I thought this was going to be a craft blog....

When I started this was going to be a craft blog. It seems to be turning into a garden blog. Who knew?

I have made progress with my knitting however. I finished knitting the yoke on the summer top now, I just have to do the edges and make it up. OK, so maybe that will be ready for next summer ;-) And the baby cardi - is all knitted. Just to make up and buy the buttons. Buying buttons was a job for my lunch break today but I was landed with an unexpected one o'clock meeting, so that never happened. Don't you just hate those?

Of course its intended recipient is now six months old, but there is another baby boy who is much younger and another two babies on the way amongst my circle, so I'm sure it will fit one of them! If not maybe I will have to start up an Etsy store. A small one - one item at a time? Hey ho...

Just when I thought I was getting somewhere

So the hostas grew some new leaves, perforated as they may be. Then I split one and moved a bit to a shady spot I had made. It is now just little bits of stalk.

And despite my saying that I could not grow dahlias (even in pots) I had to just have one more try. They were a bargain from the garden centre (72p each!) as it was very late but they looked good healthy tubers so I thought what the heck...

They grew away well and had a couple of inches growth before - dun dun dun - the slugs got them. So I thought - Aha! They haven't eaten the lilies - I will put the dahlia pots (they were small pots) on top of the lily pots (and they are lily pots). The lilies haven't a sign of a nibble. They were doing so well and had more than one shoot each and some small leaves then I came to water them the next day and they were mown to the level of the compost. Aaaargh!!!!!!




So they are being nursed by my mum and have some tiny shoots emerging now. I think flowers this year will be out of the question, but maybe next year. I am thinking that it might even be worth the expense of nematodes next year. Do they work on snails too?




Anyway. Aside from my dahlia/slug trauma there have been some successes in my garden this year.




[Note: Did you notice the dead insect on the lily? I didn't til I posted the picture. I know it's dead because I just found it stuck to the stigma this evening!]

Too busy? Too lazy?

Guess where I was yesterday? Here's a little clue....

Too hard? Here's another....

Still too hard? Maybe the toadstools will give it away?

Well, just in case you weren't quite sure I was at Fusion. The Girlguiding UK Centenary Celebration with around 20,000 other Guiders, Brownies, Guides and Senior Section members. Here is a view of the crowd for the finale...

The flickr photostream pics are more impressive - I am clearly too short to get a good view! Like several feet too short. Check it out HERE


Forgot to mention - I am at the top right by the blue stripy marquee on the Flickr photo - not that you can see me!!