Summer solstice sunset

pre solstice

Ok..I know it's been a while, but hey..I've been busy gardening..lots to do you know.. (-;

Anyway..remember the before picture?..here's a reminder..

well here's how it's shaping up..lots of plants going now..down the bottom in the allotment area, I've got potatoes; brocolli; peas; leeks; coriander; spinach; onions; carrots; beetroot; strawberries and some pots of flowers..in the top bit I've got sunflowers down the left side, 1 for each day of the week and some purple border plants that I can't remember the name of..across the top I sowed some wild flower seeds for the bees and butterflies..in the circle I have lavender; purple sage; chives and lettuce..down the right side I have lemon balm; honesty; fabulous borage; corn and cosmos white..in the greenhouse I have a couple of tomato plants and some parsnip seedlings.

There's so much more I want to do and develop but I guess as the years go on, I will eventually acheive what I set out to do..bit like life really..(-;

I have some super close-ups that I will post over the next couple of days..one thing which I find really rewarding is that we're already eating from the garden..we've had beetroot; coriander; mint; borage flowers; lettuce and spinach..it's so bloody satisfying knowing I grew everything from seed.. ~proud smile~

Skies over Hexham

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Health and safety

Just a quick reminder for anyone who's interested..which you all should be, mind!

When busy in the garden remember that the sun is getting very strong by this time of year and even if you don't feel it scorching, the rays are strong enough to do permanent damage..

So get your hats on..factor up on the sun screen and keep drinking water!..just as your plants will shrivel up without a drink..so will you..and if you've got tattoos..they'll fade without sunscreen..(-;

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Links..

Here's some links of sites that I've found particularly useful..

This one is an excellent site with a great message board for advice on all things growing..
http://www.allotment.org.uk/

This site is full of wonderful tips on diy and all sorts of other things..I'm linking to the garden section..
http://www.instructables.com/id/Home-Gardening/

I found this site pretty good for seeds etc..
http://www.nickys-nursery.co.uk/seeds/pages/index.htm

And last but not least..when out in your garden there are so many sounds to hear from the birds and many will fly over or come visiting..keep your eyes and ears open and check out who they are on here..
http://www.rspb.org.uk/wildlife/birdidentifier/form.asp

Right enough for now..I have more digging to do.. /-:

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shooting up pics

the border sowed with wild flower seed.

Beetroot doing really well.

nursery.

purple sprouting brocolli.

borage especially for the bees.

sunflower germinates..love this shot!

shooting up

I finally have some time to write here which is very much needed as it happens.
My health hasn't been too good and continues to be a pain in the backside..the main thing bothering me is fatigue, so with so much to do in the garden and so little energy, it's been a real struggle..I have been pushing myself to keep up with it though, just not as much as I would like..ie, I've been doing what needs to be done and not having time to actually spend enjoying it. I hope that all changes soon when the docs get to the bottom of my health troubles.

In the meantime I've been making slow progress..the tyre plants are all doing well, as are the greenhouse ones..the peas and sunflowers are nearly ready to be planted out..I'm in the process of hardening them off, so in the next few days I hope to get those in the ground.

I've dug up more of the bottom of the yard in preparatiuon for the brocolli and potatoes, which actually need to go in today or tomorrow really..I planted sweetcorn too which has germinated so I need to plan to put those 9 plants in a block together..apparently they grow better that way..keep each other company (-:

The top border which was filled with gravel and had that bloody horrible conifer type thing growing on the edge, is now without conifer type thing, which now lives behind the shed where I can't see it..~hurrah~ I took up all the gravel and dug over the border and added compost..lots of wild flowers seed sowed there because I wanted more colour and somewhere for bees.

Here's some pics to date.. (-:

Peas!

It's not letting me upload pictures properly so will continue later with a picture post..I haven't the patience for faffing about today.

Wasps!!

To dream of wasps = not good..since mine was as big as my hand = very not good!

Wasps generally bear a negative significance when populating one's dreams. A wasp stings and this is the main reason why the insect is most of the times associated with unfortunate events in your life - events which have taken place in your life and still haunt you or events which are going to take place in your life in the near future.


Besides the fact that the wasp is a very dangerous insect due to the pointed venomous stinger it is endowed with, the colors of its body - yellow and black - also denote a negative dream symbol. If yellow is the color of treachery and hypocrisy, black is the color of extinction, death and all 'dark' feelings and actions.

If this insect is capable of stinging and hurting you, it may denote, when seen in dreams, something or someone that can bring you misfortune and bad luck. Therefore, pay more attention to situations and people in your waking life and be very careful about what you get involved in or individuals you trust.

If the wasp in your dream manages to sting you, this means that you have faced or are going to face obstacles and problems in your waking life. But if you succeed in chasing away or killing the wasp before hurting you, it is a positive omen which announces success in dealing with all difficult problems and troubles which may arise on the way.

Moreover, killing a wasp in your dream also stands for your capacity to fearlessly fight against enemies and solve all adverse situations in your life.

The wasp in your dream may also represent feelings of envy or hatred, feelings of your own or of individuals you know in the waking life.

Wasp totem = Hmm..~ponders a while~

Animal symbolism of the wasp deals with:


*order

*construction

*communication

*involvement

*development

*progress

*team-work

*productivity

In some African traditions, the wasp is a symbol of evolution, and control over our life circumstances.


Some Native American Indian tribal myth inidcates the wasp as the creator of the earth, and was a symbol of order, organization as well as productivity.

Ancient European lore recognizes the wasp as big part in pollination. Here the wasp is symbolic of fertility as this genre of earth-based believers honored the wasp for its role in continuation of certain plants and flowers.

The prime season of the wasp is spring, and so it is symbolic of new beginnings, and starting new projects.

The wasp can be very social, and has special means of communication with it's family. Equally, the wasp can be very solitary, working alone tirelessy until an outcome is acheived. When the wasp appears in our lives it is a message for us to consider our own methods of communication. The wasp might be a sign that we may need to express ourselves more clearly.

Because the wasp is symbolic of communication, order and productivity, those who encounter the wasp may ask themselves:

"Are all my affairs in order?"

"Am I aligning myself with my goals?"

"Am I procrastinating about something?"

"Am I keeping myself from reaching my highest potential?"

"Am I allowing my progress to be held back by others?"

Those with the wasp as their totem may learn more by asking these questions of themselves, and calling upon the wasp for more clarification too.

Wasps are perfect totems for those of us who need a bit of organized focus, and assistance with assertive communication.

The wasp can also help in areas of building, whether it be a new home, or building on a dream - the wasp is a master architect and can guide you with the planning of any building project you have in mind.




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Time and memory..

So much to do and so little allocated time the last few days..though I have grabbed the odd hour here and there to plant more seeds.

On friday..or it could have been yesterday..I know it wasn't saturday as I was at a riverfly workshop..for which I have kit and a certificate now, as well as an allocated piece of river to monitor for fly activity and temperature..it was fascinating actually, but that's not why I'm here.

So, on either friday or sunday I planted sugar snap peas..parsnips..green mint..and chives..(in seed trays in my little greenhouse)..I love chives, both to eat and when they flower..and obviously I like peas and parsnips too..(-; Did I tell you I had my onions in..I think so..what else have I done..~tries hard to remember~ maybe I should take notes when I'm actually doing things, it would be so much easier when I come to write, though I expect taking noted would totally ruin my involvement with the seeds and soil.

There are lots of bees..they keep me company and we happily potter alongside each other..what's more worrying is that I opened my shed today and the biggest wasp ever was in there buzzing around..it came out so I closed the door..at the moment it's trying to get back in and I really don't want a wasp nest in my shed..will post if/when I need to about that..it's strange too because I dreamt of a wasp last nite..it was about the size of a hand..and also Hawk posted a pic of a wasp nest in his shed which I viewed today..I intend to look up the lore of wasps!!

I repotted my tomatoes..that's it!..and my black peppermint..and this afternoon, I planted sweet williams, sweet rocket, sunflowers (the same batch I sent Hawk..~grin~) and astas, in some old tubs I had from the other house..I have to have flowers too you know..I love them..and so do the bees and butterflies..(-;

want a couple of pics?..oh ok then..~laughs~

7 sunflowers..one for each day of the week..(-:

Tomatoes, black mint, peas and parsnips..

close up of the black mint..I absolutely love the colours of this plant and is really the only reason I am growing it!

And to finish..remember the one single Honesty flower..look how beautifully it grows..

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Love..your..earth..

I figured that for earth day I would make a love heart for my garden and plant echinacea there..I got to thinking that if echinacea boosts our immune system, then it would also heal the earth..I think if everyone in the world  plants/grows echinacea, then we can help to make her better!..logic! (-:

and I love, Love.

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Sweet Violets

Here's a fascinating link about sweet violets..serious wantage for my garden!

http://wildfoodmushroomsfishing.blogspot.com/2010/03/sweet-violet.html

Earth Day 2010

Today is Earth day.. http://www.earthday.org/earthday2010

Treat her well every day..start today by being kind to her..love her..she loves you!

FROST!! Noooooooooooooo!!

Yesterday afternoon, a brewing migraine took full force and I had to do the whole imigran thing and dark room/early night..to my absolute horror, I woke this morning at 6am to discover there had been a FROST..I am so pissed off with myself for not being aware of the weather yesterday evening..my beetroot and strawberry seedlings are the ones most affected..

I'm currently waiting for the morning sun to reach them and hope with bated breath, they will be ok when they've thawed.. /-: I feel like a bad Mother Booty!

                                                                                                                 

*EDIT FOR UPDATE..Hurrah! they thawed out and are now positively perky! ~grin~

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and in contrast..

here's the first purple Honesty flower.. (-:

A really lot of digging.. /-:

So remember the picture on the first post of the garden how it came..the bottom half was covered in thick tarp and wood chippings..bit by aching bit, I took most of it up and got my tyres planted and filled..the pictures speak for themselves..

as you can see, I'd been hard at work when Karma came out to help with a bit of digging, bless her..

we also had some fun with the tyres..how to contain a teenager..(-;

Ever the impatient one, I couldn't wait to get a tyre in place and planted up..beetroot!

and the mess got worse and the tyres got more.. /-:

strawberries..carrots seeded..onions from Esther..spinach seedlings..Leeks and corinader..

there are more corinader seeds in here too aswell as the plants

View from the bottom of the garden..

still left with a mess though..and I like to keep things tidy, even outside..(-;

so I set to work taking more of the tarp up to make space for a long raised bed of sorts which will home potatoes, purple sprouting brocolli, squash and more beetroot cos I love it!

The tyre I have left will home a blueberry bush next to the coriander and I intend building a natural pond down in the far corner..my tomato plants will go in hanging baskets above my garlic and I have yet to find a home for my echinacea..at the moment the most obvious place will be next to the camelia, but am not 100% yet.

So that's it up to date..it's all taking/growing well and I'm very proud of my efforts! ~grin~

Pure beauty

My first Honesty flower..pure and clear beauty..just perfect.. (-:

Top Tip..Slugs

A fabulous top tip from Pagan on FB regarding slugs..we all have trouble with the little buggers and as the weather warms up so do the slugs..I've always had conflicting thoughts regarding this pest..in my last house I was absolutely over run with them..I ended up having to do the old beer drowning method of controlling them to protect my crops..however, before it comes to death by beer this year, I will try this top tip..

sliced cucumber in aluminium bowls/plates..apparently the cucumber reacts with the aluminium ommiting an odour which has the slugs slithering  for the hills at the speed of slime!!

Will deffo repost in a month or two with results if this works..Thanks Pagan! (-:

Making curves..

One thing which really bugged me about my garden was that it was so straight..too many lines and not enough curves..as spring really set in with beautiful weather last week, it was time to begin the landscaping aspect of my land..

Oh! I nearly forgot..as I have limited funds, my options for landscaping were very few..no pennies to buy a couple of ton of top soil..or wood to construct raised beds..I had seen stuff growing in tyres before and saw again when I went to stay with Hawk in London..he has a wonderful established garden, very natural and full of wildlife..a few of his plants have flourished in tyres so I knew this was an option available to me too.

I looked on google for tyre fitting places local to me and came up with this place.. http://www.hometyre.co.uk/  I gave them a call and explained what I wanted, and the very nice man gave me the mobile number of my local operative, Dave..after calling Dave I had 8 tyres dropped off at my house within half an hour! Result!..not a penny spent..(-:

So tyres stacked I set to work on creating some curves..

The bird table, I made that myself too from a fallen branch I found in the woods at Andy's..when the housing repair bloke came to fit me a washing post, I asked him to cement the bird table into the ground for me too..he very kindly obliged..(-:

Marking out the circle..

after much really bloody hard work with a child size spade and deep rooted turf..I finally got it lifted whilst saving as many worms as possible..I would like to state here, that I really DO NOT enjoy taking up turf'!! However, preparation is 9/10ths of the law..(-;

I intend growing lavander and purple sage here, with one of each plant already in..another 2 to plant yet..also there will be lettuce round the circumference of the circle..nothing like fresh salad leaves mid summer, straight from the garden!

Next comes the really hard work.. /-:

Spring Equinox

I very much work and live in tune with the cycles of Nature..as best I can anyway..it fits me well and was one of the greatest gifts my friend Jaki gave me before she died..she taught me about natural cycles and the possibility of living in sync with Nature and how that would act as a guide and anchor in my life..at times when I feel there is nothing, Nature is the one constant I am always aware of..it's the one thing that never leaves.

Back on the 20th March was Spring Equinox..a crucial time of the year regarding new beginnings..the start of the Earth year, when life starts again after the death and sleep of the winter.

It was very important for me to have my hands in the Earth this day..to feel that connection with Nature and my own life..not to just think about about it, but to really physically connect, as well as spiritually.

I had already meditated on what personal seeds of growth I wanted to sow this year..one of the main ones being to learn to work with what I have and not waste my time and energy wishing for things I didn't have..to be content with who I am and not keep wondering and looking to be someone else..someone prettier..someone thiner..someone richer..someone more confident..all things I have spent too much time wishing for, whilst not taking notice of all the wonder I already am..a unique and beautiful, free Woman.

So, I put on my wellies and waterproofs and went out into the rain determined to enjoy the Earth, my garden and work with what I had..which at first glance wasn't much..

But I got digging and got dirty..and got my garlic planted out..I had begun my cycle and felt fantastic!

I also planted some Honesty I had brought in pots from the other house..I'd sown it from seed last year but it hadn't flowered..this is a picture of the Honesty yesterday..this is really significant to me..