This August...

This August has been great, one where the weather has been good enough to not need to worry about if you need a jacket, coat, umbrella etc - well mostly anyway. The end of the month saw a couple of yellow thunderstorm warnings, and boy did they arrive in style, and they brought plenty of rain with them too, which of course we needed.

The thunderstorms were pretty close by, or it sounded like that at the time - we later discovered that we weren’t wrong and were hit by two supercells joining together. I’m not really sure what that means, but I know it was bright as the lightening struck, and it’s the first storm I remember thinking was quite scary. The next morning we discovered that the accompanying rains had brought mud off the fields and one of the roads leading to the main crossroads in the village was a bit muddy!

Earlier in the month when the number of heatwaves were racking up we also had our first experience of sheep escapees, aiding the village cattle (not sheep) farmer to get them out of our neighbour’s garden and back into a field. Not the field they escaped from, but much safer than them patrolling the village and much preferable to the gardens in the village. They are peculiar creatures, and fast when they want to be as we saw first hand!

We’ve been out and about a fair bit too with a lovely afternoon in one of my patchwork group’s garden, with partners and no actual sewing in sight though of course the conversation did include a stitch or two.

We had a tasty meal on the rather elegant Bluebell Railway in Sussex, and I decided to make myself a dress to wear - giving myself a week to do it. I made it, and I wore it but I think giving myself more time would be preferable!

There was also the annual ‘home air show’ towards the end of the month, and the weather had turned so while the Red Arrows were able to give a fantastic display, more of the ‘noisier’ aircrafts were unable to fly, which is a shame - but there’s always next year.

We finally made it back to one of our favourite farm pop-ups at Gelston buying some of their tasty lamb to support our commitment to healthier eating. Though on the way home we stopped off at a relatively nearby cafe to see the Alpacas, and share a scone - so the healthier eating is still a work in progress, though we did share a scone rather than have one each so that’s something.

I was just as much taken by the pompoms strung across the cafe’s outside container seating area, as I was with the perfect view of the ‘mums and babies’ alpaca paddock and it’s residents. I could have spent so much more time watching them, so I’m sure we’ll be back - and the scone was good too!

Our gallivanting hasn’t stopped there though, after sharing my thoughts on the first Rutland Flower Show we were back there in the middle of the month, but it was so hot we didn’t last perhaps as long as we would normally. We’d already decided that we wouldn’t be buying any plants as keeping them alive would be tricky, and I’d lost one of the plants we’d bought earlier in the summer - though I’m hopeful that there’s a small chance it may come back.

I felt for the traders too as they had a job to keep their displays and produce looking fresh - they were all in good spirits though, and the weather did cool a little for the subsequent days of the show. We didn’t leave empty handed though and left with the sensible options of some bulbs to plant in the autumn, so more on those another time.

We finally got along to visit Doddington Hall, which is just outside Lincoln, while their sculpture trail was still on - it finishes this weekend. Again it was a warm day, but one that threatened rain so armed with our waterproofs we saw many, many sculptures, walked around the parched gardens and looked inside the house before having lunch in the courtyard. The volunteers there told us that the house is also good to visit when it’s decorated for Christmas, and from the photos we saw they’re right so I think we’ll be back here later in the year all being well.

Our timing was impeccable with the rain arriving on the short drive home, we arrived back with a very wet car to find that it hadn’t rained at home at all. Most peculiar!

And still we weren’t done. The last weekend of August saw us climb the 198 steps in the church tower in Newark, as part of their Newark Festival offerings, to get some great views over the market place and surrounding areas, learning about the history as we did. It was a great thing to do, and even though I’m not great with heights, I’m glad I did it.

And then on the Sunday we headed back to the tropical garden in nearby Bottesford - I’ve not had a chance to even look at my photos from there yet, but it will be interesting to compare and contrast them to our visit there last year when I get some time.

There hasn’t been a lot of time left for making this month, and apart from the dress in a week project mentioned above my main outputs have been though ‘playing with patchwork and scraps’ which has been the perfect mindful activity required.

I still did find time for some craft related shopping though - you knew I would - but I’ll share more on those tomorrow - let’s hope September is just as much fun, perhaps a little drier and so bring some more time with my sewing machine!

Getting some interiors inspiration at Snape Maltings

We recently stayed in Suffolk basing ourselves in Framlingham for a couple of nights. We’d stayed relatively close by when we last visited back in 2017 - I’m not sure how it was this long ago though, but it was good to be back and we were keen to take another look around the interiors shop at Snape Maltings.

I remembered it being a large place, full of inspiration - and I wasn’t disappointed.

Since we’ve been back it’s been fun to look back at the 2017 post, and we do indeed now have a mustard velvet sofa and it is not a corner sofa! Sometimes the inspiration sticks, but adapts doesn’t it?

Colourful accessories, including table dressings are clearly a staple for the interiors shop there as there were many to choose from, even crocheted ones. I looked at both of the versions below and admired them, but in reality we have table mats we use all the time, which we love and are a lot plainer than these. While a nicely done table does look good, for me it’s all about the food and how that tastes more so.

I was quite taken with the folded paper heart garland though, but realised that I’d need one much larger than that on display for it to have the same impact in our living space, and also that I could probably make one myself - though I have resisted putting it on my list. My guess is that if I want one badly enough I’ll find the time to make one - or more likely, there’ll be an occasion that I think that’ll be nice to decorate with a heart garland and then I’ll go at it all guns blazing right at the last minute! There’s something about knowing yourself isn’t there?

I also spotted this jigsaw, which if I could tolerate jigsaws would be just the thing. I can’t abide them though so it was safe on the shelves, and I was happy to admire it and the people that spend time putting them together to immediately dismantle them!

There were cushions everywhere, and it’s just as well I don’t need any or otherwise at least one (maybe two) might have made it home with us. Instead I was able to enjoy their wonderfulness.

This urchin jug was harder to resist, but I managed that too. I mean I like a nice jug and this would be a great addition, but I really don’t need any more jugs either for holding liquids or displaying flowers, so it too stayed on the shelf. Though at £40 that was relatively easy to do, but it is gorgeous - just not gorgeous enough for me right now.

The rug area was a real treasure trove of colour and textures, and I do love a rug or two. But with mostly carpet in our new house I’m struggling to make use of and justify keeping the rugs we brought with us.

Side tables also appear to be a thing of mine, some featured in the earlier post too, and since we’ve been here I’ve bought more than we’ve ever had, and I am on the lookout for one to go in between our two sofas, but these weren’t them. Sadly, I love the texture on them.

Like a magpie I was drawn to a brighter corner of the shop. And sigh, these were gorgeous, but phew thankfully I’ve only recently made myself a new dressing gown, otherwise I’d have been seriously tempted.

I do love a mooch around a good interiors shop, and the one at Snape Maltings is most definitely that.

My garden in July

It’s about eight weeks since we’ve had any proper rain here, and the garden knows it. We’ve had a few spots and the threat of rain, but nothing that’s really been of any use to my plants. I’ve been looking at posts on Instagram this last few days of people sharing the rain they have, still waiting for it to arrive here. I’m sure when it does arrive properly there will be a deluge and too much for the hard baked ground to deal with effectively, I’m sure that’s the story though in many areas this summer.

But there have been high spots, and plenty of photos so let’s get on shall we?

The month started with the rowan berries the palest of oranges, and throughout the month their colour has deepened. The lavender that was doing so well last month, hasn’t lasted as well and most of the flowers have now gone and it will soon be time for their annual trim. Thankfully though the bush that looked as if it’d failed, where we removed all the outer rotten stems, has survived in its skinnier version, so maybe we’ll be lucky and it’ll spring back.

The cosmos were doing their best to flower, they’ve actually been a really good indicator of how our plants are doing as they quite visibly droop without water, then spring back after a good long drink. I know the feeling cosmos, really I do.

This was taken early in the month while the lavender was still in flower, and to have these roses flower alongside it has been the most glorious scent filled space. Our roses in pots are still doing well, the paler Claire Austin less so, but that has spent most of this summer recovering from crispy leaves sustained in the hot spell in April.

It’s not been all sun though, it’s been windy too. And this now named ‘lightweight light’ has needed to be corralled on more than one occasion to stop it blowing about the garden. It’s name is twofold - lightweight for it’s ‘easily blown’ nature but also because for the size of it, it gives out the most minuscule amount of light. MOH tells me it’s mood lighting, but I disagree it’s hardly any light at all - it’s just as well that I like its shape, or otherwise I think it would be having its marching orders.

The small pink rose has excelled this year, and seems to have loved having its branches upright - it’s amazing what a steel plant support can do, and it’s probably the first year since we’ve been here that we’ve really seen its potential.

The cosmos flowered! Actually both pots have flowered more than once, which given the conditions I’m both pleased and surprised at. I’ve been continuing to pursue growing some lettuce in a cut-and-come-again style and have found that my best tool is a small watering can close by to where they’re growing. Which means there’s more chance that they’ll get water when they need it. The second batch of seeds has germinated well, and even looks like lettuce, and then something found my seed tray and decided to help themselves, with a whole section quite clearly munched. But at least they left me some, which of course I still need to pot on and tend for.

The real star of this month though has been my pineapple lily which I bought at Gardeners’ World Live last month. I spotted the tiny ‘pineapple’ flowers and then needed to check them daily to see how they’d progressed.

And progress they did.

We’ve been out watering our pots most evenings, or every other evening if we can’t manage every night. We only water pots, and thankfully we don’t have a hosepipe ban here, but the later evening waterings has given me time for some later evening photos, and I love this one of the rose with the lavender and street light behind it.

On days when the weather is cooler, or where plants are in the shade I’ve been taking the opportunity to fill up my green bin. There’s still a lot more to trim and take back control of but the inside border is starting to look a little less unkempt, and in places even tidy.

The prolonged warmer weather meant that it was time for us to get out the garden sofa, and that meant plenty of time for some pot faffing. Or pot scaping if you must. Ever since MOH said that when the sofa was there on its own it looked like it’d been dumped, we’ve had pots surrounding it. This year I think I’ve excelled myself as I’ve added a side table for the santolini and pineapple lily which brings a bit of height too. No doubt next year I’ll do something different!

And then there are the thirsty tomatoes, which are starting to repay us with their fruits. When I planted these I wondered if the terracotta pot or the plastic pot would fare better, and in truth I’ve seen very little difference.

I’ve still much to do in the garden, but cutting the grass isn’t one of them. Not only is there no grass to cut, MOH has reclaimed this task as his own - which is absolutely the best news, as it leaves me to potter on elsewhere!