Hello Friends and Curious Anonymous Readers
I hope that you're doing well and it's all rosy in your gardens.
I got some new eyeglasses with current pair being 5 years old and the lenses were scratched very badly so much so that I was having trouble seeing out of them. I needed my prescription adjusted, too so with the new specs the world was looking a whole lot better. It's ironic that I then had an allergy flare-up which left me with itchy and teary eyes but the worst of it was blurry vision. So here I was with new glasses but couldn't see anyway so I couldn't post as promised.
I know it's not May anymore so this is now a retrospective look at the past month.
My son's partner was looking for hanging plant hangers on the 'net but hasn't found one he either likes or is available to ship to the UK. His birthday was coming up so my son asked me if I could make something in particular colours to suit the giftee. After a discussion over macramé vs. crochet I pulled out a few colours from my stash and with his approval began to make the hanger. I've made a few before for myself so the actual design and measurements have all been worked out which made it a snap to do. Here is the finished result which was a hit with the recipient.
I decided I needed one, too but in my favourite colours not to hang but to cover -up an ugly pot. The plant in it (peace lily/Spathiphyllum) has been doing very well so I thought I would give it a reward.
I've been trying a new yarn It's called Zpaghetti and I got it from here. It's mostly cotton and is from offcuts of T shirt fabric from clothing factories. It's thick and heavy and a bit stretchy and takes a bit of wrist action to work. I'm working on a rug for the kitchen and here it is in progress.
I've started it and ripped it out a few times and it's actually much further along now but I'm not quite ready for a reveal photo yet. I've ordered more it of as I've got an idea for another project and this is just what I've been looking for.
Outside on the balcony things are progressing very well now that it's warmed up a bit. My tomatoes and peppers grown from seed (I love to point that out and boast about it) are over the "will they make it" hump and are looking very promising now.
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| Tomatoes, Peppers & Sunflowers Growing From Seed |
The first few strawberries have appeared and
I was pleasantly surprised to find these popping out:
I planted these seeds for these lovely and fragrant Sweet
Peas in late July last year. They grew a little I couldn't get the
tendrils to wrap around the bamboo stick.
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| Sweet Peas |
They survived being left outside
during the winter in a spot close to the building for some shelter against the
heavy winds that we had. The bottom leaves tell the story of it's
difficult beginnings but it's turning into a beauty. I've got some carnations
growing (no photo yet) and yesterday I sat outside between the sweet peas and
carnations and the fragrance was gorgeous. Every time a breeze blew
through I get another hit of the exquisite perfume the combination of the two
were making.
Last night I was supposed to be going to a birthday party
but I was still feeling a bit fuzzy and fatigued so had to pass on it.
This morning I'm feeling much better so will be going down to the garden soon
to plant in some new flowering plants that I picked up on the Dappermarkt for
€1 each yesterday. I'm planting them in a spot where I seen them
from my balcony.
Oh, and Operation "No Cat Crap In Our Garden" has
been a success so far. I've gone down there a few times equipped with
tools to remove any deposits but there haven't been any. Success!
We need to stay vigilant over it and keep putting down the orange peels and
sprinkling the stuff from the pet store along with the essential oils. I
mixed it up the other day and left out the asafetida since we could smell it
throughout the whole building and I don't want to alienate the neighbours with
the stench so I used citronella, lemon and eucalyptus instead. That
smelled really nice but didn't permeate the building like the asafetida and
lemon mixture did. Now that we've reclaimed this space for human enjoyment I'm
on the lookout for a table to eat on out there. I think there's a Free
Cycle here so will check it out on the 'net. I've also been checking where the trash is laid out by all the
residents on the street because sometimes what's one person's junk is another
person's treasure. Sundays (today) is a very good day for this since most
households tend to have a tidy up at the weekends.
Well I'm off to enjoy the weather and hope
that it's beautiful where you are. There are still a couple of more things to
show and tell but I'll leave them for another time as the sun demands it's
worship. So long for now!
