Category: garden stuff

garden stuff

KABOOM!

Julie (little Cotton Rabbits)68 Comments

That there is the sound of the metaphorical bomb that has gone off in our garden this last week.

I love our little garden. It’s not big but it is a little haven of outdoor peace where I like to sit in the summer with my knitting; watch the children play, swing and bounce; have campouts; eat al fresco; tend my veggies and just enjoy this corner of the earth that smiles on me.

When we first put in our raised beds and started a vegetable garden in 2009 it used to look like this…

There was lots of lush, green growth

a pretty herb wall

a swing and climbing frame for the children

and a little shed where I liked to do my planting and pottering

Today it looks a bit different. A bit like a bomb went off, hence the KABOOM!

The climbing frame and swings have gone because they are really no longer safe for Toby now he is so big and swings so high. The raised beds are being moved and the shed is being dismantled and recycled.

Lots of big changes and lots of hard work for H but hopefully it will be worth it because thanks to the generous donations and fundraising of family and friends who have raised a lot of money for us we will be putting in a garden respite room. This will give Amy a space for doing homework or seeing friends out of earshot of Toby’s meltdowns; a quiet, almost outdoor space for Toby to come on rainy days; a place for H or I to take it in turns to have a night off from Toby duty and just a little place to escape from intense situations for a short time.

We’ve also got Toby a lovely new swing seat that gently sways instead of heartstopping mega swinging! I’m so looking forward to it all being done and hoping that it will make the big difference to family life that we think it might. But for now there is a lot of digging and hard work ahead and I’m so grateful that H is great with things like this.

By the way thanks so much for all of the comments on the previous post. I’ve really enjoyed reading everyone’s thoughts on being a homebody, or not being one as the case may be.

Oh and if anyone sees Spring please could they send it in this direction as H needs some warm dry weather to get the concrete to set!

Have a good week where you are and thanks for dropping in x

autumn · crafts & knitting · garden stuff · general stuff

autumn in the air

Julie (little Cotton Rabbits)45 Comments

Thanks so much for all of the birthday wishes for Toby. I think he enjoyed his day – he certainly enjoyed the party rings that I let him eat because it was his birthday!

There has been a definite coolness in the air when I’ve been opening up the chicken coop in the morning and the evenings are getting shorter. Autumn is arriving here and I am happy because it is my favourite season.

All around things are changing and preparing for the harshness of winter. The garden spiders are fat and busy with their spinning,

The leaves are gradually colouring and falling from the trees

The birds have been heading south. We’re in the Lea Valley and it must be a popular migration route because recently the evening skies over our house have been populated by v shaped flocks heading to warmer climes.

The sun is getting tired and going to bed noticeably earlier each day.

My thoughts are now definitely focused on indoor activities and it’s time to put the paddling pool and summer garden cushions away for another year.

The wood store is stocked and I have a feeling it may not be long before I’m thinking of lighting the fire of an evening and curling up with my knitting – I feel the urge to make yet another pair of mittens coming on! But first I’ll finish off the batch of autumny animals and hedgehogs that I’m currently working on.

food and Drink · garden stuff

garden tidying

Julie (little Cotton Rabbits)33 Comments

For the last few days I’ve been dodging the showers to be out tidying up in the garden because most of my harvest is over for this year. If I’m lucky I’ll get a few more handfuls of raspberries from our canes and maybe 2 more pullings of carrots. Funnily the carrots have done really well this year – just when I had decided that I’d not bother growing them again they decide to prove that they are a worthwhile crop, so they will be on my list of seeds to buy for next spring after all.

The beetroot is also still going well and is such a pretty crop. This year I grew a variety called Chioggia which has pink and white rings when you cut it. It doesn’t stain your fingers as much as the full-bodied red kind but is just as sweet and earthy to eat.

It’s time to tidy up the beds and fix the protective fronts and backs – back in spring I was lazy and didn’t seal up the gaps and so the cabbage white butterflies have feasted on my cabbages and broccoli – that will learn me!

I do love growing things in my garden and it’s a bonus when you can eat them too. I’ve roasted the beetroot I picked earlier and will shortly be peeling them, tossing in some balsamic vinaigrette and eating them with some goat’s cheese, salad and crusty bread for lunch.

Do you grow things to eat and if so what are your favourites?