My own Orchard.

I have my very own orchard right here in my ex council 1970's property in a built up ex council estate and I love it.

I might be able to walk from the front gate to the front door in 6.5 seconds at a stroll, but I am now the owner of a nectarine, a cherry, a plum , two pear and two apple trees. Some of them were gifts and some of them have been purchased this year, but I am a very happy lady.

I also have 4 blueberries,1 tayberry,1 grape vine, 2 blackberries, 1 golden raspberry, 4 goosberries, 3 blackcurrants, 2 redcurrants and 1 hazelnut. Oh and dont forget 3 rhubarbs. Add this to 3, 2m x 1m raised beds with kale, chard, lettuce, 6 tomatoes (so far), peas, garlic oh and more kale, I am feeling really pleased. Did I forget to metion the Strawberries, 3 hanging baskets, 9 plants in a raised bed and 5 more plants in a strawberry pot. Alys Fowler eat your edible garden, because I'm pleased as punch with what I have managed to squeeze into my tiny, tiny, tiny garden.

And in the back garden, well my lazy chickens and lots of washing to be honnest, although the little greenhouse thingy built by Daddy Troll certainly holds its own.

I dont even have room to swing a cat to be honnest, but even out there I have managed to squeeze in herbs and Chickens, so realy not bad at all.

Back on Track

Things are on the up again, the recent wave of downright moodiness seems to have passed for the time being so I am once again happy with my lot. Daddy Troll and I are having a good time together enjoying each others company when we can grab a moment together.

The garden is looking divine the above picture is a lettuce mix and some garlic. I spend some time out there every day to keep on top of things. I am looking forward to some rain mind you especially as my watering can has broken and I am reduced to watering using a 1 litre can! The crops are looking good and the peas have shot up in the last week or two as you can see from these pictures. This is the peas today.

And here they were a few weeks ago. Hopefully we can get some peas soon. I cant wait. I have started the sweetcorn off already they are now an inch or two tall and I will wait to plant the beans until we crop the peas. I am also going to start off the courgettes sometime this week as this bed will be planted using the three sisters method to save space..

The sewing still hasn't progressed much recently, there is just too much elsewhere to do but I have half finished lots of projects,lol, including a summer dress for Emily for school.

I was going to show you some of the other half finished stuff but the camera has just run out of charge on me so I'll have to show you the finished stuff instead. When I do it that is,lol. I still need to finish Emily's dress for the Brother in Laws wedding party and I haven't even started Mia's yet. I don't know what I'm going to wear I don't have anything suitable really unless I can go in crocs and ripped jeans. What do you reckon will that do? lol.

Wee Man has done really well and is now pretty much potty trained, here he is all pleased with himself with a reward for weeing in the potty. Such a lovely little boy, we are off to see the occupational therapist tomorrow morning to sort him out with a suiatable chair for nursery and then to Grandma's house for lunch, and if I manage to get myself organised maybe we can have another picnic in the park again when we pick Daddy Troll up from the train station.

I'm still here, just a bit vacant.

The Easter holidays came and went, we didn't go anywhere and we didn't do anything. The garden is looking lovely so far this year and I've been doing a few more bits of sewing but the truth is i feel miserable right now. I'm tired of working a dead end job, I'm tired of never going out. My body just seems to shift pain around from one place to another and it's getting on top of me.

A weekend camping would be lovely, I had promised myself that this year we would go to the Beltane festival here http://www.butserancientfarm.co.uk/wickerman/index.html but the car is too small and the kids fight ALL the time from the moment the doors close on the thing. Petrol is way too much and we just don't have the money so I didn't even bother booking the time off work and it's making me really really cheesed off.

Daniel wasn't allowed to have his MRI on Wednesday as the anaesthetist said his cold was too bad for an anaesthetic so that was a wasted journey. We have to go back in June and give him a course of medicine for a week up to the next one so he doesn't have the same problem. I'm taking him to his speech therapy today and then have the rest of the day once he goes to nursery afterwards.

I think i will get out in the garden for a bit of escape. Ive got some Chard seedlings I can plant up and some purple sprouting Broccoli. I also want to put the last of the tomato seeds in before it's too late. I need to cover the raised beds with some netting to stop the pigeons nicking all the seeds too. Then I've got two last chairs to give a second coat of gloss and a summer dress for school to finish sewing before preparing our first picnic of the year. I'm trying desperately hard to cheer myself up. I hope today will be the day when it all works.