Tag: Gardening

Watch sports, gardening in & out, cleaning

F1

Empty dishwasher

Groom the boy

Vacuum non carpeted parts of the house

Soak and part clean the air fryer tray, etc

Clean kitchen

Refill & start the dishwasher

Water indoor plants

Liège Bastogne Liège

Quick grocery trip to Tesco

Liège Bastogne Liège

Empty dishwasher

Make kongs for the week

Watch a bit of FA cup semi final

Prepare the window baskets on the front for planting

Trim the fuchsia

Clear the vines from far end of the garden

Trim all the vines to transport to the bins in front

Play with the boy on the lawn in between

Clean 💩

Clean up the trimmings

Vacuum the carpeted parts of the house, including the bedroom

Feed the boy

Feed me

Watch an episode of House

In bed, listening to some easy, vocal heavy jazz. The boy is heavy, fast asleep next to me. The whisky is nearly over. Eyes are drooping.

Weekend diary

Saturday

Lazy wake-up. Walk to the pool, swim, sauna, steam, walk back.

Brunch. Croissants with ham. Wash & dry clothes.

Cleaned kitchen. Cooked lunch – chicken schnitzel with stir fried beans.

Went to David’s, checked out the table (👍🏽) and dresser (🖐🏽). He also offered the garden set (👍🏽).

Went to town after ages. Got a haircut. Didn’t buy anything.

Got pizza from the good local place for dinner. Our old cleaner delivered it; he now works for just eat.

Went for a late walk with Chewie and R. Sat on the mount and watched the setting sun while taking about work and people.

Sunday

Lazy morning in bed. Did a bit of work converting Autoconvert to typescript.

Went to Tesco. R did grocery shopping. I bought a 4 pack of Asiatic lilies.

Went to Lidl. Bought 2 Acers. R bought some misc stuff.

Walked over to B&Q. Bought coleus seeds and some planter trays. R finally got her jumbo sponge.

Walked back to Lidl. Bought 2 more Acers (☺️), some compost, a watering jug for me and, tomatoes for Benu.

Heated lasagna for lunch. Fixed the Virgin router (again!). Saw Leclerc was already out of F1, so lost interest.

Installed two new hangers for hanging baskets. Moved the small petunia basket to backyard, and large petunia basket to the front.

Spent more on garden – ordered lavender plugs for planting under the hedge, and lots of valerian seeds on eBay.

Went back to Tesco to get rajmah. Didn’t buy any plants this time.

Went to David’s to negotiate the cost of tables and dressers. He said yes to my first offer. Had mild regret that I could’ve gone lower. Got his spare, old step ladder (for free). Got two Roxanne geraniums. Saw a painting of 18 month old Maisie. Saw puppy photos of Maisie. Missed Maisie. A lot.

R came over to tell the scores – Liverpool had equalised, City were losing, United were losing, West ham were winning. She was grinning ear to ear.

Returned home and got back to the garden. Planted all 12 marigolds. Topped up last year’s chocolate & chili begonias with fresh compost. Planted the remaining red begonia tubers and 11 new chocolate & chili begonias. Planted the two Roxanne geraniums from David. Cleaned up a few weeds.

Sometime in between, city scored 3 goals and won the league. House went silent. R has been sulking and mourning since. Garden was a safe place to be for me. Chewie joined me too; with his ball.

Did more gardening. Then watered everything – front and back. Forgot the grass, but it was already quite dark.

Now getting ready for a shower and shave, before crashing for the night.

Good weekend. Lazy, but not very 🙂

(Post written to be read as if the John Gregor voice from Marley and me was announcing it)

Long weekend diary

Thursday evening

Bought and brought P’s new car home — a Tucson. It’s full of jazz and gadgets, but the lack of acceleration is a major bummer, especially after getting used to the Leaf.

Good Friday


Started the day with gardening. Potted the last two hydrangeas, three new mums, a bougainville, and a huechera – all nearly dead from thirst.
Deadheaded some daffodils, and watered all the pots.

Took the boys for a short walk, then drove to Coventry to see parents and sister. First long drive in P’s car. Acceleration is still totally crap, but it really comes into form on the motorways.

Spent the evening with family, including a trip to the pub.

Saturday

Dad and Chewie hugging
Dad and Chewie getting going

Lots of lazying around, and gorging on great food. Bit of shopping for Indian groceries. Some tidying up in Sis’ garden. Liverpool v City on the TV. Drive back home, with a bonus passenger – dad came along to spend the week with Chewie.

Easter Sunday


Bit of gardening – prepared a new basket, trimmed and topped up an old one, another attempt at getting a plant going in the fixed semi container. The mums and huechera that I potted and watered on Thursday were looking sprightly already.

Went swimming. Visited R’s friends, 3A+S. Was real fun to meet the two kids. Didn’t get to speak to A much.

Back holiday Monday

Morning of bit more gardening. Affixed the hanger for new basket. Watered the baskets and container, and the pelargoniums that spent the winter in the conservatory. Added support to two Clematis.

Cooked English breakfast for all. For lunch.

Went for a long walk in the Chantry woods with dad and the boys. Bluebells all around!

Gardening diary

11 April

Potted Coleus cuttings

Potted Carnations cuttings

Hard trimmed the new hydrangeas

Moved cyclamen from pots to bedding

Potted new Chrysanthemums

Bought new Chrysanthemums, couple of moss Phlox, a Huchera, lots of peat-free compost, weed fabric for the side gutter, and a bracket for the new garden basket.

Still haven’t mowed the back lawn. It’s about an inch growth away from being declared a forest.

Non gardening update: finally put up new lights in the upstairs bathroom, with help from P. It took some effort, but it’s now the best lit bathroom in the house 🙂

Gardening diary

29 March

Refreshed container water for coleus cuttings – two have roots sprouting, one seems to be a dud.

Planted a few more saxifrage, and gave the corner a temporary border.

Repotted Acers into Ericaceous compost and bigger pots.

Potted the two new hydrangeas. Got them for super cheap as marked down surplus stock of mother’s day gifts (£2.16 for rooted, blooming hydrangeas!)
Mom decided to mark her mother’s connection by doing the final potting under my guidance.

Weekend diary

25 March

Went to London with parents. Borough market (Brindisa stall is gone 🙁). Tower bridge (glass floor walkways are real fun). Oxford Circus, Regent Street, Carnaby Street, Piccadilly Circus, Leicester Square, Trafalgar Square.

26 March

Gardening. Trimmed the fuchsia. Mowed the front lawn. Started the begonia tubers.

27 March

Costco morning. Among other things, got an air fryer, three mid-large pots, bags of ericaceous compost and feed (Acers aren’t happy ATM), and pack of Gillette shaving gel cans.

Used the air fryer to make samosas. Yum!

Finally learnt how to use shaving gels, and shaved. About time! And oh so awesome 🙂

Spoilt the atmosphere by breaking the news to parents that they won’t come back to Guildford once they leave on the weekend.

Gardening diary

18 March

Planted long overdue primroses.

Trimmed Sedum and Hydrangeas.

Potted carnations cuttings

19 March

Watered all indoor plants.

Fed liquid feed to most outdoor plants – roses, clematis, Acer, chrysanthemums, campanulas, etc.

Did top dressing with solid feed for all Hydrangeas.

Topped up wood chip mulch.

20 March

Planted saxifrage on leaf much. Trying to create a carpet.

Planted a few other ground cover plants to preempt the weeds

De-weeded the front flower bed (weed = ever spreading Japanese anemone)

The newly planted primroses and a white campanula that I hope spreads a bit.
The newly planted primroses and a white campanula that I hope spreads a bit.

Gardening

I also think gardening is great because I am a perfectionist and gardening is really helpful for learning to moderate that tendency a bit – every year something is doing amazingly and something else is just completely destroyed by something unpredictable.

My boss, R (not that one), in the gardening channel today.

I just love that description, her insight, and her self-awareness.

Continue reading Gardening