Compendium

Wow, I keep meaning to update on the various bits and pices that have been going on but I scarcely know where to start!

I think it's fair to say that things are moving along with the bathroom.  We now actually have the bath (even if it is presently located in Neils study.) I had the delivery all organised through Shiply however things as usual were not quite as easy as expected.  The driver had a nightmare journey and arrived around 9pm.  Allowing me and him to grapple with it, slowly squeezing it through the door and sitting neatly behind the sofa.

I was having second thoughts about the bath after I won it.  It will be one of the most expensive purchases that we get for the bathroom. (It was just under £150 for bath and delivery) I realise in terms of normal people this is a snip for any kind of bath and this bath is soooo gorgous, I can't wait to get in it. (Even if my belly doesnt fully fit under the water by then.)

In other Ebay related news - In a fit of madness I also decided to bid on 3 boxes of tiles.  Through some slightly mad calculations I guestimated that just 3 boxes would be enough for the entire room.  Having picked these up last weekend I think I was a little more than optomisitc! They're still sitting in the car so I hope they are heat resistant... We shall see what comes of them.  But they did only cost a couple of pounds and the petrol getting there wasnt any where near as expensive as I expected.

The garden although still full of weeds has been 'bearing fruit' or rather veg. (i keep meaning to ask Neil to help me with it but always come up with better uses of time.) Perhaps this weekend will be a go'er.

I used the carrots for the meal I cooked on Sunday and they were really yummy.  I'm so pleased we managed to thin them out as it allowed them to grow much bigger.

We also went blackberry picking in the morning on Sunday whilst we were walking the dog.  I had started eyeing them up when I went out with a friend the week before so there we headed with our two little pots.  I was amazed to hear Neil had never been blackberry picking before but he seemed to really enjoy it.  Even if he did get into a bit of an argument with a few thorns.

One of my other favourite things from the weekend was when Neil and I sat in our front garden in the beaming sunshine going through an old suitcase of science textbooks I picked up from Freeycle as a surprise for Neil on Friday.  It was really fun looking through them and Neil seemed to really love them.  So there we were, me dusting off the books, Neil flicking through them as we polished off the rest of the home made lemonade.

So now it's time to decide what to do with ourselves this weekend.  Ideas muted so far have been -

• Southbank Vintage Fayre
• Cycling in Hyde Park
• Lunch at Franco Manca's

Garden Upkeep

As I disclosed earlier in the week, our garden looked a bit like a bramble hedge row when we first bought the house.  But, as previous occupants of a damp 2 bed basement flat we were pretty chuffed to have even a tiny bit of grass that we glossed over it for some time, dreaming of one day having a cute little courtyard garden.

Since last June we've gradually we've tended to it's needs, with Neil and I both learning that gardening is a joy. I think we've now realised just how rewarding it is, if a little time consuming.  But, it happy makes us both so happy.  I have to admit, even weeding seems like escapism these days!

I should add that the kitchen unit and the front loader are of our own fly tipping, we've since taken the excess junk to the tip and moved the loader to the side (we're still in need of a 1/2 shed).  So anyway, since the beginning I cut back and bagged up the brambles, then Neil removed the wood bark and laid some grass seed.  In a way, because the garden is so small it makes the jobs smaller and more manageable.

Here I am reclining stage 1, it still looks a bit rough and ready,  but I remember being very impressed with myself for clearing all those pesky weeds. Please ignore the poor photos, it was a grim day and these were the best available from my iphone!

So anyway, after that was done and the weather was a bit less grim the grass grew rather promisingly and it actually started to look like a garden.  As you can see we even purchased a table and some chairs courtesy of B&Q, naturally we bought them in winter in the sale. (This is actually a picture from this April but it shows that we now have grass where there once was brown rubbish!)  As the weather has remained dry, it's getting a bit patchy so we'll need to attend to that in the next few weeks.

The other issue we've had to tackle is the flower bed that runs along the whole side of the house as we are fortunate to live in a light and airy end terrace.  The bed itself has been full of god knows what, some of it seems to have been planted deliberately, there was a rose bush and we've had a few daffodils appear.  I say 'was' in the case of the rose because according to Neil thorny plants with flowers are 'weeds' and it died a quick death.  Please note, he did buy we a replacement so don't feel *too* sorry for me!

But, I am pleased to say that this weekend and last weekend I have made a concerted effort to tidy up the side of the house as a lot of it was just in need of a good sweep.  It has been strimmed on numerous occasions but it always regrows back in no time and really needed some time spent on it.  I've thrown in some pictures of our lovely veg for good measure.  I took the pictures last weekend and looking back the beds seem like they need a good weed. (Which it has had since).  Anyway, looking back I'm pleased with the transformation none the less!

Neil's Brocolli finally replanted in the ground

The random pea

BEAUTIFUL garlic

Slightly too fertile carrots

Pound lands finest shallots

And finally here's my little helper being cute. This is her spot on the top of the arm chair so she can keep an eye on me from the comfort of the house.