Not just pink...

Just to prove my garden does have other colours in it, (although, as I said, it is predominantly pink), this rose was looking so perfect, I had to take a photo of it. It is a David Austin rose - Molineux - and is growing in a pot, though really, it would be happier in the border. It is a lovely creamy/gold/apricot colour and has a proper old rose fragrance. I don't grow any unscented roses as I can't see the point of a rose without perfume. The first thing I do when greeted with a rose is to bury my nose in it and I am always very disappointed if the fragrance doesn't live up to the appearance. I particularly like the David Austin roses as they are beautiful flowers and are bred for their scent.
We have finally had some rain after a few weeks of hot, sunny weather and the garden looks a lot fresher now. I'm a lot happier too because I am not a sun-worshipper and it was becoming unbearably hot for me. But I still have to go out and water my pots as the plants become umbrellas and stop the rain from getting to the roots. A gardener's work is never done...

What I'm reading now...

This is the book I'm reading at the moment, having discovered it on Jane Brocket's blog, http://yarnstorm.blogs.com/. The title intrigued me and I read some reviews on the internet which made me decide I needed to get the book. So far, it hasn't let me down. It is a family memoir based on a collection of netsuke which the author, a world renowned ceramicist, has inherited. The collection proved the starting point for his research into his wealthy family, from Victorian times onward. The book follows the owners of the collection, beginning with an art collector who was friends with the Impressionists and who bought several Impressionist paintings, amongst many other beautiful objects. It is an absolutely fascinating book, although I have one tiny disappointment due to the lack of photos in the book (there are some, but not enough in my view!). There are some family photos on the little removable wrapper (see photo above) but these do not so far appear to be in the book in any quantity. I am one of those people who like to see illustrations of things described, even if they are described beautifully. This one comment aside, it is proving to be as intriguing as the title, and it has made me look at netsuke for sale on Ebay, and purchase one, albeit a modern one, not a beautifully carved antique. Isn't it interesting where books can take you?

My mad skirt

I happened to be in a little vintage/retro/eco clothes shop last week and was drawn to a skirt due to this fantastic material. I looked at it, put it back on the rail, went and looked round the shop again and then came back to it. I love the colours and the over-the-top pattern. So, I bought it. The zip was broken so I was able to get a discount, but it then meant I had to undo it to put a new zip in. I have bought a new zip, but haven't yet plucked up the courage to sew it in, not having had much experience in the zip sewing department. Still, if it all goes horribly wrong, I can always make a cushion or a top out of it instead! Nothing like having a Plan B!

Painted Advertisement - gone but not forgotten!

As an addition to the previous post, I went past the wall still swathed in scaffolding, where the advert was, to find it gone. The whole wall has had the surface removed, including the adverts. What a shame. Now I am even more glad that I took a photo of it when it was still in all its glory.

Painted Advertisement - reminder to take my camera out with me!

This is a photo that I took in Lincoln a little while ago. You can just see the end of the Cathedral to the right of the blue sign. This building is now swathed in scaffolding so the fabulous painted advert is not easy to see. The faded colours and cracked paintwork really appealed to me, as did the ephemeral nature of the advert itself.

I don't know whether anything is being done to preserve the painting - I feel it should be preserved - but whatever happens, at least I have photos of it. When I was on my art course, I took my camera everywhere, just in case something inspired me. Since then, I sometimes forget to take my camera - I must start to remember it again as you never know just what you may find.

A garden gate

These images are particularly dear to myself and to my best friend Maria who lives in Canada, because I took them at her granny's house. I love photos that look through open gates or doors, as they have an air of mystery - what is just beyond and out of sight? I think the light and shadows are particularly effective in these photos and the different textures of wood, stone and foliage complement each other very well. The close-up of the gate is one of my favourite images.

This photo shows more of the beautiful wall that surrounds the property, with the rust coloured stone from the area. It is a very tranquil place and I think that the photos give that impression. Everyone needs tranquil spaces in which to relax and gather their thoughts - whether at a beach, in the countryside or even in a city. There are quiet places to be found everywhere - you just need to go out and look for them.

A riot of Clematis

Here is Clematis Piilu again, with the biggest number of flowers on it that there have ever been! I was amazed at the number of buds this year, and now that they are opening, it is fantastic.

I don't think I have done anything differently this year - I have fed and watered it as usual - it is in a pot, so needs watering regularly. I am just enjoying the flowers for as long as they last. Gardening is a funny thing because nothing ever stays the same. Sometimes this is good because it means 'there's always next year' if you have a disaster, but sometimes you just want to stop everything and keep it like that forever - totally impossible in reality, but it can be done with a camera or your own memory. A bit like life, really.

Oat Biscuit Recipe

Since putting a photo of these oat biscuits on my blog, I have been asked to add the recipe, so here it is. (It is in imperial measurements, so apologies if you work in metric).

4oz butter
4oz brown sugar
60z rolled oats (I use ordinary porridge oats which seem to be fine)
6oz plain flour
1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
3 tablespoons milk

Makes approx 36 biscuits.
Oven temperature: Gas 2/300 degrees F

Method: Grease baking trays/sheets. Cream butter and sugar together. Mix in oats, sifted flour and bicarb of soda - mix thoroughly. Add milk to make a stiff-ish dough. Turn out onto a floured surface (I use half the dough at a time to make it more manageable when rolling out) and roll out thinly. Cut out with a 2 inch cutter. Place onto greased baking trays and bake for approx 20 mins until golden brown. Place on wire rack to cool.
Enjoy eating them!

A Symphony of Pink!

My garden is flowering madly at the moment and I have a huge number of plants with pink flowers - not necessarily by design. There are also touches of blue, white and purple, but at the moment it is predominantly pink. Still, when the flowers are this gorgeous, I don't mind.

From the top - Rosa Mundi (Gallica Versicolour), Cottage Rose, Penstemon Garnet. I love this penstemon as it came through the coldest winter for 30 years completely unscathed and it is in a pot. I tried to take some cuttings but all but one have wilted and died. Undaunted, I shall try again because I would like lots more of this plant.

Clematis 'Piilu' which is very reliable and floriferous. For the first time this year, it has produced double flowers (below) at the same time as single flowers (above). It also has produced a multitude of buds too. It is a great plant.

Present for a baby

I made this little felt star as a present for a friend's baby. It isn't designed for the baby due to the satin ribbon, but it is meant to be hung up in the baby's room. Congratulations to Katy and Steve! The star is made out of merino wool and is embroidered with stars in a random pattern. I then stitched it together using small running stitches and stuffed it with toy stuffing (one that conforms to all the safety standards). I hope they like it.

More felt!

Above is my most recent felt piece (made yesterday, in fact), and hopefully destined for my colleague at work as part of her commissioned pieces, (if she likes it, of course!) It is made from merino wool with pre-felted circles applied onto the top surface and then the whole lot is felted. Again, it is about A4 size.

Open gardens

I went to an Open Gardens on Saturday, to Navenby, near Lincoln. I love looking at other people's gardens - for ideas, to be nosey and to discover new planting combinations and new plants. Below was my favourite garden, tucked away but with lots of cottage garden plants. I particularly liked the different areas in the garden and the fact that you couldn't see everything at once.

This clematis was in the same garden and was amazing, both for its colour and number of flowers. It was happily growing up an apple tree.

This was the view across the fields (plus sheep) and a lovely old stone wall encrusted with moss. The weather was reasonable but my hands got cold. There were 9 different gardens, ranging from acres to back yards, but all with dedicated gardeners tending them. The tea and cakes in the church hall were very welcome, and the cakes themselves were absolutely delicious. A great way to spend a Saturday!

Second new piece

This is the second new piece I have been working on. Again, it is bigger than I usually make and I used Merino wool and hand blended all the colours to match (well, nearly) the natural colours of the Texel cross Black Welsh wool. It took me two hours to make, but felted well and has a smooth texture, which contrasts well with the slightly more coarse Texel cross Black Welsh. I am going to make another one, probably using the natural wool with the blue silk threads running vertically through the cream strips. Should be interesting...

New felt piece

Here is my latest felt piece, using the natural coloured wool from my sister's sheep and a little navy blue silk thread. It is slightly bigger than I usually make, about A4 size. I am going to make a similar piece in merino wool to compare the results.
I spent Saturday afternoon making this piece. I had the TV on for company, and it took the whole of the film 'Death on the Nile' to complete! The Texel cross Black Welsh wool requires a lot of carding as all the pieces of twigs, grasses and other oddments have to be removed as you go along and the actual felting takes about 45 minutes too. The wool does make a really solid, tactile felt though, so all the hard work is worth it.

Seven followers!

I am thrilled to see I now have seven followers! Hooray! I thought I would add this photo of a felt piece I made, based on tractor tyre patterns in the mud. It is always interesting to see what provides inspiration.
I have received a commission for two, possibly three, pieces of felt from a colleague at work, which is very encouraging. I am hoping to get started tomorrow. I also have some small sample pieces to make, experimenting with silk threads...and gardening and sewing my quilt and starting a patchwork quilt and... if only I had more hours in a day!

Home Baking

I really enjoy baking cakes and biscuits and recently found this simple but very tasty oat biscuit recipe. It makes thin, crunchy biscuits which are not too sweet, so you can pretend they are good for you! I make them pretty much every week as Chris and I take them to work for break times. Delicious!

Clematis

Three of the beautiful clematis flowering in my garden at the moment. Above is 'Ice Blue', then 'Kingfisher' and the red one is 'Rebecca'. They are great plants for adding height and I grow several of them in pots (only because I don't have any more room in the borders!)

Doddington Hall, Lincoln

Yesterday, I went to Doddington Hall, Lincoln, (http://www.doddingtonhall.com) with my friend Angie and enjoyed a very nice lunch in the Farm shop and Cafe, before heading out to enjoy the gardens. Doddington is known for its irises, and although some had gone over, some were still beautiful. The above photo was taken in the woodland area, looking across the fields to a barn.

The irises looking gorgeous in the formal garden.

The vibrant colours of the rhododendrons and azaleas which greeted us. We spotted lots of others on our walk round the gardens. I think they look best in a woodland area - they seem to 'belong' there. It was a lovely way to spend an afternoon.

A new project

I have been having the most enormous clear out of the bedroom (something that has been needed for ages!) and after removing eight bags of bits and pieces and donating them to the charity shop, I am feeling very virtuous. The room looks twice as big as it used to and it is a huge improvement. While going through some of the accumulated stuff, I came across this Laura Ashley double duvet cover. I bought it on a whim from a vintage-type shop because I loved the colours and the floral pattern. However, that was when I had a duvet! I now have blankets and quilts, because I like the layers. So, reluctantly, I was going to put it on Ebay. I then had a real lightbulb moment and decided to turn it into a quilt, with a wadding filling and stitching to hold the layers in place. Brilliant - I can be a bit creative as well as making something that I can use and enjoy. It will also be a gentle introduction to quilting as I do want to have a go at a patchwork quilt at some point. I'll let you know how I get on.

Knock, knock!

I saw the spade shaped door knocker in the June edition of Gardeners' World magazine and loved it, so on an impulse, decided to order it. (I got it from crocus.co.uk for £5.99 with postage of £5.99 too(!), but other suppliers such as the National Trust catalogues were also suggested.) Chris suggested it could go on the shed, but I think I'm going to save it for the back door on our next house (ever hopeful!) It's made of cast iron and has a loud knock. The quirky, hand made look really appeals to me.