July 11th 2015 - Staining the decking

July 11th 2015 - Staining the decking

I have 9 days until my friend is coming to stay, this means that the house needs blitzing from top to bottom, most of this can wait until the day before she gets here as will only end up a mess again with the kids.  But it also means that I only have 9 days to make the garden safe for her children (mine know its not completely safe and where they can/cant go etc.)

1 of the jobs that needs doing is the decking to be finished (we have 3 rows to do).  But I can stain the part of it that is finished.  We bought some ronseal wood stain the other week (£24 in b&q, same stuff in home bargains £8.99!)  Yep I can cope with that. I also bought a tin of varnish from £1 shop that I am going to put over the top as a sealant.

before stain

during stain

after stain

June 27th 2015 - Then & Now

June 27th 2015 - Then & Now

Today's pin is a bit of a boasting one on my part.  It is a Jungle vs Garden/Then vs Now.

When we bought the house in 2013 the garden hadn't been touched in about 7years, it had 6ft high weeds, nettles, brambles, dead trees and god knows how much rubbish and junk.  This took us a while to clear but we did it.  We also started to scatter some grass seed in the hope that it would give us a base to work with.  A year on and you could see big changes and the grass took really well, so we just added more seed (79p from home bargains nothing flash or fancy!) and again it took well and filled the patches.  Move forward to June 2015 (10days later than we moved in 2years ago but was too wet to take pics  and lawn needed cutting) and there is a HUGE difference in the garden!

People we don't even know have stopped us when  we've been out there and said how much better it looks and what a difference we have made to it etc.  Which is really nice, at least we know our hard work is paying off.  There is still along to go until it is fully how I want it, but as they say "Rome wasn't built in a day".  Fair enough if I had the money to pay a gardener/landscaper etc then yes it would be done in a very short time, but I don't have this option.  Therefore It gets done as and when we have saved a few £ to buy the next materials etc.  I still want a fence to go round my decking, the back fence made higher than the 3ft it is and a 1ft trellis fence between us and next door as people from the street can see straight in.  I also want to make some planters to go along the back fence to put loads of purple and pretty plants in, but I cant do these until the fence is made higher as I dn't want the plants stolen.

We have the grass pretty much established now, bar a few patches.  The fairy garden is in and we are adding to it as we find things.  Lil man has a planter for vegetables which are growing well, the composters are working as they should be and we have loads of nice plants and flowers growing, some of which were 50p a plant in a sale as damaged and may not grow!  I have part of garden as patio and part as decking (i've got to be the only person that buys a house on a slope and then wants flat patio and decking lol!)

Well here's some of the pics:

yellow rose was 50p damaged plant, red "remembrance" rose was also 50p damaged plant

This pink rose bush was in garden, we have just trailed it along fence.  It has sooooo many buds on it.

This "blue moon" rose was my late mums, I dug it from her garden after she died.  It was planted in the garden at my old house and then put in a pot so we could move.  It only has this 1 big flower on it at the moment.

June 20th 2015 - Fire pit

June 20th 2015 - Fire pit

As the garden is finally coming along and looking nice we have bought the fire pit to go in the middle of the decking.  It is very similar to the 1 in the pin.  It was on offer when we bought it, down at £64 from £125.  It's not just a fire pit though it also has a grid so that it can be used as a bbq as well.

The only snag with it is its bigger than the paved area that we had planned to put it on, so we have had to remove 2 of the decking squares and build up with bricks to make it the same height as the existing paving.  This we have done and hopefully the cement will be dry tomorrow.

Here are a few pics from when we used it in 23rd June for 1st time.

June 17th 2015 - where has the time gone?

June 17th 2015 - where has the time gone?

SO the question for today's pin is "where has the time gone?"  I can't believe that this time 2years ago I was travelling to the other end and side of the country to a new house and a new life.  My house was boxed and loaded on a lorry, the car was loaded with kids, pets, food, a kettle etc.

It has gone really quickly, although we are settled etc there are still few bits that need doing or finishing etc, like the wall behind the dvd shelves still has HORRID white with red flower wallpaper on it, but in order to remove the paper and paint it purple to match the rest of the room I need to move nearly 600 dvds which is NOT an easy task.  I also need to finish painting the stairs and landing, but again its not major.  The garden is also a work in progress but getting there slowly.

This is what the garden was like in April 2013 (when I viewed the house, June 2013 when I moved in and August 2013 as we started to clear it.

The next 2 show the difference in the garden between when we moved in 2013 and June 2014 - a big difference, all the dead trees and weeds cleared and grass starting to grow, and part of it cleared and a patio laid.

This picture was the end of summer 2014, the kids swing is in back garden, the  grass is still growing and the patio is laid.

 The next few are 2015 and the start of the decking, where we have dug out, the starting to build the framework, checking the tiles fit and the fairy garden which is along the side of the garden shown in the first of the double 2013/2014 pics.

June 13th 2015 - Cardboard Slide

June 13th 2015 - Cardboard Slide

Yesterday saw the delivery of my wall mounted gazebo, it came in a 3m long box.  The said box I had dumped in the garden on the pile of "junk" that is going to the tip and thought nothing more of it.

My two youngest sons started to play with it last night and today they were using it as a Slide and sledge down the slope of the front garden.  Not quite like the pin where they are going down the stairs, if they did the stairs at my house I would be off to a&e as they would crash into a radiator and wall.

They have spent ages outside on their "home made slide".  I have taken some photos of them as well as videoing them.  Who says that you need expensive toys???  And so much for kids NOT having imaginations nowdays.  This was all their own doing and nothing to do with me!

June 12th 2015 - Wall mounted gazebo

june 12th 2015 - Wall mounted gazebo

For a few weeks now we have discussed buying a wall mounted gazebo but they were soooo expensive so it got put on hold.

Well last week we found the same one we have been looking at on ebay reduced to £76.  Which is a big reduction as were over £136.  It is the size we wanted for the space so we got one.  It has arrived today.

We have started to put it up and its bigger in height than we thought it would be.  But never mind, will be worth it once its up.  Not quite sure how we remove the cover on it through! 

I will add a pic when its up properly.

June 8th 2015 - New Shed

June 8th 2015 - New Shed

With 3 growing kids and 2 adults with bikes and a a garden shed that is becoming full of toys and tools we have had to buy a new shed.

We have bought another 1 the same as the one we have.  The plan is to leave the bikes and lawn mower etc in 1 and get some shelf units/baskets for the kids toys to go in at one end and store the gazebo and stuff at the other. 

Today is being spent sat waiting for the delivery of it.  All Wilkinsons could say was it was 8am-8pm delivery, and the driver would ring when half hour away.  When we bought the other one it came from Northampton  over 6hrs away, so unless they have changed supplier etc this 1 will be the same.  The only snag is that just over an hour from us there is loads of horse drawn vehicles on the roads as it was a big Gypsie event at the weekend, so it could be stuck in traffic.

May 30th 2015 - Strawberry flowers

may 30th 2015 - Strawberry flowers

I noticed that my strawberry plants have small white flowers on them.  I recall my Nan saying that its the flowers that turn into strawberries but  I wasn't sure as never grown them before.  So I hit the internet for advice and yes the flowers are what turn into strawberries.

Lil man is very pleased as last year when we bought the plants we didnt get any strawberries off them, but upon counting the flowers today we have 16 flowers at the moment.  Hopefully we will get some nice strawberries in a few weeks and more flowers come up over summer!

May 23rd 2015 - DIY watering can

May 23rd 2015 - DIY Watering can

Now that lil mans has properly established and is all growing well  he needs a watering can, rather than connecting the hose up.  So I have made him one from a pop bottle and my drill, similar to this one on pinterest. It also means that he can water his veg rather than me doing it.

Here's the lid:

May 10th 2015 - Planting sweetcorn part 2

May 10th 2015 - Planting sweetcorn part 2

About 6weeks ago me and lil man planted his sweetcorn.  Well we still have nothing grown and it says should grow by 21days!  I have dug around in the soil where we put them and cant find anything.  So today me and lil man are going to plant some more sweetcorn.  Hopefully the tips on the pin will be of use to us.

The packet does say if the seeds fail they will replace or refund, so if these ones dont start to grow I will be taking them up on this!

May 1st 2015 - Pallet Bench

May 1st 2015 - Pallet Bench

Me and hubby have made a Pallet Bench to go on the decking similar to that of the pin - except we only have 1 part and no back on it.  We are going to make a 2nd one as well.  But the wind got up and was really cold despite the sun shining.

We also ran out of metal mending plates to hold them together so cant do anything until we get some more.  It also needs varnishing but this can wait until they are both made.

We added extra pieces of wood (from the pallet) into the gaps so that the top is a solid seat as more comfortable than the gaps in a pallet.  We cut it down so it's only as wide as the 1 section of the 2cross bits (see pic as they form front and back piece of wood).  The legs were made from the bottom part of the pallet.  it's no higher than a normal garden chair.

April 30th 2015 - Hedgehog craft

April 30th 2015 - Hedgehog craft

Today I was looking for "wild animal" activities for Badgers (St John Ambulance) for next week as part of their Wild Badge.  I came across this Hedgehog, but as we are in spring i'm not going to find many brown leaves about.

But it gave me an idea - Hedgehog shape on paper and glue brown triangles to it to look like spikes.  I set about cutting triangles from brown parcel paper and brown craft paper (darker).  I then covered the hedgehog template in glue and stuck the triangles on overlapping themso thepoints were not stuck down.

It looked really good and was very easy to do. This is the image I have used  as the base, the face and feet can be coloured with felt tips or crayons.

April 28th 2015 - Toadstool table n chairs

April 28th 2015 - Toadstool table n chairs

Today me n hubby nipped out to a garden centre 15mins up the road as I want a Lemon Grass plant as wasps don't like the smell of it.  They hadn't got any and didn't know what I was on about!

Well we came back via a small market town, we've been there quite a bit as they have the Factory Outlet Store.  We nipped in.  This was a BIG mistake (in a way) as cost me an absolute fortune!

Outside the front of the store was garden furniture and things and amongst it was a Toadstool Table n Chairs.  It was lovely!  We mis-read the label and price.  We walked round the store and picked up few bits and it was as we got near the till we decided we would get the toadstool table n chairs even though it meant we couldn't get any wood to do the decking this week.  The sacrifices I make for my kids!

Well we thought it was £40 for the table and chairs...... errrr no, £40 for the table and £25 per pair of chairs!  OMG!!! (bearing in mind this is NOT RRP but cheaper!)  BUT they did have an offer of table and 2 chairs for £59!  So we got them.

They are really lovely and we have been and cleared the weeds from in front of fairy garden for them, not sure if this is where they are staying permanently or not, but where they are going for now.  If they are staying here we will have to level thee ground properly and possibly put some more of the purple stone chips down.  I think we have to re-think the entire fairy garden and re-make it bigger like where it was before (where the mud is to) and place the table n chairs at the back by the fence, with the fairies and toadstools at either side.

April 26th 2015 - Bird House

April 26th 2015 - Bird House

I bought 2 Bird houses similar to these from poundland the other week, I'm not sure what size birds they are meant for as the hole is smaller than a 2p coin.  I had talked about covering them in shells before they went into the fairy garden but lil man has decided he wants them in it as they are.  He has placed them on top of an old tree stump and said that they are neighbours.

He is so happy to have his little fairy garden and apart from the wind knocking 1 ornament off the fence (luckily it didn't break) nothing has been broken or stolen.  Which is really good.

April 23rd 2015 - Decking Squares

April 23rd 2015 - Decking Squares

If you have been following any of my blog you will be aware that we are in the process of building a decking.  This has been a long process as we have had to dig out loads of soil from part of garden to move to opposite end as garden is on a slope.  Hubby says I have got to be the only person that can buy a house that is on a hillside with a sloping garden and then want a patio (we did last year) and a decking that is also flat!

We started buying the decking squares last year every time we went to the big town (we are in a harbour town with minimal shops) where b&q is.  They have varied in price from £2.52 each to £2.97 and a few were on offer at 2 for £5.  I noticed yesterday that b&q had the decking squares we are using reduced to £2 each, I know that isn't much of a saving, but when your doing a big area on a limited budget it helps. 

I transferred £16 from the savings account (now has £2 in it!) and hubby got £4 for his petrol to a meeting today, I was given £10 that a friend owed me yesterday and we were going to use £10 from main bank account so £30 in total and 15 squares, when we got there they only had 25 squares (I needed 35 to complete area) so we bought all 25, yes it cost us more than we had planned BUT we don't know when they will be getting any more in stock - its a "as and when they arrive item" according to the store. 

We are stuck however, we don't have the wood for the frame work so work has had to stop until next week when hubby gets paid so we can buy some more timber lengths and carry on again.  I will have a decking by summer, but today and the past week has been like summer - very hot, garden thermometer is reading 26C.  If we have temps like that in April what is July and August going be???  I can't wait!

Today I have been sat around in the sun doing not a lot as I have re-hurt my knee after doing lots of walking and standing yesterday.  But I can cope with lounging around in the sun!!

April 19th 2015 - Fairy garden sign

April 19th 2015 - Fairy garden sign

A long time ago I found today's pin about making a Fairy garden sign post and thought it would be great for when we finally made our fairy garden.  Well our fairy garden is under way and today is not nice enough to go out and do more on the decking so I have started to make a sign post post ours.

I had a thickish stick I had taken off 1 of the boys (using it to hit his brothers) which I have covered in silver and gold sparkle nail varnish (this stuff gets used for crafts more than on my nails!).

the pic doesn't show the sparkle at all.

Ages ago I used my dremmel to carve words into some wooden discs (from a tree we cut out of garden), I have coloured the words using sharpie pens and again covered them in silver sparkle nail varnish.  They look really good.

Once the nail varnish is properly dry I will nail them to the stick so that it can go outside in the fairy garden.  Lil man is so pleased that he finally has it.

April18th 2015 - Start of the decking

April 18th 2015 - Start of the decking

The sun is shining again today and is actually quite hot, 1/3 kids has shorts on and I have 3/4 trousers on.  All is looking good weather wise and I hope it stays and we have it right through til the end of summer!

After we dug out mud the other day in readiness for the decking today hubby went and bought some timber so that we can start making the decking frame work in order to put the decking squares onto.  Easier said than done!  It's very easy to do if you have a square/rectangular, flat area in which to do it, I know this as we had the above at our old house.  However the garden here is on a slope (why we had to dig out) and we are building around a jagged stone wall and concrete steps, plus the garden isn't straight!

We will succeed and I will have a decking by summer! 

April 10th 2015 - Fairy Garden

April 10th 2015 - Fairy Garden

Since we moved to our house nearly 2years ago and started working on the garden (which was a jungle) lil man has asked for a fairy garden in part of it.  We fenced off a section after we had cleared it and we're looking at ideas to go in it etc.  I found many on pinterest and made a whole board linked to it.

As we have seen things fairies, toadstools and such cheap we have bought them.  I have also made some small rock houses to go in it.  When lil man went on a school trip last year the shop had an ornament seagull  that says welcome under it - it was reduced to 50p so lil man bought it with his money - his teacher even asked if he was sure that he wanted that and not a toy like his friends and he was adamant he wanted the seagull for his garden and bought a pencil as well.  His teacher explained to us when we picked him up about it and we confirmed he was making a fairy garden.

We also have a statue of a big grey cat in it.  This was named phoenix after our big grey cat that sadly got killed a few years ago, he was a lovely cat and very dosile.  He was missed by us all so we got the statue.

We still need few more bits to go in it but we have plenty of time for that.  I promised lil man that we would have it done by Easter this year, sadly Easter was last weekend BUT I have sorted it today for him.

April 9th 2015 - Planting garlic

April 9th 2015 - Planting garlic

The garlic bulbs have been sat in water for a few days now and we have long roots at the bottom and long green shoots at the top that are about 3" high.  According to the websites this is when they are best to plant, so we will be going outside later to plant the garlic.

However, most of the websites say that you should plant in august and protect with straw over the winter months so that it is ready to harvest from april/may time.  I didn't know this so hopefully it will still grow, but we can plant more later in the year.

April 6th 2015 - Birthday Wishes (and garlic)

April 6th 2015 - Birthday Wishes (and garlic)

Birthday Wishes

Random title for today I know, but I  have my reasons.  Today would have been my Mum's 66th birthday had she still been with us.  Happy Birthday Mum, RIP, love you always. x   I thought these 2 pins suited this bit quite well - for my Mum in Heaven and words and tears.


Growing Garlic

Lil man is loving the idea of growing his own veggies, we have carrots, sweet corn, snap peas and potatoes in the garden already, the blueberry and raspberry bush we bought from £1 shop have both died so need get more expensive ones.  And we have rocket, lettuce, corriander and basil growing in a tray indoors.  He asked if we could grown garlic as we use it in dinners.

So I looked it up, the first thing I found was placing it in fridge and leaving it for a week as it will start to grow - well it was in the fridge for 2weeks and doing nothing!  So I looked to see if I could find another way to get it to grow, and I found a way of growing it in water.  So Yesterday we opened the garlic clove and placed the individual bits in a shallow bowl of water on the window sill.  This morning we have woken up to them looking like this:


So I think a few more days for them to grow bit taller and we will be able to plant them outside in the vegetable planter.  And I think we will wait a few more weeks and then root another lot so we have more growing for later in the year.  I'm not sure how long they take before new cloves have fully grown.