A Creative Spirit
My Six on Saturday garden diary this week focuses on vegetables and herbs. This year I've grown the majority of plants from seed with a mixed degree of success and failure. The ants stole most of the seeds I planted directly in the ground and the ones that did survive in the cold frame, the... Continue Reading →
I'm not sure if it's just the garden centres in our area or has it become a more universally accepted practice to allow plants to sit in trays of water so the roots turn brown and start to rot? I bought several plants this week, including the Fuschias where once the pot was removed exposed... Continue Reading →
It's been another busy and challenging week in the garden. We can't go anywhere, do anything or see anyone so the bugs, birds and plants have the pleasure of our undivided attention. 1. Beetroot Blues Only two seeds of the Hullahup beetroot I planted on Feb 22nd have finally germinated Over a month of twice... Continue Reading →
Either that or we have a phantom seed thief. I planted Hallahup beetroot seeds in the raised vegetable plot on the 22nd February and Lisbon spring onion seeds on 1st March. So far only three tiny beetroot leaves have germinated and no spring onions. I am suspicious because the spring onion seeds I planted on... Continue Reading →
I started writing my gardening post at seven this morning yet here we are nearly seven in the evening and I am only just finished. We have been extremely busy in the garden this week and the three raised veg beds are almost finished. I will create a separate post to review those later in... Continue Reading →
Another busy week in the garden. Sun, strong winds and showers kept me and the Gnome busy both inside and out. Lots more seeds planted and the cloches are full with pots of Hope and the construction of the raised vegetable beds are nearing completion. Over the weeks I have enjoyed photos shared by fellow... Continue Reading →
It's been a challenging week. Maybe I should have titled the post: Six Challenges One of the solar Pestbye cat scarers I bought through Amazon Germany and delivered last week has died already! I reported it but as they are having a high volume of traffic it may be some time before I get a... Continue Reading →
It has rained at some point every day this week, apart from Friday when the sky was blue and the sun shone with the heat of an English summer. Removing layers of jumpers I stripped down to a t-shirt. Starving mosquitoes, after weeks of rain, lost no opportunity in feasting on my bare arms as... Continue Reading →
This has not been a good week and to top it off all the photographs I took earlier this morning are still stuck in my gmail send box. Late this afternoon, I finally found a work around by sending the photos via Yahoo and they sent within mintues! So much for getting up early to... Continue Reading →
The temperatures this week are back to 'winter' normal so I can pack away my thermal underwear and stand down from fire duty. Remembering to feed the fire with logs all day to keep us warm, is a time-consuming and a labour of love. 1. Cats %&G&$$, CATS! - How Do You Deter Them? This... Continue Reading →
This week we were greeted with a rare and unexpected ground frost which took us by surprise. While it is common to have minus temperatures down in the valley, where we are upon the cliffs, not so much! We've just gone back into COVID lockdown but as we've become a pair of hermits it does... Continue Reading →
The temperatures this week have dropped dramatically as the autumn breeze brings an icy chill. Although our weather station still records temperatures in the low twenties during the day, step away from the shelter of the terrace then shorts and sleeveless tops are quicky replaced for warmer clothes. Night temperatures have also plummeted as low... Continue Reading →
This week has brought further gardening challenges as my lack of mobility still hinders progress working in the garden. Last week I made a 'muscle' job list of work that we would probably need to employ some help with lifting and heavy digging. But as I wandered around the garden I realized that was just... Continue Reading →
Thanks to time out due to replacement knee surgery this is my first Six on Saturday post for several weeks. My 'Gnome', aka OH, has made an excellent job keeping most things alive during my stay in hospital and subsequent recovery. Unfortunately, for Gnome, I now have a long job list to see us through... Continue Reading →
My Six on Saturday this week is another mixed bag of the joys of growing vegetables. We still have not had rain (apart from mizzle and sea mist) and I confess this is a cause for concern as I read unless we have rain soon there will not be enough water to see the Algarve... Continue Reading →
Over the last few months I have been meaning to undertake some general maintenance aka TLC to my expanding collection of succulents and cacti. Many have either outgrown their pots, are infested with woolly aphids and mealybugs, or have dead leaves and debris which is rotting between their fleshy leaves or at the base of... Continue Reading →
For this week's Six on Saturday, I have focused on a selection of 'quirky' plants. Yes, I am running a little close to the wire timewise as I decided to wait to include pictures of the glorious Epiphyllum Oxypetalum (Queen Of The Night) which only flowers in the dark. Each sweet-scented bloom only lasting one... Continue Reading →
My six for this Saturday focuses on different seating areas around our garden. Perfect places to catch the early morning sun and enjoy breakfast, to write, read, sample a Gin and Tonic at the end of the day or just ponder the meaning of life and the COVID crisis. While others enjoyed a heatwave the... Continue Reading →
It was difficult to select six highlights for my garden diary 'six on Saturday' this week. There is so much going on in the garden, including projects, I am spoiled for choice. My Gnome has been busy working his fingers to the bone, cutting our huge Melaleuca privacy hedge, moving the contents from the old... Continue Reading →
Piglet in Portugal 