Post Comment Love 11-13 November 2016

Hello there and welcome to this week's #PoCoLo, it's been a chilly one this week hasn't it?  If you were here last week - thank you - Morgan and I hope you enjoyed our first #BloggersShowcase we're looking forward to being able to share more about you. We've had lots of interest in taking part, which has been great. We're still waiting for your answers to roll in, so this week is mostly about linking up and seeing what our community have been up to in the past week.

If you're thinking about sending over your answers, please do, we could be featuring you next week. Pop over here to find out how to get involved, and for a reminder of the questions. 

To counter the cold I've been keeping busy as usual. It's been a busy blog week with a drive to Devon to visit River Cottage HQ, a trip into town to admire some gorgeous handbags and a craft evening in Greenwich where I made a start on making my own neon sign. 

And that's where my photo is from, this wire is the basis of my design. I've still some more to do to complete my sign, but I had a great evening drawing the design, bending the wire and attaching the neon bit (technical term!) to the wire with a series of knots. I never realised that tying knots with invisible thread would be so therapeutic. 

I'll be sharing more of my craft evening, the handbags and my visit to River Cottage here soon, but oh so many photos to edit first. I've had a brilliant week, and even I'm surprised by how much I managed to fit in around working full time!

An InLinkz Link-up

Packing up the garden

Clearly on a roll after my allotment discoveries last weekend we also headed into the garden for the first time in a while too.  The high-level plan was to prepare it for winter, but that turned into a full day of work. I told you it had been a while.

The plastic cover went over the patio table and chairs, and given the rain this week that's been a good thing. I cut the spent agapanthus flowers, and awarded myself the award for the prettiest trug. 

I admired the berries on the pyracantha, of which there are many, and once again listened to MOH's tales of woe of a cold winter. He may be right, but in all honesty, one year he has to be right. And it could well be this one given how chilly it's been this past week.

The orange chrysanthemums were moved closer to the house so we can see them and their colour from indoors. The solar lights were packed away into the greenhouse. And so were my garden ornaments. Pots were wrapped in bubble wrap. And the fox-proofing greenhouse wire-door has been rolled up and a place has been made for it in MOH's shed.

Towards the back of the garden - and in the working part of the garden - I rediscovered some brassicas I'd sown from seeds and rosemary cuttings I'd taken before the large, woody rosemary bush was sacrificed for the new barbeque stand. Does it make me a bad gardener to admit I'd completely forgotten about them? They'd done a good job though of looking after themselves, and nothing a good drink wouldn't fix. And yes, I mean them, not me. 

I remembered why I'd forgotten them.  I'd run out of room on the allotment so had potted my seedlings on and planned to move them over at some point. Yes I'd over-sown my brassicas by a whole five seed trays. There's curly kale, cabbages and purple sprouting broccoli to plant out.

And now, for the first time I know how those vegetable gardens I covet manage to grow cabbages in line. It's the closest I've come to that, but I know in reality they will just be shoved in the allotment where the tomatoes have been and where we can fit them in. But maybe next year I'll be more organised and be able to plant cabbages in lines. Who knows.

Next to the temporary brassica staging I noticed the strawberries were looking well and healthy. On closer inspection I realised one was flowering and that I've at least a couple of strawberries too. I don't think they'll do anything, but they must be pretty confused plants.

My small Christmas tree is thriving, butI have no plans to move it indoors, I think that's just as well as it's looking very settled. Next to it my white berried plant is doing well. Not many leaves, but lots of berries. Cue the lots of berries equals a cold winter conversation. Again.

The sage which I cut back hard when it flowered is having another go and growing well. The speckled leaves look pretty, but it's the young green ones I like fried. 

I also spotted a little bit of moss in my greenhouse guttering. And while it shows off my tardy greenhouse side, I couldn't help but share as it makes for a great picture. Or I think so anyway. If anyone asks, it was an experiment to see how it grew. But yes, it's another job on the list for Spring.

Do you have a growing list of jobs for next year, already?

Testing my nose...

Yes, but just with scented candles, nothing more sinister. Last week I told you about the candles and diffusers by Landon Tyler and how I was enjoying using them as everyday items and how I'd tested my nose before I read the back of the box. Well today I'm sharing how I got on.

You might think that this is an easy challenge, but I'm not known for having the best sense of smell so I was intrigued to see how I got on.

First up, Dark Cashmere...

I wasn't sure what to expect. And to challenge myself further - because at the time it seemed like a good idea - I thought I'd share the results in pictures. And this is what I thought I could smell:

DARK CASHMERE: CLOVES AND CINNAMON WERE CORRECT, STAR ANISE LESS SO.

I raided my spice cupboard for what I thought I'd smelt. Out came the cloves, cinnamon and some star anise. I was impressed that cloves and cinnamon are indeed listed on the back of the box. There wasn't any star anise though, so two out of three didn't seem to bad. 

Also listed was vetivert, patchouli and cedar.

Well cedar I got although I was lucky I hadn't identified that as I'd no idea how I'd show that visually. But vetivert and patchouli, I'm not sure my nose would have known those. In fact I'm not sure my mind did. But with some investigation - thanks internet - I've learnt that vetivert is described as "deep, sweet, woody, smoky and earthy grass."  Patchouli I've learnt is part of the mint family. 

So there you go, now you know.

And the Winter Woods...

I was expecting this to smell woody, and I wasn't disappointed. There was a strong fresh smell and so I hurried off to find one of my bleached pine cones from last Christmas.

WINTER WOODS: I GOT CHRISTMAS TREES AND PINE!

And I'm pleased to say I wasn't wrong. I got Christmas Trees and pine, although I only managed to get the pine cone in the picture! The back of the box says "A classic Christmas tree scent combining pine, fir, spruce, moss and cardamon" so I think I nailed it.

Maybe my sense of smell isn't as bad as I thought.

What's your favourite scented candle "flavour"?

* With thanks to Landon Tyler who sent me these candles to test, to see how I'm using these scents everyday please read: Treating myself with a scent-filled house