LOTS of gardening!

So here we are again! Another week is over. Another week has sped by for me! Another week of sameness and feeling somewhat on and off blue. I really am a tap right now! One minute i'm alright and happy the next I feel as if something has been stole from me and that I will never feel settled and content. I think that's it really. Just really unsettled. I am definitely feeling miles better now the kids are back. Heck i'm hating early mornings but the routine is good. And getting some down time away from them. I'm just hanging on for the weather to warm up. Once we can all sit outside in the warm sun with a nice drink and a bit of cake we'll all be better! I haven't even engaged in that first day of the year hanging laundry out yet! I hear we are going to hit 20c this coming week though!? I'm not sure I believe that this early but we shall see ... Riiight i'm reversing again back to the weekend of the middle of March ...

Saturday 13th March:

This was a super busy day both in the garden and in the house.  I started out by getting outside while the going was good. The weather is lovely and sunny if but cold. But for March perfect gardening weather. Didn't get out as quick as I wanted as I was up late - goooone midday! Kids were sooo quiet to let me sleep in peace and harassed daddy instead! I really have got so used to sleeping more during lockdown. I really miss it when I don't now! This will need to change at some point mind as I can't keep doing this forever. So any way I wake up and get some late breakie. Then chill in bed with laptop and caffine - most important! Then the rest of the family join me and we have a family Roblox play session on the laundry simulator game! I play until my battery is flat then get dressed and go out in the garden. It is pretty much 3pm by now lol! I can't decide if I am loving this slow pace of life for just living what you feel in the moment or I am hating it as this really is a waste of day! Although I couldn't spend all day out there this time of year - summer yes ...!

First job - Chop this bush. Took the ornament thingies out of it to wash. Had to leave some long bits at the back as I'm too short at 5ft 2 to reach over it and to the back! Hubby can attack that over Easter ...

I started stacking some cuttings behind this old bush. This has 2 things to it. Our council has started charging for taking away garden waste. So we have 2 options. Burn or tip it. So we are tipping most but I decided to put some here to decompose itself and/or be used by wildlife.

Next job! Chop these 2 babies. Had to move the play house out the way to get to the front of them. Managed to move it even with toys/bikes/junk inside! Before and afters below ...

I've done a shocking job on the right hand bush! But what the heck it's been cut so job done LOL! 

I got stopped my my heather. It's sooo big but also so pretty in flower right now. Look at this little bumblebee all over it. He loves it! 

More spinage and carrots brought in from the garden. I'm going to put a lot more effort into growing carrots this year as - if I just can just blow my own trumpet for a minute - i've done a fanastic job! 

Potatoes ready to chit. I have Rocket - earlies and Maris Piper for main crop. Got them out the bag and ready to go. Which reminds me I STILL have last years main crop in a bag so I better get them up quick before they sprout!

So I come in from the garden after this and get a very late lunch. Nothing too filling. Crisps, yoghurt ad cake. About as unhealthy as you can get but fills a hole before spag bol for tea! Yummy!

After this I decide to get the wardrobes finished then I can abandon hardcore internal work/changes until the shops open and I can hit Ikea for the unit I want!! 

So I start by emptying Sophie's wardrobe ready to move to Jessica's room. It will sit her temporarily until her new Ikea unit is in place. As some blankets and odds and ends can go in here until it can go in the unit. So here it is empty ... Then I empty Jessica's onto her bed.

Then I need to move the lego table out from behind the door so we can get it open as wide as we can for moving the wardrobes between 2 rooms. The white one will sit in front of the radiator and landing cleared ready. 

Junk on Sophie's bed too and door open as wide as I can get without moving unit out way. Should fit though (and does!)

 

We get the wardobe into Sophie's room the realise it doesn't fit alongside the stool and jun on top of it. So I pull it out so I can put it back the other way round once the wardrobe is in. Let's just get that in first! Worse case scenario the stool can go in the garage ...

It's in! But it sticks out quite far! That is so going to have to move to a corner at some point in the far future!

On the contrary this wardrobe in Jessica's room makes it look much bigger lol! 

Odds and ends of bedding and blankets going in. These will prob move to the Kallax when we get it as the walk in wardrobe has no space right now on the shelves argh!

Walk in in temporary state of organised chaos until Kallax comes.

Sophie's wardrobe restocked. It has all the single bedding in it for Jessica's room for now as no where else to put it! Could possibly remove back to the hot airing cupboard on the landing but that would need a rejig to fit it all in again. Another job for the future long down the road ... Can't do everything at once!

I was reading an online magazine in the evening and found this recipe for making an online bath soak. I like my essential oils so this is on the to do list ...

Sunday 14th March:

Another garden day! It's nice weather out. I say nice - it's not raining - so it's about as nice as you get in March in the UK!! I wake to a disaster in the window sill. 

Looks like this plant needs a hair cut!! Speaking of which I start the day with a shower and then I cut my hair. Daring some would say! I copied an online tutorial on you tube for long hair. Basically put your hair in a ponytail when wet, then add another bobble a third of the way down then another bobble 2/3 the way down then cut bottom off when holding it tight between 2 fingers like a fan. I decided to take off a couple of inches as it's been a year since it's been done! 

Right off into the garden we go after a hair blow dry. It's cold out so need scarf, coat and fleece lined gardening gloves.

I noticed that Mr (or Mrs!) hedgehog has worn quite a path between our garden and the neighbours under the fence over the years. It's only that all the undergrowth is dead that I can get in and see behind the bush.

First job is to put down all the cardboard that was on the patio into these 2 borders. Aim: To stop weeds coming up and through in a large quantity! The top photo's border will be taken back and returfed with the turf from photo 2. To make the border a bit smaller. And photo 2 will be barked in a roughly rectangular shape to fit a trampoline in for the kids. I say these plans but we are 2 of the most procastinating people on the planet so this job might get done when they leave home ... However I am doing my part by prepping it now. 

A line of garden waste for hubby to take the tip this week in the car! Then this lot needs to have card put down on it too.

Ok next job outside the back door this bush is over growing from next door so this is midway through the cutting job! And after ... During this it does start to rain! But I am British ... We keep working through the rain. If we didn't ... We would get nothing done outside!!!

Anyone wondering what the silver duck tape is for it is from the webcam we had up for the pigeons in the nest last year in the big bush.

I end my gardening by going around and picking up generic garden waste into my "dustbin" for the year

So that was it for the garden this weekend. Lots done but lots more to go. I came in and chilled out with a book for a bit before tea. Nothing else to note. The usual evening routine of baths and hair washes and trying to fight little people into bed at a decent time - Ha! Then get uniforms, lunchboxes, breakfast bowls, coats, shoes and bags ready for the next day!

Right I'm going to skip off. Time for some Friday night gogglebox! After a bit of Roblox with hubby LOL! So sad we play this when the kids are in bed LOL!! Ah well ... I'll blame the pandemic. It's made us all go stark, raving, loony mad!!! Sleep well all! Good morning or afternoon! Keep looking up to the skies! Lots to see out there this time of year.Hope your all well!!Lots of love The Mad House Xx

Spring is in the air!

Life has thrown a massive curveball at me recently. Something I did not see coming. Something that I would have never seen coming from the direction it did. Something that hit me square between the eyes and had me flat on my face. Something that has you gasping for breath and feeling like you have gone insane. Is this true? Is this truly true?! Something you have to pick yourself up and from and dust your self down. It's not you. It was never you. And yet it changes you ... for life. I don't know where I'm going with this. Except I keep revisiting this place. I can't seem to find peace. To ground myself. I don't know where to move on to. And yet I must keep putting one foot in front of the other. I must fight for me. For my place. For my rights.  Any way enough about me and my screwed up head right now! Life is otherwise sameish. Nothing to add. For real on this week! So this will be a quick one! Let's reverse back to:

Monday 8th March:

Kids went back to school yippee! The day was spent mostly in me sleeping for 3 hours and chilling on the laptop before getting kids after school. Well I lie did empty the dishwasher ...! I think my sleeping lots is both because I am tired and to pass time. The day in lockdown is so long, boring and lonely - What else is there to do?!  

Tuesday 9th March:

Jessica had been up early for some reason - I think she had a nightmare in the night - But she crept into the big bed and slept with daddy. This is how I found them when I came in at 7:45. Awwwsa! She loves sleeping with daddy apparently this snoring is relaxing and helps her sleep??! Has the opposite effect on me!!!

Wednesday 10th March:

The kids had pizza, salad and odds and ends for tea. Sophie insisted it was by candle light. How romantic! lol!! I wasn't hungry so ate later and hubby was working late. Fed kids earlier too as they were hungry.

Tonight I lit my crackling log fire candle. Tried to take a short video of it but didn't come out too great. but might give you an idea of how it is. I did a write up about it on another blog post with link to it for those interested. The post can be found here: https://rebekahc-talesofahousewife.blogspot.com/2021/02/crackle-crackle-hisssss-hisssssss.html

Here's the video of it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NyV9p3weW4M

Thursday 11th March:

Today was another slow day. But I tried to be mindful on my pick up walk to school. A - Mindful of Spring and seeing the signs of it. But also B - Mindful that i'm late so I can't stop too long to get good pictures LOL!! I woke up to this poor, poor greenhouse! On closer inspection it has had it! The cover is ripped (it had some small ones last year that I managed to get away with mind!) and it's totally collapsed. Don't have time to sort it this side of easter so I have tried to cover important stuff in a tarp/make sure that its under the cover. I dunno what I'm going to do with it yet. Sigh! Tbh it is more being treated as a shed than a greenhouse!! We had some big wind and rain so I knew that it was going to collapse more. Surprised the cover is still on tbh! The tarp on the grass was covering garden cuttings that I was going to use in a fire pit later in the season. Tried to keep them dry but that blew off and all so that plan went boobs up as they say!

Here's the pics from todays walk to school ... Little leaf buds opening up on this bush. Aren't they shiny and new!

This gorgeous display of daffodils. They are some of my favourite plants. So bright they remind me of the sun and the promise of summer to come!

And even some little daisies are popping through ...

Friday 12th March:

I have had this book on order for a while now so forgot that today was release day! As I mentioned in one of my previous blog posts Jess is well into her teenager streak now! We have some small signs of puberty kicking in as well as the attitudes and temper tantrums. I feel like I am parenting a toddler again! As this book implies though they do almost regress back to a toddler at this age as the brain goes through yet another growth spurt and the hormones kick in. So I have to relearn how to parent again. I feel like a new parent argh! So that is why I pre-ordered this book to get my head around the changes and get some strategies under my belt! I shall report back as I go. It is apparently aimed at 8-13 but is good for those of 6/7 year olds to get ahead of the game on whats coming! And also for younger teens as some of it covers that age range too. 

Tonight I chill in bed after kids have gone down easy - Yippeee! Sleep routines are back on track!! Candles on, relaxing music and write to my blog. Then a bit of Gogglebox! Gotta love trash tv on a Friday night! 

Right that's it for this week. Sorry it's some what bleak! Guess we all go through our seasons and right now i'm in a struggling/lost season. I'll be alright. I'm a fighter! Just like the seasons I need to find my new Spring :-) So if your also feeling a little blue i'm with you! Gosh that's cheesy hahhaha!! Right off I trot to play a bit of Roblox - talking of trash! Read a bit of book - not sure what one yet! And then head off to beddies. Sleep well/Good morning all! Chin up! Keep looking up! Lots of blue sky around today! Lots of love The Mad House Xx

The garden continues!

So we are at the end of week 2 back at school. We are well are truely back into the swing of things and all?! are happy to be back. Ok me and Sophie lol. But J seems to be doing ok tbh! This week seems to have sped by which is a good thing. I am still spending 3 hours of every week day napping when the kids are back, I have tried to set my alarm half hour earlier to get up but seem to find myself just snoozing it and having just another 10 minutes nap! LOL. Gah! I did manage it one day though with only 1 snooze so I guess 1 is better than nothing. Maybe I need to trick my brain with moving the clock back by only 5 minutes each day or something?! So what else has happened this week? Well honestly I can't remember! Just slow and steady I think! Nothing to note really. I haven't even taken hardly any pictures so this week is going to be boring when I write it up LOL! So lets go back to the first weekend in March.

Saturday 6th March:

So what did I do today? Can anyone guess? It's officially Spring (metrologically so that's good enough for me ...) and time to stretch and wake up like a butterfly creeping out of its cocoon. Well that's one way to put it lol!! Here's a clue ...

Yes that's is it! It's officially garden time of year! So I will be trying to get out every weekend that the weather allows me to. These gloves are awesome. £3 I think they were - from Wilkinsons. Fleece lined gardening gloves. They are really good and warm. So glad I got them! Here's the link for anyone who wants to keep warm hands outside! https://www.wilko.com/en-uk/wilko-fleece-lined-garden-gloves-large/p/0486960

So first job was to check that the rose I cut back last week was still looking dead and looks good for deadness so far! It's as shame we can't remove it but it's not our fence to take down to do it. 

I forgot to take before's of this bush but here's the afters! Took it quite far back and dug out some dead wood.

Same on this one forgot the before pic but took a fair bit off the bottom where it was coming out over the border. 

A little Robin - Bobbin' - Was sat here and just as I clicked ... He went! 

However fear not! I caught him here!! 

Here's my cuttings and gear ... Will get hubby to do a tip trip with this lot and put some behind some bushes to try and create a small nature corner where it's out the way.

I was only out here for 45 minutes or so but it was enough to gradually get back into the swing of things. I came in and had a rest and some food then went into Sophie's room. Need to see the back of wardrobe gate. I want my weekends free for gardens and don't want to be tied to internal projects. So I start by emptying the top of her wardrobe into the top of Jessica's in her room. Yes I know this is making more work as I will need to move the stuff out Jessica's wardrobe again before moving to Sophie's but I don't have time to do it all this weekend. I want to make some progress though and the purpose of this is to sort it. Sort what will stay by putting into Jessica's and sort a sell or loft pile into another of old baby stuff. I still have cot sheets and duvets in here! She is in a toddler bed that should last her for another year! And this has a cot duvet on it. It's quite big and the duvet covers still fit so getting the use out of it whilst we can!!I threw away a few boxes and instructions for old stuff that I won't sell. The baby monitors are being used in both kids rooms still. They use for light and music. I tried to wean Jess off it and onto another music thing but she likes it lol! It is good in all fairness in case someone is sick and we can use the monitor for them to call down to me if I'm downstairs or something when ill. So here is half way through emptying the top and after ... The sheets and stuff in the bottom that I moved over too. And then a piccie of J's wardrobe after it moved over.

In the evening I wrote to the blog and then played Roblox! Jess introduced me to the washing machine simulator in a laundrette. I appear to have become somewhat addicted LOL! 

Sunday 7th March:

Today I carried on my Sunday tradition of trying to do some calming and me time in the week. So I pulled out the Crochet and had a go and learning it more. Today's project is double crochet but I still keep loosing stitches gah! My first attempt cast on is very messy too!

Attempt 2 was slightly more neater on the cast on and above - Still loosing stitches though!

Attempt 3 was slightly better but needs work on the tension. So that's it for this weekend. A quiet affair but relaxing. Working my stamina up carefully with garden work as I do every year increasing the time spent out there. Nothing else to report here so I will log off here and leave you all in peace. Have a fab, relaxing weekend. Get out in nature if you can! Chin up and keep looking up to the skies. Lot's of love from The Mad House Xx