Reality check today.......

Today has been somewhat eventful.

This time two years ago......
* Owen got his eye appointment times reduced down to every 6 months after having gone blind in one eye nearly 5 years ago now.
* My sister was about to under go surgery for Cervical Cancer.
* I had just gotten clear results from a suspicious smear test (sorry boys if too much information)
* My nan discovered she had Non Hodgkins Lymphoma
* I was depressed being stuck in a little damp rotten flat because the Health Visitor kept bullying us.

 Fast forward 2 years.....
* Owen doesnt have to see the eye surgeon anymore but just has to go back if something is bugging him
* My sister had her all clear
* My nan is in remission and just had her first all clear blood test
*We moved house
* No more health visitor

I cannot begin to tell you how much it feels like we've come on just counting the small victories.......

Speaking of victories too

I have been through my seeds today ready to start planting tomorrow.

So far I have

* 2 cress hedgehogs for the kids to grow one each

* 3000 cress seeds (curled)

* 400 Peas seeds (early onward)

* 460 Radish seeds (sparkler 3)

* 5 cucumber seeds (telepathy f1)

* 40 tomato seeds (cherry)

* 10 tomato seeds (tumbling tom red)

* 3200 carrot seeds ( autumn king 2)

* 1000 lettuce seeds (salad bowl mixed)

* 250 spring onion seeds (wilko brand)

* 450 spring onion seeds (white Lisbon)

* 5 seed potatoes (Charlotte)

* Wilko pepper pot (sweet California wonder)

 I don't have an outside space to start them growing so I will be setting up the cloche tomorrow, and I have cleared the dining table (we don't use it) to start the seeds off on as most of them can either go outside straight away or they need to be started and replanted outside so I will put most of them in the cloche and then will get the raised bed ready for when it is time to plant on but other things need to be a bit more sheltered inside like the tomatoes for a while so they can stay on the dining table or on the windowsill. 

I have also brought today some very sweet Easter cupcake cases - some larger ones and then a very sweet set of 150 mini cupcake cases. My daughter has a very sweet tooth (like her mother) so I think I will try and make her some mini cupcakes so she still has some but she wont need to have a full sized cake. I did discover little rolls in Tesco the other day that are the right size for her - I was previously giving her a whole roll and found she ate half and I was binning half or feeding it to the dogs but these small rolls there is no waste and they cost the same as the ones we usually buy - just I get 12 in a packet now instead of 6. 

I will make sure to post pictures tomorrow of our planting session. Until then I hope you are all enjoying the weather and I will speak to you tomorrow. 

Sam

x

Would you Adam and Eve it?..........

Evening all.

Well I have finally recovered from the Rugby on the weekend......

Never been so proud fair play and loved every second of the game. I cannot begin to tell you the amount of unity it brings to even the smallest villages. Our village and town were no exception, every pub was packed, every restaurant had the match on, every cabbie had the sports network on reporting on the game.......Rugby in Wales is most definitely like a religion, even little old ladies on the bus with me were discussing the team. Amazing just amazing.

Weirdly I have been sat looking at mostly gardening stuff today and if you have read my blog before you may remember I was wondering about using a building suppliers bag as a grow bag......well actually my friend Mandy answered that for me.......

This is a photo of her poly tunnel on her allotment and she has said that they make good grow bags but I need to keep an eye that they don't dry out - I don't think I will have a problem with that in South Wales though somehow - hardly known for our tropical weather are we?

I do believe she has planted some mini shallots in hers here but I am thinking they would be good for planting thnks like carrots and leeks in that need the depth. I think also I will fold mine down like she has done otherwise they might be ridiculously deep and just a bit of a waste of compost

Between these and my potato bags I think I will have plenty of growing space - I think Owen has 3 possibly 4 spare in the front garden that I can use so now i just need to get a load of compost to fill them up. Have also taken delivery of my own compost bin but realise it will not be ready for this growing season.

Which leads me to ask - what worms are best? and can anyone recommend a good buyer please.

Now for the rest of tonight I am going to be looking up prices on the best compost rates.......plan my garden - decide where to put these bags although I think I will make them into a barrier down the bottom of the garden - from our littel conifer tree across the garden so it hides all of Owen's junk in the bottom of the garden but still leaves me a nice space to enjoy the grass with the kids in the summer.

Sounds like a plan.

Right off to plan my growing.

Sorry its only short today but I will be having a busy day tomorrow so will catch you all up then - and my boy has a headache and wants a cuddle :-( poor little squish - sure he will cheer up when the tooth fairy visits him tonight though.

x

Also discovered that I seem to have two very fertile spider plants.

Considering last year I couldn't find a spider plant for love nor money - when I saw Wilkinsons had them I treated myself.

But by the time I got back to the shop there was two poor looking ones glaring at me to be taken home, so jumped at the chance and nabbed them for £1 each due to them being half dead.

Now one is on my kitchen windowsill (Fred as Benjamin has dubbed him) and he has one shoot coming up which is about 6 inches long now and Thomas who sits on my bathroom window has a giant shoot thats about 12 - 15 inches long and another one thats about 5 inches!

Only problem is ~

I've no idea how to go about trimming/repotting or growing them on etc!

But am pretty sure I will soon have an abundance of spider plants if they keep growing at this rate! Pictures to follow shortly