Amazing Birthday Cake

Hello and thank you for visiting this small corner.

Yesterday, one of D's friends invited us to share a birthday meal with her and her family, whom we know well. D's friend is a nurse, and this is the cake she had. The cake looked amazing with all those details. It was almost a shame to cut it up, but it was delicious.

We had a bit of a disaster during the week. We have not suffered any damage in the garden in all the storms and windy weather over the last few years -that is, until now. 

At the bottom of our garden is a row of the dreaded conifers leylandii. When we first moved into the house over 20 years ago, we had them cut down by half their height. They regrew very quickly to the same height they had been before but no taller. So we left them as they were, as they didn't shade the garden. However, this week, with only the smallest of winds, one of the central branches on one of them decided to part company with the rest of the tree and fall into our garden. No real damage has been done, and Hubby has been able to remove the offending large branch, which can be used as a new home for insects and wildlife at the bottom of the garden. 

In brighter gardening news, we have added another raised bed to the garden area we are working on. So now I have even more space to grow vegetables. I plan to grow some carrots there. My previous efforts to grow carrots have resulted in rather alien-shaped vegetables, but I will train them to grow straight by putting them inside old cardboard tubes with a sandy soil mix. Gardening can be trial and error, so I shall see how it goes.

Also, this week, I finally got around to a job that I have meant to do for a long time- splitting up some hostas from one large pot into several smaller ones. With some help from my hubby to get them out of the original container and a sharp spade blade, they are settling into their new pots. I have added some copper tape around them to keep the slugs away.

After the lovely sunny weekend we enjoyed in this small corner, it looks like the rain will return. On the positive side, that will give me plenty of time to be in the greenhouse, potting all the seedlings that must be in their hundreds by now. I have a chair out there, so a mug of tea and a biscuit will keep me happy for some time. 

Whatever the weather is like for you this week, have a good week x

Projects!

Hello everyone. 

We have had several dry and sunny days this week, which have been very welcome. 

Out in the greenhouse, I have sown more seeds. D has been helping me with the peas, runner beans, and French beans, which are much easier to handle for a novice gardener. Everything else is growing well.

I usually grow my tomato and courgette plants from seeds. However, I cheated a little this year, and I bought a few young plants, which will be perfect for what I need.

The loofahs look good, and I also have started growing some watermelons. Eventually, they will become too big, so I will only use the two strongest plants to grow on in the greenhouse.

This small cherry tree has a temporary home in the greenhouse because I didn't want the flowers to get blown off in the strong winds we have had recently. It seems pretty happy there, with the doors open during the day.

As you can see, we have a much bigger project out in the garden.

This area forms an L-shape around the conservatory and back door area and we constantly use the space. It is the main area for sitting, eating and hanging out the washing.

With all the rain over the last few months, the ground has become a boggy mess, and we often have to wear boots to do anything outside. Our new plan will mean we won’t have to do this!

There is still a lot to be done, but I am looking forward to the planting stage. 

This week, I have also made some progress with the doll house: adding items to some furniture to make them more realistic.

The shelf unit will go in the butler’s office and it contains a few books he enjoys reading, a biscuit barrel and the very important teapot. There are also a couple of small jugs and a picture of the butler’s close relative. 

The other item I have been working on is the coat stand in the lower hall. Here you can see a hat, a scarf, a pair of boots, a walking stick and a black umbrella.

On the table is a book for tradespeople to sign in and out when they bring their goods for the kitchen or other required services.

I hope the sun continues to shine wherever you are.

Have a good week!

B and D

Trying Something New

Hello everyone.

D here again!

The craft below is something I have been meaning to try for several years. 

A couple of years ago, I went to a craft show with Mum and discovered the art of marbling. I was keen to do it myself and bought a starter kit. However, it has languished in a cupboard for six years. 

This Easter holiday, I finally got around to rediscovering it and finally having a play. Setting everything up took a few days, but it was ultimately worth it. I am so pleased with my first attempts and will be doing some more. 

I'm thinking of cutting these up to use as greeting card toppers. What do you think?

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And now a quick hello from Beverley.

I started the week by planting six loofah seeds in pots and placing them in the conservatory to germinate. Within a few days, they were all poking their heads above the soil, eager to get growing. I have grown these vines for a couple years but have yet to successfully grow the loofah.

They are vine plants, so I plan to grow them in my new greenhouse this year.

Wish me luck, and I will keep you posted.

We both wish you all a pleasant week ahead with some sunny spells!!!

B and D

Easter 2024

Hello everyone. Beverley and D here. 

This weekend is Easter, and we want to wish you all a happy weekend, whether you are celebrating or not.

We will add this little Easter project to our twiggy tree with all the other decorations made so far this year. It was based on a design by Sharon Welch in her book 'Cross-stitch Cards'.

It is the school Easter holiday, and D has been enjoying her time off work. She has been doing some Easter baking, including Easter flapjacks and cookies—both from her favourite baker, Jane's Patisserie.

The flapjacks and cookies are very yummy, but they won't last long in this small corner.

D has also finished one of her long-term projects this week. She has been working on and off this pretty blue scarf for a number of years, and now it is done. It is warm and cosy, and she is very pleased with it.

However, the sun is shining outside right now, so I don't think D will need to use her new scarf this weekend. :-)

Whatever your own plans are, both D and I wish you a wonderful weekend.

B and D x

More Like Spring

Welcome back to our small corner.

March is continuing to be a wet month here, but we are starting to see real signs of spring.

There is a lot of frogspawn in our pond, so we will see baby froglets in a few weeks. I love watching the frogs use our pond because it means fewer slugs around to devour my plants.

Colour is starting to return to plants and flowers around the garden: many already have green shoots and leaves. I missed seeing all the colours over the winter, so I took some photos of the new growth.

The birds are frequent visitors to the garden, and watching them feed is a real joy. As the daylight hours are becoming longer - and next weekend in the UK, our clocks will change to British Summer Time (BST) - we will have more opportunities to watch the birds and enjoy the garden.

I spent the first few days of this week pottering around in the greenhouse, sewing seeds such as basil, zinnia, cosmos, tomatoes and dwarf morning glories. I also planted out some of the onions into a raised bed. 

Following our dollshouse adventure last weekend, I started working on a new room. Although we have yet to paint and add flooring and doors, we now have all the main pieces of furniture for the maid's bedroom in the attic. As you can see two young ladies will be sharing a room. D and I will reveal more of the story as it progresses. 

Hopefully this next week will see more sunshine than showers but we will have to see about that!

Have a lovely week everyone x

St Patrick's Day 2024

 

Hello everyone,

I visited a doll house show with D and my hubby this week. It has been a while since I worked on my own miniature house, and the show has given me new inspiration. I chatted to a lovely lady who exhibits at the show and whom I have met several times. She encouraged me to progress with my own house, and I returned home with renewed enthusiasm, along with a few purchases. D and I will report the progress and show pictures soon.

At the beginning of March we celebrated St David Day, the patron saint of Wales. Today, 17th March, it was the turn of Ireland to celebrate. St Patrick is the patron saint of Ireland. 

In Birmingham city centre, which is about 9 miles away from us, there has been the annual St Patrick's Day parade which has taken place for many years. This year the theme was Irish myths and legends.

Many people will have been enjoying the festivities, traditions and cultures of Ireland this weekend and while others may have been  dancing , drinking, wearing green or a shamrock, here is my contribution to the day. This little knitted leprechaun stands about 15cm tall and is clearly keeping a check on his pot of gold. He is made from some scraps of yarn and I used this pattern.

Here he is, joining the other decorations under my tree.

Whether you have been celebrating today or not I hope you have had a great weekend and the week ahead is also a good one x.

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Last night I tried very hard to add a few pictures of the current state of the doll house but they were very grainy and I have had better luck this morning. Now I just need to get on with more decorating 😊

Enjoy the rest of today x 

Mothering Sunday 2024

Hello everyone.

If you live in the UK, D and I wish you a very Happy Mother's Day.

Yesterday, I made these small 'mum' decorations for our tree. It is a way to remember our own family members who are no longer with us. 

I decorated the card flowers with acrylic paint, peel-off stickers and added a ribbon to join them together to make the word 'MUM'.

Here they are after being added to our tree.

This next week I will be staying indoors as the weather continues to be soggy. Whatever the weather is like in your part of the world, both D and I wish you a great week.

B and D 😊