Purely by chance, a few weeks back, I saw an article on a 6 week garden design course being held at Stewart Park, which is just up the road from me, so I enrolled and the course started a couple of weeks ago.
Last week we all had a great time learning how to measure a garden and the features that are/can be in a garden, and as this week is half term, we have homework, which is to produce a liner scale drawing of the garden/area that we want to replan.
For me, that's the back garden, and as the weather was so nice today, and with the help of Tim. We spent a very productive afternoon taking countless measurements just to get the width, length and the positioning of the 2 sheds and greenhouse in the garden. This evening I've now put those measurements down on paper and I now have a very basic plan of the back garden. I now need to spend another couple of hours doing some more detail measurements of the placement of the paths, the curved boarders, patio areas (all 3 of them) and 2 circular flower beds, then transfer them onto the master plan.
It's surprising what you find out about your garden by doing all this measuring. I now know how big the 2 sheds are, the greenhouse is the size that I wanted (8 x 8), so no need to buy a new one and the garden tapers ever so slightly.
I've got photos to take of all aspects of the garden, at very times of the day, so that I've got an idea where the sun is, and what shadows are there are. It's really quite exciting and hopefully will mean that in the end a garden that does everything we want and we will know what and where to start first.
Sunday, 17 February 2013
Wednesday, 30 January 2013
The promised photos
At long last blogger have enabled me to uplaod photos, so here are the ones of the lounge.
This was the colour of the walls under the rather load wallpaper, not quite sure which was worst. The "70's" stone fireplace is fake.
This is the colour of the room now, and though the fireplace doesn't look too bad, it's days are numbered.
And there it was, gone!
I can't believe how quickly the snow has melted, it had all gone within 24 - 48 hours. Not that the paltry 4" of snow we had here has really caused us any trouble, especially when we are used to a good foot of snow when we lived up on the moors. The only problem the snow caused me was that last weekend it was supposed to be the Teeswater Sheep Breeder's Annual Dinner at Hawes, but with 3 nights of amber warnings of snow, it was decided to postpone the dinner for a couple of weeks. So I had the "lovely" task of ringing round all who were going to the dinner and letting them know the dinner was postponed and what the new date would be. No one was at all surprised by the decision and hopefully everyone will be able to make the new date.
Whilst we've been "snowed in" we've done a bit more decorating. This time in the biggest of the bedrooms at the front of the house, it's been given a coat of paint and we've had a couple of companies come and give us a quote for fitted sliding wardrobes. Tim could do it himself (with the help of me), but the ceilings are so high that B&Q do not do doors that tall, only to special order, and having now got the quotes in, they are no cheaper than getting a firm in to do the work for us. So this weekend we will pay the deposit and book a date for the fitters to come and do the work. We will have work out what we have done first, the central heating or the wardrobes, not both at the same time, I don't think Holly would be able to cope with 2 sets of workmen to watch/monitor!!!!!
Whilst we've been "snowed in" we've done a bit more decorating. This time in the biggest of the bedrooms at the front of the house, it's been given a coat of paint and we've had a couple of companies come and give us a quote for fitted sliding wardrobes. Tim could do it himself (with the help of me), but the ceilings are so high that B&Q do not do doors that tall, only to special order, and having now got the quotes in, they are no cheaper than getting a firm in to do the work for us. So this weekend we will pay the deposit and book a date for the fitters to come and do the work. We will have work out what we have done first, the central heating or the wardrobes, not both at the same time, I don't think Holly would be able to cope with 2 sets of workmen to watch/monitor!!!!!
Monday, 21 January 2013
Changes to the lounge...
For the last couple of weeks I've been busy re-painting the lounge, it's just a freshen up as such, as I can't really do too much until the plumber has been and replaced the whole central heating system, and thankfully with all the snow we've had, he's not booked to come until the beginning of March.
I was hoping to upload some photos of the lounge, before and after it's been painted, but blogger is not letting me do so.
The lounge has gone from, what a friend calls, a "french tart's boudoir" red to the much quieter colour of magnolia. It has made the lounge much brighter and now that I've cleaned the carpet, smells a lot cleaner too. The only trouble now is that this room has been redecorated, the rest of the house looks really drab. Looks like the next room to be painted is the bedroom at the front, it's the biggest of the bedrooms and after a bit more work will become our bedroom.
I was hoping to upload some photos of the lounge, before and after it's been painted, but blogger is not letting me do so.
The lounge has gone from, what a friend calls, a "french tart's boudoir" red to the much quieter colour of magnolia. It has made the lounge much brighter and now that I've cleaned the carpet, smells a lot cleaner too. The only trouble now is that this room has been redecorated, the rest of the house looks really drab. Looks like the next room to be painted is the bedroom at the front, it's the biggest of the bedrooms and after a bit more work will become our bedroom.
Sunday, 30 December 2012
Goodbye 2012, Hello 2013
I know it's not quite the end of the year, but I thought I would do one last blog of the year.
We were quite busy on the run up to Christmas, I'd ordered 37kg of fibre from one of my suppliers thinking that it would not arrive until after Christmas, well that is what their web site said. But it all arrived the Friday before Christmas, along with the 12kgs of sock wool I'd also ordered from another supplier, who's website also informed me that they couldn't guarantee delivery before Christmas!which to be honest didn't bother me. But it arrived and now 30kgs of the fibre is already bagged up just waiting to be labelled, priced and photographed to be put onto my Folksy shopto sell. The rest of the fibre needs to be dyed before I can put it up for sale. The same goes for the knitting wool, that too needs to be dyed etc before going onto Folksy for sale.
I've been a bit slow in using Folksy so in 2013 I'm determined to get a lot more of my fibre into the shop for sale.
We had a quiet Christmas Day, we always do, watched a few DVDs and just chilled out. On Boxing Day we started on making modifications to the lounge! The 4 "fake" beams in the ceiling have been removed, a stone shelf, for which we could see no use for, has been removed, making one of the supports for the RSJ (which supports the upper floors when the 2 downstairs rooms were knocked through into one) easier to box it, as at the moment it is a "lovely" 70's stone pillar!!!! Tim then started on filling in the holes in the walls the electrician has made when we had the house rewired, so that I can start and give, at least, the lounge a coat of neutral paint so we can then decide what to do with the very large, again "70's", fake stone fireplace.
This fireplace has split our friends who have seen it, they either like it or hate it, there are no "well it's O.K" comments about it. Tim and I are undecided, because to remove it, will involve a lot of work, mainly how do we support the other end of the RSJ!!!! Time will no doubt tell.
The more we start looking deeper into the fabric of our house we realise that there has been no real substantial work done in the last 20 years, and that includes decorating!!!!
The next big job is replacing the Central Heating, which is between 20 to 25 years old. So the whole lot has to come out and be replaced with new. The plumber is booked to be here for a least a week from the 18th March 2013, and for a few of those days we will be without hot water or heating. Let's hope the weather is starting to warm up by then
Usually over the Christmas and New Year break I plan to spend some time in the veg garden, doing a spot of digging and just having a good tidy up of the weeds and leaves etc, but this year the soil is extremely wet. We could do with at least a month of no rain to dry everything out.
I'm already booked into 2 fibre events for 2013, Wonderwool in Wales (April) and the British Wool Weekend in Harrogate (September). By the end of January I should know if I've been successful in getting a stall at Woolfest and Fibre East. I will, of course, be attending Saltburn Farmer's Market from March through to December.
It has been strange over the last 6 months not having the sheep and alpacas to worry about, especially as the weather has been so wet, the fields would have been by now, mud and feed prices this year are going to be very expensive. I've just had to give my availability for Tribunal work for Feb - April 2013 and this time there is no big block of weeks I can't work due to lambing, though a friend in the next village has said we can help her lamb if we feel the need!!!!!
Well all there is now it for me to wish you all a Happy New Year and let's hope that 2013 is a bit drier than 2012 has been.
We were quite busy on the run up to Christmas, I'd ordered 37kg of fibre from one of my suppliers thinking that it would not arrive until after Christmas, well that is what their web site said. But it all arrived the Friday before Christmas, along with the 12kgs of sock wool I'd also ordered from another supplier, who's website also informed me that they couldn't guarantee delivery before Christmas!which to be honest didn't bother me. But it arrived and now 30kgs of the fibre is already bagged up just waiting to be labelled, priced and photographed to be put onto my Folksy shopto sell. The rest of the fibre needs to be dyed before I can put it up for sale. The same goes for the knitting wool, that too needs to be dyed etc before going onto Folksy for sale.
I've been a bit slow in using Folksy so in 2013 I'm determined to get a lot more of my fibre into the shop for sale.
We had a quiet Christmas Day, we always do, watched a few DVDs and just chilled out. On Boxing Day we started on making modifications to the lounge! The 4 "fake" beams in the ceiling have been removed, a stone shelf, for which we could see no use for, has been removed, making one of the supports for the RSJ (which supports the upper floors when the 2 downstairs rooms were knocked through into one) easier to box it, as at the moment it is a "lovely" 70's stone pillar!!!! Tim then started on filling in the holes in the walls the electrician has made when we had the house rewired, so that I can start and give, at least, the lounge a coat of neutral paint so we can then decide what to do with the very large, again "70's", fake stone fireplace.
This fireplace has split our friends who have seen it, they either like it or hate it, there are no "well it's O.K" comments about it. Tim and I are undecided, because to remove it, will involve a lot of work, mainly how do we support the other end of the RSJ!!!! Time will no doubt tell.
The more we start looking deeper into the fabric of our house we realise that there has been no real substantial work done in the last 20 years, and that includes decorating!!!!
The next big job is replacing the Central Heating, which is between 20 to 25 years old. So the whole lot has to come out and be replaced with new. The plumber is booked to be here for a least a week from the 18th March 2013, and for a few of those days we will be without hot water or heating. Let's hope the weather is starting to warm up by then
Usually over the Christmas and New Year break I plan to spend some time in the veg garden, doing a spot of digging and just having a good tidy up of the weeds and leaves etc, but this year the soil is extremely wet. We could do with at least a month of no rain to dry everything out.
I'm already booked into 2 fibre events for 2013, Wonderwool in Wales (April) and the British Wool Weekend in Harrogate (September). By the end of January I should know if I've been successful in getting a stall at Woolfest and Fibre East. I will, of course, be attending Saltburn Farmer's Market from March through to December.
It has been strange over the last 6 months not having the sheep and alpacas to worry about, especially as the weather has been so wet, the fields would have been by now, mud and feed prices this year are going to be very expensive. I've just had to give my availability for Tribunal work for Feb - April 2013 and this time there is no big block of weeks I can't work due to lambing, though a friend in the next village has said we can help her lamb if we feel the need!!!!!
Well all there is now it for me to wish you all a Happy New Year and let's hope that 2013 is a bit drier than 2012 has been.
Sunday, 16 December 2012
Holly's Christmas Party
Well that wasn't quite what I had in mind when I invited our friends over for the weekend with their respective dogs, KD, Lunil and Bil, which meant, with our two dogs, we had 5 dogs in the house. It was Tim who christened this weekend Holly's Christmas Party, and oh boy, was she excited on Saturday morning, doing the "happy huff" she does and bouncing around, waiting for, her and Deefa's friends, (along with their staff of course) to arrive.
KD was the first to arrive on Saturday afternoon, and as we were blessed with mild weather, for once, all 3 of the dogs were running in and out of the house and playing chase around the garden. When Lunil and Bil arrived, around tea time, the whole chase thing happened again, and like any party with excited children, no one wanted to admit they were tired and settle down for the evening.
Tea was a joint of brisket, from our friend's Dexter herd, and 2 joints of our lamb, plus veg and Yorkshire puds. Evening entertainment was a DVD called Faintheart. If you like something silly and corny about people who do re-enactment, then this is a DVD for you.
Sunday, as always, was started with the traditional breakfast of Tim made sausage burgers, bacon, eggs, baked beans, tomatoes and toast.
After a quick walk down to Fairy Dell, we all went to Saltburn, to walk on the beach. Low tide was around 12.00, so arriving around mid morning meant we could have a good long walk, and today, it was so mild and warm down on the beach it was hard to believe we are only 2 weeks away from Christmas.
KD was the first to arrive on Saturday afternoon, and as we were blessed with mild weather, for once, all 3 of the dogs were running in and out of the house and playing chase around the garden. When Lunil and Bil arrived, around tea time, the whole chase thing happened again, and like any party with excited children, no one wanted to admit they were tired and settle down for the evening.
Tea was a joint of brisket, from our friend's Dexter herd, and 2 joints of our lamb, plus veg and Yorkshire puds. Evening entertainment was a DVD called Faintheart. If you like something silly and corny about people who do re-enactment, then this is a DVD for you.
Sunday, as always, was started with the traditional breakfast of Tim made sausage burgers, bacon, eggs, baked beans, tomatoes and toast.
After a quick walk down to Fairy Dell, we all went to Saltburn, to walk on the beach. Low tide was around 12.00, so arriving around mid morning meant we could have a good long walk, and today, it was so mild and warm down on the beach it was hard to believe we are only 2 weeks away from Christmas.
Lunil & Bil - playing with a stick
KD following Lunil & Bil into the sea
The boy Deefa, affectionately known as Big D, taking a break from running around on the beach
and finally the party girl herself, Holly.
A great weekend with friends and dogs, which no doubt we will do again early next Year.
Sunday, 9 December 2012
The last of this year's markets
Last weekend I was at Middlesbrough Christmas market, which wasn't too bad. Friday was the better of the 2 days, sales wise. Saturday was very cold and very low on sales. I don't think I will do this market again.
This weekend I was booked to do 2 markets, Stockton Sparkles and my regular market, Saltburn Farmer's Market.
Stockton Sparkles was over 4 days, from Thursday through to Sunday and we all had our own little cabin, which did mean that I could put a heater on and keep slightly warmer than if I was stood out in the elements. But that was the only good thing about this market. On the Thursday I sold nothing and I was supposed to be there from 10am to 7pm, but by 5.30pm I was so fed up and having had a good look at what other stallholders were selling (cheap scarves and tat), I realised that I was at the wrong market. So I packed up that evening and didn't bother going back for the other 3 days.
On the other hand Saltburn Farmer's Market was as good as ever. I loved seeing my old customers and catching up with the other stallholders, some of whom have had previous experience of Stockton Markets and have no intention of going back to there.
Tim also came with me to Saltburn and I think enjoyed the jovial banter that goes on at Saltburn, it has such a good feel about it and the market buzzes.
So in 2013 I will be going back to Saltburn Farmer's Market, I've also sent my application forms off to attend Wonderwool in Wales, Woolfest in Cockermouth, Fibre East in Bedfordshire and The British Wool Weekend in Harrogate. Botton School hold craft fairs every 3 months, and though I don't like doing craft fairs, this one I will do, more to support the school and village than make lots of sales, but I've yet to come away with a loss from such an event.
I've also upgraded my Folksy account so that should make loading and selling my fibre and wool on line easier, so we shall see how that goes. It can't do any worse than Middlesbrough and Stockton markets.
Now I've not got any markets until March with the start of Saltburn Farmer's Market, I'm hoping to get some time on starting my veg garden, doing some knitting for me and doing some spinning. All of which is dependent on the weather.
This weekend I was booked to do 2 markets, Stockton Sparkles and my regular market, Saltburn Farmer's Market.
Stockton Sparkles was over 4 days, from Thursday through to Sunday and we all had our own little cabin, which did mean that I could put a heater on and keep slightly warmer than if I was stood out in the elements. But that was the only good thing about this market. On the Thursday I sold nothing and I was supposed to be there from 10am to 7pm, but by 5.30pm I was so fed up and having had a good look at what other stallholders were selling (cheap scarves and tat), I realised that I was at the wrong market. So I packed up that evening and didn't bother going back for the other 3 days.
On the other hand Saltburn Farmer's Market was as good as ever. I loved seeing my old customers and catching up with the other stallholders, some of whom have had previous experience of Stockton Markets and have no intention of going back to there.
Tim also came with me to Saltburn and I think enjoyed the jovial banter that goes on at Saltburn, it has such a good feel about it and the market buzzes.
So in 2013 I will be going back to Saltburn Farmer's Market, I've also sent my application forms off to attend Wonderwool in Wales, Woolfest in Cockermouth, Fibre East in Bedfordshire and The British Wool Weekend in Harrogate. Botton School hold craft fairs every 3 months, and though I don't like doing craft fairs, this one I will do, more to support the school and village than make lots of sales, but I've yet to come away with a loss from such an event.
I've also upgraded my Folksy account so that should make loading and selling my fibre and wool on line easier, so we shall see how that goes. It can't do any worse than Middlesbrough and Stockton markets.
Now I've not got any markets until March with the start of Saltburn Farmer's Market, I'm hoping to get some time on starting my veg garden, doing some knitting for me and doing some spinning. All of which is dependent on the weather.
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