2009 - let the party begin !

Hola fellow plottees. As you may have seen from my other blog, the show is back on the road up at the lottie, so now it's the plot's turn.

I've really done nothing much since before I went down south for Dad, but nothing gets done by sitting on your erse, so I ventured out back this weekend.

Thinking about it, there is still plenty going on even without my help so let's have a quick catch up.

The home grown stock of garlic that I planted last autumn has failed in a momumental way to show at all. I refuse to accept that it just ain't happening so I'll watch carefully for anything green looking poking through the soil.

The rhubarb patch that I left still in full leaf last November, had disappeared to a bare square of soil by the time I got back. I was amazed that it had totally gone ! Nature at work is wonderful. The fruit bushes all look like dead twigs, which they may be for all I know. No doubt I'll find out in due course.

The strawberry runners that I'd potted up and left sitting on the bed have all put down roots where they sat. They'll get moved to the bed that something has been using as digging practice (cats I presume). I'll try not to think about what else they were doing while they were digging. I've now netted the area until I'm ready.

I took a load of cuttings of the geraniums before I left. Some have actually survived the frosts, not many it's true, but about half dozen or so. Not sure about the fuschias which look like the fruit bushes ... dead. The leeks in pots still look like spring onions but I am still pulling carrots from the bath.

I noticed yesterday that the honeysuckle is already in bud, and Mum's Witchazel is nicely in bloom. Spring bulbs are poking through in lots of pots, don't you just love it when they come back time and time again.

My good friend fuschia Bob gave me a sulphur candle for the greenhouse, which I'd been scared off using in previous years. But having lost all my chillies and peppers to some wee beasties last year, I decided to give it a shot. So having carefully taped up all the gaps that I could see, I lit the wick, placed the candle on the floor and backed out fast. A bit too fast and not looking where my bum was going, backed straight into the door and nearly took it off it's runners. Still, it eventually closed pretty tight and I promptly left the vicinity and fled up the lottie for a few hours.

Came back to find smoke pouring out of every crevice known to man (but obviously not to me). Thank goodness there was a pretty good breeze which was taking it away, but I was really concerned about the birdies and the adjacent hedge and my rosemary bush. I swiftly closed the living room curtains and pretended it all had nothing to do with me.

When I woke up yesterday morning, I fully expected to see a completely barren garden with a pile of expired birds in a heap but thankfully, they all appeared to have had more sense that me and stayed well away. The hedge and rosemary don't seem to have suffered any dire consequences, mind you, the effects might not have been immediate so I'll just do what I do best .... wait and see.

If the temperture rises above fingers fall off degrees, I might get out there today and give the g/h a good scrub with some good old Jeyes fluid.

The shed really needs a good sort out and there's a big pile of compost behind the shed that needs to be used.

I sowed some Lettuce Valdor which I know should have been sown earlier, but I'd really switched off totally and forgot what I had in the seed box. So I've sown some anyway and if they germinate and grow, then I'm off to a great start.

I kept one of the pepper plants from last year indoors and gave it a good old haircut. Already I think I can see tiny wee new shoots. Yet another experiment to moniter.

My two Spanish palms that Brian and Pat gave me seeds for are now a good 3' high, in pots, indoors. I'm really pleased with them, they seem to have thrived on neglect over the winter, and the bonsai tree that looked like the fuschias/fruit bushes when I got back, now is completely in full leaf again. Amazing what some water can do for a plant eh ? Mum and Dad's peace lily needs repotting but looks pretty good in the fireplace. I've turned it round though as it was a bit lopsided, growing towards the light of the french windows.

The M-I-L gave me an Amaryllis which had already started to grow in it's box, that's now begun to turn green since it's had a bit of light. Loads of stuff in pots round the side of the house and the front border all need attention, may do a bit of weeding and clearing today once the frost disappears.

and there was me thinking this would be a one line entry. ha ! underestimated again.

:-D