An autumnal feel with pops of summer colour

I've been meaning to write this post since last weekend when I popped out into the garden and found more colour than I was expecting to see. I'd convinced myself that everything had turned autumnal almost overnight - and it almost did - but it seems my garden isn't quite ready to give up its colour. With a blast of sun shining on it too, it'd be easy to convince ourselves that maybe it was more like summer after all, but only for a moment!

The blue geranium seemed to be enjoying the sun as much as me, I'd not noticed before but it almost has a white ring at its centre as well as tie and dye like petals!

The patio pots I planted up at the start of June are only just coming into their own, as you can see I've still flowers in bud but these impatiens are doing well, even if they're a bit nibbled. I'd bought some really small lucky dip plug plants and while they were good value, they've taken a while to actually flower in our north facing garden so it's not something I think I'll be doing again next year.

The hardy fuchsia provides another pop of colour as we walk up the garden and despite giving it a serious hacking earlier in the year, it's still flowering and is giving the pyracantha berries in the background a good run for their money.

The sedums are just starting to add some autumnal pink in the garden, we've these throughout the garden in clumps which works to unify our space. I was especially pleased to see these looking so well as these are the ones planted in my gabion planters, I'm taking it that they're happy there!

In the sleeper bed I'd randomly planted some of my seedlings - and then promptly forgot about them - until now that is, this beautiful cosmos has just started to flower and it's great to see its vibrancy as I turned the corner of our garden.  I quite like the idea of forgetting where I'd planted seedlings, as it does bring a nice and unexpected surprise, well as long as MOH doesn't mistake them for weeds as they're not marked that is!

I've also discovered a little friend looking for a new home. It must have been quite traumatic for him/her while I was watering the plants.  I hope I haven't washed away any chance of a family they'd been busy with.  He was persuaded to look for alternative accommodation gently, and encouraged to hop over the lawn back into the beds for safety, so hopefully he'll be fine. We see several toads in our garden, and hear them rustling their way through the garden after dark "on manoeuvres" and we definitely have less slugs and snails where we see the toads, so they're a good thing to have.

Not such a good thing to have right now is squirrels.  They are fast becoming the bane of our garden, what with their digging and sudden penchant for my succulents. I've many leaves that have come away from the plant, and while I know I can grow new plants from them, and I'm in danger of being overrun by succulents, it'd be much better for the leaves to stay attached in the first place.

The squirrel is also popping into the greenhouse and digging, not in a helpful way though. In much the same way as he's - or they've - been digging in the grass. MOH is far from pleased about how many holes he has in his grass at the moment, and if I were the squirrel I would be giving MOH quite a wide berth.

On the plus side I should be able to fill another trug with all these new succulent plants, or start my own succulent business!!

Near the patio the hibiscus has continued to flower, it seems to still be enjoying the weather although I've got my eye on it and the forecast. I'm still in two minds what to do with it over the winter, but a more pressing concern is what to do with it when we're away in October, in case there's an unexpected cold snap.

I found some pots at the back of the garden which I'd also potted up with those tiny bedding plants that are in full flower and conveniently they were red and white so they've been brought down to the front of the garden to keep the hibiscus company, and with the added advantage of giving the illusion of colour throughout the garden when looking from the house.

The pear tree at the back of our garden is full of pears. We gave the tree quite a severe pruning in the Spring and this is how it repays us, I'm not hopeful for the fruits being edible though as we've not had much success in the past. They are rock hard and the longer we leave them on the tree, the more likely that pesky squirrel is to have sunk his teeth into them.  

If you've any ideas on how I can win with these pears, I'd love to hear them.

Aubergine, petrol blue and grey patterned tiles at the Ideal Home Show

After sharing the bedroom and bathroom room sets last week, this time it's the turn of the kitchen and dining room. Both of which have similarities, with deep colours, grey patterns and wood. Let's start in the dining room, where the wools have an aubergine feel to them. The unusual addition for me was the green chairs, initially I thought no, but they grew on me.

It was the floor though that was the real winner for me - just look at those tiles. And actually it's the green chairs that make it all hang together, so it just goes to show that sometimes doing something out of the ordinary - and out of what you think your colour scheme is, or should be - makes it work.

I liked the clever wood storage, close to the wood burner. I can see it would avoid arguments about whose turn it was to venture outside and get the next batch of wood for the fire!  Although if we had a wood burner, it would clearly be MOH's job, I mean... man, fire, enough said.

You'll remember we contemplated many wooden tables and eventually ended up with a white glass table (yes, it makes no sense, but we fell in love with it), and we were also contemplating a mix of chairs and benches, so it was good to see them still around.  I liked the glass fronted storage too, and MOH renewed his campaign for new dining room lights.  I'll admit they would go in our space, with our table but I think it restricts how we could use the space, even more than our existing light.  

So he's still unsuccessful, but the room was a hit for us. And I knew if I tried for long enough I'd find a kind of aubergine he liked!

And a winner of a kitchen too

Our kitchens in this house have both been high gloss and they suit our space. This wooden unit and splash back is the closest we've seen to a kitchen that would work. I liked the nod to the grey tiled flooring behind the cooker, but MOH was bemused by the knobs that the chopping boards were hanging from, and the crockery spacers in the open draw.

The big central island was a dream, and full of storage too. One day (I hope) I'll have a kitchen that can accommodate something like this. And a huge larder storage too.  I'm sure though my kitchen would never quite look so well put together, or as tidy, but I'm ok with that as it's a room set and not a real room...

And everyone knows the best cooks are messy cooks, and those that use every utensil you own, right?  Well that's what MOH says anyway!

What do you think - could you live with either of these rooms, or elements from them?

Small cat Saturday

While I was sorting out our study-cum-craft room last month making space for my new crafting equipment from Fellowes I found some old photos. And when you find old photos, there's only one thing to do isn't there?

Yes, dive right in and look back on those memories. 

The photos I found were of my lovely puss cats. 

SMALL CAT #1: DYLAN, ROARING LIKE A LION

SMALL CAT #3: BOB LEARNING TO EAT FROM A BOWL

SMALL CAT #2: TESSA (SNUGGLING WITH HER DYLAN)

SMALL CAT #4: QUICKLY, THE SPOILT YOUNGEST

In an earlier life I had the potential to become a crazy cat lady, clocking up four fiercely independent moggies over a few years.  From top clockwise they were:

• Dylan, a black long-haired softie named after the spaced out rabbit in Magic Roundabout, who was "lovingly" renamed the big black hairy one by MOH and also the one that made my heart melt from the day I picked him up.
• Tessa, a white and tabby soppy thing who idolised Dylan as you can tell from the photo. She was named for Tessa Sanderson in an Olympic year, and years later proved her daftness by completely failing to master our open tread spiral staircase.
• Next came Bob - or Bob Bob - as she quickly became known. And yes she was super tiny and I thought at the time the most challenging (but little did I know!) Bob was born at a local factory and rescued just before a cull, she was too tiny to be away from her mum and I was told off by the vet until I explained the circumstances. She was so tiny he couldn't be sure if she was a he or a her. She was a her and was named for Kate in Blackadder, so that dates her.
• The finally there was Quickly who bewitched us all. Anyone who's been owned by a ginger tom will testify that they really are characters and he was just that. Cats are renowned for doing their own thing and even at meal times they'd often take persuading to come and eat. I'd regularly be calling for "Dylan, Tessa, Bob quickly" before he arrived and so rather than insert a new name, he became Quickly.  And it suited him.

Poor Dylan and Tessa - there was six months between them, but longer between the others and in some ways had an affinity with each other they never had with the others. Bob also adored Dylan, and he was alpha male. Quickly, when he arrived, thought that was his role and he pushed his luck until the occasional swipe reminded him he wasn't.

I should have known he was going to be the cheeky one from this photo alone shouldn't I?  

CUTE AND CHEEKY

AND TAKING ADVANTAGE OF BEING THE BABY

Quickly arrived most probably in 1991 or 1992, so a good few years ago.  They all moved to this house with us and I'm never sure who tolerated who most, and by that I mean MOH and the cats.  Bob was the last to go around ten years ago - she made it to the wedding reception, making a brief appearance for some of the photos, but by then being a grumpy old lady and not too keen on company was happy to head back to her basket.

I wouldn't have been without them, and couldn't imagine how life would be without them, but now it seems a lifetime ago (and one where I had long hair!)