Next steps

I need to log again for my activity this year so here we are. I've joined Jantastic www.jantastic.me which starts on 5 January and set my targets to walk/jog 3 times per week and swim once per week. I know it should be jog/run but I'm just thinking of it as lower gear more suitable for me :-)

This is only a swim more than I do anyway but with unpredictable weather and head colds etc can easily get in the way this month - I don't want to fail in month 1 !!!

Later today I'll put some pics on of the things I've been sewing and making with yarn over the last few weeks.

Back to it

I haven't blogged for 3 or 4 days because I've felt very lackadaisical and couldn't be bothered to put any effort into anything :( I think it's because I have been too hot and not sleeping well. Anyway I perked up a bit yesterday and finished part of a little patchwork pouch one of the ladies in the craft group was trying to do. She has sewn it and pulled it apart several times because it didn't 'work' so I said I'd have a go and then show her because she needs to do the lining the same way.

It's very small, I'm not quite sure what she plans to do with it.

This morning I finished my next block for the quilting class, it's called 'round the world' and it's just lots of little squares sewn together in a pattern.

 This afternoon I started clearing the beds in the side garden ready for moving everything round in the autumn. I'm just keeping the plants I definitely want and clearing others, there is nothing very special in there except a primula that has purple leaves and pink flowers in spring, very pretty.

Next I'm off to do the monthly shop :(

Harvest getting good

I felt a bit lethargic this morning so I read 'Drowned Wednesday' by Garth Nix. 

After lunch I went to the allotment weeding, watering and picking as usual

The last of the redcurrants and blackcurrants and the first of the blueberries. The autumn raspberries should also be starting soon.

In the veg bit I'm harvesting celtuce, baby carrots, fennel and beans. 

I also have salad leaves, tomatoes and brassica leaves in the greenhouse and beetroot and chard on the allotment, apart from the heat (which is a huge drawback for me) this is a good time of year.

Green smoothie for tea.

Oh dear

I missed yesterday :( Actually I didn't but I had such a difficult day that I was so tired and put my blog on Facebook instead of on here. Doh!

Anyway the long and short is that I went to Oldham for lunch with my mum, 266 miles this time. I was in my van for 9 hours because there was a very serious crash on the M1 and I got lost in and around Oldham, what a day.

Today was a vast improvement :) I'm very stiff so I did some warm ups before I saw my trainer then we did some heavy duty exercise. After that I had breakfast and went to a quilting day at Eyres Monsell Community Centre. I have no idea how they did it but it only cost £10 for the day and that included a visiting teacher, a 3 course lunch and all materials.

We did 'disappearing 9 patch' and although we all started with 9 same size pieces of material we all ended up with something totally different. I learned 2 big new things and several hints and tips. One of the things I learned was framing.

I've unpicked the blue one, I hadn't noticed how the design turned out

Both these blocks started as a simple 9 patch block, hence the name 'disappearing 9 patch'. The framing is the dark line round the pattered block and it separates the block from the sashing to make it stand out. The second (blue) block is not finished but then I'll quilt them and sew them together as a tote bag.

When I got home I noticed that my Geum plant by the back door had shed some petals and they are perfect heart shapes, how pretty is that :)

I am not very hungry after lunch so I will have a green smoothie for tea later.

Oops, I've just noticed the blue one is a swastika so I've unpicked it and I'll rearrange the squares :(

Still hot!

The weather is still very hot and humid, I haven't slept properly for ages :( The forecast is for cooler from tomorrow, which is good cos I'm driving up to Manchester :)

This morning I played in the back garden, doing a bit more cutting back and clearing, I want to dig the beds but the soil (clay) is set like concrete because it is so dry.

OH and I moved quite a bit of shed stuff out of the garage into the shed so my tool rack looks loved again :) This is my happy pic for today.

My nephew came round today so that he and OH could do something to his mountain bike, it was lovely to see him, I haven't seen him for a while :)

Quiet day

I had a more restful day today :) I watered the greenhouses and the garden pots then went to the Post Office to collect a parcel we missed yesterday. OH was expecting a parcel so no surprise there, but there were 2 parcels to pick up.

Got back home, dropped parcels off then went to knit and natter in town. Town was very busy because the soldiers were home from Afghanistan and were having a march in town and lots of people came to watch, I didn't watch cos that sort of thing always makes me cry although I don't know why :(

Came back home pottered about, made tea. No salad today, I had home made cauliflower and potato curry yummy :)

OH opened parcels and passed one to me, it was a McCain bowl on offer from potato wedges. My daughter had sent for it cos I use them when we have mexican, they are very attractive on the outside, shame about the logo on the inside but that gets covered by food :)

Hedge

Bit cooler and cloudy this morning so took the opportunity to cut the front hedge, it is Escallonia sp.

By 10 am the hedge was done and so was I. I cleared up and pegged down some of the bits I'd left at the base of the hedge to try to thicken it up.

I've already taken some cuttings but every little helps, it looks OK when it is overgrown but very thin when I cut it :( The little bush right at the end is a bit I layered a couple of years ago :)

 The sun came out not long after I'd finished the hedge and the temperature soared again. 

I went to quilting class this afternoon and finished my maple leaf block. I'm getting better at making my corners meet :)