My top 10 posts of 2019

Today, as is becoming tradition, I’m taking a look at the most viewed posts here last year. Once again I’m sharing two lists, the first is the top ten posts created in 2019 and the second the top ten posts created at any time.

It’s been quieter on my blog in 2019, which doesn’t surprise me and I’m sure it doesn’t surprise regular readers either. That reflects the amount of time I’ve had available to devote to my blog, which correlates busyness of my full-time job. Since the middle of the year I’ve been covering the junior role as well as my own, and at a time when things have got even busier, and with only so much time available it was inevitable. I’m hopeful that can be rectified soon, as I’ve missed spending quality time here.

There’s some favourites on both lists, and some regulars on the second list too, but let’s get on shall we, and start with posts created in 2019.

1 Telling Phyllis to Move On

This post was one of many from bloggers and the start of a bit of a ‘love bomb’ to support Emma from Island Living 365 who was sharing her cancer journey online. Having recently been diagnosed with Bowel cancer, she promptly named her cancer Phyllis and told her to ‘do one’ in no uncertain terms.

Emma has done so much to raise awareness of Bowel cancer, and just before Christmas had some great news to share, which you can read more about on her blog, but (spoiler alert) Phyllis got the message.

2 'Get creative with colour' this April

I’m pleased to see a couple of my new linky posts feature in this year’s top ten, not least because of the underlying message that Gardening is Good For You, because it really is. Even when it’s cold, which I also need to remember. This post from April is packed full of colour and advice for your own garden.

3 'Get Set Grow' this May

It’s not surprising that this post from May also appears here, as I think April and May are often the busiest at the start of the gardening year. The weather’s starting to warm the soil, and there’s much growing to be done, and who can resist the magic of planting seeds and seeing plants emerge. Even better if they are edible!

4 Celebrating colour and craft books I've read lately

Ah, a reminder for me that I should make more of these books and make time to craft a little bit more - something that went by the wayside especially in the second half of the year. Reminder noted. Look out for more on this in the next few weeks or so.

5 Some triangular planting

We’re back in the garden again for this post, and it’s one that I’m sure MOH will file under “hare-brained schemes” - but it’s resourceful, and seems to be working. The area doesn’t get too much sunlight, but the camomile was thriving last time I checked on it, and I’m hopeful we’ll get to enjoy its scent much more in 2020.

6 Lavatory Project: Spots and stripes

Of all the loos I wouldn’t perhaps have guessed this one would make the top ten list, though it’s definitely one that catches the eye. It’s part of a series of ‘Lavatory Project’ entries at Grand Designs Live, which could have been made for me to come along and photograph!

7 Let's talk rentals

This is the only collaborative post that’s made this list and one that was prompted by our new neighbour in the rental flat next door, who was a little over enthusiastic about trimming our plants. As it turned out her enthusiasm wasn’t dampened following this initial conversation, as when we returned from Portugal in June, we returned to some (quite a few) dead plants, which almost prompted The Conversation. That never happened, though I was itching to have it, but knew that I’d need MOH closeby to be the voice of reason, and he wasn’t keen. This neighbour has since moved out - nothing to do with our plants, honest - but it was interesting to write this post from a different perspective.

Let’s hope any new neighbour that moves in isn’t so enthusiastic with their clippers - though, there’s not much left for them to snip!

8 Interiors gems in Burnham Market

We had a short break in Norfolk much earlier in the year and were treated to spectacular weather, sun rather than grey skies in February. One of those afternoons we drove over to Burnham Market and had a mooch about their many boutiques, snapping as I went and this post is the result of that. Enjoy.

9 At the Assembly House in Norwich

During that February break we spent a couple of nights in Norwich at the Assembly House as a bit of a treat. It’s a gorgeous place, and the breakfasts are filling to say the least. When you book online you choose which room you’ll stay in, and we weren’t disappointed with ours.

10 Floral thrones, of course

The final post in this top ten is a throwback to the Chelsea Flower Show in 2018. Inside the Pavilion there’s always something a little wacky and unexpected, which probably sums up these floral thrones quite nicely. The work in them is amazing, but I suspect not many of us will have had our own floral throne to enjoy - sadly!

So quite an eclectic mix of posts, and there’s probably a message in there for me, but then again it’s probably a fair reflection of how we live our lives. And that’s all I can ever hope for from my blog.

Now onto the second list

This list is posts created at any time but viewed in 2019, the year in brackets is the year the post was originally posted - just one from 2019 made this list, which I’m kind of sad about, but that’s also given me incentive to try harder this year! Though the 2019 post which does appear is probably on the most important subject, so for that alone I’m glad it’s claimed its spot.

Last year I said it’d have to be a pretty special post to knock the IKEA hack from top spot, well that’s happened. And it’s been well and truly shoved and I couldn’t be happier about the post that replaces it and has so far had three times as many views.

1. Filling our gabion baskets (2017)

2. My IKEA hack: HOL storage table to laundry basket (2015)

3. Sean Murray's Great Chelsea Garden Challenge (2017)

4. Let's talk Edwardian house decoration (2017)

5. Softening our gabion seating area with plants (2017)

6. Blinds and shutters with Thomas Sanderson (2018)

7. The Jane Austen garden in Lyme Regis (2015)

8. Circles, spray paint and another plan for my garden (2016)

9. Telling Phyllis to Move On (2019)

10. Making cute pom-pom Easter bunnies and chicks (2016)

Actually looking at that list again, apart from the 2019 post, three others are also new entries which is interesting (in a Statto kind of way). I am pleased that the gabion baskets posts are doing well, and it’s also good to see the circles and spray paint post making an appearance too. It just goes to show, you never really do know what the year will bring.

In the next few weeks I’ll be sharing my favourite posts from the year in a couple of posts, I just need to work out what they are - choice is a terrible thing!

'Get Set Grow' this May

Gardening is good for you, and so is growing your own food. But growing anything yourself gives an inordinate amount of pleasure, doesn’t it? Whether it’s runner beans or sunflowers with the kids, flowers to brighten up your space or fruit and veg to eat, the process is enthralling each time.

But it’s also beneficial to our health and wellbeing. It’s rewarding and productive, provides exercise, and if you’re growing edibles eating freshly picked, homegrown, organically grown produce is a way of keeping healthy and saving money too, not to mention the complete lack of air miles.

This is my new monthly linkup, where you can share your gardens and/or gardening posts (old or new) that complement the month’s theme. For May, that’s Get Set Grow.

The linkup will stay open all month, so pop back if your post isn’t published yet, and remember you can link up an old post too.

MAY: GET SET GROW

Get the harvesting high!

Researchers have found that seeing, smelling and picking fruits and berries can release dopamine from the brain’s reward centre, resulting in a feeling of mild euphoria and wellbeing. So there’s the perfect excuse to hit the PYO farms when they open later in the month!

Eat the rainbow

We know that we should be eating five a day, or up to ten a day depending on what advice is flavour of the day, but there’s also benefits to eating different coloured fruits and vegetables as they contain varying beneficial ingredients:

• Red: Tomatoes, red onions, rhubarb chard, peppers, chillies, strawberries and rhubarbs

• Orange: Carrots, squash and pumpkin

• Yellow: Golden courgettes and tomatoes, sweetcorn, yellow beans and peppers

• Green: Asparagus, spinach, peas, beans, mangetout, rocket, lettuce and salad leaves, kale, cabbage, cucumber and pak choi

• Blue: Blueberries

• Purple: Beetroot, broccoli, aubergine, purple beans and asparagus, red cabbage, radish and plums

• White: Cauliflower, celery, leeks, onions, garlic, shallots, spring onions, potatoes.

Plants of the moment for summer displays and crops

Flowers: Nemesia - I’m sure you’ll know what these look like if you google them, Poppy varieties, Pinks, shrubs including Berberis, choisya, ceanothus with its lilac blue flowers, weigela, lilac and many viburnum.

Young seedling plants: tomatoes, peppers, chillies, cucumbers, strawberries, courgettes and squash.

But there’s dozens of other crops such as salad leaves, beans, rocket, spinach, beetroot and carrots which can be grown from seed, which is even better value.

I now have some seed compost, and I’ve got plenty of seeds, all I need to do is put them together and let the magic happen, what about you?

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Telling Phyllis to Move On

Now I don’t often swear, and rarely swear on here but today I’m going to make an exception, so if you’re likely to be offended then please just skip this post. I hope you don’t though, because it’s about cancer which quite frankly is offensive and indiscriminate.

Sadly cancer isn’t a stranger in my family, or yours too I suspect. My parents have both had their own battle with the disease (which they both won) but unfortunately my FIL wasn’t so lucky and we lost him last summer. I’ve friends that have encountered cancer, with mixed success, and I’m sure you have too.

One of those is Emma from Island Living 365 who has recently been diagnosed with Bowel cancer and who is bravely sharing her cancer journey online. Despite her recent post entitled Running away from Bowel Cancer she’s doing far from that. Instead she’s planning to run - or as she would say - plod, in the Race for Life for Cancer Research UK in Jersey at the end of May. While she’s already smashed her fundraising target, it would be great if we could add to her total, if you’re able to, to help beat cancer for everyone sooner.

Emma has named her cancer Phyllis and her updates regularly include #PissOffPhyllis - today many of the blogging community are showing our support for Emma and encouraging Phyllis (and her friends) to move on, as they’re really not welcome. Anywhere. Any of them.

We’ve all got badges with the #PissOffPhyllis message (thanks Lucy and the BlogOn team!) and we’re wearing them proudly and hitting our blogs and social media to show Emma our support. If you’re able to share this post, or any of my social posts for this on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram then I’d really appreciate your help.

April is Bowel cancer Awareness month

So it’s only fitting that we’ve managed to get this arranged to sneak in to the end of this month, and appropriate that I include some information about Bowel cancer too:

• Bowel cancer is the second biggest cancer killer in the UK claiming more than 16,000 lives a year, that's over 44 people every day.

• Bowel cancer is the fourth most common cancer in the UK, after breast, prostate and lung cancers.

• Every 15 minutes in the UK someone is diagnosed with bowel cancer. That’s almost 42,000 people every year. Every 30 minutes someone dies from the disease in the UK. 

• More than nine out of ten new cases (94%) are diagnosed in people over the age of 50, and nearly six out of ten cases (58%) are diagnosed in people aged 70 or over. But bowel cancer can affect any age. More than 2,500 people under 50 are diagnosed with bowel cancer in the UK every year.

• 1 in 14 men and 1 in 19 women will be diagnosed with bowel cancer during their lifetime.

Bowel cancer is very treatable but the earlier it is diagnosed, the easier it is to treat. People whose cancer is diagnosed at an early stage have a much higher chance of successful treatment than those whose cancer has become more widespread. If you have any symptoms, don’t be embarrassed and don’t ignore them. Doctors are used to seeing lots of people with bowel problems.

The symptoms of Bowel cancer can include:

• Bleeding from your bottom and/or blood in your poo

• A persistent and unexplained change in bowel habit 

• Unexplained weight loss

• Extreme tiredness for no obvious reason

• A pain or lump in your tummy

So Phyllis, it’s time for you (and all your friends) to move on

You’re most definitely not welcome. In fact I’ve struggled to find anywhere where you are welcome.

If you would also like to support Emma beating cancer you can follow her updates on her blog, Facebook, Twitter and/or Instagram. Or if you can spare a pound or two then a donation to her fundraising page for Cancer Research UK would be appreciated.  Thank you.