Well goodness me, the sun is shining again this morning, but still there's that very keen wind, so we're not out of the woods yet. Fortunately I AM out of the woods, having spent this weekend largely pottering around the house and garden. Last week we did quite a lot in the garden - yes, even I did some herby stuff - so it all looks rather neat and blooming at the moment. Here's a quick tour for you.
(Hmm, they didn't load in the right order so we are dodging about a bit!)
Small rose bush, pot of ramsons and a trough of replanted garlic - fingers crossed, Thelma!
This is the lower end of the lawn, left hand side of garden. You can just see the 'Fishing Lodge' peeking from behind the fence.
OK we have jumped to the right hand side now, looking towards Jim's freshly set veggie patch.
And back at the top left side, with a view of the Curséd Beech! I am very unkind, and frequently go out just to ill-wish this straggly upstart of a beech-nut!
I do love this view of the left hand herbs! I photograph it a lot, which, if you have been reading my blog for some time, you will know! The lovage is at a manageable size at the moment, but it does get a bit big and blowsy. Not that there's anything wrong with that! The grape hyacinth have gone mad this year, and self seeded all over the place.
And some of the right hand herbs, and you can just see behind the green planter the troughs of garden mint, one of Moroccan mint and one with rocket, sorrel and Welsh onions. A small pot of curly parsley, as I don't use it much, preferring to grow loads of the flat leaf variety on t'other side . And so from the outside, come on into the living room and see what we've been up to.
Hurrah! Having recycled our huge Habitat sofa in the direction of No 1 son Mike, I can now position Jim's recliner in the corner, where it doesn't dominate the small living room. The little chair seen here is from my sewing room (still waiting for its new loose cover I'm afraid) and is just filling in the gap while we await the arrival of my new arm-chair.
This is the 'snuggler' which is lovely, but it encourages me to sit with my legs tucked under me which is NOT good for my back. So this will just fit ..er...snuggly.... where my little chair is at the moment, and the New Chair will go here. I'm looking for a Butler's Tray to replace the stool here, and get the mess tidied up.
Feeling spring-like yesterday I decided to paint the rest of the dining room chairs - well, not the carver chairs. I got as far as one, so it is going to be a long process! (well I did make more sourdough bread and cook a roast dinner and nip out up to Onion Corner to pick more wild Garlic!)
No, I painted it outside, before you say anything! It looks white here but the colour is actually a very soft green. And here's one I prepared earlier :
Not quite sure, now, about the multi-coloured effect, but I'm probably going to leave it. Repainting would be the equivalent of un-picking stitches, and I avoid that whenever I can!
Speaking of Wild Garlic (oh yes we were!) it seems to be 'trending' at the moment - everywhere I look there are articles about it, and two tv programmes mentioned it over the last week. Fancy that, at last I am trendy. For all the wrong reasons. Ah well.
Hoping this is the start of a good week for everyone, and perhaps some warmer weather too.
PS: Just read the latest edition of Country Living magazine - they too have caught up with me! pg 142: recipe for Wild Garlic Soup with Pesto!
Your garden looks lovely - just the sort I love. Hope the ramsons grow well in the pot - hadn't thought of planting any. I don't know about you but things always seem to become trendy after I have been doing/using/enjoying them and then I don't want to do it any more!! Not that I will give up on the ramsons of course nor on using nettles for soup etc!
ReplyDeleteHi Jane, actually it was a bot daft me planting those ramsons, as I'd have to grow a lot for what I need - and there's a whole woodful of it a couple of miles away! I do agree - I've been making quilts for years, now they are trendy, but hey, it just shows what great trend-setters we are, doesn't it? Lx
DeleteWhat a pretty patch and so tidy. Lovely to see the spring flowers coming through, I really need to go and tidy the herb patch here and replace the ones I have lost this winter. Thanks for sharing. Sarah x
ReplyDeleteHello Sarah, thanks for dropping by. My sage had a wobble after the last frost/snow but is recovering, otherwise I didn't do too badly - the chives I lost last year have re-appeared and some of the marjoram has come back too. It's a mystery what happens in this garden, but at the moment it is coming up to its best.
DeleteThey are lovely chairs! Colour is good! I do love your garden, mine has lots of spring flowers in it, lots of weeds too...I'm hoping next week will be Garden Week here, that's when we've got Bedroom Week over with!!! :) x
ReplyDeleteHi Ada, yes, I always get the nod of approval AFTER the event, but have learned not to say too much in the planning stages, especially if it requires paint!
DeleteI need to sow some parsley seed as I use so much and it gets a bit straggly after a year or two, otherwise it's a wait til the first cut and come again lettuce start appearing.Lx
Lynne your living room is lovely, I do like to see my pretty things out, none of this minimal stuff for me. I almost always have some hand sewing and a book beside me, a butler tray is a brilliant idea, and my specs cleaning kit ( where does all that muck come from) and a coaster for my tea.
ReplyDeleteHi Pam, I always look at those white painted, white furnished rooms and think ooh I'd like that peaceful, uncluttered look. But I know within days I would be throwing colour about somewhere and putting 'objets' where they please the eye. And not forgetting the usual detritus which collects whether I like ti or not!Lx
DeleteLove your chairs, the painted ones.... I think you have just the right sort of house for them to fit in. They wouldn't look right in mine, but your decor is perfect for them, or so I think anyway. But what do I know? It's decades since I did the interior design course and thinking has moved on. But taste hasn't, you either have it or you ain't.... you have. And do I spot a certain little stripey jug from a certain supermarket among the collection on the windowsill. I am a collector of jugs too, just love the tactile shape of some of them.
ReplyDeleteI don't know, Maggie, I think you could do whatever you wanted with your house, it's not a rigidly modern box, so really anything would go I should think.
DeleteI do love my jugs, I collected them for years but have stopped now, there seems little point adding yet another when I am running out of places to put them! Lx
You have inspired me, I am going to plant more herbs! Your garden is just lovely! I like those painted chairs, too.
ReplyDeleteDorothy
Hi Dorothy, herbs are easy peasy - really, it's a cliche but if I can grow 'em any one can. I don't do any other gardening, but I love my herbs, and they are usually quite attractive as well as very very useful.
DeleteThankyou, there is a quiet revolution going on here , we have a tad too much pine in the living room for my liking, a bit of soft colour will be just the thing!
Thanks for the trip around your garden - I'm such a nosey parker so I love to see what other people have got going on outside.I'm sure you are going to grow and love your beech tree one day soon x Jane
ReplyDeleteHi Jane, I think we all love a gander at other peoples' gardens, don't we. I have to tell you I will NEVR come to terms with that darned beech! Over the left hand wall of our garden in the farmer's field is an old beech tree which shades our garden more than I would like and covers us in beech leaves nearly all year round - they get everywhere; what we emphatically did NOT need was another beech tee! But my husband has cherishes it so it stays. Why couldn't we have had a quince tree, even a flippin' flowering cherry would have been better! Lx
DeleteOh your garden is just fabulous! That blue and yellow...I love it. Ours is such an unholy mess this year and needs a LOT of hard work and plenty of time put in, to get it looking good again...time I just do not have right now. I fear we'll have a weedy jungle all summer.
ReplyDeleteI like your soft green painted chair - it's a pretty colour. And boy do I know what you mean about unpicking stitches! I hate doing it but have learnt it's often better just to grit my teeth and get on with it.
I've actually moved my soft, nesty armchair into a corner and replaced it with a straight backed wing chair - I was getting terrible backache from slouching in the comfy armchair. And I am slowly getting used to a better sitting posture now - it's taken me a few weeks to adjust though.
Hi Wendz - having trouble following you on your new blog with bloglovin - will try again.
DeleteYes we bought the snuggler because I have always sat with my legs tucked under, but at 62 I guess I am getting too old for that, and it really hurts my back. I hog Jim's recliner whenever I can, even though I don't really like it, aesthetically speaking! But my new chair will make me sit properly - hopefully - so get rid of the aches round my sacro-illiacs!
Our garden looks great from now til about mid-August - then it all goes to pot. we never get the knack of planting for continuous flowering, we try but never succeed, so watch it deteriorate later this year! Lxx
What a pretty garden, we are rubbish gardeners its a case of if it grows we are lucky! The chairs look great, I imagine you need quite a bit of patience to do a set of chairs. Thank you for the tour round your garden and cottage x
ReplyDeleteHi Karen, thanks for nice comments - but see my reply to Wendz above - it won't last!!
DeleteI have NO patience, I'm afraid; I start out with the best of intentions but my enthusiasm wanes along the way! I have still only done the two you see in the photo - and that's only one that I did the other day. I WILL get round to the other two, honest! (And I have now found and purchased a Butlers' Tray but it won't be here for a while, then I have to re-paint THAT too!) Lxx
Hi Lynne, your garden is lovely . . . so full of charm and whimsy. Just like you :) And your chairs are wonderful . . . we are just seeing more and more of your amazing talents. There is no end to your delightful creativity.
ReplyDeleteDear Connie, whenever I feel my usual under-achieving, blundering self, I should re-read one of your lovely comments and cheer myself up! I'd say you are a tad over the top with your praise but hey, I'm not complaining!!! And the garden is largely down to Jim, I have to say, it's just the herby bit that I take responsibility for. Hope you are well, Lxx
DeleteNice nice nice blog , with a lot of colour as I like the life !!! you look very happy woman and it shows in your blog !!! Best wishes see you here soon , from Buenos Aires , Bolmara .
ReplyDeleteHola Bolmara, I hope you could understand my very poor spanish on your blog comments page! Thank you for visiting and lovely comment.
DeleteFeeling very smug here ... I've been using wild garlic for years too!
ReplyDeleteYour garden is looking lovely Lynne, and isn't it wonderful to have some sun!
Hi Annie, I think we should start the No.1 Ladies Wild Garlic Appreciation Society! It really does seem to be the herbe du jour, doesn't it? Oooh, tomorrow I must filter the WG oil, and re-bottle. I bet that packs a punch!
DeleteIt's been glorious here today, out to lunch with a friend we got so hot in the pub conservatory it was ridiculous. I just hope it lasts over the weekend (But we all know about Bank Holidays, don't we??) Crossing my fingers. Lxx