Garden Girl Blog

The development where I live have some outstanding issues with most of the houses and the builder is dealing with these.  We had a meeting the other day to discuss the work and after I had to go and talk to a few house holders.  I personally am just happy that the builder is sorting it out and will put up with them being around doing the work and making a bit of a mess.  Others are very unhappy about various things and they are determined to have conditions put on the work to satisfy what they want. Some have good reason and some no quite so good.

It has been something of an eye opener for me that feelings are so strong.  I just wanted to get it sorted out for everyone, I had not considered how hard it will be to keep everyone happy.  

The husband and I went for a quick walk in Roslin Glen last night.  It was nice to get out for a while and the glen is full of Wild Garlic and a few Bluebells.  The smell of the garlic is quite powerful and drifts in the air as you wander around.

Being by the river there were lots of Mayflies around, we get these around our house and it took us a while to work out what they were.  I tried for a while to get a photo but they were all flying and it was just a bit too hard.  The poor flies are a rich larder for the local bird population as they just hang in the air and get picked off and only live for a day.  Still they are back every year so must be some doing the right thing!

A few photos.

... the husband asked me what had happened to garden girl, he said I have not written anything for ages.  It is true, we have been so busy doing things that I have not found the time to come and write about what we have been doing. I think he likes to see my take on what we have been doing and to pick me up on my spelling mistakes!  Anyway time to put that right.

I cannot really remember back to last week but the weekend was super busy in the garden in the glorious sunshine.  So much so, that I got a little burnt, I missed some bits with the sun cream!  Anyway we started with a clean of the deck, last year it took us three weekends to clear and oil it, we wanted to get it done in one day this year.  Because of all the work we did last year there was not so much to do so we felt it should be possible.  The cleaning went well and the sun dried it off for us.  We set about starting the oiling just after lunch and got the deck and the table done in good time.  So much so that we even got the greenhouse cleaned and oiled!  Everything is looking really good and the smell of the oil and flowers wonderful.

We went out to dinner and have a most relaxing evening, although we did eat a little bit more than we needed!

Sunday was a bike race on TV for the husband and pottering in the garden for me.  We then sat on the deck in the afternoon sun and have a late lunch.  I am getting on really well with my planning and everything seems to be doing well.  Fingers crossed the frost will hold off and we will have apples and veg soon.

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I have been very busy in the garden today and have planted a few things out in the hope that we will not get more frost.  I need to get everything out before my holiday at the end of this month so fingers crossed it stays warm!

The hill behind has a few new plants on it, it seems every year it gives different flowers.  It also seems we are going to get lots of nettles this year so that will be good for the ladybirds.

Back to work tomorrow but I will carry on in the garden at the weekend, they are saying it is going to be warm and sunny for a good while now. 

...yesterday lunch time, the husband and I went out for a walk along the Water of Leith in Edinburgh.  We slightly went the wrong way and came across some wonderful gardens which were very nice to look at.  We then got to the river and had a little walk.

The sun was out and it was very refreshing to be out of the office.  We noticed a heron sitting in the middle of the river.  It was so still that we thought maybe it was a plastic one or something, then it moved.  After a while it wandered over to the river bank, one swift move and it caught a little mouse or vole, we could not quite see which, but what ever it was the poor thing was squeaking away.  The heron turned it round and swallowed it down in one. Gone within a matter of seconds!

Here is a photo of the river and Mr Heron.

The starlings are back in our garden.

I like to see them each year, they do good work on the lawn, but I also hope that they do not decide to nest in our house.  Some of the neighbours have had them do this and they create quite a mess.  They have been busy in the garden picking bugs out of the lawn, they have a little dig around and come up with a leatherjacket or a small slug.  They also like to take the sultanas I put out for the black birds.

I really am not quite as silly as I am about to sound, but...  the husband and I were walking from work up to the shops in Edinburgh yesterday morning.  He was telling me that there was water pouring off the top of the bus stop, I turned to look, but we carried on walking.  I then turned to look back at him, next thing I know there was a thud and I was feeling like someone had hit me round the head.

The husband rushed to help me, but the overwhelming feeling of sickness made me ask him to move away and let me sit down.  I had walked straight into a letter box, hit it with my knee and the right side of my head.  We must have veered off course while looking behind at the bus stop.  What a wally!

My knee is a rather stunning shade of purple and my head has a lump on it and looks like I forgot to wash for a while.  It does hurt a bit but I think there is no lasting damage.

Note to self - look where you are walking!

See the little white dots in the web cam photo below... okay you have to look hard....look harder... that is snow, a very small amount but we had snow today.

A clear blue sky this morning and a ground frost.  I did remember to wrap up my apple trees, but I am not sure if it is too late already.  We have had quite a few cold nights but the flowers are only just about to open so I hope that if I look after them now we may get some fruit.

They look quite funny really but it worked well.

My cold is going but it does not seem in any sort of hurry to leave. I did not go to work on Wednesday and spent most of the day asleep in bed, I felt a little better and went in on Thursday, it was also my last day, but after a few hours there I was a little tired.  Anyway I did the whole day and then yesterday returned to a state of not doing much.

Today the sun is out today, so after a quick trip to Sainsbury we will be out in the garden. Well it was out... seems to have just gone missing.

...my question is, once you go sick for one day should you then make it two?  I do not know how I will feel tomorrow morning but am I better to just take it off anyway and rest up?  Although resting up is not normal for me and I am finding it somewhat boring.  However if I go back tomorrow and soldier on, does it make it look like there was not really anything wrong with me?

I do not really feel much better now, but do feel a little better than at I at 5:45 this morning.  I don't know, I guess I will set the alarm and see how I feel.

I have not been off sick for years but this morning I just could not get out of bed.  So I didn't and am at home, sick.

I only have a cold but it seems to have gone on my chest a bit and also into my sinus, but that might be hayfever.  I rang the doctor to ask if it was worth coming in, I hate it when you go and they say... it is just a cold we cannot do anything for it, and you feel like you wasted their time.  Anyway I told them how I feel and they said come in, so I have an appointment for a bit later.

Fingers crossed they will have some magic cure and I will be back at work tomorrow.

...went by in a flash, back to work tomorrow.  I did get the windows clean and did stuff in the garden but there is always more to do.

The husband and I have been laid low with the cold we both have and I am not looking forward to having to work tomorrow if I still do not feel so good. Right off to bed, an early night for all of us.

...so much better when you are sleeping in a place you should not be.  Puss got into the spare room (again) and was enjoying a snooze on the white pillow.  It is now covered in black fur.  Bad puss!

... is not what I am today.  My cold is winning, my body feels like a dead weight and I would like to go back to bed.  However the sun is out so I will get up and get on.

Yesterday I did not do much, but I did make a start on cleaning the windows, always a job that I dislike because I never feel they come up as well as I would like.  I got upstairs done, inside and out, and they look much better.

Today I am off for a quick trip to the shops and then a bit of house work, maybe the windows and a bit of work in the garden.  I will try and get lots done but take it easy as I go.  Fingers crossed the sun will stay.

She looks like she can do no wrong but she can be a pain when the mood takes her!  She has been out enjoying the sun and generally being lazy in the garden.

Yesterday she caught the biggest mouse I have ever seen, Mr Crow took it off for his tea so they both were happy.  It is a shame that she does not catch the mouse that is currently living somewhere in my greenhouse.  I planted out one of my cucumber plants the other day and the rotten mouse chewed right through the stalk and killed it.  I am going to have to get a trap to put in there for a while.

We have woken up to a wet day today and I have caught the cold that the husband has had for the last week.  I think a day of taking it a bit easy is in order.

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