Fruit and Veg all over the wall

We are finally getting the kitchen decor finished up - hurrah! I have 'before' photos and some 'during' and soon enough there shall be 'after' ones too. I shall share but bare with us as the weather here is dry and the lottie calls today again. So I thought I show you some of the photos that are going up into a massive multi-aperture frame I have... I'm a proud lottie mum :)

Do you put up any of your photos of your homegrown food up on your walls?

New seeds - new hope

Hurrah for new seeds!

I love the way gardening makes you turn into a positive, forward looking person. Here we are standing on the verge of that huge void (also known as Winter) looking into the darkness that lies ahead, the chill, the lack of sunshine and colour all round. But, as gardeners we are also planning the new crop rotation, planting those blubs that hearld spring and getting ourselves all ready for another year :)

Here is a fabulous package from Vegetable Seeds (there is a linky button on the right side) - it contains, prepare yourself...

Parsnip Tender and True	Gourd Turks Turban
Calabrese Green Sprouting	Sweet Corn Sweet Nugget
Leek Musselburgh	Squash Sweet Dumpling
Dwarf French Bean Annabel	Squash Uchiki Kuri
Climbing French Bean Blue Lake	Beet Rainbow Chard

Plus we have broad beans (always Aquadulce) already planted and very impatiently we wait for that first hint of green... :)

* What are you going to try this coming year; any new adventurous plants going into your plot?

* What are your faves, that ones you just can't do without?

The worst, yet I get an award?!

I have been the worst blogger known to humankind of late. I do apologise, I really haven't been well. I know I told you a little about it last time but things are truly very bad and now I am in between two different zones of mental health teams and both are asking to work with me; I am still not sure what the do-lally is going on and as a result I am slowly (ironically) getting much more ill due to the upheaval.

So I have been finding it hard to talk, walk, read and write. I have tried to take a photo every now and then but to be honest even looking outside makes me nervous never mind going out there!

Here are a few little pics of some fabulous harvests we have had though -

Yummy beetroots, runner beans, parsnips and celeriac

The last of the tomatoes ('Gardener's Delight' ~ a truly apt name)

Our only big pumpkin - now ripe and the same size as Maggie :) This shall not be carved so don't tempt me, it's the only one we have and I swear everything shall be eaten, even the seeds shall be roasted and memory of it lingered over all winter. Oh, last year we had an attic full of Pumpkins - they got quite sickening in the end :(

Apart from that the rain has scuppered any plans for work at the lotties - they are a swamp.

But! I did receive an award from my lovely friend Annuk (a jeweller and blogger). I am to link back to her at Annuk Creations and tell you 7 things about myself....ummmmm.....

1. I am allergic to peanuts, intolerant to onions and just plan rude to mushrooms.
2. I stood on a snail last night - yuck, it makes such a gross crunching sound and you slide on your sole at the same time.
3. I adore roses but hate, hate, hate the smell of them (there, good to get that off my chest)
4. I love anything to do with cute (not realistic) drawings of Unicorns :) I believe!!! haha
5. I have size 3 feet.
6. I am an excellent baker but I don't bake anymore because I am so good - I eat it all.
7. I will not answer the phone unless I know who is calling - weird I know but true all the same. Phone me on my mobile and all is well, I can see the number...

There you go, terribly interesting I'm sure. Again I am sorry for the lack of blogging content this week, times are hard and my head is not a nice place to be.

Hoping you are all well and looking forward to sowing seeds, planting those bulbs, taking cuttings for next year. Yuck and *big raspberries* to Winter xxxx

Strawberry clear up, sloes and death

Okay, it's late on Thursday night and I am yet again sedated for the 4th time today. Knowing that the day is almost over calms me and for a moment of two I have been quite clear in my mind. I thought it would be nice to write a blog - it's so much a part of the real me.

So, I really hope you have your strawberry beds all sorted out for the winter! Of course I would have written about this 2 weeks ago when I did mine but better late than ever. Now my plants were brand new this summer so I hadn't much to do, just cut off all the runners (goodness there were about 8-10 radiating from each plant with plenty of babies on each) and chop the top leaves off. Then I gathered up all that lovely straw (perfect for the compost bins) and weeded = happy days.

Before ~

After~

Strawberries can be left in the same place - yay for no worries about crop rotation! If yours are 3-4 yrs old, runners are you ticket to new, tasty, hardy, FREE plants for you and all your friends. They very conveniently have little roots and are so ready to get going that you can simply let them plant themselves :) but you know, put them where you want them!! Alternately pot them up :)

Andrew also found a darn good sloe tree within Maggie walking distance and so the inevitable happened - we have started on the 2012 vintage Sloe Gin. I am quite sure that there are other things you could do with sloes but I am happy to make a tasty beverage.

And lastly for now, I must share the sad news that we have had to say farewell to another of our fancy goldfish. Awesome Fred was, just that, Awesome, hence the name but we had been very ill for months and despite all we could try for him, he was just getting worse; living upside down and recently not able to right himself or eat :( Poor guy, he has been buried with love.

I haven't forgotten you know

Things have been bad, super horribly bad in my head since we last talked. So I am sorry I haven't been online and writing away, sharing stories and photos. I hope you will continue to wait for me and I know you will all understand.

Lots of shake ups with my mental health care team and I am so lost and up in the air :( Plus my photography has had a boost with a new camera (yay) and I am in a gorgeous shop now, so everytime I feel okay or am not sedated, I'm taking photos and trying to learn what all the fancy buttons do.

Just working on keeping myself calm and sleeping lots. Things will get better, I have hope. Big hugs to you all xxxx