosilli and walked along the cliff edge,  the scenery was stunning!  We ambled along for sometime and then started to return to the village - we didn't realise how far we had walked or how downhill the outward journey was!  My goodness did we struggle on the upward climb!!

Rhosilli

The distance rocky bit is called the Wormhead

Pathway down to the beach,  we looked and admired, but didn't venture!

Cliffs

Pretty Beaches

I don't think I have been to the Gower before, or if I have I would have been too young to remember and for Mr Milly this was a first,  we did have a lovely day.

More Welsh adventures tomorrow!!
Alison x