Tuesday 27 September 2016

Harvest time



I love this time of year, but parts of it are so fleeting. Like the period of spring when the blossom trees bloom and for a short time pink petals turn trees in to candy floss clouds and sprinkle the pavements with nature's confetti. Autumn also has it's fleeting beauty, apple trees weighed down with fruit, conker collecting, catching the best of the autumn colours as the leaves turn and fall. They all happen so quickly that sometimes I'm scared I'll miss it all. There is always something so stop and appreciate at this time of year. And right now for me it's the harvesting phase.

I used to do so much with my little garden. I was having a good old trip down memory lane the other night reading old blog posts and I found this photo of me sitting at the bottom of the garden, feeling very sick and sorry for myself while pregnant with Alessi. But look at the garden!


There's not much in the way of lawn. The majority of the garden was dedicated to the chickens and my vegetable patch. Fast forward four years and the landscape has changed dramatically. The chicken run has gone, the vegetable patch has been pushed back and the garden is almost entirely lawn again. And this is exactly as it should be. The garden is and will continue to be for years to come, Alessi's domain. Also, since she was born and even more so since I started the business, gardening has been right on the bottom of any to do lists, if included at all.
So it's with some pride that this year, despite not having spent much time out there and the slugs and snails eating the shit out of my sunflowers, I still have a healthy, albeit small, garden harvest of apples, sunflower seeds and strawberries from the hanging baskets. Which FYI, is a brilliant way to grow strawberries if you're pushed for space, as well as making it a lot easier to keep slimy critters off the fruit!
And although I've never tried it before, I harvested the seeds from one of the strawberries too. Fingers crossed these will grow in to lots of little strawberry babies next spring because I have another project in mind involving a pallet. My husband is THRILLED. 




So we are in full autumn mode here in Casa Bliss and I'm loving these moments of calm because in all other areas, things are pretty chaotic! We have one more week of Alessi's settling in hours (her school does them for a whole month) and the lack of a consistent routine has been challenging for all of us. Autumn has been our consistent and steady anchor.

Monday 12 September 2016

Winter List 2016


It's kind of ridiculous how excited I get about putting together these lists. I tend to start thinking about them in late summer and they really help ease me in to the new season.

Home
(stopping draughts, deterring spiders and generally just getting cosy)
Wash windows
Collect conkers to deter the spiders who want to make this house their winter home
Make door curtains for the front door and living room archway
Draught excluder for the living room door
Fix conservatory roof seals to stop the leaks when it rains
Check attic roof for leaks while we're at it
Dig out the fairy lights and candles
Get blankets down from attic 
Draught proof living room floor
Rug for living room

Garden
(the big autumn tidy up and preparing the chickens and garden wildlife)
Collect conkers for shed to keep the spiders at bay
Weather proof the chicken coop and add things to keep them entertained
Check fences and fix where necessary
Paint new fence panel
Mulch flower bed and pots
Prune trees
Pull up weeds from the front of the house and tidy. It currently looks a right state
Rake up leaves and add to flower bed
Put the bird feeders back up
Make an insect hotel with Alessi
Harvest sunflower seeds and store for spring
Move tender plants undercover

Car
(getting an old car ready for the elements)
Put together a winter box for the car (torch, blanket, deicer, ice scraper etc)
Check lights, tyres, windscreen wipers, screen washers and heaters. Important as my car is old.

Wardrobe
(keeping us warm during the colder, wetter months ahead)
Pack away summer clothes (which I barely used) and get winter clothes down from attic
Stock up on winter socks and jumpers
Buy a good pair of slippers

Misc
(crafting and other cold month pleasures)
Fix granny square blanket
Make a hot water bottle cover
Finish Alessi's blanket
Dare I attempt to make that winter coat this year??
Dig out the autumn decorations
Help Alessi make up her autumn nature table

~

Previous Winter Lists
2015
2014
2013
2012
2011
2010

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