Reflecting on my week #113

It’s been nice to see this sun this last weekend, and so like many other people we made the most of it with a trip to a local National Trust garden. it’s only around thirty minutes or so away, near Sevenoaks, but it was our first visit to Emmetts Garden which has some great views over the Kent and Sussex countryside. I’m sharing a couple of photos today, but there’ll be more later in the week.

There was plenty of mud about too, unsurprisingly, and my trusty ‘car boots’ (which live in the boot of the car) came into their own. I’m not a huge fan of mud, but it’s marginally more cope-able with the right shoes. These boots, Timberlands which I bought on our first trip to the States in 2000, are a little tight on me, and a little knackered, and could do with replacing. They’re ok for occasional use but not that comfortable any more for repeated use - my feet need more room these days!

Anyway, plenty of other people had the same ideas about getting out and there was a small queue to get into the car park, and a much larger queue for tea and cake both times we walked past the stables, so we left with a huge bar of chocolate covered marzipan instead. It was nice to get off the beaten track and adding seven thousand steps to the days total is always a plus.

I’m sure we’ll be back at some point, and it’ll be good to see the garden in different seasons. Today though, apart from the mud, there were paper thin hydrangeas, heathers in flower and some fantastic views. We followed a trail which saw us cross a road, which we weren’t expecting and then when we saw a signpost for the garden we questioned our wisdom and headed back the way we’d come.

The preceding week had been a bit of a funny one. MOH has still been suffering with unexplained pain in his side which I was beginning to think was something more serious than we’d voiced between ourselves. Thankfully though, the results from his scan last week, had some answers. A small non-blocking kidney stone is the culprit and he’s further tests and appointments to follow. I think just knowing that it’s been identified has helped with stress levels, now to get on and fix it - though he’s not so keen on knowing how it’ll depart his body. He’s under the impression it will dissolve of its own accord, maybe it will but if so, what’s it doing there in the first place…

I’ve also started the sessions for my online coaching session with Nicky Kentisbeer. You may know Nicky as a blogger, but she’s also a business coach and her online coaching appealed to me when I was close to empty towards the end of last year. The title appealed to me - Get out of your own way - as Nicky’s right when she says that often we know what’s holding us back, and yes, it’s often ourselves. I’m looking forward to doing what it says on the tin.

Work has been as busy as before Barbados, and now I know I will never get to the bottom of my to do list. Knowing that I won’t do everything is kind of liberating, and has helped me refocus on doing what needs to be done rather than the stuff that I think will take me five minutes, and invariably takes much longer, and in the scheme of things isn’t really that important.

I’ve booked a few nights away in Lyons in February. We’re staying in a plush, spa hotel in most probably one of their smallest rooms. It’s got the potential to be quite quirky as it’s got a mezzanine and a bath on its own level - I can’t help but think of our stay at Coombe Abbey in the autumn, but I’ll find out when I get there.

During the week, even though MOH has been cooking dinner each night (yay!) there hasn’t been much time for crochet, so this weekend I’ve put that right. Now with these ‘Jean Senior’ squares completed, i’ve ticked off section three from my colourful Vintage Hearts throw. There’s eleven sections in total, so I’ve a few more to go, though it’s not quite as bad as it sounds as I’m taking an industrial approach and completing all squares of a single design, no matter which section it appears in. So I’m optimistic that all of a sudden I’ll be sewing it up.

That’s probably just as well, as somehow I appear to have ordered some wool for another new project. I’m not quite sure exactly what I’ll use it for, but it was way too pretty to leave on the virtual shelf.

The 10 biggest garden trends for 2020

Everyone’s at it, aren’t they? Even gardeners and garden magazines. Modern Gardens is one of my favourite garden magazines for its fresh, everyday approach. And because it looks more like a glossy magazine than a gardening magazine, if you know what I mean.

Anyway, I thought it would be fun to take a look through their list and share my views.

1 Indoor/outdoor furniture

This apparently follows on last year’s big trend of bifold doors, which we also have, but before that. Just saying. Our indoor/outdoor furniture is from before that too - at one point it was so indoors, it was in our front room and we used it for longer than we should have done in all honesty. It’s since moved into the conservatory, so closer outside, but still inside.

I think we’ve used it outside once or twice, and it can stay outside, but it’s not something I’m willing to leave outside for the elements to do their worst.

Verdict: I’d definitely recommend, even though we keep ours indoors!

2 Dark and moody blooms

Deep purple, maroon, rich burgundy and almost-black flowers are top of the plant trends for 2020 according to the article which says they grab the attention of anyone and everyone who visits your garden. Dark colours also make a small garden look bigger, in one of those colour tricks I’ve spoken about here before. A bit like how bold colours and patterns in the smallest room make them appear larger too.

We always used to have some chocolate cosmos (colour, not flavour or smell) in our dark pots, but somewhere along the way we’ve stopped that tradition. i’ve had dark tulips too, until the squirrels dug them up, ahem. One to restart I think!

My verdict: Where’s my seed/plant catalogue?

Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash

3 Baby’s tears

Soleirolia soleirolii, baby’s tears or Paddy’s wig and mind-your-own-business are all names for this plant which forms a mini lawn of tiny leaves. I’m a fan and MOH isn’t. So we have it in our garden. He tries to weed it. I’m propagating it. I think it looks great on paths, and to soften the edges of where the slate meets landscaping. It’s a constant battle for MYOB in our garden, or old nonsense as MOH calls it.

My verdict: I’ll be waving this trend in front of MOH’s nose regularly through the year.

4 Retractable roofs

Now this one I’m interested in. The magazine says we’re all looking for more floor space (well, actually we’re not but…) and we’re starting to consider our gardens as outdoor rooms and extra spaces. We do use our garden as another room, when it’s nice, and we do have that gazebo from our 110th party which was scuppered by bad weather with water pooling on the canvas which bent the metal frame.

Quite soon after I had the brilliant idea of repurposing some of the frame to change the shape of the gazebo and introducing a flat top - as that seemed way easier. And on that flat top I’d sew a humongous roman blind, which would lay vertically across the top, and which could be folded back when needed.

Of course, I haven’t done anything about it yet. But I’m definitely claiming to be ahead of the curve on this one.

My verdict: This one has legs, and may even spur me on to repurpose ours.

5 Zero-care furniture

I’m all for no-faff furniture, aren’t we all? But it needs to be comfortable too. We’ve got a wooden table and chairs, and metal ones too. They’re fine for sitting on for a while, but are only really comfortable with cushions on, and then we have to find somewhere to store cushions.

Our sun loungers are more resilient and more comfortable, but they’re not quite zero-care. They are left out in nice weather, but the weather’s not always predictable is it, and so they’ve a bit of rust appearing. We’ve not treated it (yet) but we could, though it would be better if we didn’t have to. I suspect that when we replace our garden furniture - we have no plans to - then we’d be looking more carefully at something like this.

My verdict: Definitely useful if you’re replacing garden furniture, or buying for the first time.

6 Growing veggies in pots

This has long been my way of growing veggies, and it’s one we’ll be returning to now that we’ve no longer got the allotment. i’m also ahead of the game as last year, after a failed previous attempt, I finally got square and oblong pots to edge our greenhouse. I only managed to grow lettuce last year, but this year Rodney, I’ve got plenty of plans.

My verdict: Yes, yes, yes and yes.

7 Pink pampas grass

Apparently there’s a big interiors revival for all things 1970s coming this year, and apparently that will also include Pink pampas grass. Hmmnn. Wasn’t pampas grass the sign for swingers back then? Or was that just a wishful rumour?

My verdict: No, no and no.

8 Succulent window boxes

Now if you’ve spent any time on my blog you’ll know I’m a succulent fan. Window box, perhaps not so much, but mostly because we don’t have any and nor would they fit with our house. But succulents growing in things. Yeap, count me in.

In fact the photo, while not a window box, just goes to show how versatile you can be with planters, even picnic baskets. You’ll have seen that photo before, it’s from my visit to Gardeners’ World Live.

My verdict: Yes, to anything succulents.

9 Gentle blues

The thinking behind adding gentle blue flowers into our gardens is the calmness they’ll bring. So whether we’re trying to forget Brexit, the weather or something else entirely, apparently introducing touches with gently blue flowers and painting our plant pots pastel, everything will be ok.

I think it’s going to take a lot more for things to be ok, and pastels aren’t really my thing. I won’t be getting MOH to paint pots pastels, but I get the calming elements that colours and plants bring. I was once told that adding blue plants at the end of your garden would make it feel longer, and I think there’s something in that too. Colour can be used in all sorts of weird and wonderful ways.

My verdict: Pretty, but not for me.

10 Face pots

Yes, what you think. Pots with faces. My initial thought was perhaps not, but when you add a succulent or too, then maybe they would have a certain charm. I suspect though, for me, it’d be the succulents that held the charm, though I can see that the pots would make great gifts.

My verdict: Likely to be popular, but not for me.

So, what do you think - will you be trying any of these in your garden this year?

Reflecting on my week #112

I’ve been looking for our next trip away recently, well, since we came back from Barbados. There’s nothing like having your next jaunt booked and ready to go, is there? Only thing is, I didn’t know where we wanted to go. But then again I rarely do.

Given that I’m looking at something for February, I think my options are pretty limited. I was thinking sensible, and perhaps something close to home. Somewhere that we’d not been to or explored before, though I think MOH a thought I’d lost it when I suggested Kent or Surrey. I mean there’s nothing wrong with either of those, it’s just they’re day trip places.

We don’t often day trip there of course, but we could. I found some lovely cottages, some quirky, some modern and some more traditional. I quite fancied Dungeness, but then reconsidered for the time of year.

Browsing holiday cottages, and companies, is I’ve discovered addictive and as I’m discovering choice, or too much of it, can be a great immobiliser. So nothing got booked, but we’ve still some holiday to use. Then yesterday the Sunday paper had dedicated its travel section to France, and a spark, was ignited.

We haven’t been to France for absolutely ages, and I blooming love France. So, hopefully later today I’ll be booking a two night midweek stay in Lyons, which I was surprised that we’d not been too before. It looks a historic and gastronomic delight so perhaps it will be just the incentive I need to kickstart my 5:2 attempts again.

I don’t mind the intermittent fasting so much, but it needs careful meal planning, especially when this time round there’s absolutely no need for MOH to take part. Though if you remember from before he thought a tuna cheese melt was perfectly fine for ‘fast’ days!

It’s definitely a watch this space - the France trip, I mean, though there won’t be the traditional “fill your car boot up with wine” activity this time, which is a shame as they were always good day trips.

It was back to work for me last week, and not having been around since 12 December it was quite a shock to my system, and quite full on too. In the last few days of my extended break I got my lettering pens out again to make a couple of cards. Now they’ve been delivered I thought I’d share them here - I’m pleased with them, and hope their recipients were too.

Out on errands on Saturday we were disrupted by the screeching of the noisy parakeets which are prevalent in Greenwich Park. I’d not seen them so close to home before, but perhaps they’re expanding their patch even further. Who knows.

They definitely bring a spot of colour, and you certainly know they’re there.