Saturday 12 May 2012

Garden, Cats and This & That....

Hello all, have you finally got some sunshine in your neck of the woods? I remarked to Mr G "There's a funny yellow ball in the sky" yesterday when we awoke to a sunny day.


I forgot to show you my sweetpeas, that I planted out (during a short pause in the rain) last week. 


I didn't have anywhere to put them as my dahlias have gone in the bed the sweet peas were in last year, so when I was at my Mum's I asked of she had anything going spare I could plant them in and low and behold she only had a fab butler sink she said I could have:




It took Mum, Stepdad and me to get it in the car it was so heavy!! But I'm so pleased with it and it fits perfectly on the horrid manhole cover outside the conservatory.


I'm hoping my sweet peas do better than they did last year when they grew halfway up the canes, didn't flower, got covered in greenfly and I killed them with washing-up liquid solution!!


This year I have grown them from seed rather than buy plants from B&Q (which the man from the British Sweet Pea Association whom I contacted after being disappointed said not to buy) so I'm hoping they'll do better.


I also have eight dahlia's I've planted out and I hope they do as well as the three I had last year, which kept with a permanent vase of flowers from July-October.


While I was out taking photos in the garden Bear escaped:




He's meant to be a house cat, but he is also a Houdini and escapes from the cat run everytime we put the cats out in it. He loves to have a pootle round the garden and it causes a bit of dilemma in that he so loves to out in the fresh air, yet we said these cats would be house cats after we lost Gizmo, one of our Tonkinese to a RTA when he was just over a year old.


We live in a very quiet cul-de-sac, and our garden is surrounded on all sides by other gardens, but Gizmo made friends with another neighbourhood cat (Morph, a Bengal who was actually ours until he rehomed himself with the family on the corner!!) and they would go out of the cul-de-sac and cross the road, which although not busy can be a bit of a rat run.


So, do you let cats have a free and full life with the risk that it may be cut short? Or do you ensure a long life for them but without any freedom? It's a toughie.


On the crafting front I have been making more signs:




I really enjoy doing these and am pleased how it turned out, I've put it above the door in the kitchen.


I've also been practising my roses, still not happy with them though:




Fortunately, my friend C who runs Horton Heath Ceramics has kindly offered to teach me the "one stroke" method of painting roses in return for a blogging lesson - I do love a bit of old-fashioned bartering!!


So, that's all the news I have for now - tomorrow we are off to a vintage market in Southsea so I shall be back to tell you all about that.


hugs,


S x


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6 comments:

  1. you have been seriously busy sarah dear! your garden looks like abundantly green. what a cute bear cat. ;) nice painting projects too. hope you have fun at the flea market tomorrow. remember to show us how your one stroke painting class turns out.

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  2. I love sweet peas, but am totally rubbish at gardening, so things start off well and then all go down the pan. I would love to have a border of dahlias they are such showy flowers aren't they and lovely to cut for the house....one day I will get a bit more green fingered....do you bring your in for the winter? That's the other thing I know I'd chance it and lose them.

    We have cats which thankfully don't tend to go near our road, and in one of our previous houses we built a netted enclosure on the back which they adapted to quite well......it would be heartbreaking if something happened to them so it is a hard decision.

    Love your signs, you are super clever!

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  3. The sweet peas look wonderful in the butler sink sand I love the sign you talented thing you. xx

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  4. TOTES loving that Bakery sign. I think you should make that a big part of your crafting. Can you do personalised ones? So lovely. I really really like them. Your Coca Cola one was gorgeous too.
    You've been a busy bee my dear girl. LOVING the butler's sink in the garden and keeping my fingers crossed for your sweets peas. They are so beautiful, their scent is one of my faves.
    We have friends staying this weekend and are hitting the beach (again) shortly. The sea is the most beautiful aquamarine colour. LOVE it.
    xxxxxxxxx
    Lots of love
    Gem x xx x x

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  5. Love your Bakery sign and the tray, very clever! Have a lovely day, Claire xx

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  6. Gorgeous sink- I love these planted up in a garden. And sweet peas are just the best. I must get myself some little seedlings to plant up.
    And your sign is fab.
    Is there no end to your cleverness?!!
    Xxx

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S x