A strange thing...

Well several strange things in fact! These have appeared in the garden cleverly disguised as stones and I'm sure I have never seen the like! Anyone any ideas as to what they might be?

My Christmas hanging basket from Eliska and Mark (despite not actually being hung) is looking rather fine at the moment:

   

The courgettes are also coming along well, lots of flowers, so I guess that means lots of courgettes!

Oh...and this is Ginger Cat trying to find somewhere cool to sleep! I'll give him his dues, he is sleeping in between all of the plants!

Damsel Flies are back at the pond again:

Can someone identify this mystery plant please, it's nearly as tall as me now and still growing I think....

 Dug up first potatoes today. Having them for dinner tonight....

Little squirrels!

The baby squirrels have appeared at last! They love running up and down the roof of the house and watching the world go by from the top...

Baby hitching a ride...

New garden!

So, while I was away in America, Jon kept himself busy in the garden (but didn't tell me!) clearing the last part which I had been putting off having dumped all of the rubbish up there from the rest of the garden. I wandered out to look at my flowers to find a whole new garden!

   

We have grass and a path all the way to the back of the garden! Potatoes are also growing well, and you may have noticed a small ginger cat sitting on the brick shed base...not ours but he visits regualrly. Now all the weeds have gone, we had space to fill so we have planted onions, sweetcorn, tomatoes, radishes with courgettes and mint waiting to go in.

Some garden flowers...



Ginger cat in the flower bed...

Spring clean

Had a bit of a srping clean and emptied the greenhouse!

Hosed down all the pots and the greenhouse and chucked away the dead plants. First crop of potatoes has been planted and the pond has been cleaned out. Phew! Good chance to study froggy; stopped to do a little sketch of him:

Lastly, I thought I would post this lovely photo of little Alice in the garden last spring in her memory. She was such a sweet little thing and we shall miss her terribly:

Colour at last!!!

These iris bulbs came out today...

  

And these snow drops a few days ago....

The rose bushes have new buds and there are lots of tulips sticking their heads out of the soil to see what's going on.

Hurrah!

A comfy place to sleep

Little foxy seems to be able to sleep anywhere! He was curled up fast asleep in the middle of next door neighbours garden for several hours this morning....

More garden wildlife

Spot the new visitor to the garden!

Headache

Somewhere there is a bird with a headache. I know because he left his print on my window...

I must find some window stickers, it is a common occurance!

Just spent an hour tidying up the garden. It's weird to be picking up autumn leaves in January when the srping bulbs are coming out! Everything is rotten and horrible and it doesn't look like I have been doing anything:

Roll on spring...

Just been looking through the garden photos and found some good ones from the snow that I think I should post:

Coming down thick

Up to my knees feeding the birds

The only place to land

Jay

Robin pops by

Next door must have a leaky pipe...

Jons snow proof bird feeder

Picture postcard finish

Snowy garden

Everyone's talking about it so if you can't beat them, join them!

There's a garden in there somewhere...I hope the fish are alright, they must be 2 foot down by now!

 

Cute little fella...

Other thank picking up leaves the only activity in the garden has been feeding little Squidgy! This is Jon trying to train him...

And when it's too cold to go out, he'll even come up to and onto the step of the back door!

Fuchsias are having another quick burst of activity before winter comes on.

The wind gave the garden a bit of battering and had to pick up alot of things and re-tie the fence that is falling down. Grass seeds are not germinating, guess th esoil is too cold now. Oh well, will try again in the spring!

Feeding the wildlife...

I know we probably shouldn't feed the squirrel but he was pretty cute and amusing to watch...

He took the nuts then went and buried them all around the garden so we may have some new plants coming up in the spring! He ate the odd one in between...



Little Alice cat doesn't seem to mind him, she certainly doesn't try to chase him! Gets a bit jealous of the attention I think though...

At last...Orchids!

I planted 50 orchid bulbs ages ago and they grew wonderful leaves, but alas did nothing else. I went away for two weeks and then they decide to flower!

There are also lots of spiders building their webs in strategic places, i.e. across the path. Find ourselves fighting imaginery attackers regularly! This one is the main culprit....

Waiting for the rain to stop so I can go out and pull up a few of the weeds.

Well it may have rained for most of August, but at least one thing has benefited from it! Garden looks pretty good even if I do say so myself, just a shame I can't sit out in it to enjoy it. The bench is covered and will probably remain so for the rest of the year now. It's great to go and pick potatoes for dinner (or to send Jon out to do it anyway!) and we are still getting a good crop of tomatoes. Have just discovered a pear tree at the bottom of the garden so we can add those to the apples. Neither tree is ours but no one seems to be claiming them so I shall...

First potato crop

Went and and dug up a potato plant today as they looked like they might be ready. Enough from one plant for a meal! Probably could leave them a little longer however, as there were still small ones on the roots trying to grow. Decent size though. Look forward to having those later...

An amusing tomato

Went into the garden at lunchtime to pick some ripe tomatoes and couldn't resist this...childish I know but since when is mis-shaped fruit not amusing?

Butterfy count

I heard about this on the radio and thought it was a good excuse to sit in the garden for 15 minutes...

http://bigbutterflycount.org/

You just have to count the number of butterflies you see and log them on the above site. They even give you a really nice chart so you can butterfly spot as well as count!

You have to count them between today and the 1st of August.

Spent an hour today planting some flock and loads of leeks. I think they are leeks, might be onions! They got mixed up in the greenhouse. Mental note for next year, don't shun labels...

I'm very pleased with the Fuchsias. The ones I didn't plant in the ground and left in the pots are doing much better. I can't believe the size of the flowers, this one fills my hand! It also has some amazing curved petals which I think I will have to draw, they would make a great embroidery. Dahlias are also blooming and the sweet pea wall is having another go now that I have pulled all the pea pods of it. It's still not going to look spectacular though.

Update...

Whatever dug the hole in my newly planted flowers has come back and filled it in again. Curious.....

First crop

I'm quietly pleased with my first crop of home grown peas. I've never grown anything edible before so I'm quite pleased with myself! A note for next year, plant them out earlier and plant some more later on so I have a longer crop. I'm not sure how successful my tripod of canes were either so I think next time I'll tie them to single canes.


I also scattered some flower seeds which came up quickly only to be dug up by a little critter. I'm guessing as there were a few nuts in the hole that it is probably a squirrel...

I have been away teaching for four days and I love to come back and see what's happened in the garden while I have been away. The potatoes have grown another few inches and some have flowers on them now. I'm sad my sweet pea wall is somewhat of a failure. Twice as many plants next year and again plant them earlier.

No signs of the tadpoles or any frogs though....