Recycled plastic rugs, that don't look like recycled plastic rugs

I suspect that when you read that you thought of stiff, shiny woven rugs didn't you? I know that my mind had some trouble computing when I read the sign and saw the attractive looking - and soft to the touch - rugs in the box from Eco Braids, which I spotted on that trip to the House & Garden store at Snape Maltings.  But they are the recycled rugs in question and I tested them they're not stiff or shiny at all. In fact I don't think you'd know about their green credentials unless you knew, if you know what I mean.

They can be used inside or out and are machine washable - just as the sign says.  The colourways have some cracking names too: paprika, putty, sapphire, wasabi and pewter. I'm very tempted for when I replace the mat we have by our back door.

What do you think?

Enjoying a sunny Bank Holiday weekend

What a glorious weekend, both the weather and length were appreciated here.  And there was plenty going on, as well as the usual domestic chores we made time for an eighteen mile cycle in sunny Kent, cocktails, barbecues, pizzas, some pottering in the greenhouse, relaxing on sun loungers and getting my nose into a book. 

At Home in the World by Tsh Oxentreider is a book I've had since it came out and one I've been meaning to read for a while. I follow her blog and this book is of how she and her husband travelled for a year with their three kids. I'd read the preparation posts on the blog as they prepared to leave and so was keen to see how it all went. Already it's obvious it's an amazing experience, and I'm in the final three months and (in the book) currently in Rome.  I' not sure if I hadn't already been following Tsh's blog, or unless I was tempted to up sticks myself, if I'd be so interested in reading this book, and I guess that's not something I can answer. I'm enjoying the family's progress on their trip though.

And what better way to celebrate the return of the good weather, than with cocktails? MOH took the hint and so I quickly picked enough mint for the garden and he set about making Mint Juleps. There's a recipe in the most recent Good Food magazine, and rather tasty it was too. 

So we had another one!

The steak was on the barbecue and the garden candles were lit.  Each of the evenings have been warm haven't they - but sadly they haven't been bug free. There's been bites, but just small ones, not the nasty sort I've had recently.  Thankfully the sting from last weekend is calming down now.  Not a bad view is it?

It's been nice to eat breakfast outside too. Yesterday buoyed by advice from last week's Celebrity Masterchef MOH tried poached eggs, and had his most success ever. Which is good as I'm a big fan of poached eggs!

Shortly after breakfast there was a bit of a flapping commotion inside the house. Confused as to what it might be, we headed inside to investigate.  I don't think either of us expected to see this.

It was huge and the most beautiful green - which sadly isn't showing in the photos - windows were opened and fittingly The Garden magazine was used to shepherd it out into the open. 

After an allotment visit we left with more runner beans and counted many more borlotti beans ripening. Runner bean pasta is on the menu this week I think. 

Our weekend finished with pizzas in the pizza oven. The pizza dough I'd frozen worked well and was nowhere near as sticky as I'd expected it to be so I'm counting that as a success. There were no pizzas left so that's a success too.

And remember those dropped apricots? Well, we had another go, which was much more successful - and tasty too.  And there's enough left over for my lunch tomorrow too...

How was your Bank Holiday weekend?

Our sleeper bed has filled out quite a bit

It doesn't seem possible that it was only the end of May when we installed sleepers to tidy up one section of the rear or our garden. And a lot's changed in the flower beds in that time. I planted some petunias, a French lavender, an ice grey succulent and many more around the small Christmas tree and plants I'd been accumulating. 

As you can see the petunias have gone slightly wild.

This photo was taken towards the start of the month, and you'll see the changes continue with the photos throughout this post. All of a sudden we were surrounded by petunias, obviously not a bad problem to have, but at some point I will need to reclaim the sleepers for my own use!

You'll remember I wrote that this was a favourite spot of mine for a cuppa, well it still is, as long as I don't mind sharing it with the petunias! 

The row of self-seeded aquilegias continue to grow, but I suspect they'll be gone before they get to flower.  I'm enjoying seeing the burst of green between the paving slabs though. 

The yellow flowering bush from dad - some kind of wort I think - has done flowering and taken an autumnal turn.  And the strawberry plant has thrown out lots of suckers and new baby plants, so it seems it's very happy growing between paving slabs. The small plants keep getting in the way, and I keep thinking I'm going to tread on them, but I will be aiming to capture these and take them over to the plot for my new strawberry border along the path.

The small Christmas tree, which had been suffering with the heat (or I least I think it was the heat, rather than the company) is improving with the cooler temperatures and the rain, and that's good to see. There's lighter green tufts too now, which indicates new growth so I'm hopeful that it will suruve.

At the other end of the sleeper bed, next to the compost bin, the begonias have filled out almost as much as the petunias. While I'm a fan of dense planting, I must remember to space my bedding more next year.

On Sunday the shears and secateurs came out as the whole bed was looking a little overgrown. The photo below is the after shot - quite a difference from the almost bare bed a few months ago. Before the shears came out the jasmine was at least two foot above the trellis and had merged with the orange-berried pyracantha. A vine had popped over from next door and was heading for the jasmine and the pyracantha, so that was chopped too.   

There's still a bit more to do, as to the right of this photo, what you can't see is the overgrown dogwood area where the vine from next door has made it to the cherry tree. It's a tight space to get into and it's the sort of space that you need to cut your way into - or at least it is right now.  And so I started with the shears tackling yet more jasmine, around the back of the trellis. There were a few bitey mosquito-like things around and I was swotting those away, then suddenly something else stung my right forearm.

Ouch.

I'm not sure what exactly it was, but it looked more hornet-like than mosquito., Needless to say I dropped the shears and made a hasty retreat after first wiping it off my arm. After my biter earlier in the year I'm much more wary. And this one hurt. Straight away. Off I went for an ice pack and some vinegar, to stop the swelling and calm the sting respectively, while MOH was despatched to retrieve the shears. He did, but not without coming out swatting a few bitey-things from his legs. It seems we're both wimps this year with the insects in our garden.

The bite stopped play for me on Sunday. And thankfully although it's a little swollen I think it'll be ok, let's hope so.