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Garden Audit 2014

January 30, 2014 by Jenni Clutten | 13 Comments

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“And willows, willow-herb, and grass,
And meadowsweet, and haycocks dry,
No whit less still and lonely fair
Than the high cloudlets in the sky.

And for that minute a blackbird sang
Close by, and round him, mistier,
Farther and farther, all the birds
Of Oxfordshire and Gloucestershire. ”
- Exerpt, Adelstrop by Edward Thomas

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I am so excited as I sit here quickly editing down these photos of our garden that I took this morning. It is all misty, dull and grey outside but I was amazed at how much I saw poking out from the earth and shooting out from the branches. I didn’t think there would be much to share but how wrong I was. Everything I have photographed has been planted by the previous owners so I am purely admiring their bountiful handiwork.

There will never be another ‘first’ spring in our garden. Not like this year where I have scowering the earth for signs of life, I can see so many spring bulbs, I have no idea what colour they will be or quite what they are. How wonderful. I discovered today that there are bulbs planted in a circle around the plum tree in the middle of the lawn. As these grow I will update the photo labels so I can identify them correctly but as yet it’s still really difficult to label them.

Not all these photos are in focus as I was desperately hopping around the garden, baby strapped to my chest in a sling with one eye keeping an eye on Nye as he watered every inch of the vegetable beds. I have included them as I desperately want to work out what all the plants are! If you know can identify any of the plants please enlighten me. (p.s yes I am incredibly lucky to have inherited this amazing garden.)

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Then, in the vegetable garden Nye is busy at work, transferring rain water from a trug, to a watering can, to his wheel barrow. He is totally in his element un-phased by the cold, quietly concentrating on his ‘work.’. As I am snapping away in the back garden I suddenly hear him talking to the postman who has posted my neighbors post through my door.

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There are even a few flowers to be found, in January, I can’t quite believe my eyes.
Thank you for dropping by, as usual I am linking up with the How Does Your Garden Grow linky.

Mammasaurus and How Does Your Garden Grow?

January 28, 2014
by Jenni Clutten
0 comments

The Sunlighthouse

If you’re anything like me, then you’ll adore admiring other peoples homes, especially on programs like Grand Designs or Amazing Spaces. I love to see a project develop over time, from beginning to end, inside and out.

Here we often spend time dreaming about what kind of house we would build if we ever had the opportunity to start from scratch. (Believe me, it was a thought not far from our mind when we were searching for a house to buy and couldn’t find anything with a garden bigger than a postage stamp). What a joy it must be to see your own house emerge from the raw materials and turn gradually into a home.

Recently we have been looking into house design and discussing the idea of living in a house where everything has been thought trough in great detail. A house that brings in the light, is warm without costing the earth and is designed to make the spaces fit the way we live life. The sunlighthouse designed by Hein-Troy Architekten, showcased on the VELUX® website fits all these requirements and is stunning to look at. The light bright images are so inspiring, especially the angular and modern design nestled into the lush green grass. I can’t help but think a house like this would look so striking here, the sharp outline of the building overlooking the undulating hills. It’s definitely given us something to think about.

What kind of house would you design if you could start from scratch?

DISCLOSURE:
This post is sponsored by VELUX, all words and opinions are my own.

Living Arrows 4/52

January 27, 2014 by Jenni Clutten | 7 Comments

Your imagination takes over our home. I saw this car sitting on the rug in your sisters room yesterday as I sat there feeding her, settling her cries as you slept in the room next door. Then everything is tranquil, all I hear are newborn snuffles and gulping. But even when you are not with us, you are on my mind and leaving us reminders that you and your imagination will be back soon.

I took this photo just after I took the one above, as I held you in my arms sitting on the floor of your bedroom. I love the time we have together, strangely I do not get chance to cherish it as much as I would like. There is so much to be done, not least the mountains of washing to fold and put away. If you were to zoom out of this picture you would see piles of it sitting in your cot neatly folded. For now it can wait.

Silent Sunday

January 26, 2014 by Jenni Clutten | 6 Comments

January 25, 2014
by Jenni Clutten
1 Comment

Moments that Matter

As we move through January it’s nice to reflect back on last year and think about what stands out. When I was contacted and asked to pick out 10 moments that matter from last year I had great fun trawling through the hard drive to pick out my favourite ones.

If I had one word to some up 2013 it would be change. There have been so many changes, I barely know where to start. Moving house twice, becoming a family of four, a new job and our first big family holiday. We are lucky that there are so many good memories to think back on, and wonderful photos to remind us. I won’t lie, moving house is stressful as is being pregnant but I can confirm that it was all worth it!

You can see some of my favourite moments from the year in the collage above, Nye’s chubby toes, Evie’s beautiful screaming new born face, Christmas dinner, our new house, delicious pastries from our holiday in Normandie, the new nursery, lavender in our old front garden, a trip to the beach, big bright umbrellas at the big feastival and finally Nye’s trip to the farm. Goodbye 2013, we’ll miss you.

DISCLOSURE:

The Greenhouse in January

January 23, 2014 by Jenni Clutten | 14 Comments

Planting Seeds This week I thought I would share what we have been up to in the greenhouse courtesy of my camera phone, (sorry).

I unexpectedly managed to unpacked one more of our many moving boxes and found the majority of my gardening equipment hiding under the cobwebs. I moved most of my stuff straight into my greenhouse and thought we would celebrate by chitting our potatoes. I used this video to give me an idea of exactly what I needed to do as I’ve never had to deal with the needs of potatoes ever before. So in summary, I’ve added the word chitting to my vocabulary and found out it basically means lining up you potatoes to get them to make a strong sprout.

Next we decided to sow some seeds and this was a great task to get Nye involved in as he loves transferring things. He moved the compost from the bag into the trays and I leveled them out before we scattered some seeds. I have optimistically decided to sow some of the lavender, I have no idea if it will work but with the weather being so mild I thought I would give it a go. I must admit I’ve become a tad enthusiastic about listening to gardeners question time recently. So, after I heard them discussing sowing some foxgloves I have thrown mine around in a back corner far and away from toddler pincers. So, hopefully over the next few weeks I’ll have some more exciting flower seedlings to show you.

chitting potatoes

Now You Are Two

January 21, 2014 by Jenni Clutten | 27 Comments

Black Country Museum 2014

Last weekend we decided to celebrate your 2nd Birthday at the Black Country Museum. We drove up early in the morning, wrapped up nice and warm, after stopping to get Daddy a haircut.

We wandered around, first browsing the cars and buses and took a van to the shops where we bought a lollypop that turned your entire face blue. You walked and walked, until you ran and fell over several times, your feet getting away from you. On the canal side you landed in a big muddy puddle, and you looked a tad forlorn until you picked yourself up and carried on regardless. We didn’t even hear a peep about your sodden socks and shoes.

You gaped at all the fires in the tiny workman cottages and spoke energetically to the shop keepers. Eagerly you dived in to your freshly cooked chips as we sat on a bench outside in the cold and then headed inside for cake, cake and more cake. We found ourselves at the cinema and you watched your first ever film, The Vagabond by Charlie Chaplin. You sat wiggling on my lap, watching, listening and snacked on cheese and cheerios before heading outside to try your hand at some traditional games. You imitated grandad playing with a whipping top on the cobbles and chased after the metal hoops as everyone amazed at how young you were.

Soon it was time to go, you were tired and it was getting cold, so we stopped for a quick stroke of a horse in the stables and then ran to catch the bus. What a lovely way to celebrate you, my wonderful two year old.

Black Country Museum 2014 /2

January 20, 2014
by Jenni Clutten
3 Comments

Happy 2nd Birthday to you my love! Here you are, a whirlwind of present opening at 7 am in the morning. We had a lovely day together, with bacon and chocolate cake for breakfast and then a trip to the soft play and beef noodles for dinner. What a big boy you are now, and today you are starting pre-school. I packed your new bag for the first time last night and my heart is breaking a little to think of you giving your smiles to someone else. Please save some for me!

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Living Arrows When you are not sleeping or feeding you just coo away happily at us. Even your brother is transfixed by your charms and your blossoming relationship makes my heart flutter. Here you are, hand in hand after we enjoyed some cake at the Black Country Museum to celebrate your brothers 2nd birthday.

Silent Sunday

January 19, 2014 by Jenni Clutten | 11 Comments

January 16, 2014
by Jenni Clutten
12 Comments

Planting Bulbs for Spring – 3/52

It’s cold and windy, rains on and off and then occasionally there’s a bit of a sunshine reprieve. When the clouds parted this week I made a concerted effort to get planting bulbs for Spring. I have been planting them in dribs and drabs since I got them, but as January inches closer to February I know that it will soon be too late. I brought one plant pot with us in the move and the daffodils have already started shooting up. I feel so excited to see them again, a bit like they are old friends that have stayed the course. I’ve planted a lot of stuff in there over the years so I’ll be interested to see if anything new emerges. Last year I only planted daffodils but this year I’ve gone all out, with allium’s, a black hyacinth and a few different types of tulips in the bed leading up to the house. Then in the back garden, Neil and Nye threw some snake head fritillary’s and grape hyacinths around to create a kind of natural look at the back of the pond. The idea is that you scatter them around then plant them where they land. As I was doing some cutting back on the bed there over the weekend I could already see some starting to shoot up. It’s nice to think their arrangement will be a bit of a surprise especially as it is our first spring here.

Then back in the vegetable garden my onions and garlic are pulling up strong. Every bulb I planted has grown, and none have been attacked by birds or mice (not yet anyway). Next I will be starting my potato’s off in the green house. I had planned to plant them in one of my vegetable beds but I’ve been reading up on planting them in a bucket and I must admit I find that quite a tempting idea, especially as I already have a few spare trugs lying around.

I’ve also bought a few new plants to fill in the front garden bed which is currently barren apart from those bulbs hidden under the surface. It was full of marigolds and cleome’s when we moved in, which have since passed and I much prefer perennials. I’ve gone for two different hellebores (Christmas Carol and Harvington Double White Speckled) and a Viburnum tinus.

Viburnum Tinus January 2014

I have plans to sow some lavender to create a wave of scent as you walk up to the house, like in our old house. I bought the last lot in a pot so I have absolutely no idea how long it will take to be substantial from seed. I love lavender though so it will be well worth it. Then just this week I found some leftover pink foxglove seeds that I was kindly given last year so I shall be sowing them as soon as I manage to get my hands on some compost.

As usual I am linking up with the wonderful Mammasaurus on her How Does Your Garden Grow Linky.

“And willows, willow-herb, and grass, And meadowsweet, and haycocks dry, No whit less still and lonely fair Than the high cloudlets in the sky.

And for that minute a blackbird sang Close by, and round him, mistier, Farther and farther, all the birds Of Oxfordshire and Gloucestershire. ” - Exerpt, Adelstrop by Edward Thomas

“And willows, willow-herb, and grass,
And meadowsweet, and haycocks dry,
No whit less still and lonely fair
Than the high cloudlets in the sky.

And for that minute a blackbird sang
Close by, and round him, mistier,
Farther and farther, all the birds
Of Oxfordshire and Gloucestershire. ”
- Exerpt, Adelstrop by Edward Thomas