Taking trees down with a handsaw and kitchen knife

Taking trees down with a handsaw and kitchen knife

crafty stuff garden

Hello. Well that's left a big hole in my hedge, ha ha. I got the last trunks down and now it's tidy up time. I will take some of the tops down of the other shrubs to lower the height a bit, and plant something to fill the gaps here. It won't look so bad when I have trimmed up all the others. 

Off to the tip, this is why I have a big car, comes in handy as a van. There are two trunks which wouldn't fit in, I'll make up another load when I've done some trimming.

I have started cutting felt shapes out to make some decorations to sell on our crafty stall at the Christmas Fair. A bit early I know, but I don't want to leave it till the last minute then have to rush.

I watched Shed of the Year this morning, programme number three which was on last night. I liked all the sheds, and remember some of the sheddies I was talking to when we did the filming. There were two snippets of me on it, a taster of what is to come. I think it's going to be a laugh.

I asked on Twitter if anyone knows how my readers in other parts of the world might watch it, and someone came back with a possible solution. I don't understand it myself, I am not technically minded when it comes to computers. My contact says, Using the Chrome browser with the Hola extension you can watch Channel 4oD. Hola will fake your location to make you look like you are in the UK.  I have no idea what that means.

Right, I am winding down, won't be long before I am in bed, so I'll say goodnight. We'll catch up soon. Have a nice Sunday.
Toodle pip

The day I met William

The day I met William

fun garden remembering

Hello. Hello. Another busy day, Crafty Club, and in the garden. My neighbour is going to put a fence up between us so I have cleared the weeds from my side. Also taken down a bit more of the lilac, only two more trunks to go.

I haven't posted these pictures before, so now is as good a time as any. Remember when they came to do the filming of the summer house for Shed of the Year. William is getting miked up by the sound man. 

The director waiting to get started.

I had to move my car out of the way so they had room to set up the camera. There were two vehicles packed to the roof, with six people and all the equipment.

Here is William doing his first takes, strolling down the street.

No, I'm over here William, not that house.

After an hour or so it was time to get the kettle on. As you can see, I did buy a box of tea bags. What was left over have been donated to the Crafty Club. They were a great bunch to work with, all smiley and jokey, we had a laugh.

That's a nice photo. As well as being drop dead gorgeous, he is also a very friendly chap.

The camera had a very long arm and could reach up high over the whole garden.

One last picture before they left.

It was a fab fun day, thankfully very sunny, just perfect. You will see the results of the filming on Friday the 19th, so don't forget to tune in to Channel 4 at 8pm. I shall be going to watch it live at Janet's house. Oooh, now I'm getting excited to see my summer house on the telly.

It's 9pm and I've still got to do my walk, better get on with it.

Thanks for popping in. We'll catch up soon.
Toodle pip.

I'm ready for a sit down

I'm ready for a sit down

garden

Hello. I'm not sure if it was a good idea to tackle this job, perhaps I should have left it as it was. But hey ho, I've started so I'll finish. Not having the correct tools it's a bit of a drawback so I'll compromise. I've chopped away some of the ivy from around the trunks, but rather than balance precariously up a ladder with the loppers and try and remove more of the creeping stuff, I thought it best to attack the trunk lower down and topple it to the ground, pulling the ivy with it. Good plan eh! 

Crikey, it's tough going with a hand saw and a kitchen knife. I'll keep chipping away at it.  

Can't be too far off toppling now. Maybe if I grab a higher branch and pull it down with my body weight, all eight and three quarter stone of me.

YAY, done it, it's down.

That was a toughie, I've got three more like this. The outer bark is soft enough, but the core is rock hard.

I've worked up an appetite, lunch time I think.
Thanks for popping in, enjoy your Sunday. We'll catch up soon.
Toodle pip

Attacking the ivy

Attacking the ivy

arty stuff exhibition garden

Hello. A busy day today. I've decided to take down the lilac tree in the back garden. It's too big, and it's snarled up with ivy creepers. They have strangled it and the tree hasn't got much life left in it. It's going to be a hard job without power tools, I am hacking away at it bit by bit. 

Oooh look what I've found. I remember putting Cyril the Squirrel there years ago. Poor chap got swallowed up. 

That's better, he is reunited with his pal.

I took a load of hedge cuttings to the tip this morning, then onto town to pick up a few things. I dropped in at the Arts Centre to see a new exhibition, and found a chuffin great tank in the courtyard. Sculptor Peter Mountain has created a life size US army tank working from data downloaded from a website that supplies virtual objects for the computer games industry. It took him three years to make this entirely from wood, and it took two people a week  to construct it here. It came in flat packs on the back of a lorry. A bit more complex than Ikea, I think, ha ha. It's really amazing. I couldn't get close to it as it is not quite finished and Peter Mountain doesn't want close up photo's taken until he has added the missing parts.

It's been a lovely day today, more work in the garden tomorrow. Thanks for popping in, we'll catch up soon.
Toodle pip

Not long now.

Not long now.

experimental food garden

Hello.  Ooooh look. My shed is on the Channel 4 trailer for Shed of the Year, starting on Friday.



It's also in the TV guide of the Mail. Thank you to the readers who told me about it, my friend gave me her copy.

I took some more photo's today, the Summer House looks lovely now there are flowers in the beds.

I have painted this frame for the new picture, just need to put it together now. I love this colour.

I found two courgettes on my doorstep when I returned from town yesterday, that was a nice surprise. Don't know who left them. People round here know me, ha ha. I already had some cooked pasta so I put it in a pan with some oil, a chopped courgette and some frozen sweetcorn, with garlic and veg granules, and this is the result. A quick and tasty cheap lunch.

Thank you to Nikki for the mesh fruit bags. I am getting on with that picture now, it's looking good.

Thanks for popping in, we'll catch up soon.
Toodle pip.

Open Gardens, more pics.

Open Gardens, more pics.

garden growing flowers growing veg village life

Hello. And now for the rest of the photo's from yesterday. Every garden had a veg patch, from a few raised beds at a pensioners bungalow, to a large allotment size plot in a one acre garden. Every one of them were full of healthy plants yielding an abundance of  vegetables and fruit. Not one slug nibbled leaf in sight. 

There were little nooks and crannies to explore, beautiful cottage gardens, with secret half hidden sheds.

I did say to the man that he could enter this in Shed of the Year, but he said no.

Another hidden shed in the same garden.

We saw some quirky garden sculptures and ornaments.

Bee hives at the bottom of this garden, the bees seemed very busy coming and going.

Some of the houses were very large.

I like this sign, seen inside a shed.

This was stunning, a huge pot of equally huge flowers. Don't they look fabulous.

This was the last garden, and I'm sure they saved the best for last. Mind you the waterfalls and ponds were also fantastic, oh it's virtually impossible to say which one was best.

Thank you very much to the people of Winteringham for opening their gardens. We really enjoyed it. Great value, only £4 for an afternoon out. It's the first time I have done this, I shall be looking for some more Open Gardens now.

Thanks for popping in, we'll catch up soon.
Toodle pip

Winteringham Open gardens

Winteringham Open gardens

garden growing flowers growing veg village life

Hello. I've had a fantabulous and brilliant afternoon out, looking around gardens. It was Winteringham Open Gardens today, this is the village where I help to deliver the Parish newsletters, so I've seen all the front doors, but never looked round the back. Janet came with me and we really enjoyed it. 

I have lots of pics, too many to put into one post so I will split them in half and you'll get some more tomorrow. 

The gardens were really stunning, every time we went round the back of the house our first reaction was, 'oh wow, look at this'. The owners were all very friendly answering any questions we had. The event was very well supported so there were lots of people traipsing around the village with their maps in their hand. 

First off we went to the Village Hall where we handed over £4 each for the map. The money made from the event is to be shared between the Village Hall and the Hospice. There was also an art exhibition, with stalls inside and out selling plants, wooden garden sculptures, and outdoor ironwork and stone carvings.  Refreshments were available but we didn't have time to sit down, there was a such a lot to see in 14 gardens. 

The first wow factor had a big pond with massive fish in it. A waterfall and rockery with mature shrubs. 

There were pots of flowers everywhere.

This garden was overflowing with plants and shrubs. Walk through the pergola to the pond and water gardens. Ornamental herbs and vegetable/fruit gardens. Lots of little meandering paths through the greenery. It was fabulous. 

Not much garden here. No, not yet, but it has the potential to be great. Hope they open it next year. This site has been under construction for a long time, the building is renovated barns. The owners had the house next door while the major building work was being done, now they have moved into here and work will start on the garden soon.

Lovely paved patio to sit under cover. 

We even found pigs at the bottom of a huge garden. There were ten altogether, five sleeping and five foraging.

Just leaving this one, on to the next one.

Now this was a little stunner. The house from the front looks nothing special, it's straight onto the pavement, no front garden. But go round the back and you find a water feature made from two genuine old lock gates, A veranda dining area, and a secret hideaway, a small Swedish guest house in an old barn attached to the house. Janet is just emerging onto the patio.

The inside is just fabulous. Wooden stained paneling with two sets of stairs up to the sleeping balconies. 

There is a wood burning stove with comfortable arm chairs, and it also has a shower room, sauna room, and a toilet with hand wash basin. This is used as guest accommodation when family come to visit.

Al fresco dining area.

Poor old wheelbarrow is broken so they have transformed it into a planter.

If you click on a pic they will become bigger. That's all for now, I'll post some more tomorrow.

Thanks for popping in, see you soon.
Toodle pip