Now that's what I call and icicle

Under the railway bridge in Old Basing near the Millstone PH.

Allotment update

We took the opportunity to reclaim the allotment over Chrismas as it was in such a terrible neglected state.

It actually didn't take that long to get the beds weeded and dug over. We had 5 trips to the tip with the trailer loaded of Jewson bags full of weeds and one full of rubbish so a very refreshing clear out.










I also took the opportunity to give the greenhouses a good clearout. They were both packed with old pots, many of the cracked or damaged so any that didn't meet a very stringent vetting process, went for recycling. The soil in the beds is getting a bit thin and lifeless so my next job is to shovel it all out into a raised bed (work in progress) and get some new good stuff in so hopefully we will get some good crops going this year.









One great surprise was that I had forgotten about a row of carrots I sewed in July. As this is after the risk of carrot root fly damage, they should be good. Unfortunately I forgot about them in the Autumn but the frost and snow doesn't seem to have done any damage and we have a great box full of lovely little carrots. Not as sweet as they would have been but still lovely.

Remember this

You may remember this. A few months ago we purchased this cabinet from May's auction.

It has been on the bench in my shed for a few months undergoing transformation but I haven't been able to show it to you as Katy caught a glimpse of it in the early stages of transformation and just happened to mentioin how well it would fit in her porch. Not being one to miss a hint, it was on her Christmas list.









It also served as a perfect hiding place for her other Christmas presents.













One 70's Beezer annual and a new handle later - it is transformed.

It was too heavy for her to take away on Chrismas day so Angel tested it out for Tiger and full approved of it as a lookout post.

Grey or Red

We had a couple of visitors yesterday who decided that they liked the taste of hawthorne berries. There were two cheeky squirells who spent the afternoon filling themsleves up. I was really surprised by their colouring as they were both grey with red heads and backs. They looked like youngsters to me so I am surprised that we haven't had more damage to the bird feeders as a family of squirrels would soon strip their way throught a feeder.

Maybe they keep their distance from the ducks.

Back to the snow

For the second time this year we have snow. This time we are well off compared to many areas of the country as we only have about 6 inches.

I have been distracted from working all day but a cheeky blackbird who found the apples tht we had left hanging on the tree.

He has munched his way through most of the apply by returning every few minutes. He did take a break in the middle of the day but was back to fill up before sun down.

So sweet

One bonus from the allotment is some carrots that I sewed in July. Waiting this late means that they don't get carrot fly but they don't get time to get very big. They are soooooo sweet though.

This is just a small part of the row so lots more where these came from.

Deralict allotment

This is the allotment when we got there yesterday. It certainly looks as though it has been abandoned. Quite a depressing sight but it didn't take us long to get started clearing. As it was cold and dry the weeds came up easily and it was lovely diffing.

We only managed about an hour before it got too cold and was starting to get dark (about 3.45) so we packed out tools away and came home to a lovely warm fire which had been burning since about midday.







Back again today. After another hour it is a very different sight. We have cleared one side of 52 and as we are giving up 51 in the Spring we will just strim all the weeds back, take down the netting and frame and clear everything away. The other side of 52 should take us another couple one hour sessions and then we can make a start of 53.

A good job done (so far)

Getting bigger

My quilt is getting bigger. I intend to add one more round and stop there.

We are off to the allotment this afternoon as it is sunny but soooooooooooo cold. Update to follow although it won't be pretty as it is a long time since we have been there.

Keeping me busy sewing

I had a mad moment and joined an online sewing group to ultimately make this quilt. It starts with a block in the middle and then grows with 12 different borders.
















I had made the centre block that I found on another group on the internet. I am already up to round 5 and there are over 1,000 pieces of fabric. I have cut for round 6, 7 and 8 so more sewing over the next few days and regular updats to follow.

Which religious holiday is it?

Is it a Christmas Cactus? Is it an Easter Cactus? No..... it is an October Cactus.

The plant looked very boring one day and the next time I looked it had burst into flower. Strange considering it hasn't been watered for a month. Maybe the flowers were a plee to get moved to a place of prominance next to a supply of running water.

Little surprises

We haven't been able to get to the allotment for a while but I had been doing some tidying up in the garden and planting spring bulbs. I sewed some beetroot seeds in a pot so that we could use them as salad leaves but as the season progressed they got a bit woody so I consigned the pot to behind the shed. I dragged it out at the weekend and found a lovely bowl full of baby beetroot.

Eaten warm, they were a burst of taste and didn't quite make it to the plate as I had demolished the lot as I was skinning them.

The bowl was in a box of assorted item that came from an auction and it is currently my favourite bowl.

Not quite bird watching

While I was working at home yesterday a butterfly decided that I needed help and landed on the edge of the window right next to me. I was really surprised and it was complete coincidence that I had the camera on the desk.

I hope he/she survived the night as it was very chilly and late in the season to see them.

You can tell I am not a butterful expert as I don't even know what sort it is.


p.s. Happy Birthday Cliff

Brilliant design

I love it when I find something that is a different take on a utility item. Bike locks serve their purpose but why are they so boring.

Not anymore thants to sono mocci

A rainy day out

A couple of weeks ago the weekend was forcast to rain, and true to its forecast we woke up to rain having planned the day at the allotment. Instead we took a trip down the A303 to Shipton Bellinger to Mays Auctions where they had a general auction. It was a lovely morning out and we got to see what life is like in a true auction house rather than one which takes over a village hall for the weekend. We had a good look round, marked which lots we wanted to bid on, found a comfy seat and had bacon rolls and tea for brunch.

After loading up with our buys (more on this later) the weather had cheared up and we took the scenic route home past Wilton Windmill. We had forgotten that it was heritage weekend and it was open free for the day. By then the sun had come out and it was a lovely surprise to get to see it working as there was a good breeze aswell.





Now for the auction, among the things we bought were two project which I will keep you updated on their progress. The first was a pretty ugly show box. The front flaps down and there are shelves inside. Lot number 83 isn't much at the moment but it has now today its place on the bench in my shed, been stripped and sanded and is on its way to a pretty amazing transformation.












Lot number 105 was a bit of an impulse and certainly a longer term project. A bargain at £10 plus commission and I can see its potential.

I admit that it needs tidying up a bit and has seen better days but the wood is sound with no sign of woodworm. It has obviously had a few recoverings as there are so many staple and nail holes around the edge of the fabric and the webbing and springs are in reasonable condition.

This is it when we unloaded it from the car.







This is it an hour later.

It has a label on it from a previous auction which looks decades old and the base canvas looks good so that can stay as it is secure and the shaping for the back. I have taken photographs throughout its stripdown so hope, once the wood is refurbished that I will be able to make patterns and recover.









The next day, still being heritage weekend, we went to Bramshill house which was a once only open to the public. It was fascinating to see inside the house we lived near for so long, and remember my childhood years walking the dog around the grounds. Unfortunately it was not designed for step free access so was a bit waring for some people. It was well presented and great to see how the house has been used through its life and a fantasti history of the police force both in the UK and visiting forces from worldwide. After looking round at the history of the house we did at least get a chance to sit down and have an ice cream before the walk back to the car.

Apple harvest

The apple harvest is in full swing and we have the best crop from the cider apples, although Nick loves them as eating apples but that might be because he is depriving himself of cider to drink.

It isn't a very big tree but we got a whole bucketfull.



The oooking apples are huge a well so I might have to find a recipe that used squash and apple.

Thats what I call a pumpkin

We haven't had great success at the allotment this year but with all the rain we have had in the last few weeks the squash have filled out a bit. I am not sure what I am going to do with it as I couldn't actually pick it up, but I think I will get a saw out of the garage and cut in into sections, get a mass of pastry and make a load of pumpkin pies.

We have another not quite as big as this as well and a couple of butternut squash.

Prototype

I decided that I needed more carrying space on my bike so the obvious solution was paniers. I was so disappoined to find that the fabric I used for my basket cover is no longer available so decided to go for something very different.









This is the prototype and I already have many changes that I will made. Firstly the pocket covers could be shorter, the handle needs to go the other way round, I would use ties instead of velcro for the bag closings and I would make it a bit narrower so that it fits inside the carrier on the back of the bike rather than overhanging at the back.









It attaches to the bike with velcro strips that attach at the back and front of the carrier and I will also add a tie which is long enough to go around the saddle stem to stop the risk of it slipping backwards.

I might swap the two fabrics around a bit as well so watch this space for version 2.

Autumn

It is sad to see the trees losing their leaves and the plants looking a bit shabby but there is one good thing about Autumn and I think Angel will agree.

We went to Scatts today and stocked up on coal and firelighters as well as a bag of logs until the delivery this week. The fire is blazing beautifully so we are nice and toasty.