3000 Plus New Visitors

Just wanted to thank all those who have recently visited and read my blog and an extra special thank you to all my loyal readers who keep coming back to follow what I get up to in my garden and allotment.

Last time I achieved a similar milestone I gave away some homemade produce, so I think I will do something like that again, so stay tuned for a celebratory giveaway, for all you lovely readers out there.

In the mean time please enjoy some pictures of what was blooming in the garden yesterday when I was doing some pruning maintenance to my living willow bench.

Willow buds beginning to show (so soft).

I think this is called Forsythia, which is grown as a hedge in our garden, all twiggy at this time of the year except for a riot of tiny yellow flowers.

The mini daffodils are cute as always.

And the crocuses aim to steal the show.

The lungwort can not decide what colour it likes best.

The first of the celendines are opening.

And some lazy ladybugs are still tucked in.

Yikes!! I Almost Missed It: Its My 2nd Blogoversary

Well I was giving my blogs a face lift and happened to notice in all the shuffling around that today is my blog's 2nd anniversary.

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I almost missed it and as such I didn't have anything planned to mark the occasion but I won't let the moment pass without a thank you to all my readers and for the warm welcome back I have had thus far.

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It's kinda a nice to have the anniversary near to the beginning of a new year and I look forward to the next blogging year ahead, I do hope you'll keep coming back to keep me company :)

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Toddles,

Yep I Am Still Here

So here I am sheepishly returning to the blog world after my unannounced and I should say unplanned hiatus.

I won't go too much into detail but will say life has been very crazy for us here in Maidstone and well something had to give.

My gardening exploits this year have been challenging and that is stating mildly, for the first time ever I feel a bit like a failure in the garden and this is taking into account I have been growing things for as long as I can remember my life. It actually feels like someone has lopped off my green thumbs with a pair of secateurs and buried them deep in the compost bin.

Everything I attempt to grow seems to want to die or not grow at all and so after weeks of bitter disappointment I have conceded defeat and decided to simply look on the bright side of life... The flower garden is looking absolutely great with minimum care, the wildlife seems to relish my practically empty vege plot and are enjoying the overwintered now flowering vege plants of last year (which weren't removed as there was nothing new to put into the beds), some self sown vege plants will give me some small harvests and my gardening friends in the area have passed on a few of their extra plants to me so I'll at least have a few homegrown tomatoes this year.

I also would like to explain my apparent lack of visits to all the gardening blogs I follow but like I said Life has been very hectic and my addiction to the PC can border on chronic at times so I had to go completely cold turkey to ensure I got jobs done and deadlines met. Things are finally feeling a little less crazy around here and I look forward to catching up with all of you on your blogs (though I am sure reading them might cause me to spiral again to a low point when I see what you all have been achieving in comparison to what I haven't).

To help not make the updated post reading too long I will break them up into three smaller postings, which are under this post: The Allotment Updates, The Garden Updates and The Floral & Mini Beast Gallery.

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I'll be updating my other blog as well which will also help to give you an insight into whats been keeping me so busy.

A Walk In The Woods

If you remember from some of my posts last year, I mentioned that one way to get to my daughter's school was to cut through a small woods. Well two weeks ago when the school closed for the Easter vacation it was wet and not yet showing much if any signs of spring. So imagine my surprise to see it full of blooming wood anemone flowers, lady's cuckoo foot sprays, violas, celandines and a few just beginning to open bluebells.

I could have kicked myself yesterday for forgetting to pick up the camera but we still took a longer way home and walked through the woods yesterday to see what else was awakening. When we got to a more grassy, slightly boggy area we came across cowslips and coltsfoot (now nearing its end) and many more pretty sights (including a sunning comma butterfly).

So today I remembered to pick the camera up and took that slightly longer way through the woods again. I have created a short video of some of the pictures I took today to share with you all, hope you enjoy it.

So if you go down to the woods today what sights might you see?

Spring Had Begun & Was Passing Me By.....

Its no secret as I have mentioned in the comments left on some of the gardening blogs I follow, my poor garden has been sadly neglected this spring and this has left me feeling quite irritated with myself.

Though I have made it to the allotment, the poor garden seems to be so unloved at this most important time of the growing season. I will pay for my procrastination and lack of gardening get up and go, as their will be no early lettuce, beetroots, carrots or even radishes for us this April and my daughters are not at all impressed (they both really look forward to fresh homegrown foods every year).

But before you think I am trying to garner forgiveness for my laziness, not to worry, look out for my next posting, where you would see that I have not only repented but have started to make amends.

But in the mean time here is a photo timeline of what I have seen in the garden whenever I took a wander round it. These little investigative walks kept reminding me that time was indeed not standing still and waiting for me to fall back in love with my garden.

Spring was here even if I didn't seem to know it, and life was bursting forth anew....

Lesser Celandine 15/03/2010

I planted this Coltsfoot last year in the boggy patch around the vege garden mini pond, was pleasantly surprised to see it start flowering on 17/03/2010.

Daffodils began opening on the 18/03/2010.

18/03/2010, all this week there has been a flock of Redwings (approx 20+) on the green in the front of our house.

A few crocuses still to be seen on the 20/03/2010.

26/03/2010 First harvest of the newly emerging chives and from the overwintered outdoor grown thyme, no oregano as yet though.

Tulips began opening 01/04/2010

Hyacinths are in beginning to open 01/04/2010

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01/04/2010 Winter doesnt want to let go, does he?
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The winter was certainly a harsh one as the brick paving between some of my vege beds would attest to.

The playhouse spring flowers are in attendance.

The Primroses are finally making an appearance 04/04/2010.

04/04/2010 I have a serious block and cannot remember the name of these flowers.

05/04/2010, can't remember the names of these either, but this was the first blossom.

Grape Hyacinth 05/04/2010, not long till these open.

The mini beast have been in attendance for weeks now, I would say as early as the first week of March, but they were so flighty, I have found them really difficult to photograph till this past week.

Comma Butterfly

Peacock Butterfly, there has been a lot of these this spring, I don't think I have ever seen this many so early in the year.

This wood pigeon appeared unwell as it sat on a vege bed, unmoving with us within a couple feet of it. Then we went inside it and when we returned it was gone, no sign of feathers so I don't believe it was predated.

Lots of bumblebee species about but like the butterflies have also been really difficult to photograph. Not sure what this one's story was though, it was totally obsessed with this empty compost bag.

Ladybugs are also a around in much larger numbers I have seen in years, their population seems to be up and thriving which is great. Last year I saw my first 7-spot in JUNE!!! but this spring I have seen droves of them in all manner of places, not just my garden. At least with their numbers up and away so early in the year at least we gardeners know the aphids would not have got much of a head start if any at all in their number growth this year, have anyone else noticed increase numbers in their ladybug populations in their neck of the woods.

More primroses, this time of the pink persuasion.

Lungwort o6/o4/2010, I forgot about this little plant of mine, till I observed others flowering in my neighbours gardens.

More ladybugs, some have even started mating, I tell you things look good for them this year.

My kids and I love these trees that have recently started flowering around our neighbourhood (07/04/2010) and we have christened them 'pom pom' trees, but I think they are some sort of cherry blossom trees.

Blogshop is Reopened for business and more APOLOGIES!!!

So I know you gardening lot have been making real in roads into your spring preparations on your plots or in your gardens and I promise you I have been getting things done as well, although I haven't been posting about it. I made it to the allotment again this week but I will be posting about all my gardening updates on Sunday. The camera is cooperating and I have lots to show, I just don't have anymore energy to give to writing.



Besides gardening I have spent and enormous amount of time on the computer spring cleaning my blogshop, a lot has been changed and work has also been done on new items which needed to be listed which also takes a large amount of time when you do a big list like I have done (I even pulled an all nighter Wednesday night, to get everything done).


Anyhoo, so that's why I am all computered out, so please accept my apologies yet again for being so laxed with my posting (oh dear! this is becoming a bit of a habit).


So you maybe wondering why did I burn the midnight, midday, morning, afternoon and evening oil. Well another reason for overhauling my blogshop (which I had planned to do but was dragging my feet re the design, etc) is that little old me is being featured on another blog today, I am not going to go into detail here as I just finished typing the reason out on my other blog, so please pop over there to Me But A Little More In Depth for the low down.

Thankfully though I am having a full day to myself today this post has been time set to post itself and by the time it does this, I should be on a train to London to enjoy a lovely day out, read here to find out why.

Wishing you all a lovely day soon, I'll check back in later to catch up with you all.

Mother's Day Greeting and camera woes.

First Dwarf Irises of 2010.

I meant to post tonight about my gardening exploits from over the past week, hey I even made it to the allotment twice over the weekend but the camera is not allowing me to upload my photos so I will try to post an update tomorrow.

In the mean time let me share this photo that I took and was able to upload yesterday before my camera decided to throw hissy fits.

And I would like to wish all Moms out there a lovely end to their Mothering Sunday, I hope you all had a pleasant and restful day.

PS My blogshop will be closed till midnight Thursday the 18th as I will be giving it a overhaul. Please check back on the 19th as new items will be listed too.

Winners of the 2000 Visitors Giveaway Celebration are...

Sorry for the delay in announcing the giveaway winners, I'm afraid I haven't been well. I'm all better now and life is getting back to normal, so without further todo, here are the winners of the giveaway....

Congratulations Scented SweetPeas and The Syders on winning one bottle of my homemade chutneys each, I'll be contacting you both for your addresses soon.

Thank you to everyone who took part.

Oops! I Forgot

I had meant to end my last post with this blog award update but I plum forgot, sorry Clare.

I was given this lovely award by Clare of Little Bear Stories , she said that the blogs she passed it on to sparkled which was lovely to say.

There are few blogs that for want of a better word sparkle to me too, mainly because their writing style makes me eager for their next post and always leaves me with a smile on my face.

So I would like to pass this onto:

Mama syder of The Syders
Nancy of The Rabbit Muse
Maureen of Allotment Heaven
Jo of The Good Life
Ali of Ali's Allotment Plots
Tanya of Allotment 4 You

Remember guys there is no obligation to accept this award, I just wanted to pass on some sparkles :)

Keep warm everyone and catch you all laters.