Garden Girl Blog

The birds are busy in the garden today.  We have several feeders in the back garden which have sunflower seeds in them,  they seem to also like going to the honeysuckle which is now without leaves.  It must have little bugs on it and the blue tits and coal tits are busy clearing them away for me.   Some of the Rowan berries are still around but when the weather is really bad they will be gone.

We have recently had two trees die on our development, one I can only think was hit by a car or maybe the wind, the other looks like it got waterlogged and died.  The factor in charge of looking after our development will change us £200 to plant two new trees.  I have already been out with my spade and removed the old trees now I just need two new trees.

I wrote to the local garden centres to see if they would like to donate two but they have not replied.  However last night on Autumn Watch they mentioned there is a tree give away going on, the details are here. I hope we can get two and then take part in Tree O'Clock on 5th December.  I need someone else in the development to go and get a tree as you are only allowed one per house. I have sent an email and fingers crossed someone will see it.

That is my job for this morning.

this is not a saying the people doing the bathroom have heard.

It does seem a bit as if everything is against them but then that is not my fault either.  They are getting there and the bathroom is almost back together now.  There are a few small issues which we will need to discuss with them on Monday but I am sure they will be able to sort them out for us.  The room looks very nice so all we need are visitors to come and try the new shower.  It was our visitors (both sets of parents) who have often said they would really like a shower in the bathroom so we got it put in for them really.

The puss has been washed, it was not very nice for her as the hot water was off so it was a cold bath with some nice shampoo as it was all I had to hand.  She does now smell much better so I am sure she does not mind really. 

Right off to bed now.

I was going to take a photo of the puss in her nice red collar today but she went out this morning, got in a fight and has lost it.  Worse than that, she stinks, who knows what she has got on her.

At last a blue sky so maybe I will be able able to get out into the garden.  One of the slabs on the path needs a bit of fixing so I hope that they will come back and do that if it does stays dry.

The garden is busy with blue tits and two squirrels at the feeders. Not many animals came to the garden yesterday so they must be hungry.

The workmen should be arriving soon but we are still not sure they are going to get it all done today.  We will see...

My day has been spent waiting for the builders to arrive... it did not happen until late afternoon so it was a bit of a wasted day.  However it has been pouring with rain all day so I am not that fussed about being stuck in doors.

Work is still going slow, we are not even sure they will have it all done by this weekend, but we will see.

Good news is that the weather man is saying it might stop raining tomorrow... or not...

I am off to paint some of the bathroom now. 

The workmen have been in this week as we are having a new bathroom put in and this has been keeping me quite busy.  I have had the week off to supervise and make the tea.  The slabs in the garden not quite finished as it keeps raining, also they have taken over, half the drive and garage, which is a pain as we do normally keep our car in the garage.  The house is full of dust and it is starting to be a pain. 

The path should have taken less than a week and the bathroom they said about three days.... looks like they are going to be around until the end of the week.  Oh well.  I am also touching up some of the paintwork and I still need to clean the windows.  I felt it was not worth it until they had started and finished the path so I could be getting out of doing it for some time yet.

The badger, who has been named snuffles, has been back but still no luck with the photo, we have tried to get more light in the garden which resulted in snuffles make a very quick exit.  Also the fox has worked out he needs to come early for the food so it was him we got to see last night and not snuffles.  Maybe we need to give the fox a name... he tends to just get called Mr Fox.... but maybe that will do.

Not much else going on, I have been pottering around the house all week but feel very disorganised.

The car has been fixed, there is one very small issue and I am taking it back to get that sorted tomorrow. 

I have to work tomorrow morning because we are short of team leads at work, but I can do it at home so it is not that bad, and I get paid for it.

New team is going okay.  They are a bit like children at times and they almost squabble about things, but we are getting there.

Puss is getting fat, not sure why she is just eating lots and not going out much.

Puss has a new red collar and is much happier with it than pink one.  Will try and get a photo tomorrow.

Right you are all up to date.

I got up this morning and was feeling very sleepy, I went into the back bedroom to look out the window and try and wake up.  The husband was still asleep in our bedroom at the front.  I looked down into the garden to check Mr Fox had eaten the bread I put out for him.  I noticed he was still there eating.

I then remembered that a bird feeder had fallen down, with a bit of help from the squirrel I bet, and that I had not picked it up.   I was watching the fox eating from the fallen bird feeder and waking up.  Standing there I was thinking to myself that fox has the biggest bum ever, then he turned and I thought ... that fox has a black and white nose.... that is not a fox it is a badger... in our garden.

I quickly went and woke the husband from his slumber to come and see the badger.  It was still there eating the fallen sunflower seeds.  After a few minutes it ambled off up the garden and under the fence.  Must have been a bit of squeeze as he did have something of a big bum.

I did not know we had badgers round here, I am quite impressed.

We are getting a new garden path, the old one started coming apart because we put salt on it due to the amount of ice we get. The new one is natural stone so we hope it will last better, and we are going to try and use less salt!

The men came yesterday and made a start,  I think it was a bit more work than they had planned and they had to go off for extra supplies.  I was at work all day today but the seem to be been doing a bit more.  I hope that the rain holds off and they can get it finished by the weekend.   Work tomorrow but will be able to catch up on progress on Thursday.

Keep busy.

I need to go out into the garden and clear pots and the path round the house.  We are getting a slabs down starting Monday and they need to have all my pots moved out of the way.  I think I am going to be busy, at least it is going to be dry, so I will wrap up and get on with it.

Have a good day.

I have only just realised it is 5th November.  Wonder if there are any fireworks we can go and see at the weekend.

Day off today but have a few things to get sorted, so am going to be busy.  I am also getting my hair cut, which is long overdue. I always make the mistake of not booking when I am there, I then ring up after a few months when I really want it done straight away and have to wait another six weeks and end up looking... well a mess.

Have a good day.

The car is being fixed today after our accident the other week, I will be pleased to get it back and all sorted out.  I also hope they have given it a clear but that is maybe just wishful thinking.

the smell of beef and ale stew cooking in the oven, apple crumble made and ready to go in the oven, M&S luxury custard in the fridge and knowing that I am going get to eat the lot.  Okay so I am a piggy but I am going to enjoy it.

Me that is..

I have been out in the garden, well more the greenhouse for most of the day.  Everything in it was going moldy and I still had plants from the summer in there.  It needed to be sorted so I did.  Being inside was okay but then I had the bright idea it would be easier to wash the outside while it was wet from the rain and then maybe the empty flower pots could do with a rinse.  So I did the lot.  I was soaking by the end and even my knickers and socks were wet.  (is that too much information?... maybe... )

A hot shower later and beef stew in the oven and I feel human again.  Now where is my wine...

Last weekend we went to Pitlochry for Sunday night.   The car was out of action so we went on the motorbike, very careful packing and wearing most of what I needed for the weekend made this possible.

Our first stop was at the public loos in Crieff, my legs were not working after our ride on the country roads.  You had to pay 30p to use the facilities, I had not got any money, in the name of traveling light, and the husband only had a £10 note.  I told the lady I only had a note and she said she did not have change but she would get some.  I said I would see her on the way out.  I came back to her desk and she had piles of 50p's waiting for me, she said she had nothing bigger.  I really did not want to put all these coins in my pockets so I told her I would pay her on the way back the next day, she was not happy and was telling me I had to pay now.  It may sound rude but I did just walk off, saying I would pay another time.

We then went on to Aberfeldy for a Highland Safaris, we went off in a 4x4 looking for animals.  We got to see some deer and a mountain hare, it was good and the guide really knew his stuff.

We then went into Pitlochry and found our B&B, we had a really nice room and the owner let us put the bike in his garage.  He was a very nice man indeed.

It was getting on so we went off to find some dinner and had a lovely meal in a local pub, after that we went and got our bus to go to see the enchanted forest. It was not quite what I had thought it was going to be but it was okay and the trees looked very different from during the day and it was nice being out and about.  Here are a few pics.

The next day we had a quick walk up to the hydro electric dam and the fish ladder in Pitlochry, we even got a brief sighting of a red squirrel but I was way to slow with the camera.  We then made our way home.  We went back to Crieff to pay our debt but it was a different woman and she would hear nothing of me paying and thought it was very sweet that we had bothered to come back.

Click pics to make big.

Very wet at the moment, not sure what we will be doing today, I had thought I might go and tidy up my greenhouse but not so sure now.

Have a good day whatever you are doing.

I was trying to do a search to find out just why the post people are striking.  I could not really find anything specific so wonder if anyone here knows.

I went into the collecting office yesterday and I was tempted to ask but changed my mind, the man already looked grumpy.