…… a bit late, and some more snow.

I’m a bit late in sharing this post, I’ve been a bit otherwise distracted. Nothing of any particular interest, just the daily things that sometimes seem to take longer to do. I’ve been spending my evenings knitting and sewing, my days running around little ‘T’ – she is oh so much fun now, but her teeth are still causing her upset and she seems to forever have a cold whenever it gets chilly. I think we are all in need of some Singapore sunshine (despite my absolute LOVE of snow!)

We had a little bit of snow last night – enough for the garden and trees to look very pretty in the morning – I was excited to bring ‘T’ downstairs and show her the view from the window whilst we sat in the warm eating our porridge and honey, I love the cosy feeling that is created when it’s all white and quiet outside.

Little ‘T’ said that she wanted to “go in the garden and build a snowman and throw meatballs?!” she does make me laugh every day these days! I had been a bit worried that ‘T’ wouldn’t see snow before we leave so I was deperate to get out in the garden with her first thing this morning, we went for a walk to the local shop to get a few supplies and then ventured out into the garden and Grandma’s garden too. The ducks were making a lot of noise in the stream at the bottom of the garden, think that may have something to do with a cat who had managed to catch a bird (I think it was a poor morehen but wasn’t to keen on looking to closely). I love these snow, cosy days with ‘T’. Oh I do love my little one, so, so much. xx

The Winter garden

I thought I had better take a peek at how the vegetables are doing in the garden. I’m missing having an excuse to go outside now that we no longer have a rabbit to go out and see every day.

We currently have growing:

• Purple sprouting broccoli
• White cabbage
• Cauliflower
• Brussel Sprouts
• Broccoli

The rest of the garden is looking a bit drab and depressing as it always does this time of year though it’s been so mild that the crocus and dafffodils are trying to grow. Luckily we have had a couple of frosts that should hold them off and make the Brussel Sprouts taste better on Christmas Day.

First frost and our Advent Calender

I woke up yesterday and opened the kitchen bling to see that we had a very frosty night the night before.

Every year when I see the first frst it always reminds me of my niece, ‘A’; When she was much younger she looked out or the window and very matter-of-factly said ‘oh, he’s been to visit’. I asked who ‘he’ was and sahe replied by saying ‘Jack Frost?!’

I love fresh frosty mornings and the feeling of Winter and the festive season so much, I love the feeling of being warm and snug inside when it looks so cold outside. I decided it was a good morning to put up the lovely advent calender for this year too…. hurry up December the 1st I want to put the Christmas music on!!

Bye-bye Mavis

I went outside last week to give Mavis her daily fresh food and saw that she was lying very still – unlike her, as I though she had passed away when I checked. I had been expecting this day for a while now, after all she was nearly 8 years old which is quite old in rabbit years.

I was more sad for ‘T’ than for myself, she loved to go outside everyday and feed her a carrot or an apple, she’d spend ages just watching her and calling her name from in our bedroom whilst looking at her hutch in the garden.

 

Goodbye Summer

Well I was set for Autumn a few weeks ago – I packed away my summer clothes (oh maybe one day I will have a wardrobe big enough for all of my clothes!) and bought some pumpkins, made warming casseroles and soups for the freezer, collected leaves and conkers and read books with ‘T’ from the seasonal Autumn book basket – and then we have a week of really hot sunshine?! I wasn’t ready for that! Though the sun has now passed and the last peppers have been picked, the blackberry jam given to us from colleagues of my husband and the washing isn’t drying too well outside now that it’s rainy and grey outside, the butterflies, bees, wasps and flies seem to have disappeared and the evenings and mornings are getting rapidly darker.

Goodbye summer – I don’t think I ever really saw you properly but still hope to see you next year!

Snail Trail by Ruth Brown

After planting out the winter veg we have been visited by many slugs and snails, thankfully I think that the frogs are keeping the population down at the bottom of the garden where the broccoli and cauliflowers are growing, though the cabbages and brussel sprouts are being munched!

I cam accross this book in the library which seemed so appropriate at the moment and ‘T’ really loves it. I read it to her and then we ventured outside to hunt for snails, she looked everywhere for ages and was so excited when she found one.

One of the things I really love about parenting is being able to take the time to do these things. Before being a Mum I would have found snails a real pest munching on my vegetables, but knowing that ‘T’ is learning and enjoying all of these little wonders makes them an afternoon of fun and a free activity in our garden.

Outside play-kitchen

The runner beans have gone, our rabbit, Mavis ate most of them as ‘T’ was so delighted to pick them all by herself and run to feed them to our rabbit. In place of the beans I have made a little area for ‘T’ to play in where she can make mess and play with no restrictions of having to be careful not to spill anything!

I’ve used an old bedside cabinet which we used to have by our bed, I found in in a charity shop years ago though it’s been in the shed for quite some time. I also found a little coffee table – just the right size, it was really cheap at another charity shop and after a varnish and drying out in the sunshine they are both ready for play.

Some old enamel ware donated by my Mum, some conkers, pine cones, acorns, petals, lavender, sticks and leaves that ‘T’ and I have collected over the summer, sand from the sand-pit and wood shavings (kindly donated by Mavis!) It’s so good to watch ‘T’ play for so long, sorting, moving, pouring, mixing, arranging and re-arranging all of her utensils. I’d love to know what she’s thinking as she potters around looking very busy.

I think we’ll spend many an afternoon out here, no matter what the weather is, we have waterproofs and snowsuits ready for that!

Planting out for Winter

‘T’ and I have been busy in the garden this week planting out vegetables and some violas to grow over the Autumn and Winter.

Violas

Cabbages

Onions

Cauliflower

I already have some purple sprouting broccoli and brussel sprouts growing and we now also have some cabbages, salad onions, cauliflower and broccoli planted out. It has been really rainy this week so little ‘T’ and I got covered up in our waterproofs and set to work. She was ever so happy ‘helping’ me carry things, pulling out weeds and raking the ground after I had finished digging it. Fingers crossed the cats, slugs and snails leave them all alone and that the frogs gobble up an slugs that look hungry!

Moss wall writing……

Once again I’ve been inspired by yet another ‘pin’ from Pinterest. I came accross this picture and thought it was such a fun idea that I couldn’t resist giving it a go myself…..

Ok, so my version is nowhere near as good as in the picture but I’m pleased with the first attempt all the same! To make the moss mixture you need to add a can of beer, a teaspoon of sugar and a few handfulls of moss to a blender and blend until a horrible pulp, the instructions said to ‘paint’ it on though it was easier to squeeze most of the liquid out of the moss and then sort of stick it on to the wall!

Now all I have to do is remember to keep spraying it with water to keep it living.

One last strawberry

There was one strawberry left and little ‘T’ spotted it. It didn’t stay long, she gobbled it up quickly. I think I may have to disguise some shop bought ones amongst the plant, she looks so sweet when she gets excited to find a ‘red one’.