at the weekend

We've had some lovely snowy weather over the last few days so at the weekend we did a lot of sledging and building igloos for dolls (kids) and snow shovelling (me).

Towards the end of one sledging session the sun was lighting up the hills in the distance and it looked almost like a painting (apart from the footprints and sledge tracks).

at the weekend

Flying kites at Dunstable Downs. It was pretty cold. Luckily there is a cafe just out of shot which serves hot chocolate (for the grown ups) and, erm, icecream for the girl.

And yes more icecream the next day at Ashridge. Hannah had already finished hers. Thomas takes a lot longer to eat his, and has to endure several requests from his sister to try just a little bit.

There was also mud and sticks.

And an excellent Autumn tree.

at the weekend

A very unusual weekend for me this one in that it was fairly child free. On Saturday I travelled to Hitchin for the Peter Phillips singing day organised by Benslow music. On the way I went through the newly refurbished and now very impressive Kings Cross station. A major improvement on the old dark, cramped concourse !

The singing day was fun, if a bit frustrating. We were singing Tallis' Spem in Alium which is a very difficult unaccompanied work for 40 voices. So in a single day, with a choir full of enthusiastic amateurs there was no way we were going to get anywhere near to perfecting it. But now I've had a go at it I would really like to do it properly. I reckon a few days hard work with a choir of good amateur singers and you could get somewhere close. Not sure when I'm going to get this opportunity though. Will have to keep a look out.

On Sunday, the other half and I had a day out. We collected my digital piano from the mending piano man, and paid him a lot of money. However it is now working, it was still cheaper than buying a new one, and it's kept the old one out of landfill. The kids have strict instructions to only press the piano keys and not the other buttons. I do not want it stuck in harpsichord mode ! After escaping from piano mans description of quite how difficult it was to mend the various circuit boards, we went for lunch and a look round of Polesden Lacey. This was the party house of Mrs Grenville, where Edwardian royalty, high society and entertainers escaped for weekends of deals, politics and romance !

We also had a stroll round the gardens where there were lots of lovely autumn colours.

at the weekend

We had a nice relaxed weekend in and around Berkhamsted. 

 On Sunday we continued our (short) walks on the Ridgeway, by walking up Ivinghoe Beacon. It was a lovely day, and there wasn't too much moaning. We did however go on a different path on the return to the car park, and failed to go through the mud, which didn't go down well with the smaller members of the party.

Thomas is very keen on my camera. Here are his photos from the top of the Beacon.

at the weekend

On Sunday we went to Tring Apple Day at Jeacocks Orchard. This is a low key day out, where amongst other things you can buy lots of lovely apples (which I failed to take a photo of), have a go at making apple juice, watch spinning, and new for this year, watch ploughing with Shire horses. 

They were only ploughing short strips and it took as long to turn the horses around as it did to do the ploughing. Presumably when fields were ploughed like this for real, the strips were much longer.

After the Apple Day we went for a walk around the nearby Wilstone reservoir. It was all very pretty and autumnal.

Surprisingly the kids managed to go the whole way round without (much) moaning. This was our 3rd consecutive Sunday of going for a walk and it is getting easier. Of course we don't just go for a walk, we generally have to be playing some sort of game on the way round. This week it was trains, with Thomas being the engine and Hannah organising the positioning of the carriages (myself and Anthony of course!)

in the garden

We have been having lots of rainy and fairly cold weather here in the UK for the last few weeks, so things aren't growing very fast. However next week looks like it might be hot and sunny (hurrah) so I'm hoping for a growth spurt.

I've planted out the tomatoes here in the sunniest part of the border (now known as TomatoWorld - I think I should get the kids to paint me a sign). They seem to have survived the journey from warmer mini-greenhouse to cold soil, but are not yet thriving. Hopefully next weeks sunshine will help them.

I also planted out my courgettes (I think I had about 4) but the slugs seem to think they are the best thing ever and only one (the one in the raised up bed) has survived. The slugs seem to take particular pleasure in biting (do slugs bite?) the leaves off and then devouring the stalks - grrrrrrrrrr.

Here we have some beans (climbing and broad) at the back, and a cabbage nestled in amongst some flowers (I'm hoping the slugs won't find it......)

The jerusalem artichoke is growing nicely. I'm pleased to have found something that seems to like growing in this dry, shady space under a tree. There are some flowers starting to grow around it. The kids sprinkled a wild flower seed packet here a few weeks ago and I'd forgotten about it until I saw nasturtiums appearing. Not sure how well the flowers will do here but it'll be nice if we get something.

I also planted (one - I'm running out of space!) sweetcorn seed last week, and some rocket. I've got some more beans to plant out, I think they'll have to go in pots, and I'm going to plant some courgette seeds outside and try to protect them from the slugs.

My parents were here for a few days and put some seed potatoes and soil in my giant pot (and scoured the side of the road for more leaf mould and soil to put in once the potatoes appear), so I'm hoping for a good potato harvest.

in the garden

I took these photos last Saturday, after we arrived back from a week away, and in pretty much the last bit of sunshine before a week of rain when I have hardly been out in the garden at all !

Flowers are blooming. The tulips out the front are doing great this year. There seem to be about three times as many as last year and I didn't do anything with them at all. Forget-me-nots are looking pretty too.

 All my plants survived the week. I had them inside by our patio doors in washing up bowls about half full of water. I think they looked healthier when I got back than when I left. I have far too many tomato and cabbage plants for my small garden - time to start giving them away.

I put an ad on freegle for large pots and hanging baskets and got loads of offers, including this enormous pot which used to have a tree in it, and which will be used for potatoes just as soon as I get hold of some more soil from somewhere.

 The mint and oregano are doing well. The oregano just grows happily at the edge of the lawn.

Poking through the ground we have Jerusalem artichoke and a broad bean. I have some other broad beans in pots waiting to be planted out.

 And I rediscovered some rhubarb. I knew I had planted three crowns last year, but had only found one and couldn't remember where the others were. I think one of them may have been lost for good when I dumped a load of compost on part of the border. Or maybe it'll come through and surprise me next year,

And just as soon as this rain stops I have plans for transplanting cabbages, tomatoes in hanging baskets, more lettuce and carrots and getting the potatoes started......Monday might just be sunny according to the weather forecast - fingers crossed !